Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Principles of MIS

© 2005 by Jerry Post

McGraw-Hill/Irwin

1. Find a specialized Knowledge Management software package and describe the major features.
2. Research and compare the scheduling and workflow features provided by either IBM/Lotus Notes or Microsoft Exchange. Explain how you could use these features as a manager.
3. Research the features of Cisco MeetingPlace and compare them to Microsoft’s offerings. What hardware is required to implement Cisco’s product?
4. What additional features are provided if you implement Microsoft’s SourceSafe product within your team environment?
5. Identify a specific decision for which it would be helpful to use a group decision support system. Explain the benefits of using the GDSS for your problem.
6. Describe a business situation in which you would need to implement information rights management controls. Describe the specific rights you would assign.
7. How does Microsoft’s InfoPath software support business process management?

Technology Toolbox

8. As a team project, if you have access to a SharePoint server, have one person create a small document that describes a computer that he or she might wish to purchase. Set change subscriptions on the document for each team member. Then over the next few days, have members make changes to the document, with suggestions for different components. As team members are notified of changes, they should check the suggestions and either accept or reject them by adding additional comments.
9. Assuming you have access to a server, set up a SharePoint website to discuss a specific problem. Create and share a couple of documents, set up a contact list, create a survey, and add a couple of tasks. Be sure to include your instructor or grader as a member of the team and send an e-mail invitation.
10. Pick a topic and set up a net meeting with three other people. Use the whiteboard to draw a figure. Save the chat screen and the whiteboard. If you have the hardware, test the voice (and video) capabilities.
11. Test NetMeeting over a dialup connection with at least one other person. Compare the speed to a LAN connection. What capabilities work? Which ones would you avoid on the dialup connection?
12. Identify the major features of a Web conferencing system such as Microsoft’s Live Meeting. Find at least one company that will host a meeting for you. Identify the costs assuming you will need a presentation for 12 suppliers for two hours.

Teamwork

13. As a group project, assume that each person in the group is a manager of a different department. Each person creates a spreadsheet to list the salespeople in his or her department (4 - 10), their hours worked, total sales, and commissions. Compute the totals for each column. Once the individual spreadsheets have been created and stored on separate computers, the group will create a composite spreadsheet that brings in the data from each individual spreadsheet. Compute the corporate total and draw pie charts for each column. If possible, use dynamic linking across the network to capture the data from the individual spreadsheets.
14. As a team project, if you have access to SharePoint, have one member create a document with a paragraph reviewing some recent movie. Create a distribution list and send the review to each person on the list, who can make changes to the document and add discussion comments before sending it to the next person on the list. If you do not have access to SharePoint, exchange the documents by e-mail.
15. As a project, each person should use the Internet and your library resources to find at least three uses of SharePoint or other groupware product in a real company. The team should work at the same time. At random intervals, interrupt other members of the team to ask questions, by phone, e-mail, instant messenger, or in person. At the end of the time, identify which method you personally found the most disruptive.
16. Have each person research the capabilities of a workflow/business process management system. Create a list of the major features and costs. Combine the results and try to identify the leading systems.
17. Connect as many people as possible using a single instant messenger or chat room system. As a topic, discuss a current movie. What problems do you encounter? Should you limit these types of meetings to a certain number of people? What would be the maximum?

Rolling Thunder Database

18. If you have access to a SharePoint server, set up a team site to discuss production issues. Generate queries to show production delays over time. Put the data into a spreadsheet and graph it. Create a discussion group for the spreadsheet and discuss possible reasons for any issues.
19. Describe the hardware and software Rolling Thunder should install so that all employees can coordinate schedules and conduct 15-minute meetings every day.
20. Inventory management has been a little out of line. Define a business process management plan for purchasing components from suppliers. Choose software that will enable you to set up the process.
21. Identify documents that Rolling Thunder should protect with an information rights management system and briefly describe the desired rights.
22. What information would you recommend placing in a knowledge management system for Rolling Thunder Bicycles?
23. Explain how version control would be useful for designing the bicycles at Rolling Thunder. Find software that could provide version control.
24. Find a task scheduling system that could be used to help schedule design and production at Rolling Thunder Bicycles.