-Define cultural imperialism. Give three examples of cultural imperialism.
Why do you think your examples reflect cultural imperialism?
-What are the “nationalities” of the following corporations? Consider nationality to be the country where the corporation is registered:
SAP (software)
BP (gasoline)
CheckPoint (security software)
LG (electronics)
Corona (beer)
Heineken (beer)
Goodyear (tires)
JVC (electronics)
Braun (small appliances)
Siemens (electronics)
Nokia (mobile telephones)
Business Objects (software)
In your opinion, if a company has its headquarters in Bermuda, is it a “Bermudan” company? If so, in what respect? If not, explain why not.
– What are the implications of different time zones for global supply chain management systems?
– Manufacturers and retailers have used product bar codes for many years. What information does the 13-digit European Article Number (EAN) contain that the 12-digit Universal Product Code (UPC) did not, and why is this information important?
-Using software for automatic translation of webpages into other languages for local audiences saves much labor cost and time. If you were an executive for a company that maintains a multilingual website, would you settle for software-based translation only? Why or why not?
What is a GIS? What purpose does it serve?
What is the purpose of an expert system? How can it serve as a competitive tool?
How could an ES be used to detect probable fraud committed by a bank employee?
The travel industry uses DSSs for yield management. What is yield management, and what is the output of a yield management DSS? How does it affect revenue and operations?
DSSs use models to process data. Explain what a model is. Give an example.
What is the purpose of employee knowledge networks?
Explain dimensional databases and the rationale behind their name. What is their use?
What is the advantage of using a dimensional database rather than on-the-fly processing in OLAP?
What is OLAP, and why is it often associated with visual cubes?
The web is a huge resource from which almost any organization could derive knowledge, yet few do. What is the major challenge?
SDLC is usually recommended for developing an IS that interfaces with other ISs. Give two examples of an IS that is interfaced with at least two other ISs.
Systems developers often use the term “application development” rather than “systems development.” Why?
Why are agile methods so helpful when users cannot define system requirements?
As part of their IT planning, many organizations decide to standardize. What does standardization mean in this context, and what are its potential benefits?
The emergence of the web, social media, and mobile devices as vehicles for business increased the need for systems integration. How so?
What might cause a client to ask to renegotiate a long-term outsourcing contract?
Few organizations would develop an application in-house or pay another company to develop it if a similar application can be licensed. Why most organizations prefer to buy a licensed application?
The major hardware and software makers, such as IBM and Hewlett-Packard, derive an increasing portion of their revenue from outsourcing contracts. Analyze and explain why they focus more of their efforts in this direction.
You are the CIO of a large manufacturing company. A software vendor approaches you with an offer to have your company serve as a beta site for a new human resource application. What would you consider before making a decision?
What is an RFI? What is the difference between an RFI and an RFP? The ideal response to an RFP is one that can be easily transformed into a contract. Why?
Assume that you are charged with developing an application to record basketball performance statistics. What limits would you include to ensure that the information entered is reasonable?
What are the goals of security measures for ISs? Explain.
What is a firewall, and how does it work?
What are biometric access controls? How are they better than passwords?
What is the purpose of business recovery plans? A growing number of companies have implemented business recovery plans, but many still have not developed such plans. What may be the reasons for that?
