Bus 506 Management Information System Final Examination

Bus506 Management Information System Misfinal Examination5 7 2019 T

The following questions are largely based upon the concepts of the textbook or lecture slides. To develop your answer, please consult with the lecture material first to be in line with the presented MIS concepts. Each question will count to 3 points, to make 24 points in total.

Paper For Above instruction

1. We want to set up a database to record the business data for a small auto service center. a. To compose a database structure, we think three tables initially needed such as CUSTOMER, VEHICLE and SERVICE. The VEHICLE table can be set like VEHICLE ( VehicleID , Maker, Model, Year, VehicleType). How the data fields for the tables CUSTOMER and SERVICE would be set up? You need to show the primary key underlined and foreign key in italic letters as shown in table VEHICLE. CUSTOMER ( CustomerID , VehicleID , Name, Address, Phone). SERVICE ( ServiceID , VehicleID , ServiceDate, Description, Cost). b. The above table, VEHICLE contains the data fields for a general vehicle type description. If we want to specify a particular vehicle information for the customer, we need to add more data fields to specify the VEHICLE that is unique. How the data fields for the VEHICLE table can be updated? VEHICLE ( VehicleID , Maker, Model, Year, VehicleType, VIN, LicensePlate). c. In the table SERVICE, multiple services might be required for a vehicle work order. To handle the multiple services, we may need another table, SERVICE_DETAILS, to put each individual service, in addition to SERVICE table. What would be appropriate data fields for the table SERVICE_DETAILS? How the table SERVICE needs to be changed to link with the SERVICE_DETAILS table? SERVICE ( ServiceID , VehicleID , ServiceDate, TotalCost); SERVICE_DETAILS ( ServiceDetailsID , ServiceID , ServiceDescription , ServiceCost ).

2. Explain how the Packet Switching can use the communication capacity in much more efficient way than the Circuit Switching, especially for voice communications without much losing signal quality.

Packet switching is a method of grouping data transmitted over a digital network into packets. Each packet contains not only the data but also information about its source and destination. Unlike circuit switching, which establishes a dedicated communication path for the duration of a call, packet switching dynamically manages how data is sent across the network. This means that the communication capacity is shared among multiple users, allowing for more efficient utilization of bandwidth. When transmitting voice data, packet switching segments the voice signals into small packets that are sent independently through the network. These packets can take different routes to reach the destination, where they are reassembled. This approach minimizes idle times and allows multiple conversations to share the same communication channel, greatly increasing the throughput and efficiency. Additionally, since network resources are allocated on demand, packet switching reduces wastage of bandwidth and adapts to varying data loads, maintaining acceptable signal quality for voice calls with minimal delay and packet loss, especially when aided by Quality of Service (QoS) mechanisms that prioritize voice data.

3. Wireless Sensor Network places many sensors in the field to pick up the signals that are important for security purpose. If all these sensors are going to report to the monitoring system at the same time, the data traffic will be very heavy. How the traffic congestion situation of the wireless sensor network can be alleviated?

Traffic congestion in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) can be mitigated through several strategies. Firstly, implementing data aggregation techniques allows multiple sensors to combine their data locally before forwarding it to the base station, reducing the volume of transmitted data and alleviating network load. Secondly, employing scheduled access methods such as time division multiple access (TDMA) permits sensors to report data at staggered intervals, thereby preventing simultaneous transmissions that cause congestion. Thirdly, adaptive duty cycling enables sensors to alternate between active and sleep modes based on network demand, conserving energy and reducing network traffic. Additionally, prioritizing critical data packets ensures that essential security signals are transmitted with precedence, avoiding delays caused by congestion. Furthermore, deploying hierarchical architectures where local cluster heads aggregate data before forwarding to the central node can significantly reduce overall data traffic. Finally, implementing congestion control algorithms that detect and respond to network congestion by adjusting transmission rates or delaying non-critical data can optimize network performance and maintain reliable monitoring under heavy traffic conditions.

4. The Balanced Scorecard Framework is a short list of metrics to measure the overall business status. The metrics are divided by four categories: Financial, Business Processes, Customers, and Employees. Let's set up a Balanced Scorecard for a grocery market. Suggest at least two new metrics relevant to the grocery market for the categories of Business Processes, Customers, Employees, other than the metrics shown in Figure 12-7 of the lecture slides (Slide 12.35).

Metrics for Business Processes:

• Inventory Turnover Rate: Measures how quickly inventory is sold and replaced over a period, indicating operational efficiency in stock management.
• Order Fulfillment Accuracy: Percentage of customer orders delivered without errors, reflecting supply chain effectiveness.

Metrics for Customers:

• Customer Retention Rate: The proportion of repeat customers over a period, demonstrating customer loyalty and satisfaction.
• Net Promoter Score (NPS): A measure of customer willingness to recommend the store, indicative of overall customer satisfaction.

Metrics for Employees:

• Staff Turnover Rate: The rate at which employees leave the organization, highlighting workplace stability and morale.
• Employee Training Hours per Employee: The average number of training hours provided, reflecting investment in workforce development.

Other than the existing categories, an additional metric could be:

• Supplier Lead Time Variability: Measures consistency in suppliers' delivery times, impacting inventory management and customer satisfaction.

5. A US Army Program Management Office (PMO) selected two Prime Contractors for developing a new Army Wireless Information System. One company performs program planning, software development, and Tactical Vehicle development, while the other smaller company is responsible for System Architecture development. The PMO has set various levels of integrated teams for collaborative working environment between the Government and two Prime companies. As the development is on the way, a serious problem has aroused. The software team in the first Prime company was not going to use the database structure set by the database development team of the second Prime company, and tried to build their own database system for the system software. The different approaches between two teams that belong to different companies are almost halting the whole system development effort. a. In this situation, how do you think the US Army PMO should do to resolve this deadlock situation? As the Army PMO provides funding for the whole program, it has the power to control Prime contractors but lacks technical understanding of the issue. Provide your idea to resolve this issue in terms of organizational dimension.

To resolve this deadlock, the US Army PMO should emphasize establishing a unified governance structure that mandates compliance with standardized system architecture protocols. This involves setting clear contractual obligations that require all contractors to adopt and integrate with the jointly developed database schema, ensuring interoperability and coherence across the system. Facilitating organizational collaboration through regular integrated team meetings and creating joint review committees can foster communication and alignment of technical standards. Moreover, the PMO can appoint a dedicated Systems Integration Manager who oversees adherence to system architecture and mediates conflicts between teams. Incentive mechanisms tied to compliance and collaborative performance can motivate contractors to align efforts. Finally, embedding contractual clauses that specify shared goals, joint accountability, and penalties for non-compliance reinforces commitment to a unified approach, thereby reducing organizational silos and advancing integrated system development.

b. What necessary actions should be taken by the Army PMO to resolve the issue? Answer: To effectively resolve the issue, the Army PMO should first clarify and enforce contractual requirements making it mandatory for all contractor teams to use the approved database structure. It should establish a collaborative governance framework that includes regular coordination meetings, shared documentation, and joint technical reviews. The PMO must also appoint an oversight authority or systems integrator responsible for monitoring compliance and facilitating inter-team communication. Training sessions or workshops can be organized to ensure all teams understand the shared database schema and development standards. Additionally, the PMO could incentivize compliance through contractual bonuses or penalties linked to adherence and system integration milestones. Ensuring top management visibility and accountability, coupled with proactive conflict resolution mechanisms, are essential to align all teams towards a cohesive system development process.