Information Systems
College of Business Administration
University of Missouri - St. Louis

BA 215 -- Winter, 2001
Final Exam

You must complete three (3) of the following four (4) questions. Each question will represent one-third of the credit for the exam. Answer each question clearly and neatly. Type (wordprocess) the answer to all questions. Answers may be no more than 2 pages, double spaced with 1" margins. If I cannot read your answer or understand your grammar, or if you provide multiple answers, the answer will be wrong.

You may have notes, books or other reference materials that you desire. However, you must do the exam alone.

This exam is due Monday, May 14 by 5:00 pm. Turn in hard copy of the exam -- do not email the exam to me.

To insure confidentiality of grades, I do not post grades and do not provide grade information via telephone, email, etc. at the end of the semester. If you wish to receive your grade prior to the regular University process, you may provide me with a self-addressed, stamped envelope or postcard.

1. You have a recommended book for the class that we have discussed. The title of the book is Are Your Lights On? Discuss the fundamental principle of systems analysis that the book is trying to illustrate wit that title.

2. Go to a CASE tool vendor's Web site and determine the product's price, functionality and advantages. State them. Provide a cost-benefit justification for its acceptance.

3. Draw a Context Diagram and a Level 0 Diagram for the following system:

Starrs Financial Services Ltd. (Starrs) offers an interesting service to its clients. Using a client's date, time and place of birth, Starrs draws up an astrological profile advising when and how to invest money. Clients telephone their orders directly to the Starrs sales clerk. Each order includes a client's name, address, date, time and place of birth, and credit card number. The sale clerk checks the credit card number against a stop list generated by the credit card companies. When an order is accepted, it is split into order details (name, address and credit card number) and personal details (name, address. date. time and place of birth). The sales clerk passes the personal details on to the company astrologer, and places the order details in an order file.

The astrologer uses the client's personal details and matches them with information from the financial press to produce an astrological profile. This profile is returned to the sales clerk, who posts it out to the client. Once a day, the sales clerk takes orders from the orders file, and produces bulk claims that are sent out to the credit card companies. Every month, the credit card companies send statements to Starrs indicating the amount of money that has been transferred to Starrs bank account.

4. Write at least three questions you might use on a questionnaire that would be sent to users of a word processing package in order to understand their needs for the next version of the package. Discuss how you might test these questions before actually using them for requirements definition. Defend how the answers to these three questions could help you improve your word processing package.

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