Page 483 - Using MIS

Collaboration Exercise 11 451

MyMISLab ™

Go to mymislab.com to complete the problems marked with this icon .

uSinG your KnowledGe

11-1. According to this chapter, information systems, prod- risks concerning information systems. How do you
ucts, and technology are not malleable; they are difficult think IS-related risks compare to other risks in such an
to change, alter, or bend. How do you think senior ex- acquisition program?
ecutives other than the CIO view this lack of malleabil-
ity? For example, how do you think IS appears during a 11-3. What happens to IS when corporate direction changes
corporate merger? rapidly? How will IS appear to other departments? What
happens to IS when the corporate strategy changes
11-2. Suppose you represent an investor group that is acquir- frequently? Do you think such frequent changes are a
ing hospitals across the nation and integrating them greater problem to IS than to other business functions?
into a unified system. List five potential problems and Why or why not?

Collabora tion exerCiSe 11

Using the collaboration IS you built in Chapter 2 (pages 74), col- 11-5. Estimate the number of each type of device in use
laborate with a group of students to answer the following questions. on your campus. Use your university’s Web site to
Green computing is environmentally conscious comput- determine the number of colleges, departments, fac-
ing consisting of three major components: power manage- ulty, staff, and students. Make assumptions about
ment, virtualization, and e-waste management. In this exer- the number of computers, copiers, and other types
cise, we focus on power. of equipment used by each.
You know, of course, that computers (and related equip- 11-6. Using the data from items 11-4 and 11-5, estimate
ment, such as printers) consume electricity. That burden is light the total power used by computing and related de-
for any single computer or printer. But consider all the comput- vices on your campus.
ers and printers in the United States that will be running tonight,
with no one in the office. Proponents of green computing en- 11-7. A computer that is in screensaver mode uses the same
courage companies and employees to reduce power and water amount of power as one in regular mode. Computers
consumption by turning off devices when not in use. that are in sleep mode, however, use much less power,
Is this issue important? Is it just a concession to environ- say 6 watts per hour. Reflect on computer use on your
mentalists to make computing professionals appear virtuous? campus and estimate the amount of time that com-
Form a team and develop your own, informed opinion by con- puting devices are in sleep versus screensaver or use
sidering computer use at your campus. mode. Compute the savings in power that result from
sleep mode.
11-4. Search the Internet to determine the power require-
ments for typical computing and office equipment. 11-8. Computers that are automatically updated by the IS de-
Consider laptop computers, desktop computers, CRT partment with software upgrades and patches cannot be
monitors, LCD monitors, and printers. For this ex- allowed to go into sleep mode because if they are sleep-
ercise, ignore server computers. As you search, be ing they will not be able to receive the upgrade. Hence,
aware that a watt is a measure of electrical power. It some universities prohibit sleep mode on university
is watts that the green computing movement wants to computers (sleep mode is never used on servers, by the
reduce. way). Determine the cost, in watts, of such a policy.