UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2017/2018
EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN
INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT
MISM5201 DATABASE INTEGRATION AND ECOMMERCE
DATE: AUGUST, 2018 TIME: 2 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question One & ANY OTHER TWO questions.
QUESTION ONE [20 MARKS]
a) Discuss FOUR categories of information processing in e-commerce. (4 Marks)
b) Explain the FOUR infrastructural layers that make up the e-commerce framework.
(4 Marks)
c) Discuss THREE main components of market-driven transactions (3 Marks)
d) What are ‘payment gateways’? Explain this concept and discuss the relevance for
e-commerce (4 Marks)
e) Assess the need for value chain analysis in e-commerce (5 Marks)
QUESTION TWO [15 MARKS]
a) Discuss why it is necessary to integrate data (3 Marks)
b) Explain the concept of ‘view-based data integration’. (2 Marks)
c) Explain the view-based data integration system (VDIS) architecture and draw a
diagram to illustrate this (6 Marks)
d) Discuss any TWO view-based data integration systems (4 Marks)
QUESTION THREE [15 MARKS]
a) Discuss the benefits and limitations of using data warehouses (6 Marks)
b) To achieve data-centric computing, e-commerce middleware services focus on three
elements;
– Transparency,
– Transaction security and management
– Management of distributed objects and services
Explain each of these elements. (6 Marks)
c) Discuss the various factors that have lead financial institutions to increase the use of
electronic payment. (3 Marks)
QUESTION FOUR [15 MARKS]
a) European Union website defines e-Commerce as: ‘… a general concept covering any form of
business transactions or information exchange executed using information and
communication technology, between companies, between companies and their customers, or
between companies and public administrations. Electronic Commerce includes electronic
trading of goods, services and electronic material.’
List technologies and applications that could be covered by this list and decide, in discussion,
if they are usefully/ appropriately classified as e‑Commerce. (8 Marks)
b) Discuss the political factors that affect e-commerce and how governments can encourage
electronic business. (7 Marks)
