Chapter 13

Question 1

information technology (IT)

Answer 1

various appliances and devices for creating, storing, exchanging, and using information in diverse modes, including visual images, voice, multimedia, and business data

Question 2

e-commerce

Answer 2

use of the internet and other electronic means for retailing and business-to-business transactions

Question 3

mass-customization

Answer 3

principle in which companies produce in large volumes, but each unit features the unique options the customer prefers

Question 4

internet

Answer 4

gigantic system of interconnected computers - more than 100 million computers in over 100 countries

Question 5

hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)

Answer 5

communications protocol used for the world wide web, in which related pieces of information on separate web pages are connected using hyperlinks

Question 6

world wide web

Answer 6

branch of the internet consisting of interlinked hypertext documents, or web pages

Question 7

simple message transfer protocol (SMTP)

Answer 7

basic communications protocol used to send email

Question 8

post office protocol (POP)

Answer 8

one of the basic communications protocols used to receive email

Question 9

intranet

Answer 9

organization’s private network of internally linked web sites accessible only to employees

Question 10

extranet

Answer 10

system that allows outsiders limited access to a firm’s internal information network

Question 11

electronic conferencing

Answer 11

IT that allows groups of people to communicate simultaneously from various locations via email, phone, or video

Question 12

VSAT satellite communications

Answer 12

network of geographically dispersed transmitter-receivers (transceivers) that send signals to and receive signals from a satellite exchange voice, video, and data transmission

Question 13

computer network

Answer 13

group of two or more computers linked together by some form of cabling or by wireless technology to share data or resources, such as a printer

Question 14

client-server network

Answer 14

common business network in which clients make requests for information or resources, such as a printer

Question 15

wide area network (WAN)

Answer 15

computers that are linked over long distances through telephone lines, microwave signals, or satellite communications

Question 16

local area network (LAN)

Answer 16

computers that are linked in a small area, such as all of a firm’s computers within a single building

Question 17

wireless wide area network (WWAN)

Answer 17

network that uses airborne electronic signals instead of wires to link computers and electronic devices over long distances

Question 18

wi-fi

Answer 18

technology using a wireless local area network

Question 19

wireless local area network

Answer 19

local area network with wireless access points for PC users

Question 20

hardware

Answer 20

physical components of a computer network, such as keyboards, monitors, system units, and printers

Question 21

software

Answer 21

programs that tell the computer’s hardware what resources to use and how to use them

Question 22

information system (IS)

Answer 22

system that uses IT resources to convert data into information and to collect, process, and transmit that information for use in decision making

Question 23

data

Answer 23

raw facts and figures that, by themselves, may not have much meaning

Question 24

information

Answer 24

meaningful, useful interpretation of data

Question 25

information systems managers

Answer 25

managers who operate they systems used for gathering, organizing, and distributing information

Question 26

data warehousing

Answer 26

the collection, storage, and retrieval of data in electronic files

Question 27

data mining

Answer 27

the application of electronic technologies for searching, sifting, and reorganizing pools of data to uncover useful information

Question 28

knowledge information system

Answer 28

information system that supports knowledge workers by providing resources to create, store, use, and transmit new knowledge for useful applications

Question 29

computer-aided design (CAD)

Answer 29

IS with software that helps knowledge workers design products by simulating them and displaying them in three-dimensional graphics

Question 30

management information system (MIS)

Answer 30

computer system that supports managers by providing information - reports, schedules, plans, and budgets - that can be used for making decisions

Question 31

decision support system (DSS)

Answer 31

interactive system that creates virtual business models for a particular kind of decision and tests them with different data to see how they respond

Question 32

hacker

Answer 32

cybercriminal who gains unauthorized access to a computer or network, either to steal information, money, or property or to tamper with data

Question 33

identity theft

Answer 33

unauthorized use of personal information (such as Social Security number and address) to get loans, credit cards, or other monetary benefits by impersonating the victim

Question 34

intellectual property

Answer 34

something produced by the intellect or mind that has commercial value

Question 35

spyware

Answer 35

program unknowingly downloaded by users that monitors their computer activities, gathering email addresses, credit card numbers, and other information that it transmits to someone outside the host system

Question 36

spam

Answer 36

junk email sent to a mailing list or a newspaper

Question 37

firewall

Answer 37

security system with special software or hardware devices designed to keep computers safe from hackers

Question 38

anti-virus software

Answer 38

product that protects systems by searching incoming emails and data files for ‘signatures’ of known viruses and virus-like characteristics

Question 39

encryption system

Answer 39

software that assigns an email message to a unique code number (digital fingerprint) for computer so only that computer, not others, can open and read the message