Rodrigo Rivera-Reyes Updated: November 2012 MIS 2113 Fall 2012 Prof. Nathan Stout Study Guide Exam II Fall 2012 Chapter extension 1 - Improving Your Collaboration Skills and Chapter Extension 2 - Using Collaboration Information Systems. 1. Explain what collaboration is and its difference with cooperation Collaboration: the activity of two or more people working together to achieve a common goal. -Process of reviewing each others work. -Takes time (weeks, not hours). -Involves coordination and communication. -Involves feedback and iteration. (*Very Important). *Iteration: Requires to come together as a group in order to create ideas. Willing to put myself out there. *Feedback: Critical, constructive feedback. Cooperation: People working together to meet a common goal but maintaining their separate mandates and responsibilities. Working independently, but to achieve a common goal at the end. *Difference between Collaboration and Cooperation: Collaboration always involves feedback and iteration. 2. What are the characteristics that make for an effective team, according to Hackman 3 characteristics of Effective team 1. Team accomplishes its goals and objectives in a way that satisfies the team s sponsors and clients 2. Over time, team s capability increases. Working together becomes easier and more effective. 3. Team members feel fulfilled as a result of working on the team. or in other words... *Hackman 3 characteristics of team effectiveness. 1. We get done what you told us to do. 2. Over time working together becomes easier and more effective. 3. Sense of community. Feeling happy in the group. 3. Explain the three factors that drive Effective Collaboration 3 Factors of Effective Collaboration 1. Communication: Two key elements. 1. Communication skills and abilities of the group members. 2. Availability of effective communication systems. 2. Content management: tracks and reports the data of who, when and why were changes made to the information (documents, schedules, etc). 3. Workflow control: Procedure by which content is created, edited, used and disposed. Specifies the ordering of tasks.
*Ad hoc groups: Create and formalize workflows. For such groups Communication is the most important driver. 4. How does collaboration fit into the five part, MIS framework *Why use Information Systems for Collaboration? 1. It will make your life easier. -No need for face to face meeting. -Won t loose or misplace work. -Able to know who contributes and who is not. 2. Creates better results. 3. Highly prized and marketable skill. 5. What are the (essential) key skills for collaborators *Desired traits for a good collaborator: Enthusiastic, Curious/Open-Minded, Speak. 6. Synchronous and asynchronous communication + common tools that are used for each. Synchronous: Same location (Used in Applications such as Word and Powerpoint, conference calls, videoconferencing) Asynchronous: Different location (Used in email, discussion forums and team surveys, google docs, Windows Live Sky) 7. Describe the difference between version management systems and version control. Version Management: Improves the tracking of shared content and eliminates problems causes by concurrent document access. eg. Wikis, Google Docs, Windows Live SkyDrive Version Control: gives each member of the team an account with a set of permissions. Shared documents are placed in shared directories called Libraries. eg. Microsoft Sharepoint *Difference between Vision Management and Vision Control : V. Management does not limit the actions that can be taken by any particular user. Nor give control over the changes to documents to particular users. Chapter 2 - Business Processes Understand emphathetic versus egocentric thinking and how it impacts communication Egocentric: Centers on the self Empathetic: Consider their view as ONE interpretation and learn what OTHER people are thinking *Empathetic thinking is better for business because business is a social endeavor. Thus, it is important to understand others points of view. List and understand the characteristics of good information. *Good Information: 1. Accurate 2. Timely 3. Relevant *The centerpiece of good information= Accurate 4. Just Sufficient 5. Worth its cost
What is the impact, issues with regard to ensuring good information is brought into a system If information is not good: -Managers can not rely on the results -The IS function develops a bad reputation -The information system becomes a waste of time and money Good information: Information systems support business process by implementing activities, serving as data repositories, and controlling the flow of data What is your role with regard to business processes My role in the business process: You can choose to be active, inactive, empathetic or apathetic What are the three types / categories for discussing business processes. Three types for Discussing Business Process 1. Management 2. Operational 3. Support List the key components of a business process. Key Components of a Business Process 1. Activities-collections of related tasks that receive inputs and process those inputs to produce outputs 2. Decisions-a question that can be answered Yes or No 3. Roles-sets of procedures 4. Resources-people, facilities, or computer programs that are assigned to roles 5. Repository-collection of business records Define a business process. Business Process: A network of activities, roles, resources, repositories and data flows that interact to accomplish a business function. Overlay components of a business process with the five components of an information system, ie, what does it mean to automate by integrating MIS into a business process. *Hardware and people are both actors (they can take actions) *Software and procedure components are sets of instructions (software instructs hardware, procedures instruct people). *Data bridges the computer and human sides.
Chapter 3 - Competitive Advantage What are the four organization strategies based on Porter's competitive forces? Porter s competitive FORCES: 1. New Vendors 2. Customers 3. Suppliers 4. Substitute Vendors *Porter s four competitive strategies: 1.Broad cost leadership across industry (most efficient) 2.Narrow cost leadership focused on particular industry segment (most efficient) 3.Broad differentiation across industry (most effective) 4.Narrow differentiation focused on particular industry segment (most effective) Goals, objectives, culture, and activities must be consistent with strategy What are examples of companies that follow the four organizational strategies? *Car companies Understand how an organization determines its goals. How an organization determines its goals: Five Forces Model: Competitive and Supply Chain Bargaining Power. Used to determine the characteristics of an industry, how profitable it is, and how sustainable that profitability will be. Provide examples of how IS can help with competitive strategy. How does IS help with competitive strategy: 1. Product implementation: create new, enhance or differentiate. 2. System Implementation: lock in customers and buyers, lock in suppliers, raise barriers to market entry, establish alliances, and reduce costs
Understand Porters Value chain. *Value chain: network of value-creating activities. *Used by manufacturing companies Primary Activities: -Inbound Logistics -Operations -Outbound Logistics -Marketing and sales - Service Support Activities: -Firm Infrastructure - Human Resources - Technology Development - Procurement Apply Porters value chain to IT and process management. *Each Value chain is supported by one or more business processes List and explain the primary activities within the value chain. Primary Activities of Value Chain: 1. Inbound Logistics- receiving, storing, and disseminating inputs to the product 2. Operations/Manufacturing- transforming inputs into the final product 3. Outbound Logistics- Collecting, storing, and physically distributing the product to buyers 4. Sales and Marketing- inducing buyers to purchase the product and providing a means for them to do so 5. Customer Service- assisting customer s use of the product and thus maintaining and enhancing the product s value List the components of a Data flow diagram. Components of DBD: 1. Source 2. Process Misc concepts
3. Sink *Data Flow Diagram (DBD): The movement of a data item from one activity to another or to a repository. Understand the different levels of a DFD! SOURCE SINK 2.0 Subprocess 1.0 Subprocess DATASTORE * Source sink always to from process. Data store always to from process. Explain the common problems of a DFD -Miracles and Blackholes -Miracles have results but no Input. Blackhole have no Outputs. What are the three levels of Organizational Decisions? -Operation: concern day-to-day activities -Managerial: concern the allocation and utilization of resources -Strategic: concern broader-scope, organizational issues Describe and understand the pyramid paradox. Correct Right Now Low Cost -Can t be all because of the allocation of resources, which means you must make a decision based on the situation What is a problem? -A problem is in the perception of the individual or company. Explain what Work-breakdown structure is and its role within project management. -Breaks project up into manageable pieces/levels hierarchy of tasks required to complete a
project, each task ends with deliverables, identifies task dependencies, estimate task duration, cost and labor needed, may be created with project management software Understand what Critical Path Analysis is and how to determine the critical path. -Determines the earliest date a project can be completed; to tell critical components, and where you have slack. Know the purpose of a Gantt chart. -To lay out a time frame. Distinguish between the logical design and physical design of a system. Understand the process of (re)designing a system. -Structured Decision: one for which there is an understood and accepted method for making decisions. Supported by automated systems -Unstructured Decision Process: one for which there is no agreed-on decision-making method. Supported by augmentation info systems List and understand functionality of a system and how those functions can be organized/ categorized. Understand the process of examining and determining the functions that will be in a new system. Understand TPS, MIS, and EIS with regard to decision-making. In organizations, decisions occur at three levels: operational, managerial and strategic. 1. Operational decisions concern day to day activities. Typical operational decisions are: How many widgets should we order from vendor A? Should we extend credit to vendor B? In this case TPS (transaction processing systems) come into place. 2. Managerial decisions concern the allocation and utilization of resources. Typical managerial decisions are: How much should we budget for computer hardware and programs for department a next year? In this case MIS (managerial information systems) would come into use. 3. Strategic decisions concern broader-scope, organizational issues. Typical decisions at this level are: Should we start a new product line? This is where EIS executive information systems become useful. What is the distinction between automation and augmentation with regard to MIS? -Automated Information Systems are those in which the hardware and software components do most of the work. In the Augmentation Information Systems are those in which humans do the bulk of the work.
What is the relationship with the level of decision making and the level within an organization? Terms Linkages- interactions across value activities; Porter s model of business includes linkages. Support activities- are business functions that assist and facilitate the primary activities. Competitive strategy- is a way that an organization responds to the structure of its industry. It can be four strategies: 1- Lowest cost across the industry; 2 Lowest cost within an industry segment; 3 Better product/service across the industry; 4 Better product/service within an industry segment: pg50 Primary activities- are business functions that relate directly to the production of the organization s products or services. Data warehouse- has the purpose to extract a and clean data from operational systems and other sources and to sort and catalog that data for processing by Business Intelligence tools. Data mart- is a data collection that is created to address the needs of a particular business function, problem, or opportunity. Business intelligence- information containing patterns, relationships, and trends. Expert system- encapsulate the knowledge of human experts in the form of If/Then rules. EIS- Are information systems that support strategic decision making. TPS- Are information systems that support operational decision making.
Knowledge Checks MEMORIZE! *When work that was once done by people has been moves to computers, it is said to be automated. *Problem is the perceived difference between what is and what is ought to be. *When we talk about the fact that the CEO needs the summary information rather than the fine details we are talking about Relevant Context of good information. *Good information is just sufficient. *Egocentric thinking centers on the self. *Information exchange that occurs when all members of a work team DO NOT meet at the same time - is best referred to as Asynchronous Communication. *We have a work group of about 100-150 people that we need to work with to send/receive and track a wide variety of topics/info as a group. Which of the following would be the worst choice to interact with in a group? Chat room *Microsoft Sharepoint is one of the most popular version-control applications for general business use. *A common knowledge base that is maintained by users is called a wiki. *Information systems are simply tools that are used to facilitate communications. *Porter s five forces model states that the competitive forces determine industry profitability *Dr. Gree goes into a restaurant and orders a Dr. Pepper only to find that they are out of Dr. Pepper but they have Cherry Coke which he gets instead. This would be an example of which of the five forces? Threat of substitution *Jaguar has choses what competitive strategy? Differentiation *Porter s three forces which are considered to be the competitive types are Substitutes, New Entrants, Rivalry. *Which of the following is NOT one of Porter s competitive strategies? Globalizing *Pie charts show the relationship of each part of data in reference to the table. *A line chart displays trends over time. *The Define Name Button will create a group of cells that are associated with a range name *A range name may contain each of the following EXCEPT a space. *The VLOOKUP function uses data arranged by columns. *To specify ranges of cells that are non-adjacent, separate the rages with a comma. *By default, text in Excel is left aligned. *New rows are inserted above the selected row and existing rows shift accordingly. *From anywhere in a worksheet, you can press [Ctrl] + [Home] *To paste a range of cells, you only need to select the cell in the upper left corner of the target destination.
Concepts mentioned in class that were not in the Study Guide *Team member behavior influenced by: -Natural skills and abilities. -Childhood formative environment. -Past team experiences. -Attitude. -Nature of work and its relationships to member interests and abilities. *You become nervous because you care. *When you have conflict on your team. 1. Identify differences in perspective and decide if those differences are consequential. 2. Understand the rational people have different perspectives based on. 3. Use empathetic thinking. 4. Avoid personal attacks. 5. Agree on a common set of criteria for evaluating and choosing alternatives. Ponny Express- Put data in a piece of paper and send a message. Micro blog- a web site on which users can publish their opinions, like a web blog, but the opinions are restricted to small amounts of text. Benefits: public relations, relationship sales, market research. Social Networking- refers to any activity that an entity takes with entities with which it is related Social Networking Application- a computer program that interacts with and processes information in a social network. Viral Hook- something that induces people to share your message.