BUIS6122 Study Guide
LU1
Which five words from the two wordles above, describe the terms:
o Information systems (ISs) and
o Information technology (IT)?
What is the di erence between the terms:
o Computer and
o Information systems (ISs)?
Give two examples of each of the following concepts, what would they be?
o Computers; and
o ISs.
What evidence is available to support or di er from the following statement:
‘Data and information are similar, yet di erent…’?
Why is it important to di erentiate between data and information?
What drives the type of data users collect?
Which qualities should information have?
If data has time orientation, what would future data used for?
Which qualities of information enhances a
user’s ability to comprehend and use it e ectively?
What is the di erence between computer literacy and information literacy?
To what extent would one benefit from being workplace computer literate?
At which point does information become business intelligence?
What is Transactional Processing Systems (TPS)?
o How does its application benefit an organisation?
Which structured tasks in an organisation were the first to benefit from TPSs?
What are the benefits of automating systems?
, What are examples of TPSs?
Define an MIS?
How do TPSs and MISs di er in their applications?
If one of the functions of an MIS is to gain competitive advantage in an
organisation, what are the others?
In which way do di erent MIS applications serve di erent purposes?
Which of the words in the diagram describe the major components of an IS?
o Describe the relationship between these components?
What are examples of external data sources?
What are the results or outcomes of the process component?
How do graphical user interfaces (GUIs) a ect the usefulness of information?
Why is information technologies (IT) important in an organisation?
What are the four M’s of resources?
What is the relationship between ISs and the functional areas of an
organisation?
Describe the di erent types of enterprise applications?
What does Michael Porter, a professor at Harvard Business School, assume
about strategies for competing in the marketplace successfully?
How could ISs and IT contribute to the overall competitive advantage of an
organisation?
Which respective benefits do supply chain management (SCM), customer
relationship management (CRM), enterprise solution planning
(ERP) and collaboration software yield?
LU2
Define a computer?
Where does a computer get its instructions from?
Why is a computer program also refer to as the ‘source code’?
What is the di erence between computer hardware and computer software?
What is the purpose of each of the following components:
o Central processing unit (CPU)?
o Arithmetic logic (ALU)?
, o Control unit (CU)?
o A bus?
o A disk drive?
o The central processing unit (CPU) case?
o A motherboard?
What is the di erence between a serial port and a parallel port?
What are the factors that a ect the performance of a computer?
How has computer hardware developed over the last 60 years?
What are the predictions for computers in the next couple of years?
Why are computer designers concentrating on technology using gallium arsenide
instead of silicon?
What is a big problem with gallium arsenide?
Given that there have been so many technological advances, what sets optical
technologies apart?
In which way(s) are hardware and software developments over generations,
comparable to each other?
Which three factors do computers draw their power from?
What is the significance of each of these factors?
How is data represented and transferred between computers and network
systems?
What are the three basic tasks that computers can perform?
Which mathematical calculations can computers perform?
What is the purpose of input and output devices?
What are examples of input and output devices? In which contexts will each of
these typically be used?
What is the di erence between primary/main and secondary memory?
o What do ROM and RAM have in common? How are they di erent?
LU1
Which five words from the two wordles above, describe the terms:
o Information systems (ISs) and
o Information technology (IT)?
What is the di erence between the terms:
o Computer and
o Information systems (ISs)?
Give two examples of each of the following concepts, what would they be?
o Computers; and
o ISs.
What evidence is available to support or di er from the following statement:
‘Data and information are similar, yet di erent…’?
Why is it important to di erentiate between data and information?
What drives the type of data users collect?
Which qualities should information have?
If data has time orientation, what would future data used for?
Which qualities of information enhances a
user’s ability to comprehend and use it e ectively?
What is the di erence between computer literacy and information literacy?
To what extent would one benefit from being workplace computer literate?
At which point does information become business intelligence?
What is Transactional Processing Systems (TPS)?
o How does its application benefit an organisation?
Which structured tasks in an organisation were the first to benefit from TPSs?
What are the benefits of automating systems?
, What are examples of TPSs?
Define an MIS?
How do TPSs and MISs di er in their applications?
If one of the functions of an MIS is to gain competitive advantage in an
organisation, what are the others?
In which way do di erent MIS applications serve di erent purposes?
Which of the words in the diagram describe the major components of an IS?
o Describe the relationship between these components?
What are examples of external data sources?
What are the results or outcomes of the process component?
How do graphical user interfaces (GUIs) a ect the usefulness of information?
Why is information technologies (IT) important in an organisation?
What are the four M’s of resources?
What is the relationship between ISs and the functional areas of an
organisation?
Describe the di erent types of enterprise applications?
What does Michael Porter, a professor at Harvard Business School, assume
about strategies for competing in the marketplace successfully?
How could ISs and IT contribute to the overall competitive advantage of an
organisation?
Which respective benefits do supply chain management (SCM), customer
relationship management (CRM), enterprise solution planning
(ERP) and collaboration software yield?
LU2
Define a computer?
Where does a computer get its instructions from?
Why is a computer program also refer to as the ‘source code’?
What is the di erence between computer hardware and computer software?
What is the purpose of each of the following components:
o Central processing unit (CPU)?
o Arithmetic logic (ALU)?
, o Control unit (CU)?
o A bus?
o A disk drive?
o The central processing unit (CPU) case?
o A motherboard?
What is the di erence between a serial port and a parallel port?
What are the factors that a ect the performance of a computer?
How has computer hardware developed over the last 60 years?
What are the predictions for computers in the next couple of years?
Why are computer designers concentrating on technology using gallium arsenide
instead of silicon?
What is a big problem with gallium arsenide?
Given that there have been so many technological advances, what sets optical
technologies apart?
In which way(s) are hardware and software developments over generations,
comparable to each other?
Which three factors do computers draw their power from?
What is the significance of each of these factors?
How is data represented and transferred between computers and network
systems?
What are the three basic tasks that computers can perform?
Which mathematical calculations can computers perform?
What is the purpose of input and output devices?
What are examples of input and output devices? In which contexts will each of
these typically be used?
What is the di erence between primary/main and secondary memory?
o What do ROM and RAM have in common? How are they di erent?
