Information Technology: IT Applications

The following questions have been taken from the Cambridge Checkpoints 2007
– VCE IT Applications – Potts. (Also check out the online quizzes at
www.cambridge.edu.au/checkpoints)

CHAPTER 1
Organisations and Information Systems
Question 1 [VCAA 2001] = 4 Marks
The list of positions for a large multinational company in Australia include
department heads, store-managers, sales assistants, a state manager and
a national manager.

a. Complete the organisational chart below to show the management

structure for Victoria only, by placing one management position
listed above in each blank level of the diagram.

b. The company produces a report for each store providing the total
sales by department for the current week, the previous week and
the year so far. A copy of the report for the relevant store is given
to the store manager and each department head. Explain how
each of these people would use the report.

Question 2
Within any organisation different levels of management make different
types of decisions. To make those decisions they require different types of
information. In the following table enter the decision type (operational,
strategic or tactical) to be made with the information type provided.

Information Type Decision Type

Daily reports
Highly summarised
Monthly reports
Question 4 [VCAA 2003] = 3 Marks
Classify each of the decisions below as one of the following types.
Operational, Tactical or Strategic

I. A customer is given an extra discount on damaged stock.

II. A company decides to close two of their smaller branches.

III. A receptionist orders a different brand of photocopy paper.

Question 8 [VCAA 2003] = 2 Marks

Many information technology experts believe that ‘to be useful,
information must be relevant’. Describe what is meant by relevant and
provide one example of relevant information.

Question 10
Two key terms used frequently when discussing information systems are
efficiency and effectiveness. Define these two terms.

a. Efficiency

b. Effectiveness

Question 13 [VCAA 2002] = 9 Marks

Fuel ‘n’ Shop is a national chain of petrol stations offering a range of
supermarket products. When a customer purchases an item such as a
newspaper or can of drink, the attendant scans the barcode on the
product giving the customer a receipt. The data from the register is sent
to a server at the company’s headquarters where the data is processed. A
daily sales report is given to the local Store Manager, Tyson, and a
monthly summarised report is given to the Victorian Manager, Tina.

a. The reports were produced by a management information system.

Identify the type of information system used by the attendant.

b. What types of decisions (operational, strategic or tactical) will Tyson

and Tina make based on the information provided to them?
 Tyson:

Tina:

c. State another type of information system that could be used by Fuel

‘n’ Shop’s headquarters and give an example of how it might be
used.

Information system:

Example:

d. The CEO (Chief Executive Officer) would like to compare the sales of
each outlet. What is the best method of presenting the information
and how often should it be produced?

e. Fuel ‘n’ Shop investigated two options for sending the data to
headquarters using a dial-up modem or using a Wide Area Network.
Explain why a Wide Area Network was chosen.

Question 15 [VCAA 2001] = 8 Marks

The town of Woomagarabuck has two hospitals. Only one of the hospitals
has an x-ray unit and the hospitals have considered sharing some other
facilities such as their pharmacies and kitchens. Some doctors work at
both hospitals and some patients attend both hospitals. A
communications link has been proposed to connect the computer system
in both hospitals.

a. What would be one of the organisational goals of a hospital in

Woomagarabuck?

The hospitals have decided to establish a common patient admissions

and medical history database.

b. State what data item(s) would allow the hospital to uniquely identify
each patient.

c. Give two examples of data other than patient details that the two
hospitals may wish to share.

d. Name and describe the functions of one active hardware component

that would be essential in the network to enable applicants and
information to be accessed from workstations in the other hospital.
 The hospital administrators have suggested that the database should
be read-only for all users and only the data entry clerks in each
hospital can change or add records.

e. State one reason why doctors should not be allowed to change or

add data.

Question 17
Identify the function of the following software components of an
information system:

a. Operating system

b. Application software

Question 19 [VCAA 2000] = 4 Marks

For two of the following case studies, recommend an appropriate software
tool and justify your selection.

Question 21
A bookstore wishes to introduce a stand-alone information kiosk that
customers can use to find books and locate different sections of the store.
Customers will need to be able to communicate their query to the kiosk
and see the result display on a screen. Three methods for input of queries
by customers have been considered. They are light pen, touch screen and
voice recognition.

a. You immediately have dismissed two of the suggestions. For each

device you have rejected, provide two reasons why you believe it
would not be appropriate.

b. Describe how the technology of your preferred device works and, in

doing so, explain why it is your choice.

Question 26
Several files have been saved from a multimedia package and are
currently resident on the computer’s hard disk. The files and their size are
indicated in the table below.

File A 1.5 Megabytes File B 0.002 Gigabytes

File C 300,000 bytes File D 683 Kilobytes

List the files in order of size from smallest to largest.

Question 27
GraphiX is a company that creates multimedia solutions for business
clients. Photographs, drawings, video tapes and sound recordings are
supplied by clients. GraphiX creates an interactive presentation that it
supplies to the client on a CD-ROM. Multiple CDs are then produced by
another company.

a. GraphiX needs a computer capable of producing multimedia

solutions for clients. Recommend appropriate specifications for
each of the following components of the computer:

I. Central Processing Unit

II. Random Access Memory

III. Video Card memory

IV. Hard Disk

b. Identify three software types (other than operating system) that

GraphiX will need.

c. Identify peripheral devices that GraphiX will need.

Question 31 [VCAA 2003] = 2 Marks

An advertising agency produces high quality A3 and A4 posters which use
high resolution graphics to communicate their message. State two
reasons why a black and white A4 InkJet printer is unsuitable for this
purpose.

Reason 1

Reason 2

Question 34
Computers are able to communicate with each other and with peripheral
devices such as printers using infra-red transmissions. This is the same
technology as used in hand-held devices such as the remote control for a
television. GreatShakes Pty Ltd has a number of employees who work in a
large office using notebook computers. The notebooks and a printer in
the office all are infra-red enabled.

a. Describe one advantage of infra-red transmissions for

communicating data.

b. Describe two limitations of infra-red transmissions.

Question 35
Clients of VirtualArtShow.com are able to purchase art works via the web
page using their credit card. This involves clients first registering their
personal details and credit card information. The management of
VirtualArtShow.com then has these details checked and issues each client
a credit limit for any purchases. When a client wishes to make a
purchase, the client completes an on-line purchase application. The price
of the art to be purchased is then compared with the client’s credit limit,
and the purchase is either approved or rejected. For this information
system, identify the following:

a. The client input data

b. The client validation procedure

c. The data output from the purchase application process

Question 40
Megan’s Videos is a small video store run single-handedly by its owner.
Currently member information is stored on the database and available to
the store owner within the store. The store owner often gets very busy
and has difficulty finding time during the store opening hours to enter new
customer data or update changes to existing data. She plans to
implement a change to the information from home. What impact will this
have on the effectiveness of the video store’s information system?

Question 44
The administration of Belltown Secondary College anticipates that the
addition of a new colour laser printer will increase the efficiency of the
printing office’s information system.

How would you evaluate whether the printing office’s information system
is more efficient?
Question 48
Phoebe has suggested to the management of GraphiX that she would like
to work from home in a virtual team environment. She argues that she
would only need to come into the office for fortnightly meetings an could
receive instructions and send work electronically.

a. Describe a suitable technology that could be used by GraphiX to

allow Phoebe to send and receive work at home.

b. Describe the technology that would be needed at home by Phoebe.

c. Describe two advantages for Phoebe in working from home.

d. Describe two concerns you would raise relating to employees

working from home.

e. Identify a benefit for society if working from home using computers

and communications technologies became common in many
industries.

f. Identify the advantages to GraphiX is all of their designers

completed much of their work from home.

Question 50 [VCAA 2000] = 5 Marks

Ms Fran Kinnott has just been appropriate manager of Do Good for Others,
a non-profit charity organisation that distributes used household goods
and furniture.
Except for Ms Kinnott, who is paid, Do Good for Others only uses volunteer
workers who are mainly retired people, enthusiastic about their
contribution to helping others. Expenses are not an important concern as
they are comparatively low. The twenty-five stores are located around
Victoria in metropolitan and country locations. Ms Kinnott wishes to
computerise the stores in other to meet inventory of the stock from all
stores with on-line updating of stock records as goods are distributed.

a. Write a suitable goal statement for this organisation.

b. Analyse two other issues, that Ms Kinnott would need to consider

before implementing a computerised information system.

1.

2.
Good luck. Please ask your classroom teacher for help as you can
appreciate that I am now very busy with my own class.