IST 285
Midterm exam
Study Guide
Midterm exam is Wednesday night, June 18. The test will be in two parts:
Part 1: Short Answer
Part 2: Hands-On Work using Excel and Access
The test will cover Chapters 1 – 5 of your text.
Chapter 1

Explain how some NBA teams are using technology to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of individual players.

What is a business information system?

Explain the difference between data and information.

List and describe three of the six reasons given by the author why information systems are so essential for running and managing a business today.

List and describe the four-step method for business problem solving.

Describe the operation of the Dirt Bikes Company.

Create Access queries to answer questions about a particular company (p.31).
Chapter 2

Explain a challenge Tupperware faced a few years ago.

Our text describes

Explain how an information system can support the Sales and marketing division of a company.

How did Google modify its traditional hiring practices?

Be able to generate Excel charts to compare data

Be able to use the DAVERAGE function in Excel
Chapter 3

How has the Apple iPod and iTunes changed the music industry?

Describe Porter’s competitive forces model and the five forces that are part of this model.

What is Low-cost leadership?

What is product differentiation?

Whay is a market niche?

What is customer and supplier intimacy?

What problem did Parker Hannifin have with its product pricing strategy? How did they fix this problem?
 Explain the “value chain model”.

Describe an example of a disruptive technology.

Which activities at Dirt Bikes create the most value?

What are Dirt Bikes major competitors?


Queries to determine the average length of stay per room.
Chapter 4

List and describe three types of computers available today.

Explain the client/server mode of computing.

What is the typical memory size of a desktop computer?

What is the typical secondary storage size of a desktop computer?

What is the difference between memory and storage?

Name and describe three different types of servers.

Name and describe a major type of software used in business.

List and describe two major PC operating systems.

Where can you purchase software on-line?

Where can you purchase PCs on-line?
Chapter 5

How does a relational database organize data? Tables, records, and fields.

What is a primary key?

What is a foreign key?

What is referential integrity?

What is a database query?

What is an object-oriented database management system?

What is a data warehouse?

Be able to set up an Access database.

Be able to develop queries to answer specific questions about the data.