12

Question 1

Business Intelligence (BI)

Answer 1

broader category of applications, technologies, and processes for gathering, storing, accessing, and analyzing data to help business users make better decisions. Getting data in, getting data out.

Question 2

Management

Answer 2

process by which an organization achieves its goals through the use of resources ie inputs and outputs.

Question 3

inputs

Answer 3

resources used by organizations and managers.

Question 4

output

Answer 4

the result of consuming resources (inputs).

Question 5

productivity

Answer 5

ratio of inputs to outputs.

Question 6

interpersonal roles of manager

Answer 6

figurehead, leader, liaison

Question 7

informational role

Answer 7

monitor, disseminator, spokesperson, analyzer

Question 8

decision roles of managers

Answer 8

entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, negotiator

Question 9

decision

Answer 9

intelligence, design, and choice

Question 10

intelligence phase of decision

Answer 10

managers examine a situation and identify the problem or opportunity. “what is the problem?”

Question 11

design phase of decision

Answer 11

decision makers construct a model for the situation. “what are my options?”

Question 12

choice phase of decision

Answer 12

selecting a course of action to solve the problem

Question 13

Why do managers need IT support?

Answer 13

• The number of alternatives is increasing
• Decisions usually made under time pressure
• Need to conduct sophisticated analysis to make good decisions

Question 14

two dimensions of decision types

Answer 14

problem structure and nature of decision. Represented in decision matrix.

Question 15

Problem Structure

Answer 15

decision making processes can range from unstructured to very structured

Question 16

Nature of decision

Answer 16

affected by operational control, mgmt control, strategic planning.

Question 17

structured decisions

Answer 17

routine and repetitive problems. Standard solutions exist. Example: inventory control.

Question 18

unstructured decisions

Answer 18

decisions dealing with complex problems. No cut-and-dried solutions, no standardized procedure, need to use own judgement.

Question 19

semi structured decisions

Answer 19

only some of the decisions process phases are structured. Standard procedures and individual judgment.

Question 20

operational control nature

Answer 20

executing specific tasks efficiently and effectively.

Question 21

management control nature

Answer 21

acquiring and using resources efficiently in accomplishing organizational goals.

Question 22

strategic planning nature

Answer 22

the long range goals and policies for growth and resource allocation.

Question 23

Online Analytical processing (OLAP)

Answer 23

BI application that “slices and dices” stored data in a dimensional format, drilling down for greater detail, and aggregating the data. Ie data cube is sliced and diced to disseminate information.

Question 24

Multidimensional analysis

Answer 24

AKA OLAP Online Analytical Processing.

Question 25

Data Mining

Answer 25

the process of searching for valuable business information from a large database. Two operations: predicting trends and behaviors, identifying previously unknown patterns ie what is happening and what will happen in the future.

Question 26

decision support systems

Answer 26

combine models and data in an attempt to analyze the semi-structured and unstructured problems with extensive user involvement. Enables managers to access data interactively, manipulate the data, and conduct appropriate analysis.

Question 27

models

Answer 27

simplified representations/abstractions of reality.

Question 28

sensitivity analysis

Answer 28

the study of the impact of changes in one decision making model on other parts. Usually changes in input that affect outputs. Decision and environmental variables.

Question 29

what if analysis

Answer 29

attempts to predict the impact of a change in the assumptions (input data) on the proposed solution. Puts in perspective of what happens if…

Question 30

goal seeking analysis

Answer 30

“backward” solution approach. Ie in order to predit a proft of $2 million we use goal seeking analysis to predict the required sales volume.

Question 31

dashboard

Answer 31

evolved from executive information systems (systems design for needs of top executives). Now everyone has access to timely info and mgmt reports.

Question 32

management cockpit room

Answer 32

dashboards display key performance indicators and info relating to success factors on the walls of a meeting room.

Question 33

data visualization technologies

Answer 33

arranges data in a way that users can read such as text, graphics, and tables.

Question 34

Geographic information system

Answer 34

computer based system for capturing, integrating, manipulating, and displaying data using digitized maps.

Question 35

geocoding

Answer 35

every record and digital object in Geographic Information Systems has an identified geographical location

Question 36

reality mining

Answer 36

information that analysts can extract from the patterns of usage of mobile phones. Uses GIS and GPS.

Question 37

real time BI

Answer 37

multidimensional analysis, data mining, decision support systems in real time.

Question 38

corporate performance management

Answer 38

monitors and manages organization performance according to key performance indicators such as revenues, return on investment, and costs.

Question 39

key performance indicators

Answer 39

revenues, return on investments. Overhead costs, operational costs. Etc.

Question 40

How to measure organization productivity?

Answer 40

Inputs / Outputs Ratio

Question 41

what do managers do?

Answer 41

Interpersonal roles of manager- figurehead, leader, liaison
Informational role- monitor, disseminator, spokesperson, analyzer
Decisional role of managers- entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, negotiator

Question 42

how do managers make decisions?

Answer 42

intelligence, design, and choice

Question 43

Describe the decision making process.

Answer 43

Problem structure: Structured decisions, Unstructured decisions, Semi structured decisions.
Nature of the decision: Operational control, Management control, Strategic planning

Question 44

How does BI in small organizations differ from that in large organizations?

Answer 44

Small organizations may just rely on excel spreadsheets, large organizations have enterprise wide BI including applications like data mining, dashboards, etc.