MIS Management Information Systems MCQ 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which concept describes the idea that an organization's competitive advantage from an IT system erodes as competitors adopt the same technology?
- Technology diffusion
- IT commoditization (Correct answer)
- Digital disruption
- Systems obsolescence
Correct answer: IT commoditization
IT commoditization occurs when once-differentiating technology becomes widely available, turning it into a standard cost of doing business rather than a competitive edge.
Question 2: A hospital uses a system that captures patient symptoms and suggests possible diagnoses based on medical knowledge rules. This is an example of:
- Transaction Processing System (TPS)
- Expert System (ES) (Correct answer)
- Executive Information System (EIS)
- Geographic Information System (GIS)
Correct answer: Expert System (ES)
Expert Systems encode domain-specific knowledge as rules to mimic the reasoning of a human expert in a specialized field.
Question 3: In change management for IT projects, resistance from employees is most effectively reduced through which approach?
- Mandating adoption through policy enforcement
- Providing training and involving users early in the design process (Correct answer)
- Implementing the system without announcement to avoid anticipatory anxiety
- Replacing resistant employees with new hires
Correct answer: Providing training and involving users early in the design process
User training and early involvement in system design builds ownership and understanding, which significantly reduces resistance to change.
Question 4: Which strategy involves a company controlling multiple stages of its supply chain through information systems, for example owning both manufacturing and retail operations?
- Horizontal integration
- Vertical integration (Correct answer)
- Outsourcing
- Offshoring
Correct answer: Vertical integration
Vertical integration occurs when a company controls multiple levels of its supply chain, enabled by integrated information systems that link each stage.
Question 5: Which type of software license allows users to view, modify, and distribute the source code freely?
- Proprietary license
- Open-source license (Correct answer)
- Freeware license
- Shareware license
Correct answer: Open-source license
Open-source licenses grant users the rights to inspect, modify, and redistribute the source code, often with specific attribution requirements.
Question 6: A company's IT disaster recovery plan specifies that systems must be restored within 4 hours of a failure. This 4-hour target is the:
- Recovery Point Objective (RPO)
- Recovery Time Objective (RTO) (Correct answer)
- Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)
- Service Level Agreement threshold
Correct answer: Recovery Time Objective (RTO)
The Recovery Time Objective (RTO) defines the maximum acceptable duration for restoring a system after a disruption.
Question 7: Which ethical framework in IT focuses on the outcomes of decisions — choosing the action that produces the greatest good for the greatest number of people?
- Deontological ethics
- Virtue ethics
- Utilitarian ethics (Correct answer)
- Rights-based ethics
Correct answer: Utilitarian ethics
Utilitarian ethics evaluates actions by their consequences, favoring decisions that maximize overall benefit and minimize harm across all stakeholders.
MIS Management Information Systems MCQ 5
Which concept describes the idea that an organization's competitive advantage from an IT system erodes as competitors adopt the same technology?