Chapter 08 - Test Bank For Introduction To Information Systems 4th Edition by Wallace

Introduction to Information Systems, 4e (Wallace)
Chapter 8 Collaborating with Technology
1) When IMAP is used, incoming mail is maintained and organized on a server.

Answer: TRUE
AACSB: Information Technology
Chapter LO: 1: Describe the major collaborative technologies, and explain the features that each
one offers for communication and productivity.
Difficulty: Easy
2) IMAP is useful only for users who use a single device to access their mail.
Answer: FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
3) The hCard is a microformat which is used to exchange business card information

electronically.
Answer: TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
4) Discussion forums are moderated for the purpose of nurturing discussions and blocking users
who violate the rules.
Answer: TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
5) Instant messaging is an open system in which anyone can send messages to anyone else
regardless of which IM software they both are using.
Answer: FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
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6) Text messages allow cell phone users to immediately connect with one another via brief text
messages to individuals or groups as well as transmission of photos and videos.
Answer: TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
7) Group decision support systems were designed to get rid of anonymity.

Answer: FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
8) Lower-end interactive video chat systems create a greater sense of telepresence than higher-
end ones.
Answer: FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
9) A drawback of the centralized document library in a shared workspace is that it creates

confusion and duplication when team members send revised versions back and forth over email.
Answer: FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
10) Blogs help organizations market their products and create an intimate connection with
suppliers and customers.
Answer: TRUE
Chapter LO: 2: Identify and describe Web 2.0 technologies that facilitate collaboration.
Difficulty: Easy
11) Web logs, or "blogs," are used to facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Answer: TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
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12) Wiki software requires users to know HTML in order to add or edit web pages.
Answer: FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
13) A microblog is an example of photo software with which large photos can be reduced in size
without blurring their resolution.
Answer: FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
14) The virtual world is a graphical, often 3D environment in which users can immerse
themselves, interacting with virtual objects and with one another using avatars.
Answer: TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
15) The simple interfaces used in virtual worlds enable quick customer visits.
Answer: FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
16) The primary function of a context indicator is to display the exact geographical location of a
user to his or her contacts through the GPS navigation system.
Answer: FALSE
Chapter LO: 3: Explain how unified communications contribute to collaboration.
Difficulty: Moderate
17) Media richness measures how well a communication medium can generate revenues.
Answer: FALSE
Chapter LO: 4: Describe features of online environments that can affect human behavior and
group dynamics, and identify strategies to make virtual teams more productive and successful.
Difficulty: Easy
18) Media richness is usually starkly lower online than during face-to-face.
Answer: TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
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19) Disinhibition is extremely high in relatively anonymous text-based online environments.
Answer: TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
20) The online world tends to flatten out hierarchies and equalize status.
Answer: TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
21) Which of the following is true of SMTP?

A) It is a protocol for storing incoming mail.
B) It is used for handling outgoing mail.
C) It uses microformats to store metadata.
D) It is used for exchanging contact management data.
Answer: B
Difficulty: Easy
22) Which of the following is the function of an SMTP server?

A) It handles and sends outgoing email.
B) It translates metadata into microformats.
C) It manages address books and business cards.
D) It stores incoming mail received by users.
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
23) Which of the following mail protocols is commonly used to handle outgoing mail from
users?
A) simple mail transfer protocol
B) internet message access protocol
C) post office protocol
D) quick mail queuing protocol
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
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24) Which of the following is true of IMAP?
A) It is an outdated protocol for organizing outgoing mail.
B) It allows access to mail only from a single device, thus ensuring privacy.
C) It requires installation of client software and cannot work on web browsers.
D) It maintains mail on a server instead of on a single machine.
Answer: D
Difficulty: Easy
25) How does IMAP differ from SMTP?

A) IMAP handles incoming messages while SMTP handles outgoing messages.
B) IMAP handles outgoing messages while SMTP handles incoming messages.
C) IMAP handles both incoming and outgoing messages while SMTP manages contacts.
D) SMTP handles both incoming and outgoing messages while IMAP manages contacts.
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
26) Which of the following is an advantage of IMAP?

A) Mail can be accessed from several systems.
B) Mail can be accessed only from a single system, ensuring information safety.
C) Mail can be accessed only using installed client software and not from any browser.
D) Mail is not saved on the server, which ensures privacy.
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
27) An SMTP server is a server that handles outgoing email, where SMTP stands for ________.
A) short mail transfer protocol
B) simple mail transfer protocol
C) social media transfer protocol
D) short message transfer protocol
Answer: B
Difficulty: Easy
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28) Which of the following is considered the primary benefit of a war room?
A) Team members have large digital displays.
B) Team members share physical space to facilitate collaboration.
C) Team members have many tools at their disposal.
D) Team members collaborate online.
Answer: B
Difficulty: Easy
29) Which of the following is a microformat used to exchange contact management data
electronically?
A) .ics
B) iCalendar
C) .exe
D) hCard
Answer: D
Difficulty: Easy
30) What is a hCard?

A) a microformat used to exchange business card information electronically
B) a microformat for purchasing products online through debit or credit cards
C) a software tool that encrypts sensitive business information
D) a microformat that helps make online money transfers using debit or credit cards
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
31) Which of the following is true of a hCard?

A) It must be scanned and saved in a contact management system before use.
B) It requires the use of optical character recognition software for accessing business card
details.
C) It is used to exchange business card information electronically.
D) It relies on the XML family of standards to represent metadata.
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
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32) The term ________ refers to a set of formats that rely on the XML family of standards to
represent metadata in HTML code.
A) hashtag
B) microformat
C) mashup
D) HTML format
Answer: B
Difficulty: Easy
33) Which of the following is true of microformats?

A) They can store all types of data, except metadata.
B) They cannot be emailed or exchanged over Bluetooth.
C) They can be exchanged over wired networks, but not wireless.
D) They rely on XML standards to represent metadata in HTML.
Answer: D
Difficulty: Easy
34) What is the function of microformats like the hCard?

A) the electronic exchange of business card information
B) the creation of multimedia files and cards
C) the storage and retrieval of incoming emails
D) the maintenance of a database of a user's web history and business card details
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
35) Microformats represent metadata in ________.

A) HTML
B) IMAP
C) SMTP
D) HTTP
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
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36) The .ics extension indicates that a plain text file contains ________ code.
A) HTTP
B) SMTP
C) iCalendar
D) hashtag
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
37) Which of the following is true of iCalendars?

A) They analyze the success rate of events.
B) They flag events that stretch over months or years.
C) They create advertising tools for events.
D) They help budget and maintain the costs of large-scale events.
Answer: B
Difficulty: Easy
38) Which of the following is true of asynchronous discussion forums?

A) They help users to communicate via interactive video chat.
B) They do not allow users to post anonymously, thus enhancing safety for users.
C) They are never moderated, thus enabling users to post freely.
D) They allow users to post text messages and reply to others at any time.
Answer: D
Difficulty: Easy
39) Which of the following types of websites allows users to undertake many of the same
activities as bulletin boards?
A) discussion forums
B) iCalendars
C) blogs
D) instant messaging
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
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40) Which of the following is an advantage of asynchronous discussion forums?
A) They are not moderated and hence allow users to speak freely.
B) They do not allow "lurkers" to participate in the activities of the forum.
C) They do not allow users to use pseudonyms and require real-world contact details.
D) They allow users to reply to topics at any time.
Answer: D
Difficulty: Easy
41) BTC, a consulting company with offices across the United States, began an employee
discussion forum on its website. A few employees began criticizing the company on the forum
and undermining its morale. BTC does not want to limit employee interaction, but at the same
time, it would like to limit what employees can write. Which of the following features of a
discussion forum will help them achieve this?
A) anonymity
B) telepresence
C) version control
D) moderators
Answer: D
AACSB: Information Technology; Analytical Thinking
42) Athena Jolene, a human resources executive at Thomas Griffith, wants to collect ideas from
the company's employees for an upcoming company-wide event. The company has offices
spread across the country. Which of the following techniques will best help Athena receive
suggestions from employees, while also allowing employees to share their ideas with one
another?
A) instant messaging
B) discussion forums
C) texting
D) emailing
Answer: B
Difficulty: Difficult
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43) ________, also known as "chat," consists of real-time text-based interactions over a network.
A) Microblogging
B) Emailing
C) Instant messaging
D) Blogging
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
44) Which of the following is an example of a free IM software client?

A) Skype
B) Excel
C) WordPress
D) Linux
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
45) Which of the following is a difference between IM and email?

A) Unlike emailing, IM allows people to send messages to anyone regardless of the IM software
being used.
B) The switching costs for emails are much higher than those for IM.
C) Email providers allow more interoperability than IM providers.
D) Each email product uses different protocols, while all IM products operate using a single
protocol.
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
46) Which of the following is true of instant messaging?

A) It helps users add and edit interlinked web pages.
B) It allows people to use simple text editing tools to create knowledge databases.
C) It allows greater telepresence than discussion forums and video conferences.
D) It allows users to display their current status to their contacts.
Answer: D
Difficulty: Easy
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47) What is the purpose of the "presence awareness" feature on instant messaging software?
A) It allows users to upload photos and videos that help them increase their online presence.
B) It allows users to display their current status to their contacts, colleagues, or buddy list.
C) It allows users to search for common friends by browsing their buddy lists.
D) It allows users to view the real-world contact details of everyone on their buddy lists.
Answer: B
Difficulty: Easy
48) The ________ feature introduced by instant messaging shows whether a person is logged in
and available to answer a question, pick up the phone, or stop by for a brief meeting.
A) presence awareness
B) telepresence
C) media richness
D) telecommute
Answer: A
49) Which of the following functions is performed by texting?

A) synchronous collaboration among users
B) telepresence between users
C) transfer of photos and videos
D) creation and maintenance of databases
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
50) What advantage does instant messaging have over phone and conference calls?
A) It is more informal and saves time by reducing social courtesies during interactions.
B) It offers users a greater sense of telepresence than phones or conference calls do.
C) It is more personal than phone calls and conference calls and offers greater media richness.
D) It is a collaborative technology that allows several people to participate at the same time.
Answer: A
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51) The term "war room" refers to a(n) ________.
A) area in which members of a project work together, surrounded by tools to facilitate smooth
collaboration
B) room in which a company's management interacts with representatives of labor unions
C) online space in which brainstorming sessions between interdepartmental teams take place
D) online room in which new employees undertake orientation programs before getting on board
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
52) What is a group decision support system?

A) a collaborative technology that reaches out to large groups of customers and is used to market
products
B) a software that supports employee-customer interaction to help a firm collect feedback on
product performance
C) a collaborative technology that helps teams brainstorm and exchange views about a topic to
come to an agreement
D) a technology that allows the top management to interact with customers from various
segments of their markets
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
53) Which of the following is true of group decision support systems?

A) They allow users to collaborate with each other asynchronously, saving time and effort in
coordination.
B) They allow users to express independent viewpoints that may differ from those of others in a
group.
C) They do not support anonymity and require users to use their real names, to increase
accountability.
D) They give high-status individuals within a group a disproportionate influence on decisions.
Answer: B
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54) Which of the following is a software tool that allows synchronous collaboration and allows
online meetings via the internet?
A) microblogging
B) emailing
C) web conferencing
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
55) Which of the following is an example of a browser-based software tool that allows web
conferences and webinars?
A) Excel
B) Tumblr
C) WebEx
D) Wordweb
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
56) The impression created when remote participants in an interactive video meeting are almost
life-sized and images are vividly clear is known as ________.
A) virtual reality
B) telepresence
C) augmented reality
D) disinhibition
Answer: B
Difficulty: Easy
57) A ________ is an area on a server in which team members can post documents, maintain
membership lists, feature news and announcements, and collaborate on edits and updates.
A) shared workspace
B) command center
C) war room
D) tag cloud
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
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58) Colin Mackay Inc., a software company with its head office in Amsterdam, has employees
across three continents. The company's project teams across different countries frequently
exchange documents over email, with multiple users making changes to a particular document.
As a result, there are often multiple copies of a particular document in existence. Which of the
following will allow the teams to share documents in such a way that they can keep track of the
changes made to a particular document and note the team members who make the changes?
A) blogging
B) shared workspace
C) instant messaging
D) cross-linking
Answer: B
59) Microsoft's SharePoint includes features for ________, which ensures that older copies of
documents are maintained, and no changes are lost.
A) mashup
B) cross-linking
C) version control
D) telepresence
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
60) Which of the following is an example of a blogging tool?

A) WebEx
B) Gmail
C) WordPress
D) Groupon
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
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61) A ________ allows users to maintain a website with ongoing commentary, images, and links
to other online resources in which posts are displayed in reverse chronological order so that the
most recent appears on top.
A) hashtag
B) blog
C) wiki
D) tumblr
Answer: B
Difficulty: Easy
62) Which of the following is true of a blog?

A) It allows synchronous discussions among participants.
B) It displays posts in a chronological order.
C) It can be accessed online as well as offline.
D) It encourages cross-linking.
Answer: D
Difficulty: Easy
63) ________ simplifies the task of creating one's own website to review products, discuss
hobbies, or express opinions about any subject.
A) Instant messaging
B) Emailing
C) Blogging
D) Web conferencing
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
64) For which of the following purposes can blogs be used?

A) sending electronic mail
B) communicating through interactive voice chatting
C) creating connections with customers
D) sending instant text messages
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
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65) Which of the following is a technology that facilitates end-user contributions and allows
collaborative editing by allowing users to add and edit interlinked web pages?
A) wiki
B) hashtag
C) blog
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
66) ________ is a publicly accessible website that allows users to add and edit interlinked web
pages and make contributions from their own personal experience to update existing articles with
current information.
A) Ebay
B) Amazon
C) Wikipedia
D) Monster
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
67) Which of the following functions do wikis perform within an organization?

A) creating a substantial base of knowledge
B) creating interactive discussions between employees and clients
C) establishing communication between members of a team through instant text messaging
D) creating telepresence between employees working across the globe
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
68) Donald Garner Inc., a manufacturing company in California, recently recruited many
employees for its new branch office in the city. The company wants to create knowledge
storehouses that employees can edit as needed, adding contributions from their own personal
experience or updating existing information. Which of the following can the company use to
create such a substantial base of knowledge for its new employees?
A) wiki
B) blog
C) hashtag
D) tumblr
Answer: A
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69) Which of the following is the primary function of a wiki?
A) It allows users to join online groups in order to buy a particular item.
B) It allows users to add and edit interlinked web pages.
C) It allows users to communicate through instant messaging and electronic mail.
D) It allows users to interact synchronously and make decisions together.
Answer: B
Difficulty: Easy
70) Which of the following is a drawback of Wikipedia?

A) It has an open structure which allows opportunity for inaccuracy and bias.
B) It has a complicated navigation system that makes it difficult for users to operate.
C) It cannot be accessed without an ID and a password.
D) It features an overload of ads which takes focus away from credible content.
Answer: A
71) A profile in a social networking site consists of ________.

A) interactive video chatting and connection details
B) photos, hobbies, and other details
C) war rooms and virtual worlds
D) shared workspaces
Answer: B
72) Which of the following is a social networking site that allows users to post updates, adding
commentary, links, or images about current happenings?
A) Photoshop
B) Wikipedia
C) iTunes
D) Pinterest
Answer: D
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73) For which of the following reasons are companies most likely to use social networking sites?
A) to encourage leisure activities like gaming at work
B) to encourage friendly interaction between employees while at work
C) to connect with customers and announce new products
D) to formulate marketing and organizational plans
Answer: C
74) Poise, a fashion apparel brand, intends to increase its online presence by creating online
communities with its customers as members. The customers can interact with each other as well
as the company. The generated information can then be used for developing future products.
Which of the following is the company most likely to make use of?
A) electronic mail system
B) instant messaging system
C) social networking system
D) video conferencing system
Answer: C
75) ________ are a form of web logging in which posts are quite short, containing a brief
sentence fragment, photo, or video, and perhaps a hyperlink.
A) Mashups
B) Microblogs
C) Instant messages
D) Hashtags
Answer: B
Difficulty: Easy
76) Which of the following is true of microblogging?

A) Entries in microblogging sites must always be on business topics.
B) Microblogging is rarely used by advertisers to promote their products.
C) Users can reply to others' posts but cannot repeat them.
D) Users can post hyperlinks.
Answer: D
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77) Which of the following is true of microblogging?
A) Entries in a microblogging site appear in chronological order.
B) All posts on a similar topic include a keyword prefixed by a @, which is called a mashup.
C) Entries in a microblogging site have no space constraints.
D) Users themselves have added their own conventions to make microblogging more useful.
Answer: D
78) ________ is the microblogging website with the largest number of users in the world.
A) Tumblr
B) Twitter
C) Flickr
D) Blogger
Answer: B
Difficulty: Easy
79) A ________ is a microblogging tool in which posts on a similar topic are indicated by a
keyword prefixed by a certain special character on microblogging websites.
A) mashup
B) tag cloud
C) hashtag
D) wiki
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
80) On microblogging sites, a hashtag is used to indicate that ________.

A) a set of posts are on a similar topic
B) users are away from their systems
C) a post links away from the site
D) a user posts objectionable content
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
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81) ________ describes what people experience when some of their sensory input is not from the
real world, but from a computer-generated one.
A) Telepresence
B) Disinhibition
C) Presence awareness
D) Virtual reality
Answer: D
Difficulty: Easy
82) A graphical, often 3D environment in which users can immerse themselves, interacting with
virtual objects and one another using avatars is known as a(n) ________.
A) virtual world
B) intranet
C) virtualization engine
D) walled garden
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
83) ________ integrates multiple applications and interactive channels into a single interface,
accessible from many different devices.
A) Unified communications
B) Integrated marketing communication
C) Virtual reality
D) Augmented reality
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
84) Which of the following is a function of unified communications?

A) enabling a company to communicate with all its customers at the same time
B) collecting and storing data from multiple users and building a database
C) integrating multiple applications and communications channels into a single interface
D) maintaining a record of individual changes made on shared documents through version
control
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
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85) Jennifer, a client services manager in an advertising agency, is on vacation. Her smartphone
lets her clients and subordinates know that she is available for hands-free cell-phone
conversations at certain times of a day, and at other times communicates that she is available for
IM or videoconferencing, depending on her activities at the vacation spot. Which of the
following technologies is Jennifer's system using?
A) integrated marketing communications
B) unified communications
C) enterprise resource planning
D) customer relationship management
Answer: B
86) What function does a context indicator perform?

A) It indicates the changes that should be implemented in simulated business-context inputs.
B) It provides quick access to email, secure instant messaging, and voice and video calling.
C) It indicates the availability of data pertaining to certain contexts on a website.
D) It displays whether an individual is available for communication at a certain time or not.
Answer: D
87) Which of the following pairs perform similar functions in the online world?
A) virtual reality and hashtags
B) hCards and HTML
C) microblogging and hCards
D) presence awareness and context indicators
Answer: D
Difficulty: Easy
88) Which of the following performs functions similar to the presence awareness feature found
in IM software?
A) a hashtag
B) a mashup
C) a context indicator
D) augmented reality
Answer: C
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89) A ________ provides quick access to context indicators, email, secure instant messaging,
voice and video calling, conference calling, corporate RSS feeds, and more.
A) universal dashboard
B) group decision support system
C) hashtag
D) wiki
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
90) Which of the following is a characteristic of a universal dashboard?

A) It aggregates content from multiple internal and external sources on customizable web pages.
B) It integrates multiple pages onto one single screen by resizing them.
C) It provides a gateway to related sites through an index of links.
D) It provides quick access to instant messaging and voice and video calling.
Answer: D
Difficulty: Easy
91) Sarah Jones is a communications assistant at Sustainable Living Inc., a nonprofit

organization in Las Vegas. Which of the following can give her quick access to emails, video
calling, and corporate RSS feeds that help her be in constant touch with the campaigners for the
organization?
A) virtual world
B) universal dashboard
C) enterprise resource planning system
D) social media information system
Answer: B
92) When compared to a face-to-face setting, an online environment offers ________.

A) greater anonymity
B) a well-defined audience
C) no context indicators
D) greater media richness
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
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93) Which of the following is a characteristic of online communications?
A) fewer nonverbal cues to clarify meaning
B) a more well-defined audience than in-person interactions
C) less anonymity than in-person interactions
D) greater media richness than in-person interactions
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
94) ________ measures how well a communication medium can reproduce all the nuances and
subtleties of the message it transmits.
A) Virtual reality
B) Presence awareness
C) Telepresence
D) Media richness
Answer: D
Difficulty: Easy
95) Which of the following is true of media richness?

A) It is much higher online than during face-to-face interactions.
B) It is higher in text-based online interactions than in voice or video interactions.
C) It focuses on the richness and quality of message content, leaving out nonverbal cues.
D) It measures how well a communication medium reproduces the nuances and subtleties of a
message.
Answer: D
Difficulty: Easy
96) Which of the following collaborative technologies has the greatest amount of media richness
as well as interactivity?
A) face-to-face conversations
B) shared workspaces
C) social networking
D) text messaging
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
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97) Which of the following is true of the psychological characteristics of online environments?
A) The larger the physical distance between people, the fewer risks they take with their words.
B) Anonymity can lead to problems because people feel less accountable for their actions.
C) An advantage of online interactions is the existence of a well-defined audience group.
D) As collaborative technologies add new capabilities, people find it easy to handle controls.
Answer: B
Difficulty: Easy
98) Which of the following is true of group dynamics in virtual teams?

A) The online world creates a sense of hierarchy and inequality in status.
B) Norms regarding the sharing of workload are difficult to enforce online.
C) Disinhibition refers to a situation where people express themselves less bluntly while online.
D) One important aspect of disinhibition is the avoidance of self-disclosure.
Answer: B
99) Arthur, a salesperson in a leading apparel store, is very courteous and friendly with
customers who visit the store. However, while interacting with customers through emails, he
tends to be rather blunt and aggressive, which has led to a couple of complaints being lodged
against him. Which of the following does the scenario illustrate?
A) virtual reality
B) telepresence
C) augmented reality
D) disinhibition
Answer: D
Difficulty: Easy
100) An initial face-to-face meeting between the members of a virtual team through interactive
video can ________ among the team members.
A) enhance trust
B) reduce trust
C) have no effect on the level of trust
D) enhance anxiety and tension
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
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101) How do the iCalendar capabilities benefit users?
Answer: Adding calendars and appointment scheduling capabilities to email clients allows users
to receive alerts for upcoming events, synch with a smartphone, or flag recurring events that
stretch out over months or years. Like contacts, calendar events can be transmitted and
exchanged using standardized file formats. The iCalendar format is widely used to transmit
calendar data. The .ics extension indicates that the plain text file contains iCalendar code so the
programs can recognize it. The calendar's collaborative features eliminate much frustration for
event managers. Consider, for example, the struggle to schedule a team meeting, even with the
help of email. Asking people for the times and dates they have available can be fruitless and
time-consuming, with many false starts and delayed responses. But if everyone is sharing
calendars, "free" time for all is easier to identify. Personal preferences, cultural factors, and
corporate norms all affect the use of calendaring software and how much it adds to overall
productivity.
102) How do online discussion forums function?

Answer: Discussion forums evolved from the earlier bulletin board as an online site in which
people could post text messages, reply to others at any time, and discuss a topic of interest.
Forums may be moderated, with someone nurturing the discussion, deleting unacceptable posts,
and blocking users who violate the rules. The forum rules may allow people to post under a
pseudonym, so members feel more anonymous and less identifiable during discussions. Posters
and "lurkers" are both part of the forum community. Some people contribute the majority of
posts while others just read them. Employee discussion forums can be unpredictable. Most are
used productively, but occasional posts can tip in a negative direction.
103) What are the advantages of using instant messaging in a workplace?

Answer: Instant messaging in a workplace can be useful when quick answers are needed. An IM
is much faster than a phone call or conference call. It is especially useful for short questions, as it
requires none of the social courtesies or dedicated attention that phone calls demand. People can
also multitask during IM exchanges. It is a common collaborative tool for people in the same
building, who may keep the IM client active all day long to receive brief text messages from co-
workers in the next cubicle or around the world. IM software has introduced a critically
important collaborative feature called presence awareness, which allows users to display their
current status to their contacts, colleagues, or buddy list. The software shows whether a person is
logged in. Arguably, this feature is the killer app of IM, since it shows whether the person is
available to answer a question, pick up the phone, or stop by for a brief meeting.
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104) What is presence awareness? How does it aid collaboration within an organization?
Answer: Presence awareness is a feature introduced by the IM software which allows users to
display their current status to their contacts, colleagues, or buddy list. The software shows
whether a person is logged in, and the user can elaborate by adding "working on the team
project," "out to lunch," or "pretending to work." Presence awareness indicators add an important
human element to online collaboration, and they are a key reason people adopt the tool within
organizations.
105) What are the advantages of text messaging in emergency situations?

Answer: Because people usually carry their cell phones, texting can assist in emergency
situations and disaster recovery. In the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, for
instance, phone lines went down and cell phone calls could not get through. Many, however,
could send text messages to let family and friends know they were safe. The Federal Emergency
Management Agency also advises people to use texting to communicate at such times to avoid
tying up voice lines needed for first responders.
106) What are the processes involved in group decision support systems?
Answer: The group decision support system software allows each member to type his or her
contributions anonymously as the group moves through the stages of identifying the problem to
be solved, brainstorming possible solutions, rating the alternatives, and coming to some
consensus about the best course of action. As the contributions, comments, and votes unfold,
they appear on the screen with no names attached.
26
107) Discuss web conferencing and the features offered by browser-based conferencing
software.
Answer: Web conferencing is a synchronous collaboration technology which supports online
meetings, sometimes called "webinars," via the internet. Browser-based conferencing software,
such as WebEx or Zoom, include features such as real-time video support, support for
PowerPoint or other slide presentations, interactive whiteboards, text-based chat, polling
software, web-based clients for both desktop computers and mobile phones, desktop application
sharing, in which the meeting participants or audience can see whatever application the host is
running on the desktop, archiving recordings so participants who missed the event can play it
back, and registration systems for fee-based enrollments.
108) What are shared workspaces? How do they enhance teamwork?

Answer: A shared workspace is an area on a server in which team members can post documents,
maintain membership lists, feature news and announcements, and collaborate on edits and
updates. The core of a shared workspace is the document library, where members can store
important information assets and keep track of all the edits. Some software for shared
workspaces, such as Microsoft's SharePoint, includes features for version control to ensure that
older copies are maintained and no changes are lost. This centralized document library goes a
long way toward eliminating the confusion and duplication that arise when team members are
constantly sending revised versions back and forth over email.
109) What are blogs and how can they benefit organizations?
Answer: A blog, short for "web log," is used to facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing.
A blogger maintains a website composed mainly of ongoing commentary, images, and links to
other online resources. The posts are displayed in reverse chronological order so that the most
recent appears on top. Blogging software, such as the free versions available through WordPress
and Blogger, simplifies the task of creating your own website to express opinions, review
products, discuss hobbies, or just rant. Readers can add their own comments to the blogger's
posts, joining in the asynchronous discussion. For organizations, blogs are a popular means of
building knowledge bases. They are also used for marketing and communications, to create a
more intimate connection with customers and suppliers.
27
110) What are wikis? What functions do they perform?
Answer: A significant Web 2.0 technology that facilitates end-user contributions and
collaborative editing is the wiki, a website that allows users to add and edit interlinked web
pages. Wiki software usually offers simple text editing tools, so users need not know HTML. It
keeps track of versions and lets users view the history of changes to each page, along with
discussions about the page's content. Users navigate within a wiki by doing a keyword search or
by clicking on the many embedded links to related wiki pages. Wikis have also emerged as
extremely valuable tools within organizations, especially to centralize documents and create
knowledge storehouses that employees can edit as needed. The wiki makes it easy for people in
any unit or any level of an organization to make contributions from their own personal
experience or to update existing articles with current information. Such wikis can become a
substantial base of knowledge for an organization, useful for training new employees and
organizing all the how-to guides.
111) Which is the best-known publicly accessible wiki? How does it function?
Answer: The online encyclopedia called Wikipedia is the best-known publicly accessible wiki.
With millions of articles contributed by volunteers around the world, the nonprofit Wikipedia is
the most popular general-purpose reference work on the net. People can update any of the
existing articles with current information. In general, studies find that the encyclopedia's
accuracy rivals more traditional competitors, but problems with bias have emerged, exacerbated
by the site's open structure that allows anyone promoting an agenda to edit articles. Corporations
and government agencies are known to quietly edit entries about themselves to put out the best
spin wherever possible. Occasionally, the site blocks people from changing an article, especially
when it deals with controversial current events.
112) What are the different purposes for which companies can use social networking sites?
Answer: For companies, social networking sites offer a means to support knowledge sharing in
the company and to reach people who may be interested in their products or services. Network
interconnections help messages leap from one network of friends to the next. Companies also use
ads which can be tailored to reach precise target groups based on their members' profiles.
Beyond advertising, organizations create their own profiles to connect with their customers,
recruit new employees, announce new products, and generally promote their brands.
28
113) What is microblogging?
Answer: Microblogging is a form of blogging in which the posts are quite short. Posts in
microblogs contain a brief sentence fragment and perhaps a link to another web resource or
video. The posts appear in reverse chronological order. Topics in a microblog range widely, from
simple updates about what the poster is currently doing to informative links to resources about
current events, companies, services, and more. Users in a microblog can "follow" other users,
whose posts constantly appear on followers' computer screens or mobile devices. Microblog
users can also add their own conventions to make blogging more useful.
114) How does microblogging contribute to social networking?

Answer: Microblogging is a form of blogging in which the posts are quite short, containing a
brief sentence fragment and perhaps a link to another web resource or video. As in a blog, the
entries appear in reverse chronological order. The topics range widely, from simple updates
about what the poster is currently doing to informative links to resources about current events,
hobbies, companies, services, and more. The social media aspect exists because users are able to
"follow" other users, whose posts constantly appear on followers' computer screens or mobile
devices. Followers can reply to posts or repeat them for the benefit of their own followers. As
simple as it sounds, the real-time updates enrich online group dynamics with a level of
connectedness that many consider a significant leap for social media, especially since they
extend the advantages of text messaging to interconnected social networks.
115) How do advertisers make use of Twitter?

Answer: Of all microblogging sites, Twitter has the largest number of users, and its vocabulary
terms "tweet" and "re-tweet" are widely used to describe the basic elements of this collaborative
technology. As simple as it sounds, the real-time updates enrich online group dynamics with a
level of connectedness that many consider a significant leap for social media, especially since
they extend the advantages of text messaging to interconnected social networks. Advertisers
promote products on Twitter by relying on the social networks. For example,
SponsoredTweets.com is a marketplace that brings together people with large followings and
advertisers who want them to tweet something nice about their products. Companies also use
Twitter in creative ways to build stronger ties to customers. For example, Old Spice and Taco
Bell engaged and amused their followers by poking fun at one another.
29
116) Explain the concept of "virtual reality."
Answer: The virtual world is a graphical, often 3D environment in which users can immerse
themselves, interacting with virtual objects and with one another using avatars. These simulated
environments create virtual reality, a term that describes what people experience when some of
their sensory input is not from the real world, but from a computer-generated one. Advanced
virtual reality systems enhance the illusion of physical immersion in a virtual world even further
by adding other technologies. Stereoscopic goggles, for instance, can present aspects of the
virtual world that match the user's actual body posture, movements, or head turns. Specially
wired gloves can reproduce the sensations of actually touching and manipulating virtual objects.
117) How did hashtags originate and what is their purpose?

Answer: Microbloggers began using the hashtag in which posts on a similar topic all include a
keyword prefixed by a #. The practice caught on, especially because it made it easier to search
for posts about particular subjects. Twitter encouraged the practice by hyperlinking the hashtags
so that a single click would bring up a list of matches. Hashtags have become popular on other
social networks as well, such as Facebook and YouTube. Hashtags are also used to identify
trending topics in geographical areas. As users repeat a hashtag and retweet posts containing
them, Twitter's information systems tally the results in real time. The ones with the most posts
become "Trending Topics" on the front page, and a topic can rise to the top quickly.
Organizations watch this closely in case a public relations storm is brewing that involves them.
118) What are some of the common themes that affect the online behavior of internet users?
Answer: Some of the common themes that affect the online behavior of internet users include:
(1) unfamiliar tools that are used to interact online over which users stumble in their efforts to
make interactions productive, for example, the QWERTY keyboard (2) media richness that
measures how well a communication medium can reproduce all the nuances and subtleties of the
message it transmits (3) physical distance and lack of physical presence, considering how online
interactions typically take place between people who are geographically separate, not just from
one another, but from other people as well (4) anonymity, which can considerably change the
behavior of people (5) the audience, which is blurry and undefined in the online world
30
119) What is media richness?
Answer: Media richness measures how well a communication medium can reproduce all the
nuances and subtleties of the message it transmits. Media richness is usually starkly lower online
than face-to-face. Many communications are text only, leaving out facial expression, eye contact,
voice pitch and tempo, gestures, body posture, and hand gestures. Although words carry
meaning, most of what people communicate is actually nonverbal.
120) How are group dynamics in virtual teams different from those in real-world teams?
Answer: In the online world, group members cannot perceive nonverbal cues, and hence, group
norms can be difficult to establish. Online environments also lead to disinhibition, in which
people express themselves more bluntly, abruptly, or aggressively than they would in face-to-
face settings. Their messages lack the verbal softeners and nonverbal nuances that smooth
interactions and make consensus easier to reach. Heightened self-disclosure also appears more
often in online interactions. The online world tends to flatten out hierarchies and equalize status,
partly because many of the cues used to establish status are less apparent. In addition to all this,
trust is not easy for virtual teams to create.
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Chapter 08 - Test Bank For Introduction To Information Systems 4th Edition by Wallace

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Introduction to Information Systems, 4e (Wallace)

Chapter 8 Collaborating with Technology

1) When IMAP is used, incoming mail is maintained and organized on a server.

3) The hCard is a microformat which is used to exchange business card information

7) Group decision support systems were designed to get rid of anonymity.

9) A drawback of the centralized document library in a shared workspace is that it creates

21) Which of the following is true of SMTP?

22) Which of the following is the function of an SMTP server?

25) How does IMAP differ from SMTP?

26) Which of the following is an advantage of IMAP?

30) What is a hCard?

31) Which of the following is true of a hCard?

33) Which of the following is true of microformats?

34) What is the function of microformats like the hCard?

35) Microformats represent metadata in ________.

37) Which of the following is true of iCalendars?

38) Which of the following is true of asynchronous discussion forums?

44) Which of the following is an example of a free IM software client?

45) Which of the following is a difference between IM and email?

46) Which of the following is true of instant messaging?

49) Which of the following functions is performed by texting?

52) What is a group decision support system?

53) Which of the following is true of group decision support systems?

60) Which of the following is an example of a blogging tool?

62) Which of the following is true of a blog?

64) For which of the following purposes can blogs be used?

67) Which of the following functions do wikis perform within an organization?

70) Which of the following is a drawback of Wikipedia?

71) A profile in a social networking site consists of ________.

76) Which of the following is true of microblogging?

80) On microblogging sites, a hashtag is used to indicate that ________.

84) Which of the following is a function of unified communications?

86) What function does a context indicator perform?

90) Which of the following is a characteristic of a universal dashboard?

91) Sarah Jones is a communications assistant at Sustainable Living Inc., a nonprofit

92) When compared to a face-to-face setting, an online environment offers ________.

95) Which of the following is true of media richness?

98) Which of the following is true of group dynamics in virtual teams?

102) How do online discussion forums function?

103) What are the advantages of using instant messaging in a workplace?

105) What are the advantages of text messaging in emergency situations?

108) What are shared workspaces? How do they enhance teamwork?

114) How does microblogging contribute to social networking?

115) How do advertisers make use of Twitter?

117) How did hashtags originate and what is their purpose?

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