Faculty of Business, Economics & Accounting

Department of Business Studies

HELP Bachelor of Business (Hons) Year 1

INTERNAL SUBJECT DETAILS

Semester 1, 2019

Subject: ITC101
Information Technology for Business

Subject Lecturer/ Tutor: Dr. Hemalata Alagan

Telephone: 03-2716 2000 ext 2048
Fax: 03- 2093 5311
Email: hemalata.alagan@help.edu.my

Consultation: Please call or email for appointment

PRE-REQUISITE(S)

No pre-requisite is required.

SYNOPSIS

The subject examines the goals and functions of Information Technology in the business
environment. As we enter the digital revolution, successful organizations must deal effectively with
intense global competition and a rapid pace of change. IT is a tool that enables all organizations to
solve increasingly complex problems and to capitalize an opportunities that contribute to the success
and the survival of the organization.

This subject is based on the fundamental premise that the major role of Information Technology is
to support organizational functions. The aim of the subject is to teach business majors how to use IT
to master their current jobs and to help ensure the success of their organization. The focus is not
only based on learning the concepts of IT but rather on applying those concepts to facilitate business
processes.

OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this subject, students should be able to:

 understand the business pressures and responses in today's Information Age;

 able to understand how IT support the organizational structure and help organizations to solve
problems and seize opportunities;

 identify the technical components of IS and the strategic role of IS in the organizations;

 understand how the telecommunications technology helps the organization to attain competitive
advantage;

 understand the implementation of the inter-organizational systems that serve as strategic

linkages between national and global business partners, and

 understand the impact and the changes in the business environment with the introduction of e-
commerce.
TOPICS

Topic 1 Introduction to information systems

Topic 2 Organizational Strategy, Competitive Advantage and Information Systems

Topic 3 Ethics and Privacy & Information Security

Topic 4 Data and Knowledge Management

Topic 5 Telecommunications and Networking

Topic 6 E-Business and E-Commerce

Topic 7 Wireless, Mobile Computing and Mobile Commerce

Topic 8 Social Computing

Topic 9 Information Systems within the Organizations

Topic 10 Customer Relationship Management

Topic 11 Supply Chain Management

Topic 12 Acquiring Information Systems and Applications

PRESCRIBED TEXTBOOK

R Kelly Rainer, Brad Prince, Casey G Cegielski. (2015) Introduction to Information Systems:
Supporting and Transforming Business, 5th edition, John Wiley (Asia).

RECOMMENDED REFERENCES

Curtis, G. and Cobham, D. (2010), Business Information Systems, 8th edition, Prentice Hall

Laudon K C and Laudon J P (2006), Management Information Systems, 6th edition, Prentice Hall

Long, L. and Long, N. (2002) Computers: Information Technology in Perspective, 9th edition,
Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
Subject Outline / Teaching Plan

Department : Business Studies Subject Code : ITC101

Lecturer : Dr. Hemalata Alagan Subject Title : Information Technology for
Business

Week Topics References

1 Introduction to Information Systems Chapter 1

2 Organizational Strategy, Competitive Advantage and Chapter 2

Information Systems

3 Ethics and Privacy & Information Security Chapter 3

4 Data and Knowledge Management Chapter 4
5 Telecommunications and Networking Chapter 5
6 E-Business and E-Commerce Chapter 6

7 Wireless, Mobile Computing and Mobile Commerce Chapter 7

8 Mid Term Break

9 Social Computing Chapter 8

10 Information Systems within the Organization Chapter 9

11 Customer Relationship Management Chapter 10

12 Supply Chain Management

Chapter 11
13
Acquiring Information Systems and Applications Chapter 12
14 Revision

15 & 16 Final Examination

ASSESSMENT:

These are 4 items for this subject.

Due Date
Assessment Items Value

1. Mid Term Test (Closed Book) 20% Week 8

2. Assignment (Business Report) 20% 14th March, 2019

3. Lab-based Assignment 10% Week 11 (to be done in Lab)

4. Final Exam (Closed Book) 50% Examination period: 20 April-

4 May 2019**

REQUIREMENTS:

To gain a pass in this subject, students must:

 Achieve a passing grade in the final examination i.e. score a minimum of 50 marks out of 100
if there is an examination for this subject.

 Attempt ALL areas of assessment; and achieve a total result of 50% or better overall.

** Please check with the Department of Business Studies for the actual date. HELP University
reserves the right to make any changes to the above where appropriate.
Assessment Details: Assignment (Business Report)

Due Date: 14th March 2019

Value: 20% of total assessment in subject

Word limit: 2000 words

Assessment rationale

This assignment is designed for you to:

1. Explore and gain knowledge in areas concerning IT innovation &

development in the current business environment;

2. Evaluate and analyze some of the ICT theories learnt, when making
comparisons to actual situations;

3. Communicate your findings through a formal business report.

Assessment criteria

Please refer to the assignment marking guide below.

Task:

This is a group assignment (minimum 4, maximum 5). The main task of this assignment is for you
to analyse Enterprise Resource Planning System.

You should present your writing in a report that contains your finding, opinion and review on the
above task.

Assignment Question:

Select any retailers operating in Malaysia. Based on the organisation that has been selected and ERP
system is identified in the selected organisation, provide a detail discussion about the
interrelationships among business processes supporting sales and marketing, production and
materials management, accounting and finance, and human resources?

Content must cover:-

1. Introduction
2. Company Overviews
3. ERP Modules
4. Interaction Among the modules
5. Process Issues
6. Suggestion for Improvement
7. Conclusion
Assignment marking guide

Criteria %
(1) Scope & Structure 20
Well-structured description,
comprehensive coverage, main issues
must be well covered.
(2) Synthesis 30
Critical analysis of theories studied,
industry practices, ability to put
everything in perspective. Proper
judgment of areas covered.
(3) Summary 10
Ability to conclude all findings, with
proper recommendations if necessary.
(4) Sources 20
Usage of proper and relevant sources,
list of references provided. Sources
well referenced (in-text references) and
proof of wide reading.
(5) Style 20
Includes a proper flow in discussion
which is free from structural and
grammatical errors. It must be well
written, using an appropriate format.
Good presentation.

Report format:
- Introduction (250 words)
- Body: Finding & discussion (1500 words)
- Conclusion (250 words)
- References
- Appendix & attachment (related to the organisations of your choice)

Submission:
- To be submitted to Business Administration Department
- A penalty of 5% per working day will be imposed for late submission.
 Assignment No.: __

Assignment Cover Sheet

Student Information (For group assignment, please state names of
Grade/Marks
all members)
Name ID

Office
Module/Subject Information
Acknowledgement
Module/Subject Code

Module/Subject Name
Lecturer/Tutor/Facilitator

Due Date
Assignment Title/Topic

Intake (where applicable)

Word Count Date/Time

Declaration

. I/We have read and understood the Programme Handbook that explains on plagiarism, and I/we testify that, unless
otherwise acknowledged, the work submitted herein is entirely my/our own.
. I/We declare that no part of this assignment has been written for me/us by any other person(s) except where such
collaboration has been authorized by the lecturer concerned.
. I/We authorize the University to test any work submitted by me/us, using text comparison software, for instances of
plagiarism. I/We understand this will involve the University or its contractors copying my/our work and storing it on a
database to be used in future to test work submitted by others.

Note:1) The attachment of this statement on any electronically submitted assignments will be deemed to have the
same authority as a signed statement.
2) The Group Leader signs the declaration on behalf of all members.

Signature: Date:
mail:
 Feedback/Comments*
Main Strengths

Main Weaknesses

Suggestions for improvement

Student acknowledge feedback/comments

Grader’s signature Student’s signature:

Date: Date:
Note:
1)A soft and hard copy of the assignment shall be submitted.
2)The signed copy of the assignment cover sheet shall be retained by the marker.
3)If the Turnitin report is required, students have to submit it with the assignment. However, departments may allow students up to
THREE (3) working days after submission of the assignment to submit the Turnitin report. The assignment shall only be marked
upon the submission of the Turnitin report.
*Use additional sheets if required.
 Department of Business Studies

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Honesty and Responsibility

Academic integrity is an important tenet for HELP University. In pursuit of the highest standards of
academic integrity, the Department of Business Studies holds it students to the highest ethical
standards defined by the Rules and Regulations section of the Academic Handbook. All students at
the Department of Business Studies are subjected to and are bound by the Student Academic
Misconduct Rule to assure academic honesty. Students are required to sign a pledge on the
assignment cover sheet before submitting your assignments to the Department of Business Studies.

What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is academic dishonesty or academic theft, and it is a serious academic offence.
Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the followings:
1. quote, paraphrase or summarize someone else’s ideas, theories or data, in whole or in part,
without appropriate acknowledgement
2. borrow ideas, opinion or words, in whole or in part, from other sources without properly
crediting the author(s)
3. use any facts, statistics, diagrams or graphs, in whole or in part, without acknowledging the
source clearly
4. claim or imply original authorship of someone else’s ideas, theories or data, in whole or in
part, as your own
5. employ or allow someone to help to revise, amend or write your work and pass off as your
own original work
6. collaborate with or allow other students to copy your work
7. draw on sources more than what you have acknowledged by citations

While a student is not discouraged to discuss an assignment with his/her friends or classmates, the
work he/she submits must be done by the student alone. If a student shares his/her assignment with
other students and they plagiarize it, the student is as guilty as those students who plagiarized
his/her assignment. All parties to plagiarism are considered equally guilty. Under no circumstances
should a student be involved in collusion with other students unless he/she is permitted to work on
an assignment jointly by the lecturer/tutor. If a student is unsure what constitutes plagiarism, he/she
is obliged to consult the lecturer/tutor on the matter before submission of his/her assignment.

When and How to Reference?

Knowing when and how to cite is a student’s responsibility. If he/she is in doubt or need more help
on this matter, the student may consult the lecturer/tutor. The following list comprises some of the
sources a student will need to reference. The list is by no means exhaustive, but simply consists of
the most common sources used by students to complete their work.
1. Books
2. Chapters in books
3. Journal articles
4. Conference papers
5. Newspaper articles
6. Magazines
7. Websites
8. Study guide
Students are advised to cite in the following cases [1]:
1. When he/she quotes two or more words verbatim, or even one word if it is used in a way that
is unique to the source
2. When he/she introduce facts that he/she have found in a source
3. When he/she paraphrase or summarize ideas, interpretations, or conclusions that he/she find
in a source
4. When he/she introduce information that is not common knowledge or that may be
considered common knowledge in your field, but the reader may not know it
5. When he/she borrow the plan or structure of a larger section of a source’s argument (for
example, using a theory from a source and analyzing the same three case studies that the
source uses)
6. When he/she build on another’s method found either in a source or from collaborative work
in a lab
7. When he/she build on another’s program in writing computer code or on a not-commonly-
known algorithm
8. When he/she collaborate with others in producing knowledge

In general, a referencing system requires two parts:

1. In-text citations
This is information about a source within the text of an assignment.
2. List of references
This is a list of all sources a student has used to research his/her assignment. It is
alphabetically arranged by author surname and appears immediately after the last page of an
assignment.

Different faculties or departments may have different requirement on how referencing for an
assignment should be done. The various formats used for in-text citations and list of references are
available in the following websites:
1. Harvard System (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/library/guide/gen/harvard.html)
2. Chicago Style (http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/index.html)
3. American Psychological Association or APA Style (http://www.apastyle.org)
4. Modern Language Association of America or MLA Style (http://www.mla.org)

Once a student has selected a referencing style for his/her assignment, he/she must follow the same
style consistently throughout the assignment. We strongly suggest that the student consults the
lecturer/tutor about which method to use before submission of his/her assignment.

What are the Procedures and Penalties for Plagiarism?

When a lecturer/tutor encounters a possible case of plagiarism, the lecturer/tutor shall report the
matter to the Head of the Department, who then initiates an investigation on the matter. The
following procedures would be carried out:
1. The lecturer/tutor shall provide evidence that substantiates an academic offence has
occurred. The following documentations must be ready prior to reporting of alleged
plagiarism:
a. Copy of the alleged plagiarized assignment
b. Copy of the source material (e.g. articles, websites, newspaper, etc.)
c. Report of plagiarism
d. Any other information that would support the claim of plagiarism
2. If the evidence warrants an accusation of academic offence, the Head of Department shall
establish a Board of Inquiry comprising 3 academic staff. The Department shall provide all
1
http://www.yale.edu/bass/writing/sources/plagiarism/warning.html, accessed May 18, 2008.
 necessary documentations, including report on prior academic offences if applicable, to the
Board of Inquiry.
3. The Board of Inquiry shall put the matter to the student in writing and give him/her an
opportunity to respond to the accusation within 3 working days.
4. The student will be required to attend a meeting with the Board of Inquiry. After meeting the
student, the Board of Inquiry shall decide whether or not the alleged plagiarism has
occurred. The following documentations shall be submitted to the Head of Department at the
end of the meeting:
a. Findings of the investigation
b. Recommended action(s) to be taken or imposed
5. The Head of Department shall review the Board of Inquiry’s report with supporting evidence
and shall decide on an appropriate action(s) based on the recommendation of the Board of
Inquiry.
6. The decision of the Head of Department shall be put in writing to the student. Copies of all
documentations will be retained in the Department.
7. If the student feels that he/she has been unfairly accused or treated, the student may appeal
to the Head of Department within 5 working days.
8. The Head of Department shall review the appeal and the final decision will be
communicated to the student in writing and a copy will be kept with the Department. Once a
determination of plagiarism and penalty has been made by the Head of Department, the
investigative process will be deemed to have ended and the student will not be allowed to
appeal.

Possible penalties for plagiarism range from mark reduction for the assignment to expulsion from
the University. The student will not be allowed to make up the assignment. If plagiarism has been
found to have occurred, the Department will take action(s) as determined by the forms of plagiarism
implicated:

1. Complete plagiarism
Verbatim copying another person’s work without acknowledgement
1st offence : A grade of “F” in the subject and a warning letter will be issued
2nd offence : Expulsion from the University at the discretion of the Head of
Department
2. Substantial plagiarism
Near-verbatim copying another person’s work by simply altering the order of the sentences
or the format of presentation or by changing a few words or phrases without
acknowledgement.
1st offence : Zero mark on the assignment and a warning letter will be issued
2nd offence : A grade of “F” in the subject and a warning letter will be issued
3rd offence : Expulsion from the University at the discretion of the Head of
Department
3. Minimal plagiarism
Acknowledgement is made but paraphrasing by changing and/or eliminating some words
1st offence : Deduction of 50% of available marks on the assignment and a
warning letter will be issued
2nd offence : A grade of “F” in the subject and a warning letter will be issued
3rd offence : Expulsion from the University at the discretion of the Head of
Department
4. Unintentional plagiarism
Insufficient acknowledgement by not applying citation or quotation marks correctly
1st offence : Deduction of up to 50% of available marks on the assignment and
a warning letter will be issued
2nd offence : A grade of “F” in the subject and a warning letter will be issued
3rd offence : Expulsion from the University at the discretion of the Head of
Department
Pleading ignorance or unintentional plagiarism does not constitute valid reasons for plagiarism and
will not avoid the penalties from being imposed. Excuses for acts of plagiarism such as the
following, but not limited to, will not be entertained:
1. I don’t have time to do the assignment
2. I have too many assignments due on the same day
3. I don’t know, I really didn’t do it
4. I am not aware
5. I don’t understand what plagiarism means
6. I have no intention to plagiarize
7. I forgot to cite the reference
8. I forgot to include the bibliography
9. My English is not good
10. My lecturer/tutor did not explain to me
11. In my country, it is alright to copy someone else’s work
12. My friend copied my assignment when I let him/her to look at my assignment
13. My friend copied my assignment when I allow him/her to use my laptop
14. I did my assignment in the computer lab, someone must have copied my work
15. I asked my friend to submit my assignment and he/she copied my work
16. I discussed my assignment with my friends, so our answers are the same/similar
17. Even though I do not have in-text citation but I have bibliography/reference list
Students should be reminded that it is their responsibilities to take due care throughout their written
work to effectively reference or cite when they use others’ ideas from any source.
 BACHELOR OF BUSINESS

SAMPLE PAPER

FINAL EXAMINATION

Subject Code : ITC101

Subject Name : INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOR BUSINESS

This examination carries 50% of the total assessment for this subject.

Examiner(s) Moderator(s)

MS HEMALATA ALAGAN Internal :

External :

Day :
Time :
Date :

Time allowed : Reading – 10 MINUTES

Writing – 3 HOURS

INSTRUCTION(S):

1. This is a CLOSED BOOK examination.

2. This examination consists of THREE (3) sections:

SECTION A consists of THIRTY (30) multiple-choice questions. Answer ALL questions in the multiple choice answer
sheet provided.

SECTION B consists of TWENTY (20) questions. Answer ALL questions in the multiple choice answer sheet provided.

SECTION C consists of FIVE (5) short questions. Answer ALL questions in the answer book provided.

3. Answers are to be written on the answer book provided. Use a new page for different question. This examination is out of
100 marks.

4. Write your identification number on each answer sheet but DO NOT show your name.

5. In the marking of papers, attention will be given to neatness, spelling, grammar, punctuation and style of composition. A
paper in which these are unsatisfactory may lose marks.

6. Writing on the examination answer book is NOT permitted during reading time.

(This question paper consists of 2 sections in 13 printed pages, including cover page)
 SECTION A – Multiple Choice Questions (30 Marks)

Answer ALL the questions below. Shade your answers on the MCQ answer sheet provided.

1. Which network application enables users to access information located in databases all over the world?
A. Discovery
B. Communications
C. Collaboration
D. Web services
E. None of the above

2. The amount of information on the Web _____ approximately each year.

A. stays about the same
B. decreases
C. doubles
D. quadruples
E. triples

3. With _____, phone calls are treated as just another kind of data.
A. voice over IP
B. plain old telephone service
C. chat rooms
D. teleconference
E. internet relay chat

4. A process that enables users to create a personal Web site containing his or her thoughts, feelings, and
opinions is called _____.
A. AJAX
B. tagging
C. really simple syndication
D. A Wiki
E. blogging

5. A(n) _____ is a digital audio file that is distributed over the Web for playback on portable media
players or personal computers.
A. really simple syndication feed
B. blog
C. podcast
D. videocast
E. Wiki

6. Which of the following is not a disadvantage of telecommuting for employees?

A. decreased feelings of isolation
B. possible loss of fringe benefits
C. lower pay (in some cases)
D. no workplace visibility
E. slower promotions

7. _____, which is a broader concept than _____, is the buying and selling of goods and services, as well
as servicing customers, collaborating with business partners, and performing transactions within an
organization.
A. Business-to-business electronic commerce, business-to-customer electronic commerce
B. Electronic commerce, electronic business
C. Business-to-customer electronic commerce, business-to-business electronic commerce
D. Business-to-business electronic commerce, intrabusiness electronic commerce
E. Electronic business, electronic commerce

8. eBay uses a _____ auction.

A. forward
B. static
C. reverse
D. physical
E. simple

9. Vendors ask partners to place logos or banners on partners’ site. If customers click on a logo, go to the
vendor’s site and buy, then the vendor pays commissions to its partners. This is which business model?
A. find-the-best-price
B. electronic tendering system
C. name-your-own-price
D. online direct marketing
E. affiliate marketing

10. Which type of electronic commerce is the largest by volume?

A. business-to-employee
B. consumer-to-consumer
C. business-to-business
D. business-to-consumer
E. none of the above

11. Which of the following is not an electronic commerce application?

A. home banking
B. buying stocks
C. evaluating an employee
D. conducting an auction
E. buying real estate
12. When middlemen are eliminated in a fully automated electronic commerce transaction, this is called
_____.
A. disintegration
B. supply chain integration
C. direct sales
D. disintermediation
E. value-added services

13. Cyberbanking offers all of the following advantages except:

A. It is convenient for customers.
B. It saves time for customers.
C. It includes inexpensive transactions for the bank.
D. The chance of recruiting remote customers.
E. It is more expensive for the customer.

14. Internet advertising improves on traditional advertising in all of the following ways except:
A. Internet ads can be updated at any time at minimal cost.
B. Internet ads can reach large numbers of potential buyers all over the world.
C. Internet ads are always more effective than other types of advertising.
D. Internet ads can make effective use of multimedia.
E. Internet ads are current.

15. Which of the following is not a limitation of traditional payment methods in electronic commerce?
A. Cash cannot be used because there is no face-to-face contact.
B. It takes time for payment in the mail.
C. Not all organizations accept credit cards.
D. It is more secure for the buyer to use the telephone than to complete a secure transaction on a
computer.
E. None of the above

16. Place the following members of the data hierarchy in the correct order:
A. bit – byte – field – record – database – file
B. bit – field – byte – record – file – database
C. byte – bit – record – field – database
D. bit – byte – field – record – file – database
E. bit – record – field – byte – file -- database

17. Microbrowsers have all of the following capabilities except:

A. small file size
B. all the features of regular browsers
C. can work with small screen size on wireless devices
D. can work with relatively low bandwidth of some wireless devices
E. can work with intermittent wireless signals
18. Individuals are finding it convenient and productive to use wireless devices for which of the
following reasons?
A. To make use of time that was formerly wasted
B. To become more efficient
C. Work locations are more flexible
D. To be able to allocate working time around personal and professional obligations
E. All of the above

19. Of the following, which is the major problem with smart phones?
A. They are too slow.
B. They are too expensive.
C. They can be used to compromise security.
D. Their screens are too small.
E. Their browsers are not fully functional.

20. Microwave transmission systems are used for _____ volume, _____ distance, _____ communications.
A. low, long, broadcast
B. low, short, line-of-sight
C. high, long, broadcast
D. high, short, broadcast
E. high, long, line-of-sight

21. The most fundamental information systems in an organization are:

A. office automation systems
B. decision support systems
C. functional area information systems
D. transaction processing systems
E. business intelligence systems

22. Which of the following is not a function of functional area information systems?
A. providing information to managers in the functional areas
B. supporting the managerial tasks of planning, organizing, and controlling operations
C. providing information mainly in the form of reports
D. providing data from business events to the corporate database
E. providing analysis capabilities to middle level managers and staff

23. _____ reports contain special information not found in routine reports.
A. Ad hoc
B. Summary
C. Drill-down
D. Key-indicator
E. Exception

24. Enterprise resource planning systems take a(n) _____ view of the overall organization.
A. User’s
B. Management
C. Functional
D. Business process
E. Transactional

25. Over time, the customer relationship with vendors has become more impersonal for all of the
following reasons except:
A. people move from farms to cities
B. consumers became mobile
C. supermarkets and department stores proliferated
D. customer relationship management systems were developed
E. the Internet grew rapidly

26. _____ systems study customer behavior and perceptions to provide business intelligence.
A. CRM
B. Collaborative CRM
C. Operational CRM
D. Analytical CRM
E. Transactional CRM

27. _____ is the component of an operational CRM system that automatically records all the aspects in a
sales transaction process.
A. Inbound telesales
B. Outbound telesales
C. Sales team efforts
D. Sales force automation
E. The customer help desk

28. _____ is the practice of marketing additional related products to customers based on a previous
purchase.
A. Bundling
B. Up-selling
C. Re-selling
D. Additional selling
E. Cross-selling

29. AT&T sells telephone services that include local and long-distance service, voice mail service, caller
ID, and digital subscriber line access to the Internet. This is a form of:
A. up-selling
B. cross-selling
C. bundling
D. customer relationship management
E. customer intimacy

30. _____ are the physical products, raw materials, and supplies that flow along a supply chain.
A. Reverse flows
B. Reverse logistics
C. Material flows
D. Information flows
E. Financial flows

SECTION B – True / False Statements (20 Marks)

Answer ALL questions. Each question carries 1 mark.

Shade A if True, B if False on the MCQ answer sheet provided.

31. Modern organizations are concentrating on their core competencies and on becoming more flexible
and agile.

32. Sourcing from external suppliers occurs in the upstream portion of the supply chain.

33. There are typically four flows in the supply chain: materials, information, returns, and financial.

34. The pull model is make-to-stock.

35. The most common solution to supply chain problems is building inventories.

36. Just-in-time inventory systems try to maximize inventories to protect against uncertainties along the
supply chain.

37. Modern information systems support all three managerial roles.

38. The number of alternatives to be considered in decisions today is increasing.

39. Human intuition often plays a role in making unstructured decisions.

40. An executive dashboard is very user friendly, supported by graphics, provides exception reporting
and drill down, and provides information related to critical success factors.
41. The application portfolio in an organization is a set of recommended applications resulting from the
planning and justification process in application development.

42. Costs are harder to quantify than benefits.

43. The buy option is particularly attractive if the software vendor allows the company to modify the
package to meet its needs.

44. The earlier in the development process that errors are detected, the less expensive they are to correct.

45. Pilot conversion is the process where the new system is introduced in one part of the organization.

46. Outsourcing is the use of outside contractors or external organizations to acquire IT services.

47. In traditional commerce, one or more of the product or service, the process, and the delivery agent
can be digital.

48. Going to the Web site of a car manufacturer (e.g., www.gm.com), entering the specifications for the
car you want, and then picking up your car at your local dealership is an example of partial electronic
commerce.

49. eBay is a good example of business-to-consumer electronic commerce.

50. Banners are the most common form of advertisement on the Internet.
 SECTION C – Short Answer Questions (50 Marks)

Answer ALL questions. Each question carries 10 marks.

QUESTION 1

a. Discuss the benefits and limitations of Electronic Data Interchange. (6 marks)

b. State and explain any TWO characteristics of mobile computing. (4 marks)

QUESTION 2
 SAMPLE

MID-SEMESTER TEST

Subject Code : ITC101

Subject Name : INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOR BUSINESS

This examination carries 20% of the total assessment for this subject.

Examiner(s):
MS HEMALATA ALAGAN

Day :
Time :
Date :

Time allowed : 1.5 HOURS

INSTRUCTION(S):

1. This examination consists of THREE (3) sections:

SECTION A (30 True/False Questions) – Answer ALL questions in the MCQ answer sheet provided.
SECTION B (15 Multiple Choice Questions) – Answer ALL questions in the MCQ answer sheet
provided.
SECTION C (1 Short Answer Question) – Answer ALL questions in the answer book provided.

2. This is a CLOSED BOOK examination.

3. Students are NOT permitted to retain this examination paper.

(This examination paper consists of 3 sections in 6 printed pages, including cover page)
 a. Discuss FOUR major threats to wireless security.
(4 marks)

b. Define E-learning. Describe the benefits and drawbacks of E-learning.

(6 marks)

QUESTION 3

Define and discuss the following terms:-

i. Reverse Auction (2 marks)

ii. Deep discounters (2 marks)
iii. Pervasive computing (2 marks)
iv. Batch processing (2 marks)
v. Cybersquatting (2 marks)

QUESTION 4

a. Define and describe TWO major components of operational CRM. (4 marks)

b. State and explain the SIX elements in Information System operational plan.
(6 marks)

QUESTION 5

Describe corporate performance management, and provide an example of how your university could use
CPM.
(10 marks)
 SECTION A : TRUE/FALSE QUESTIONS (30 MARKS)

Answer ALL questions. Each question carries 1 mark each.

Shade A if True, B if False on the MCQ answer sheet provided.

1. The security of each computer on the Internet is independent of the security of all
other computers on the Internet.

2. Human errors cause more than half of the security-related problems in many
organizations.

3. Trojan horses are software programs that hide in other computer programs and
reveal their designed behavior only when they are activated.

4. In most cases, cookies track your path through Web sites and are therefore
invasions of your privacy.

5. An individual or organization faced with an ethical decision is basically considering

whether to break the law.

6. A code of ethics is a collection of principles that are intended to guide decision

making by members of the organization.

7. Improvements in information technologies are leading to a decreasing number of

ethical problems.

8. The individual’s right of privacy supersedes the public’s right to know.

9. The opt-out model of informed consent allows a company to collect personal

information until the customers specifically requests otherwise.

10. An ERP system is an interorganizational information system.

11. Knowledge is data that have been organized to convey accumulated learning.

12. Competitive advantage refers to making higher profits.

13. Globalization is the integration and interdependence of many facets of life made
possible by rapid advances in information technology.

14. The digital divide is the gap between data and knowledge.
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15. Competitive advantage helps a company function effectively within a market and
generate larger-than-average profits.

16. The music industry is a good example of the extremely low variable costs of digital
products.

17. Information technology is facilitating the entry of a wide variety of employees into
the workforce.

18. A university registrar who uses her experience with university admissions along
with your high school grades, application essays, letters of recommendation, and
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores, would be applying her knowledge in your
application process.

19. In general, government deregulation decreases competition.

20. Ethical issues are important because, if handled poorly, they can damage the image
of an organization.

21. Build-to-stock is a strategy of producing customized products and services.

22. Information systems tend to follow the structure of organizations and they are based
on the needs of employees.

23. Software is a set of programs that enable the hardware to process data.

24. Procedures are the set of instructions about how to use information systems to
process information and generate desired output.

25. Enterprise resource planning systems tightly integrate the functional area
information systems via a common database.

26. Transaction processing systems tightly integrate the functional area information
systems via a common database.

27. Transaction processing systems provide the input for the organization’s databases.

28. The security of each computer on the Internet is independent of the security of all
other computers on the Internet.

29. To defend itself against downstream liability, a company must prove that it
practices due diligence in information security.

30. The higher the level of an employee in organization, the lower the threat that he or
she poses to the organization.
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 SECTION B : MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (45 MARKS)

Answer ALL questions. Each question carries 3 marks.

Shade your answers on the MCQ answer sheet provided.

31. The data in a data warehouse have which of the following characteristics?
A. They are organized by subject.
B. They are coded in different formats.
C. They are updated in real time.
D. They are typically retained for a defined, but limited, period of time.
E. They are organized in a hierarchical structure.

32. Compared to data warehouses, data marts have which one of the following
characteristics?
A. cost less
B. have longer lead time for implementation
C. have central rather than local control
D. contain more information
E. are harder to navigate

33. _____ is a formal approach to managing data consistently across an entire

organization.
A. Database management
B. Enterprise information management
C. Data warehousing
D. Data governance
E. Data mart

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34. _____ is a process that helps organizations identify, select, organize, disseminate,
transfer, and apply expertise that are part of the organization’s memory and
typically reside inside the organization in an unstructured manner.
A. Discovery
B. Knowledge management
C. Decision support
D. Online analytical processing
E. Data mining

35. The most important benefit of knowledge management systems is:

A. improved customer service.
B. they make best practices available to employees.
C. retention of scarce knowledge if employees retire.
D. improved morale.
E. more efficient product development.

36. In the data hierarchy, the smallest element is the _____.

A. record
B. bit
C. byte
D. character
E. file

37. A(n) _____ is a logical grouping of characters into a word, a small group of words,
or a complete number.
A. byte
B. field
C. record
D. file
E. database

38. Which of the following is not a major capability of information systems?

A. perform high-speed, high-volume numerical computations
B. provide fast, accurate communications among organizations
C. store large amounts of information in a very large space
D. increase the effectiveness and efficiency of people working in groups
E. automate semiautomatic business processes

39. Two information systems that support the entire organization are:
A. enterprise resource planning systems, dashboards
B. transaction processing systems, office automation systems
C. enterprise resource planning systems, transaction processing systems
D. expert systems, office automation systems
E. expert systems, transaction processing systems

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40. _____ systems are designed to correct a lack of communications among _____.
A. Office automation systems, expert systems
B. Transaction processing systems, functional area information systems
C. Enterprise resource planning systems, functional area information systems
D. Dashboards, office automation systems
E. Functional area information systems, enterprise resource planning systems

41. When your purchases are swiped over the bar-code reader at the point-of-sale
terminals at Wal-Mart, a _____ records the data.
A. transaction processing system
B. functional area information system
C. dashboard
D. enterprise resource planning system
E. office automation system

42. Supply chain systems are which type of information system?

A. departmental information systems
B. enterprisewide information systems
C. interorganizational information systems
D. end-user computing systems
E. individual information systems

43. If UPS is taking Dell computers at the loading dock, and then shipping them to Dell
customers, then Dell is practicing which of the following?
A. informing
B. insourcing
C. offshoring
D. outsourcing
E. uploading

44. _____ involves taking a specific function that your company was doing itself,
having another company perform that same function for you, and then integrating
their work back into your operation.
A. Informing
B. Insourcing
C. Offshoring
D. Outsourcing
E. Uploading

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45. Falling transportation costs (e.g., steam engine, railroads) drove (or drives)
globalization in _____.
A. Globalization 1.0
B. Globalization 2.0
C. Globalization 3.0
D. Globalization 4.0
E. None of these

SECTION C : SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS (25 MARKS)

1. Explain in detail the Porter’s Competitive Forces Model. Provide example to support
your answer.

*** END OF EXAMINATION PAPER ***

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