IST 301 Final Exam

Question 1

List the four challenges stemming from cultural differences.

Answer 1

Direct vs Indirect Communication
Trouble with accents and fluency
Differing attitudes toward hierarchy and authority
Conflicting norms for decision making

Question 2

List the four strategies for dealing with cultural changes and when each should be used

Answer 2

Adaptation - working with or around differences
Structural - deliberate reorganization or re-assignment designed to reduce the interpersonal friction; Reorganize to reduce friction
Managerial Intervention - When cultural decision making process don’t make among teams
Exit - when there is no agreement about a matter which jeopardize operations or product delivery

Question 3

Greg James (case study)

Answer 3

Graduated from Stanford University
“Star Engineer”
Sun provided him with a combination of opportunities
Within 4 years he began managing a team/budget in the Data Protection and Recovery Department
One of 50 managers to receive the Sun Outstanding Manager award

Question 4

Find the definition of ill conceived goals

Answer 4

Set goals/incentives to promote desired behavior but they encourage a negative behavior

Question 5

Definition of motivated blindness

Answer 5

Overlook unethical behavior of others when it’s in our interest

Question 6

Definition of indirect blindness

Answer 6

Hold others less accountable for unethical behavior when it’s carried out through 3rd parties

Question 7

What are four reasons to follow Linda’s instructions (case study)

Answer 7

Important to respect the wishes and requests of people in positions of authority
Felt indebted to Linda for the job opportunity
Responsibility to help make the desk as much money as possible
Great deal of potential starting off at the new job

Question 8

What is corporate social responsibility (CSR)

Answer 8

Voluntary corporate commitment to exceed the explicit and implicit obligations imposed on a company by society’s expectations of conventional corporate behavior

Question 9

What is Strategic Philanthropy?

Answer 9

Philanthropy that adds to corporate profits

Question 10

What is Strategic Action?

Answer 10

Action that does not lead to a competitive disadvantage in the long run

Question 11

What is Structural Action?

Answer 11

Action that a company should undertake when collective commitment is required; something that is affected by and affects all competitors equally

Question 12

What is Self Regulation?

Answer 12

Controlling or redirecting disruptive emotions and impulses

Question 13

What is Self Awareness?

Answer 13

Knowing one’s emotions, strengths, weaknesses, drives, and goals - and their impact on others

Question 14

What is Social Skill?

Answer 14

Managing relationships to move people in desired directions

Question 15

What is Empathy?

Answer 15

Considering others’ feelings especially when making decisions

Question 16

What is Motivation?

Answer 16

Being driven to achieve for the sake of achievement

Question 17

What are Porter’s Generic Strategies?

Answer 17

Cost Leadership
Differentiation
Cost Focus
Differentiation Focus

Question 18

What are the three components in an organizational structure?

Answer 18

Formal Reporting relationships
Groupings
System Design

Question 19

What should an organization provide?

Answer 19

Vertical information flow

Horizontal information flow

Question 20

List 6 Characteristics of Divisional Form:

Answer 20

Group of Diverse functions into divisions
Organized according to outputs
Can have products, region, market-based or client-based divisional structures
Coordination across functions within division is maximized
Coordination between divisions overseen by corporate-level managers
Works best in medium to large size orgs that operate in heterogeneous markets and have adopted a diversified strategy

Question 21

What are the 4 sources of IBM’s problems? (case study)

Answer 21

Change from hardware as the dominant cost of a computer to software becoming the majority of the cost
Customers became more informed about computers; didn’t need expensive help from IBM
PC and Micro Era represent a new paradigm for applying computers directly to problems by users
Advent of open standards that IBM itself promoted with its decision to outsource Microsoft, Intel and others with bringing out the IBM PC

Question 22

How does Gershner transform IBM as a CEO? (case study)

Answer 22

Tweaked ESOPs to retain key employees; the repricing wasn’t given to the 23 most senior executives to emphasize performance over collegiality
Cost Reductions
Restoring Line Managers’ Accountability and Ownership
One IBM

Question 23

What does ERP do?

Answer 23

Integrate various functional aspects of the organization as well as systems within the organization of its partners and suppliers; Goal is to make information flow dynamic and immediate, increasing usefulness and value

Question 24

What are the 4 benefits of ERP?

Answer 24

Integration of data and applications across functional areas
Improvements in maintenance and support
Consistency of the user interface across various applications
Security of data and applications is enhanced

Question 25

What are the 4 drawbacks of ERP?

Answer 25

Complexity of installing, configuring, and maintaining the system increases
Consolidation of IT hardware, software, and people resources can be cumbersome and difficult to attain
Data conversion and transformation from an old system can produce resistance and reduce productivity
Retraining of IT staff and end users of the new system can produce resistance and reduce productivity

Question 26

What is SAP?

Answer 26

Recognized global leader among ERP vendors with over 12 million users; Solutions are for all types of industries and for every major market

Question 27

4 Risks of ERP implementation?

Answer 27

User acceptance of process change
Budget and Schedule overruns
Availability of adequate skills
Tech failures

Question 28

Cisco (true/false question)

Answer 28

Picked Oracle
Founded in 1984 by Stanford computer scientists
Most well known for the router
Hybrid organizational structure

Question 29

What are upstream/downstream entities?

Answer 29

Upstream: towards the manufacturer
Downstream: towards the customer

Question 30

What are some problems with IT projects?

Answer 30

2/3 of the projects neither on time nor on budget
Sometimes the projects don’t deliver the business goals
$100 to $150 billion of U.S. IT projects have failed altogether

Question 31

Describe the stages of IT portfolio management maturity model:

Answer 31

Stage 0: Ad hoc
Stage 1: Defined
Stage 2: Managed
Stage 3: Synchronized

Question 32

What are the top 10 benefits of ITPM?

Answer 32

Improved business-strategy alignment
Centralized control
Cost reduction
Communication with business executives
Improved ROI
Improved customer service
Professional respect
Competitive advantage
IT integration during mergers and acquisitions
Improved decision making