FACULTY OF SCIENCE

ACADEMY OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AND SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

MODULE IFM02B2/IFM2B10
INFORMATICS 2B

CAMPUS AUCKLAND PARK CAMPUS (APK)

EXAM MAIN EXAM 2021 MEMO

DATE: 2021-10-26 SESSION: 12:30 - 15:30

ASSESOR(S): R. MALULEKA
K. LEBEA

INTERNAL MODERATOR: W.S. LEUNG

DURATION: 120 MINUTES MARKS: 100

Please read the following instructions carefully:

1. An additional 60 minutes submission time will be allowed.

2. Answer all questions.
3. Answer each question in its entirety before moving on to the next.
4. Submit your answers in a single PDF document.
5. This paper consists of 11 pages, excluding this cover page.
Informatics 2B Main Exam 2021 2021-10-26

QUESTION 1
WacDonalds is a burger joint that prides itself on being the fastest fast-food restaurant
chain in SA. They sell a variety of gourmet burgers at affordable prices, and is available
on several popular food delivery applications.
Using the knowledge gained during this module, answer the following questions:
(a) List two activities and two transactions that workers would regularly do at a [4]
burger restaurant. Clearly state which are transactions.

Solution:
√√
activities - any two activity that does not include an exchange of value. E.g.

• cleaning the store

• packaging food

• accepting deliveries

• inspecting goods
√√
any two transactions :

• cooking burgers

• accepting payment

• purchasing ingredients/supplies

• hiring and training employees

(b) What category of e-commerce would this restaurant fall under? [1]

Solution:
√
Business-to-consumer (B2C)

(c) Is a hamburger a commodity good? Justify your answer. [2]

Solution:
√
No burgers are √ differentiated by more than price / burgers do not have stand-
ardised features

(d) Do cooked burgers have an attractive shipping profile? Justify your answer. [2]

Solution:
√ √
No burgers are difficult to package and deliver

(e) Name one direct material and one indirect material that go into the production of [4]
hamburgers. Justify your answers.

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Solution:
√
1. direct: patty/meat,
√ vegetables, bun, cheese - because they end up in the
finished product
√
2. oil, cooking utensils, salt√ - because these are not present not quantifiable
in the finished product

(f) Give an example of one tier-one, and one tier-two, supplier of WacDonalds. [2]

Solution:

1. tier-one: greengrocer, butchery, cheese-maker, condiments

√ producer, food
packaging manufacturer, soft-drinks manufacturer

2. cattle farm, poultry farm, vegetable farm, bakery, polyethylene

√ manufacturer
(any other manufacturer of materials used in packaging)

(g) Discuss supply chain management, and how it can create value for WacDonalds [6]
and its customers.

Solution:
Supply chain management:

1. job of managing
√ integration of company supply management and logistics
activities
√
2. reaching beyond the limits of an organisation

3. creating a √
supply web (network form of organisation among supply chain
members)

4. goal is√to achieve higher quality or lower cost product at the end of the
chain

Value creation:
√
1. leads to higher efficiency, lower costs and greater profits for WacDonalds

2. reduces costs and maintains quality in the supply chain

√
3. just-in-time production/supply reduces inventory
√
4. lean production eliminates waste

(h) How would WacDonalds go about purchasing meat for its burger patties? [2]

Solution:
√ √
contract purchasing (aka replenishment purchasing) , and spot purchasing

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Informatics 2B Main Exam 2021 2021-10-26

(i) Does the consumption of burgers follow the law of diminishing returns or the network [2]
effect? Justify your answer.

Solution:
√
Law of diminishing returns , because the more √ you eat the less value each
subsequent bite yields - eventually you feel sick

Total: 25

QUESTION 2
WacDonalds has decided to cut out the middle man and do its own deliveries. To this
end, WacDonalds has created its own e-commerce Website. All that is left is to decide
how to handle deliveries.
(a) What revenue model does WacDonals’ Website use? [1]

Solution:
√
Web catalog revenue model

(b) WacDonalds would like their online menu (aka catalog) to dynamically display avail- [6]
able items. Discuss the two approaches that Web developers can take to create
dynamic content. Give an example of a language or framework that can be used
for each approach.

Solution:
√
Client-side scripting √√
2 marks for any two of the following :

• Software operates on the Web client (browser)

• Software changes Web page display in response to a user’s actions

• Examples: JavaScript or Adobe Flash, any JavaScript library e.g. Node.js,

Vue.js, React.js
√
Server-side scripting √√
2 marks for any two of the following :

• Program runs on a Web server (service)

• Program creates Web page in response to request for specific information

from a Web client

• Examples: Microsoft ASP.NET, PHP, Adobe ColdFusion, Node.js, AJAX

(c) Should WacDonalds in-source or outsource its delivery service? Justify your answer. [2]

Solution:

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Informatics 2B Main Exam 2021 2021-10-26

Either in-source or outsource is acceptable. 2 marks for a logically correct justi-

fication. E.g.

1. in-source:

(a) to have control over deliveries

(b) to reduce costs

2. out-source:

(a) delivery is not part of WacDonalds core business

(b) hierarchical organisations are slow to react to change

(d) WacDonals has spent R500 000 on an advertising campaign to attract customers to [6]
its new Website. The advertisement is viewed by 50 000 people, 1000 of whom visit
the Website. 100 make a purchase, and 20 become repeat shoppers. Calculate the
following metrics:
i. Acquisition cost
ii. Conversion rate
iii. Retention rate

Solution:

i. Acquisition cost: R500000/1000 = R500 [2 marks]

ii. Conversion rate: of 1000 visitor, 100 became customers thus 100/1000 =
1/10 = 0.1 = 10% [2 marks]

iii. Retention rate: of 100 customers, 20 were retained thus 20/100 = 2/10 =
1/5 = 0.2 = 20% [2 marks]

(e) Wacdonalds would like to manage its own Web server hardware and software. Name [2]
two (2) suitable Web hosting options.

Solution:
√ √
Self-hosting , co-location

(f) Wacdonalds is planning to open a new restaurant in Melville. The restaurant will [3]
bring in an estimated R20 million of revenue per year. If the restaurant costs R50
million to construct and R5 million per year to maintain, what would be the ROI
after ten years?

Solution:
√√√
R0I = (200mil×10)−(50mil+(5×10)mil)
(50mil+(5×10)mil)
= (200mil)−(100mil)
(100mil)
=1
2 marks for assuming 9 years of maintenance (ROI=1.105)

Total: 20

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Informatics 2B Main Exam 2021 2021-10-26

QUESTION 3
(a) Use the risk management model to decide on the appropriate action for the [4]
following threats to a WacDonalds restaurant.
i. Equipment theft
ii. A tornado
iii. Loadshedding
iv. Snow

Solution:
√
i. Prevent (High Probability+High Impact)
√
ii. Insurance or backup plan (Low Probability+High Impact)
√
iii. Prevent (High Probability+High Impact)
√
iv. Ignore (Low Probability+Low Impact)

(b) Establish a security policy for a WacDonalds restaurant. [6]

Solution:
√√
• What to protect and why, e.g. stock, equipment

• Acceptable/unacceptable behaviours (access needs to various system parts),

e.g. employees need to access kitchen
√√and storeroom. customers should only
have access to the front-of-house

• Who is responsible for protection

√√ e.g. manager, security card (Identify re-
sources to protect assets)

(c) WacDonalds offers free WiFi at all of its locations. What can WacDonalds do to [2]
mitigate threats to its wireless networks?

Solution:
√ √
turn on WEP , change default login and password settings

(d) What are the attributes of a good password? Give an example. [3]

Solution:
√ √
• Easy to remember , difficult to guess
√
• E.g. any passphrase

(e) What type of payment card would a restaurant manager use to buy office supplies [1]
and other small purchases that vary month to month?

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Informatics 2B Main Exam 2021 2021-10-26

Solution:
√
Charge card (purchase card also acceptable)

(f) Why are payment cards preferable to using cash? [2]

Solution:
Any two of the following:
√
1. fraud protection
√
2. worldwide acceptance
√
3. currency conversion handled by card issuer

(g) Which type of credit card, Visa or American Express, is more useful in South Africa? [2]
Motivate your answer.

Solution:
√ √
Visa , more widely accepted

Total: 20

QUESTION 4
RoadAssist is a software development firm that specialises in automotive insurance in-
dustry systems. They develop and maintain software that helps call centre operators to
handle emergency roadside calls and locate and assign first responders based on their
proximity to the client. The system also handles billing and claims with insurance pro-
viders. As a code analyst working at RoadAssist, your job role is to review the code and
evaluate whether the systems that have been developed are ready to go into production
and deployed to the different companies that RoadAssist serves.
While in the last phase of testing their latest software, you noticed a bug in the system.
The fault you identified causes calls to sometimes be dropped instead of being queued
when all operators are busy. Because the call centres handles life-and-death emergency
calls, this glitch has potentially life-threatening consequences. After you reported the
issue to the project manager and vehemently insisted that the system has to go back to
development and be worked on again, the project manager asked that you not report the
issue to anyone.
The project manager’s reasoning was that the project was already past its expected
completion date and that a large number of the production team had not been paid in
months as a result. Any delay would cause RoadAssist to lose the contract and revenue
that they desperately need to back pay all the people who are dependent on the company.
The project manager instructed you to ignore the fault for the meanwhile so that the
system can be deployed and RoadAssist can receive payment while they work on a patch
that will be deployed to fix the issue.
As an IT professional, would you carry out your manager’s instructions? Justify your
answer by referring to any professional code of ethics that you have learned during the

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semester. Include in your discussion if you think IT professionals need to have a code of
ethics and the reasons for your choice.

Solution:

√
• No (No other answer accepted)

• Yes - A code of ethics is needed to ensure that everyone

√√ behaves in a responsible
manner and may be disciplined for mal-conduct.

No marks for writing out code, without application to case study (1 mark per valid
discussion point, Max 8 marks)
Student may use own words. Answer must relate to the case study. May also refer to
the ACM Code of Conduct and/or the Software Engineering Code of Ethics.
Example Reasons:

• Because IT professionals are trusted by society and must be responsible for their
actions.

• As professionals, we have a duty to maintain the highest standards of profession-

alism in our work, while at the same time still acting in the public interest.

ACM Code of Conduct Section 1 Imperatives:

• Contribute to society and human well-being

• Avoid harm to others

• Be honest and trustworthy

• Be fair and take action not to discriminate

• Honour property rights including copyrights and patent

• Give proper credit for intellectual property

• Respect the privacy of others

• Honour confidentiality

Software Engineering Code of Ethics:

• Public:

– Software engineers shall participate in lifelong learning regarding the practice

of their profession and shall promote an ethical approach to the practice of
the profession.

• Client and Employer:

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Informatics 2B Main Exam 2021 2021-10-26

– Software engineers shall act in a manner that is in the best interests of their
client and employer consistent with the public interest.

• Self:

– Software engineers shall participate in lifelong learning regarding the practice

of their profession and shall promote an ethical approach to the practice of
the profession.

• Product:

– Software engineers shall ensure that their products and related modifications
meet the highest professional standards possible.

• Judgement:

– Software engineers shall maintain integrity and independence in their pro-

fessional judgment.

• Profession:

– Software engineers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the profes-
sion consistent with the public interest.

• Management:

– Software engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote

an ethical approach to the management of software development and main-
tenance.

• Colleagues:

– Software engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues.

Total: 10

QUESTION 5
(a) What are the three (3) purposes of a MasterPage in an ASP.Net Web application? [3]

Solution:
√
• It encourages code reuse
√
• Makes maintainability easier
√
• Makes the styling and navigation consistent throughout the website
√
• A form of inherence
√
• Any other reasonable answer

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Informatics 2B Main Exam 2021 2021-10-26

(b) Define business intelligence and why it is an important part of running a business, [4]
along with examples of where it would apply.

Solution:
Business intelligence (BI) is a technology-driven process for analysing data and
presenting actionable information which helps executives,
√ managers and other
corporate end-users make informed business decisions . BI encompasses a wide
variety of tools, applications and methodologies that enable organisations
√to collect
data from internal systems and external sources prepare √ it for analysis , develop
and run queries against that data and create reports , dashboards and data
visualisations to make the analytical
√ results available to corporate decision-makers,
as well as operational workers .
√
1. Operational level (day to day running).
√
2. Managerial level (strategic and planning level).
√
3. Both management facing, some can be user-facing.

(c) Name and discuss the difference between a persistent shopping cart and a session [6]
shopping cart in terms of:
• Implementation
• Purpose
• Which one you prefer and why.

Solution:
Persistent shopping cart
√
• Implemented using cookies or a database table.

• The purpose is for

√ the user to accumulate several items over multiple sessions
and save them

• Any √reasonable benefit and disadvantage listed, usually opposite of other

cart

Session shopping cart

√
• Implemented using session variables.
√
• The purpose is for the user to buy on impulse.
√
• Only lasts for a single session.

• Any reasonable
√ benefit and disadvantage listed, usually opposite of other
cart.

(d) Name two (2) ways of maintaining state. [2]

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Informatics 2B Main Exam 2021 2021-10-26

Solution:
√ √
Cookies , Session variables

(e) Implement the following function. The connection to the database is called Exam.dbml, [10]
the user object has been created for you using the database table shown below:
1 namespace S e m e s t e r T e s t 1 S e r v i c e
2 {
3 [ ServiceContract ]
4 public i n t e r f a c e IService1
5 {
6 [ OperationContract ]
7 b o o l E d i t R e v i e w ( ProdReview r e v ) ;
8 }
9 }
10 CREATE TABLE [ dbo ] . [ ProdReview ] (
11 [ RevId ] INT IDENTITY ( 1 , 1 ) NOT NULL ,
12 [ UserId ] INT NOT NULL ,
13 [ ProdId ] INT NOT NULL ,
14 [ RevDate ] DATE NOT NULL ,
15 [ R e v S t a r s ] INT NOT NULL ,
16 [ Review ] VARCHAR (MAX) NOT NULL ,
17 PRIMARY KEY CLUSTERED ( [ R e v I d ] ASC)
18 );

Solution:
1 p u b l i c b o o l E d i t R e v i e w ( ProdReview r e v ) / / [ 1 mark ]
2 {
3 v a r Rev = ( from r i n db . P r o d R e v i e w s / / [ 1 mark ]
4 where r . R e v I d . E q u a l s ( r e v . R e v I d ) / / [ 1 mark ]
5 s e l e c t r ) . F i r s t O r D e f a u l t ( ) ; / / [ 1 mark ]
6
7 Rev . U s e r I d = r e v . U s e r I d ; / / [ 1 mark ]
8 Rev . P r o d I d = r e v . P r o d I d ;
9 Rev . RevDate = r e v . RevDate ;
10 Rev . R e v S t a r s = r e v . R e v S t a r s ;
11 Rev . Review = r e v . Review ; / / [ 1 mark ]
12
13 t r y / / [ 1 mark ]
14 {
15 db . SubmitChanges ( ) ; / / [ 2 mark ]
16 r e t u r n t r u e ; / / [ 1 mark ]
17 }
18 c a t c h ( I n d e x O u t O f R a n g e E x c e p t i o n ex )
19 {
20 ex . G e t B a s e E x c e p t i o n ( ) ; / / [ 1 mark ]
21 r e t u r n f a l s e ; / / [ 1 mark ]
22 }
23 }

Total: 25

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— End of paper —

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