Information Technology and Management-1

Assignment – A

Question 1. In an organization, in which you are working or which is known to you, try to find out an example of information not at present available but that information if provided would add to the value of the organization. How could that information be produced? Why it is not produced at present?

Question 2. Define the inputs, processes and outputs for the following systems:
a. A college system
b. An accounting system
c. A heating system
d. A police force

Question 3. You are required to define briefly the following terms, within the context of management information systems and data processing and provide a commercial or accounting example of each:
a. System boundary
b. Decoupling
c. Sub-optimality
d. Negative feedback
e. Probabilistic system

Question 4. Imagine you are starting a 20 person Design Consultancy employing 12 professional designers, 4 computer specialists and 4 clerical staff. Explain with reasons, how you would deal with the following:
a. Hierarchy of authority
b. Degree of centralization
c. Specialization

Question 5. Effective communication and presentational skills are important from both a personal and organization view point. Prepare a set of guide lines which could be used in an organization to make both its internal and external communications more effective?

Assignment – B

Question 1. Find examples of management by exception being used in particle? How are exceptions recognized? Does the procedure aid management control?

Question 2. In an organization, you are working or which is known to you, find two examples each of strategic, tactical and operational level decisions. What are the key information needs for such decision?

Question 3. It is conventionally assumed that there are three levels in the organization at which decision making takes place. Your required to:
a. Define briefly the three levels.
b. Describe the characteristics of decision making at the different levels.
c. Given an example, for each level of the type of assistance or information a computer-based management information system could supply to aid decision making.

Case Study

(LEADERSHIP AND GROUP WORKING)

As a part of Tata’s group of Management Development Programme, Avinash a young graduate has been put in-charge of a small warehouse, which has been established few years ago, to act as a central supply source for the group.

The programme called for Avinash to have three monthly review meetings with the group Personnel Officer. At the first meeting Avinash was very enthusiastic and confident and deserve in detail the numerous developments and improvements he had already initiated and his ideas for the future. When asked about problems, Avinash mentioned ‘stick-in-the-mud’ attitude of the staff and the lack of cooperation he had received.

Enquiries among the staff by the Personnel Officer discovered that there was dissatisfaction about Avinash’s leadership. The staff felt that he was in too much of a hurry and they were little apprehensive about what the considered to be risky and ill thought out decisions that Avinash has taken. They thought that he had little interest in them and they were not sure that whether their work was up to his requirement. One thought that a group decision had already been taken to close the warehouse and Avinash had been sent to do a hatchet job. The Personnel Officer knows that this fear was quite unfounded.

Question 1. What managerial problems are revealed by above case?

Question 2. What should the Personnel Officer do?

Question 3. What should Avinash to do improve the present problem?

Question 4. How do you think the situation should have been handled from the beginning?

Assignment – C

Answer True or False

1. Information increases knowledge, reduces uncertainty, adds value when used.

2. Data are facts which have been recorded.

3. Communication systems include a source, a message and the destination.

4. Explained jargon is a barrier to understanding.

5. A management information system provides information for tactical level decision making.

6. For decision making either formal or informal source may provide information but they should complement one another.

7. Scientific management was a production oriented rational approach to organizations pioneered by Weber.

8. Motivation is the driving force or commitment people have for doing things.

9. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs range from physiological needs to self-actualization needs.

10. There is no complete understanding about what motivates people but the assumptions what managers uses strongly influences the way he carries out his task.

11. Modern approaches emphasize the need to take individual circumstances into account when designing organizations.

12. Burus and stalken categorized organizations into mechanistic and organic.

13. By type of technology used by the firms was found inadequate to influence the organizational structure.

14. Within every formal organization exists an informal one.

15. Departmentation is the result of grouping people by specialization.

16. Mixed form of specialization frequently occurs.

17. Decentralization occurs when authority the center is week.

18. Since standard and commercially available MIS packages has inherent limitations hence MIS of an organization must he tailor made.

19. Decentralized organization can be more responsible and flexible hence centralized control should be limited to only few disciplines.

20. Flat structures have a short chain of command with a broad span of control and tend to produce better results.

21. Fayol’s original definition of management still holds good inspite of numerous definitions being floating around.

22. Management takes place at all levels.

23. Decision making which is choosing between alternatives, is an integral part of all management tasks.

24. The strategic level of management supersedes all other level of management.

25. Leadership is the ability to mould people and made them tow your line of thinking.

26. Job enlargement is essentially more of job enrichment which involves more scope and more autonomy.

27. Management by objectives (MBO) is a formal structured form of delegation where the emphasis is on results achieved and not on how they have been achieved.

28. Controls are the mandatoring process mostly undertaken to get the feedback.

29. Positive feedback causes the system to dampen or deviate from the original target.

30. Control efforts should be directed where it can be more effective.

31. Delays are inherent in control cycle system.

32. Closed loop systems are where no feedback loop exists and control is exercised through external source information.

33. Managers may be actively involved in MIS design.

34. Management by exception is more than a reporting method. It is one of the style of management.

35. The computer misuse act relates to most of the computer related offences.

Select any one of the correct answers

36. Information may be
(a). Demand/response
(b). Deposit/reference
(c). Internal/external
(d). All of the above

37. Operational level MIS is
(a). Formal
(b). Structured
(c). Computer based
(d). all of the above

38. All system definitions contain
(a). Parts
(b). Relationship
(c). Objectives
(d). all of the above

39. The main theoretical approaches to organizations include
(a). Scientific Management
(b). The departmental approach
(c). The human relation school
(d). all of the above

40. The main traditional principles of organizations include.
(a). Scalar principle
(b). Unity of command
(c). Span of control and specialization
(d). None of the above
(e). all of the above