UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2018/2019
EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, BACHELOR OF BUSINESS INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
BIT2203 BBIT210 STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
FULL TIME/PART TIME/DISTANCE LEARNING
DATE: APRIL, 2019 TIME: 2 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question One & ANY OTHER TWO questions.
QUESTION ONE [30 MARKS]
(a) Information provides historical evidences, reduces uncertainty in decision making and provides
mechanism for communication. The quality of information used by organizations in decision
making cannot be over-emphasized. State any five qualities of good information. [5 Marks]
(b) Management Information Systems [MIS] are constructed to serve various levels and aspects of
management activities.
(i) Using an illustration, identify three levels of organizational planning [3 Marks]
(ii) Explain how each of the levels impact on the information availed for planning
[6 Marks]
(c) The acquisition of new software is a strategic decision. Highlight the benefits of buying an
integrated package [or a suite of packages] rather than making package by package decisions
[6 Marks]
(d) Explain examples of potential risks associated with the loss of the following information system
elements
(i) Hardware
(ii) Data and Information
(iii) Software
(iv) Staff
[10 Marks]
QUESTION TWO [20 MARKS]
The decision to use information technology as a tool for competitive advantage can either build or
destroy an organization.
(a) Explain the concept Business Process Re-engineering [BPR] [5 Marks]
(b) Discuss the opportunities enabled by BPR to an organization [10 Marks]
(c) Statistics have shown that 70% of BPR projects fail. Explain the reasons that lead to the high
failure rate. [5 Marks]
QUESTION THREE [20 MARKS]
(a) Define the term ‘An Information Systems strategy’ [4 Marks]
(b) A major problem in evaluating Information Technology is that many of its benefits are
intangible, therefore not easy to accurately estimate their value. Discuss the tangible and
intangible benefits of information systems [8 Marks]
(c) Discuss the unique features that qualify organizations as systems [8 Marks]
QUESTION FOUR [20 MARKS]
a) Customer Relationship Management [CRM] systems are a key component of the information
infrastructure for many organizations.
i) Discuss THREE essential requirements of a successful CRM. [9 Marks]
ii) With reference to examples you have studied or are familiar with, show how the failure or
absence of ONE of these requirements can cause significant difficulty to an organization.
[5 Marks]
b) According to Turban et al. [2011], Business Performance Management [BPM] can be
seen to be the convergence of Corporate Strategic Planning and Business Intelligence
i) Provide an overview of the key steps within a Corporate Strategic Planning process,
identifying any strategic planning techniques that could be employed.
[6 Marks]
QUESTION FIVE [20 MARKS]
Discuss the key similarities and differences between EACH of the following pairs of MIS related
concepts:
i) Enterprise Resource Planning [ERP] data repository and Data Mart. [5 Marks]
ii) Decision Support System [DSS] and Group Decision Support System[GDSS].
[5 Marks]
iii) Data mining tool and On-Line Analytical Processing [OLAP] tool. [5 Marks]
iv) Software as a Service [SaaS] and virtual organisation. [5 Marks]
