UNIVERSITY OF MAURITIUS
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
FIRST SEMESTER EXAMINATIONS
DECEMBER 2010
PROGRAMME MSc Project Management – Level s 1& 2
MSc Total Quality Management & Performance Excellence –
Level 2
MODULE NAME Management Information Systems
DATE Thursday
25 November 2010 MODULE CODE CSE6005
TIME 09.30 – 12.30 hrs DURATION 3 Hours
NO. OF 6 NO. OF QUESTIONS 4
QUESTIONS SET TO BE ATTEMPTED
INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
Answer any FOUR (4) questions.
MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS – CSE 6005
Answer any FOUR (4) questions.
Question 1
With the use of the Spiral Model, can you as an IT Manager help a group of Retail
Company to set up its stock control as the current system is not providing the
required expectations? [17 marks]
What would the difference if the waterfall model is used in the above scenario?
[8 marks]
Question 2
(i) Explain how the strategic role of IT can help in achieving competitive
advantage. [10 marks]
(ii) “Michael Porter provided a framework that models an industry as being
influenced by five forces.” Explain with an example how the strategic
business manager who seeks to develop an edge over rivals can use this
model to better understand the industry context in which the firm operates.
[15 marks]
Question 3
(a) The amount of corporate funds spent on IT investment has always been
controversial. “Robert Solow (1987) the famous Nobel Prize winning
economist has suggested that in business one could see computers
everywhere bite in the productivity statistics.”
(i) Can you explain the benefits of IS investment? [5 marks]
(ii) Can Wiseman (7 C’s Strength) help to explain the investment in IT?
[8 marks]
(b) A software quality factor is a non-functional requirement for a software
program which is not called up by customers extract, but is, nevertheless, a
desirable requirement which enhances the quality of the software program.
Elaborate on those factors with regards to the applications developed.
[12 marks]
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MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS – CSE 6005
Question 4
(i) What are the difficulties in maintaining a data Warehouse? [5 marks]
(ii) With regards to Data Mining technology, what are the major elements and
how those elements work? [7 marks]
(iii) What are the components of the Executive Information System? [5 marks]
(iv) Explain with the help of an example how the advantages of such a system can
help in management decision? [8 marks]
Question 5
(a) You want to implement a new IT application in your company.
(i) What are the major change problems that you can encounter and what
approach are you going to adopt to overcome those issues?
[5 marks]
(ii) What are the actions you can build between IT and the users for
managing change? [7 marks]
(b) Past examples of IT project failures gives us the opportunity to point to the
relevant lessons that can be derived from recognizing areas where IT projects
are more likely to fail.
What recommendations that can reduce the risk that IT project fails?
[13 marks]
Question 6
(i) Your CEO informs you that the Marketing Department is not working as per
requirement and requests you to look into that. You have to eventually do a
Business Process Re-engineering (BPR). Write a report to explain why BPR is
needed and what approach you will adopt for this? [13 marks]
(ii) After reviewing the report, the CEO now wants you to explain what is the
risk Management Process that you will include in the application [7 marks]
(iii) What are the critical success factors that need to be catered during a disaster
recovery planning? [5 marks]
END OF QUESTION PAPER
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MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS – CSE 6005
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