BSAD 8020 / ISQA 8060 - RESEARCH IN MIS

1. Oxford Health Plans Inc. saw trouble brewing. It was a company in distress experiencing computer problems. Turnover among Oxford's programmers was unusually high and processing of claims became a big nightmare. Clients started canceling their policies, claims for bypass surgery and such were way up, and premiums paid out relative to clients' medical expenses , on a percentage basis, was close to 85%. Management is upset with the Human Resources Department for not sufficiently screening applications for programming positions. Programmers are upset with management and the company for not providing the right kind of software and computing infrastructure. Clients are critical of the large number of errors and time it takes for a claim to be processed.

   (Partially adapted from Uma Sekaran (2003), Research Methods for Business, New York, Wiley & Sons, Inc., p. 8)

   1. Explain what you would do to identify the problem
   2. Discuss fully the research design decisions that you as a researcher will make to investigate the situation, giving reasons for your choices.

2. An organization would like to introduce one of two types of new manufacturing processes to increase the productivity of workers, and both involve heavy investment in expensive technology. The company wants to test the efficacy of each process in one of its small plants.

   Design a study to to meet the company's needs.

   (Partially adapted from Uma Sekaran (2003), Research Methods for Business, New York, Wiley & Sons, Inc, p. 169)

1. Describe the role of structured programming in Object-Oriented programming. Be sure to address Class development, Wrapper development, testing, and long term maintenance.

2. Describe in detail the Interaction Diagram (also called the Message-Trace diagram). Describe the use and applicability of this diagram in Analysis, Design, Coding, Testing, and long term maintenance.

• Many large organizations struggle with how to manage their diverse systems development projects. It is always a challenge to try to match the characteristics of a particular project with an appropriate development methodology, while retaining some consistency from one project to the next. An organization might be using a mix of structured methods, object methods, and even rapid or agile methods. Migration from one type of method to another is typically slow and painful, with lots of training involved.

  Suppose that you are the Director of Systems Development of Midwest Insurance, a large insurance company that provides a broad range of financial products. You report directly to the CIO. Your company's portfolio of information systems ranges all the way from decades-old transaction processing systems written in COBOL, to customer-oriented web-based systems, to data warehousing systems, to enterprise resource planning systems. Although you try to buy packaged software where you can, you still have plenty of in-house systems that need maintenance, and you even build a few new ones.

  You have completed some successful projects using object-oriented methods, and you are contemplating a general migration of the entire development group to OO methods. You have a number of concerns about the large investment in training that is required and whether it will be worth it to try to retrain everyone. The CIO has asked you to write a "position paper" that lays out the issues and makes a recommendation as to what you should do.

  Write your take-home paper as a report to the company's CIO. At a minimum, the report should include:

  1. An assessment of the key advantages, disadvantages, and overall issues involved in moving entirely to an object-oriented development methodology for your organization. Be sure your discussion of the advantages and disadvantages takes into account the nature of the organization and the likely context of systems to be developed. Make whatever assumptions you need to, but make clear what they are.
  2. Implications for project management planning and staffing of your recommended change.
  3. A specific plan for making the change, should you recommend it be done; OR, a specific plan for what you should do instead, if you are recommending against a wholesale shift to OO methods.
  4. Be sure to include a summary table where appropriate, e.g., advantages and disadvantages, steps in the plan.

1. Designers of modern data communications systems are implementing new technologies and tools to upgrade their networks. Discuss the following data communications applications:
   1. Designing Trust into Online User Experiences. How are designers able to incorporate security principles and guidelines to enhance the cooperative behavior, confidence, and trust of users?
   2. Applications of Web-Channels in E-Commerce. How are designers able to employ the Web-Channels to improve the relationships between e-Commerce producers and consumers?
   3. Increasing the Operability of Internet Applications. How can designers improve the application, operability, and protocols of the Internet?
   Explain how the above technologies and tools are used to transmit voice and data through modern networks. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each in optimizing secure electronic transmissions?

2. For several years now, many have expressed concern about the declining availability of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. (This refers to IP version 4 - IPv4.) Some individuals have even cautioned that because of the rapid growth of the Internet, we may eventually run out of IPv4 addresses. There have been a number of solutions proposed (and implemented) to alleviate this problem. Among the most notable solutions are Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) and classless addressing, (using Classless Interdomain Routing - CIDR).
   1. Explain some of the important differences between IPv6 and IPv4. These include differences in: address formats, header formats, routing capabilities, extensibility of the protocols, and any other structural and functional differences that are significant. How are network administrators and network equipment manufacturers handling the transition between IPv4 and IPv6? Do you think we are likely to see IPv6 fully implemented soon? Why, or why not?
   2. Explain the concept of classless-based IP network addressing (CIDR). What is it? How does it differ from traditional class-based IP addressing? Why is classless-based IP addressing a potential solution to the problem of using the IP address space more efficiently? Give an example, if necessary.
   3. Based on your previous answers, what would you recommend to network designers and managers regarding the problem of declining availability of IPv4 addresses? Explain the reasoning behind your recommendation.

1. The "basic web", defined as a simple web server returning web files (html, images) to a client browser using HTTP, is unsuitable for large-scale, mission-critical corporate applications. Identify the shortcomings of the "basic web" and discuss some of the solutions that the computing industry has devised to solve these problems. In your answer, discuss whether you feel that industry is converging on a comprehensive solution, or whether you feel there will continue to be a wide variety of point solutions to the problem.

2. In recent years the notion of "web services" has captured the attention of users and software vendors alike. First, define what web services are. Second, identify and describe in some depth the technologies and standards that enable web services. Third, explain what the excitement is all about. What problem are web services trying to solve? Fourth, discuss the extent to which you believe that the promise of web services is justified.

1. Read the following narrative and answer the questions that follow.
   Each year, the sale of cookies is a major fund-raiser for the Girl Scouts. Each girl scout is a member of a Girl Scout Troop. Each troop has a number (e.g. Troop #3455) which is unique among all troops throughout the country. Each troop also has a name that reflects the area in which it meets (e.g. Dundee). Each troop is led by one or more Girl Scout Troop Leaders, and each Girl Scout Troop Leader may lead one or more troops. For the purposes of this database, it is sufficient to simply record the name of the Girl Scout Troop Leaders. Each troop consists of multiple Girl Scouts. For each Girl Scout, the Troop Leader records the name, address, telephone number, and parent or guardian name for the girl. A girl may be a member of only one troop at a time. In January of each year, each girl scout approaches people within her neighborhood or circle of acquaintances to try to sell them cookies. There are typically about six types of cookies available each year, though the precise set varies somewhat from one year to the next. The most popular flavors have been Thin Mints, Caramel Delights, and Peanut Butter Patties. When a customer wishes to purchase some cookies, the girl scout records the order by noting the types of cookies, the number of boxes of each type of cookie, the total number of boxes, and the total price of the order (which equals the number of boxes multiplied by the cost per box). The girl scout also records the name, address, and telephone number of the customer. The girl scout also records the amount due, which initially is equal to the total price of the sale. Cookies are usually delivered and paid for in February. When the cookies are paid for, the amount due value will be $0.
   1. Create a conceptual data model using E-R or UML notation for the Girl Scouts.
   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 Molly Young's order. That is, list the types of cookies and number of boxes of each type of cookie Molly Young ordered.
      2. List the girls who are in Troop #3455
      3. List all of the troops and the total number of boxes ordered from each troop. (The result should have one row per troop).
      4. Create the table that contains the data about the girl scouts.
      5. List the girls in Troop #3455 who have sole more than 100 boxes.

2. In any information system, including DBMS, security is an ever-present concern. Identify the major kinds of security issues that relate to databases (at least, to the extent that these have been covered in your classes). Then, describe mechanisms a DBMS employs to address the issues you have identified. As you do so, be sure to identify any guiding principles or trade-offs that a DBA or organization might have to consider when applying these mechanisms. That is, not all organizations need to apply the same mechanisms in the same way. Are there principles or considerations that an organization can apply to determine the appropriate way to secure its database?

1. Describe the tools and techniques used to control change of: scope, budget and schedule.

2. List and define (briefly) the project management processes that comprise the Planning Process group.