The following questions were contained in the Spring 2009 Comprehensive Exam.

ISQA 8060 - RESEARCH IN MIS

1. You are asked to develop a research proposal and design for the US Government. Please cover the following in your presentation.
   1. What is the phenomenon you observe in this case… 10%
   2. What concepts would you use to help you understand this phenomenon?... 20%
   3. Please design a research project to investigate the problem being posed in this company… 30%
   4. Present an outline of a research proposal you would submit to Signal International. Explain each section of the outline… 30%
   5. What would be the deliverables(s) of this research project …10%

   Information Technology at the FBI

   Experts are disputing Attorney General John Ashcroft's claims that a decade of deficient information technology funding hampered the FBI's intelligence gathering prior to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. In a high-profile appearance Tuesday before the commission charged with investigating the deadly assaults, Ashcroft warned that through the 1990s, "the FBI's information infrastructure had been starved, and by Sept. 11, it collapsed from budgetary neglect." The analysis drew a skeptical response from government watchdogs, who painted it as a typical bureaucratic reflex: Blame the budget rather than management. Ashcroft's comments come, as President George W. Bush is seeking an FBI funding increase of about $500 million, or 11.4 percent, for next year--part of a request for $22.1 billion in total Department of Justice funding.

   "The bureau essentially had 42 separate information systems, none of which were connected. Agents lacked even the most basic Internet technology...(These problems) hindered information sharing with the Justice Department, the intelligence community, and state and local law enforcement," Ashcroft told the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. Longtime observers of the FBI acknowledge that the bureau's hardware and networks were indeed shabby in 2001, but they argue that the real explanation is more complicated than Ashcroft indicated: The bureau's top management just didn't care about IT. For more than a decade, they say, the FBI's experiences with IT have been plagued by budget overruns, slipped deadlines and devastating critiques from outside auditors.

   Trilogy

   A massive FBI technology upgrade called Trilogy is designed to usher the bureau into the 21st century. The push, which has been in the planning stages since the mid-1990s, specifies that FBI employees will receive new hardware, better software and speedier communication links. A Web-based portion called the Virtual Case File is designed to provide access to more commercial and internal government databases, along with one easy-to-use search engine for all FBI files in the system.

   But internal Justice Department reports show that Congress was worried about giving the FBI a blank check because of the bureau's "lack of credibility," after projects like the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System and the National Crime Information Center were completed millions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule. "The FBI's inability to effectively complete IT projects within budget and schedule reduced the FBI's credibility in the eyes of Congress," a December 2002 audit from the Justice Department's inspector general said. "The lack of credibility contributed to delays in the FBI receiving congressional funding to upgrade its IT infrastructure."

   In November 2000, Congress wrote a check for $100.7 million to pay for the first year of the $379.8 million Trilogy project. in January 2002, responding to the Sept. 11 attacks, Congress handed over the remainder and an extra $78 million to speed things up. Other portions of the FBI's budget also jumped after the attacks. The FBI's budget had gradually grown from $680.7 million in 1981 to $1.79 billion in 1991 to $3.4 billion in 2001. Immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks, though, it leaped to $4.49 billion for the federal government's 2002 fiscal year.

   Post 9/11

   One big change at the FBI took place on Sept. 5, 2001, when Robert Mueller succeeded Freeh as the sixth director of the largest federal police agency. Through his work as the U.S. Attorney in San Francisco, Mueller had gained a reputation as being more tech-savvy. "Every FBI manager--indeed, every agent--needs to be computer-literate," Mueller said at his Senate confirmation hearing. "Not a computer programmer--but aware of what computers can and cannot do to assist them with their jobs."

   But even Mueller and the influx of cash hasn't seemed to help the FBI fix its IT problems. A September 2003 report from Congress' auditing arm said "the FBI has yet to develop (a master IT architecture plan), and it does not have the requisite means in place to effectively develop, maintain and implement one. The state of the bureau's architecture efforts is attributable to the level of management priority and commitment that the bureau has assigned to this effort."

   Trilogy's deadlines kept slipping, the General Accounting Office (GAO) noted, and the FBI did not meet its July 2002 deadline. The GAO gave the FBI a 1-out-of-5 rating, with 5 being highest. The FBI, the auditors concluded, had failed to appoint a chief information architect, create a master IT plan and establish an "architecture-steering committee"--all of which are required to achieve even a modest rating of 2 out of 5. Now, the FBI is racing to meet a revised April 30 deadline for upgrading its antique computers. The portion of Trilogy that dealt with upgrading networks was finally finished in March 2003, but the Virtual Case File software currently in development has been repeatedly delayed.

   Excerpts are from: "Critics: Management, not IT money, is FBI problem"By Declan McCullagh, CNET News.com, Published on ZDNet News: April 14, 2004, 2:37 PM PT

2. Please answer all parts of this question. Clearly state and explain all assumptions. Appended on the following page is the introduction section of a proposed research project that you are planning to conduct. Based on this proposal, your assignment is to answer the following questions:
   1. State or define the problem under investigation… 10%.
   2. Specify all concepts and explain why you consider them to be a dependent variable, independent variable(s), intervening variable(s), and moderating variable(s)… 20%.
   3. Based on the answers above, now develop a complete theoretical framework and draw a schematic diagram. Provide a brief rationale for any relationships you may establish in your model… 10%.
   4. Develop four testable hypotheses and state each, both in the null and in the alternate forms... 20%.
   5. How would you establish the "scientific" quality of this research? … 10%.
   6. Would this be basic or applied research? Briefly state how, or under what circumstances, this very same research could become the opposite of whatever your answer is… 10%.
   7. Which research design would you use? Be sure to clearly explain your reasoning… 20%.

   PROPOSED RESEARCH STUDIES USER ACCEPTANCE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

   Understanding why people accept or reject computers has proven to be one of the most challenging issues in information systems (IS) research. Researchers and practitioners alike are working on finding some way to predict and explain future user behavior from simple measures taken after a very brief period of interaction with a system. Researchers have posited that two particular user-related beliefs, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are key determinants of attitude towards using a system, which in turn influences actual system use. Perceived usefulness is defined as the "prospective user's subjective probability that using a specific application system will increase his or her job performance within an organizational context." Perceived ease of use refers to "the degree to which the prospective user expects the target system to be free of effort."

   Studies have also found evidence to show that people's actual system use can be predicted reasonably well from their behavioral intentions (to use the system) and that perceived usefulness is also a major determinant of people's intention to use the system. In fact, there is empirical evidence to show that attitudes (towards computer use) mediate the effects of beliefs on intentions. In other words, attitudes towards use influences people's behavioral intention to use the system, which in turn impacts actual system use, in that causal sequence. It has also been found that perceived ease of use is a significant secondary determinant of people's intentions to use systems. Finally, IS researchers have also reported that any other external variables that influence user behavior do so indirectly by influencing perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. [This description is based on published research works including Davis et al. (1989), Davis (1989), and Vishwanath & Davis (1996).] The description has been designed as an exercise and is the authors' interpretation of the cited works.

   References:

   Davis, F.D., Bagozzi, R.P. and Warshaw, P.R. (1989). "User Acceptance of Computer Technology: A Comparison of Two Theoretical Models," Management Science, 35:8 (August), pp. 982-1003.

   Davis, F.D. (1989). "Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology," MIS Quarterly, 13:3, pp. 319-341. Vishwanath, V. and Davis, F.D. (1996). "A Model of the Antecedents of Perceived Ease of Use: Development and Test," Decision Sciences, 27:3, pp. 451-481.

ISQA 8110 - MODERN SOFTWARE DESIGN

• This course was not included on this administration of the comprehensive exam.

ISQA 8210 - SOFTWARE PROJECT MANAGEMENT & ISQA 8220 - SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN (take home portion)

• One of today's hottest business trends and technical topics is cloud computing. Not only is this a topic that has received attention in technical circles, but there is increasing discussion about the potential role of cloud computing in business magazines like Business Week and Forbes. (If you are unfamiliar with cloud computing, the following article contains a brief introduction: seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/375501_cloudcomputing19.html) Some have suggested that cloud computing could mean the end of the traditional client/server architecture for software applications.

  Assume that you have completed the MS MIS program, and you now work for an IT consulting organization, ConsultCo, as a business analyst. ConsultCo performs many services for its clients which include feasibility analysis, requirements analysis, system architecture and design, as well as software development. More and more of ConsultCo's clients are reading about cloud computing and these clients want to know if cloud computing is something that they should consider for their software applications. There is a need to better understand cloud computing, the implications of its use, as well as when it is an appropriate choice for a software development project. Your supervisor wants more information about the subject, and she has asked you to write a report for her which contains the following:

  1. A discussion that compares and contrasts cloud computing with client/server architecture. This discussion should include the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. There should be at least five major points that are discussed in depth for this section.
  2. An explanation that examines how the process of systems analysis and design would be impacted when using cloud computing as opposed to a traditional client/server architecture. Identify three impacts on the systems analysis and design process when cloud computing is used.
  3. A description of at least four criteria of a software development project that you would use to decide if a new software development project should use a cloud computing or a client/server architecture.
  4. A discussion on how the use of cloud computing will affect the project management process when developing software for a cloud. Provide at least three potential issues that may arise (positive or negative) for project management. Explain how you would address these issues.
  5. A recommendation on whether or not your organization should encourage clients to pursue cloud computing.

  IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PREPARING YOUR ANSWER: Remember to put your own analysis and argumentation into this answer. You may certainly use the Internet and any sources from your classes or elsewhere to complete the assignment (and of course you must cite those sources thoroughly and correctly); however, that research is just background for your own analysis and application of the question to the scenario presented. Be sure to integrate your findings, e.g., facts, literature, and education for your answer. In other words, you are preparing to assist clients who will want to know how "cloud computing" impacts their business. State how you would apply your integrated knowledge about "cloud computing" to solve client problems and provide clients with new business opportunities.

ISQA 8310 - DATA COMMUNICATIONS

1. The Domain Name System (DNS) is an important component of the TCP/IP architecture. Answer the following questions about DNS.
   1. What is the purpose of DNS? Why is it needed?
   2. Give some examples of domain names within organizations. Identify the components (levels) of a domain name. What do the different levels signify? Why do some domain names have more levels than others?
   3. Organizations may choose different DNS server architectures based on organization size, structure, and other contextual factors. Some organizations, for example, use only a single DNS server. Others may use multiple servers. Explain why this is the case. On what bases do organizations make this type of decision?
   4. Discuss the process of name resolution using DNS. Provide examples. Distinguish between iterative resolution and recursive resolution.
   5. What is DNS caching? DNS replication? Why are they used?
   6. DNS uses several different types of records. First, describe the contents of a basic DNS record (i.e., the data elements). Second, explain what is meant by each of the following DNS record types: type-A record, MX record, and CNAME record. Give examples of each type.
2. You have been asked to create a distributed environment that would support a home-based call center operation. You will have 100-150 operators working from their homes across the U.S. The purpose is to take advantage of time zones as well as communications. Each operator will have a PC and a high-speed line (you specify the capacity) in their homes. They will have to access customer and product information located at your headquarters in Omaha, NE. You need to design the network that would support the allocation of calls to theses individuals and support their access to the systems. Please explain the elements that would have to be in place to make this environment functional, including: application location, synchronization, fault tolerance, speed and type of connections,… etc.

ISQA 8380 - MANAGING THE DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT

1. User Interface integration (sometimes referred to as screen scraping or HTML scraping) is still used today in some systems integration solutions. Explain how these User Interface integration servers work to integrate legacy systems with a new application. Explain how they are being used in companies and also on the web to obtain the information needed for business transactions. Also explain the potential down side of this form of integration.

2. Integrity Information Services is a company that provides contractor information technology and business analysts for companies in the Midwestern United States. It is growing and needs to streamline its approach to on boarding new contractors for other companies, billing for the services and paying the contractors.

   1. Potential contractors apply online at the Integrity Information Services web site. This sign up process should then send an email to the potential contractor that their employment will be reviewed. The system should then send their information to a background check firm, a motor vehicle clearinghouse firm (to check driving record) and a credit check firm to determine the status of these individuals.
   2. If they pass the background check, motor vehicle check and credit check, they will then be sent another email saying they can apply for possible work. In the background, their information is then sent to an HR system so they can be paid. They also come in for an interview and the interview notes are entered into the HR system. They then fill out all the forms including tax forms that allow them to work for Integrity.
   3. An email is sent to the contractors so they can then access the new system and select potential employment interviews. Their resumes are sent to clients via email link and if a client would like an interview, the client contacts Integrity to have the contractor come in for an interview.
   4. If they are hired for a job, the employer is given access to the Integrity employer site where they can enter the number of hours the contractor works each week.
   5. The employer is billed by Integrity every two weeks and the employee is paid every two weeks.

   You are on a project team to develop this new system and integrate it with the existing systems at Integrity Information Services. The systems involved include:

   1. A new, web based Integrity Contractor and Employee web site. It allows Integrity Information Services sign up potential contractors for work and do the proper background checking before they can be employed as a contractor. It also has sign in for employers where they can submit information about the kind of work they are looking for and also when they have a contractor working for them it provides a place for feedback on quality of work and online bill presentment. This is being developed in Java and will run on a IBM Websphere Java Application Server running on Linux and use an IBM DB2 database.
   2. Email services will be provided by a Microsoft Exchange server.
   3. An HR system which is SAP Human Resources System. It uses an Oracle database and can communicate to other systems via files exchange and via web services.
   4. Background check: It is a mainframe based system that uses a 3270 interface. The mainframe is located at the background check company and employees at Integrity access it through the internet using a VPN and terminal emulation on their PC.s (External Service)
   5. The credit check connects to a The Fair Isaac Credit scoring company and uses a secure web service or secure REST/POX connectivity. (External Service)
   6. Motor vehicle service. This is a company which collects motor vehicle reports on all people nationwide by working with local Department of Motor Vehicles. This system runs on a HP Minicomputer and uses Weblogic and is written in Java. You can communicate to the system via VPN to the Motor Vehicles Registration Company through either a web service or IBM MQ Series. (External Service)
   7. Bank - the SAP HR system must transmit payroll information file to the bank using a VPN connection to their bank. The banking system is mainframe based CICS and DB2. You can interface through IBM MQ series and file import/export. (External Service)
      
      
   • Draw a diagram of how you would integrate these systems. Add the additional systems you need to accomplish the goals set out above for both the web services for the companies and contractors and the call center that may be answering questions for either the companies and the contractors. Don't forget about security. Be sure to show all firewalls needed to protect data for this system. Show the high level integration protocols on the arrows such as "web service" "odbc sql" etc…
   • Describe how data moves from one system to another in a paragraph and defend your approach.

ISQA 8410 - DATABASE MANAGEMENT

1. Carbon Footprint Reduction Challenge

   Amid all of the discussion about global warming and the impact of carbon emissions on our environment, a pressing question is how to motivate individuals to make changes in their own lives to reduce their carbon footprints. Some creative minds are developing a way to motivate individuals through friendly competition and education. You are to design a database that would support a web site on which individuals can sign up for carbon-reducing challenges and compete individually and as teams to reduce carbon emissions.

   At the heart of the effort is the idea of a challenge. A challenge is an idea for a carbon reducing behavior. For example the "green ham and cheese" challenge involves preparing a zero-waste lunch (free of those disposable plastic sandwich bags, etc.) for a month. The "Top-off the tires" challenge asks one to check the air-pressure in car tires to keep them properly inflated (driving with under-pressure tires uses more gasoline). Each challenge has a particular duration (e.g. one month, 20 days, etc.) and has a specific carbon reduction amount for that duration. A challenge is created on a particular day, is classified into one of several categories (home, office, school, food, travel, other), and has a description that describes the nature of the challenge and how to carry it out.

   A member can choose to accept a challenge. When a member accepts a challenge, the start date is noted. The challenge remains in effect for that member for the duration specified for the challenge. A member can accept the same challenge more than once (e.g. "Top-off the tires" each month). When a member accepts a challenge, a certain amount of CO2 reduction is credited to that member. How much CO2 reduction is credited depends on the nature of the challenge. Some challenges are "immediate". This means that the CO2 savings for the challenge is credited immediately. Other challenges are "accumulating". This means that the CO2 reduction is credited to the member on a daily basis for the duration of the challenge. For example, for "Top-off the tires" results in a 1 lb. credit to a member each day for 30 days.

   A member is identified by a unique e-mail address. When registering, the user provides a password, a nickname, a zipcode, and, optionally, a short description of him/herself. The member may also classify him/herself into one of several categories: ("university", "company", "high-school", "other").

   Members may also create or sign up for a team. A member creating a team must give each team a name, a motto, a description, and a zipcode. A team also is classified as small, medium, or large company, a university, a school (pre-school, high-school, elementary), or other. A member may sign up for only one team at a time. A team may have many members, obviously.

   Through the identification of a zipcode, the database can determine the city and state for each member and team. Each city has a latitude and a longitude so that it can be placed on a map.

   Challenges may be created out of the suggestions of members. Members may suggest ideas for challenges. The date on which the challenge suggestion is submitted is recorded. Other members may then vote on the suggestions. The editors of the web site may select ideas from all the suggestions and publish them as full-fledged challenges. In this way, it is possible to identify a single member as the "author" of a challenge.

   1. Create a conceptual data model using E-R or UML notation for the Carbon Footprint Reduction Web-site.
   2. Create a relational schema (a set of appropriately normalized tables) based on your diagram.
   3. Provide SQL queries that will provide the solution to the following questions
      1. List the total amount of carbon reduction for each member.
      2. List the total amount of carbon reduction for each team located in Nebraska. List only those teams with more than 500 lbs of carbon reduction.
      3. Create an index on a column of your chosing, and justify your choice.
      4. List the number of members who have never accepted the "Top-off the tires" challenge.
      5. List each challenge and the number of members who have accepted that challenge. Include all challenges in the result, even those that have been accepted by no members.
2. Dimensional Modeling

   Given the following schema for an on-line transaction processing (OLTP) system, complete the tasks indicated.

   1. Develop a dimensional model that will be able to provide answers to the following questions.
      1. Show the total number of orders placed by each customer in 2008, broken down by calendar quarter.
      2. Show the total volume of sales for 2008, broken down by month.
      3. Show the total volume of sales for 2008, broken down by quarter and by product. Include only those products in the 'Household appliance' category.
   2. Show the SQL for each of the three questions listed above.

   DEPARTMENT (dept_no, dept_name, dept_loc)

   EMPLOYEE (emp_name, emp_ID, emp_salary, dept_no)

   CUSTOMER (cust_ID, cust_name, cust_address, cust_city, cust_state, cust_zip, cust_areacode, cust_phone, cust_creditlimit, emp_ID)

   CONTACT (cust_ID, emp_ID, contact_date, contact_type, contact_ID)

   ORDER (ord_ID, ord_orderdate, ord_shipdate, ord_total, cust_ID)

   ORDER-ITEM (orditem_ID, ord_ID, prod_ID, orditem_actualprice, orditem_quantity, orditem_extendedprice)

   PRODUCT (prod_ID, prod_description, prod_category)

   PRICE (prod_ID, price_startdate, price_standardprice, price_minimumprice, price_enddate)

ISQA 8420 - MANAGING THE IS FUNCTION

1. Your firm has fallen on hard times. As a result there have been several competitors who have approached your firm's management about a merger or a buy out.

   The president of your firm has asked that you develop a list of questions that a potential acquiring firm might ask about the IS function with a reason for each question. He asks you to target these questions at the CIO of the potential acquiring firm.

   You are to respond to the president's request.

2. When you were interviewed for the position of CIO of a medium-sized construction firm, several of the company executives asked you to express your views of strategic planning as it relates to information systems.

   Recently, you were hired and have been tasked to develop a strategic information systems plan for this company. The company officers have extended an invitation for you to meet with them to discuss the direction of the company. Before this meeting, they have asked that you provide a list of questions with some explanation about the "why" of the question so they can be prepared, thus maximizing the output from this meeting.

   Develop a list of questions you would ask the officers of the company and give an explanation and justification for each question.

ISQA 8810 - IT PROJECT FUNDAMENTALS

1. "The Sydney Opera House is a national symbol" of Australia. "It is truely one of the great icons of the world and the most widely known Opera House in the Universe. It is also the home of the greatest project management failure in the history of mankind." (italics Dufner) (Johnson, J. (2006) The Chaos Chronicles.)

   Given that something so beautiful and of such great national significance is a project management failure; what did you learned from the PMBOK that would explain the difference between public perception and project management reality? List and support at least three reasons why projects that appear to be successful can in reality be project management failures.

2. Risk analysis is important for project planning. What impact does the volatility of today's economy have on the methods suggested by the PMBOK?