March 23, 2022

UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2017/2018 EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN DATA ANALYTICS/MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT MDA 5203/MISM 5203: DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS DATE: DECEMBER 2017 TIME: 2 HOURS INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question One & ANY OTHER TWO questions. QUESTION ONE [20 MARKS] a) Explain the concept of decision making (4 Marks) b) Describe the challenges of making decisions. (6 Marks) c) Explain the relationship between problem solving and decision making. (4 Marks) d) Describe how neural networks are trained (6 Marks) QUESTION TWO [15 MARKS] a) Explain how Genetic Algorithm is used in decision support systems (5 Marks) b) Describe the Data Warehouse Architecture for decision support systems (5 Marks) c) Discuss the techniques used in intelligent decision support systems to mine data (5 Marks) QUESTION THREE [15 MARKS] a) Describe the phases of decision-making process based on simon’s model (5 Marks) b) Discuss the common strategies that are used in guiding decision-making processing. (10 Marks) QUESTION FOUR [15 MARKS] a) Describe giving examples of six types of knowledge that you are likely to manage as a decision maker. 10Marks b) Discuss the main properties of a decision support systems (5Marks

UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2017/2018 EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN DATA ANALYTICS MDA 5402: VISUAL ANALYTICS SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE DATE: DECEMBER 2017 TIME: 2 HOURS INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question One & ANY OTHER TWO questions. QUESTION ONE [20 MARKS] a) Discuss the discipline of “Visual Analytics” (4 Marks) b) There are at least five essential elements of a visual analytics application. Discuss each of these elements. (7 Marks) c) Using the Raster Image below (Figure 1), explain the concept behind Run-Length RLE Encoding (RLE) technique QUESTION TWO (15 MARKS) a) Discuss the evolution of Visual Analytics Software. (7 Marks) b) In detail, highlight the major design consideration for Visual Analytics Software. (8 Marks) QUESTION THREE (15 MARKS) a) Discuss at least 3 Visual Analytics Software Frameworks. (8 Marks) b) Explain the major variants in functionality between Open Source and Proprietary Visual Analytics Software (7 Marks) QUESTION FOUR (15 MARKS) a) Review the roles of Dashboards in the development of Visual Analytics Applications. (5 Marks) b) Discuss key design principles for Dashboards (5 Marks) c) Discuss the major tools and platforms for developing visual analytics dashboards (5 Marks)

UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2017/2018 EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN DATA ANALYTICS MDA 5301: LOGIC SENSE MAKING AND BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE DATE: NOVEMBER, 2017 TIME: 2 HOURS INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question One & ANY OTHER TWO questions. QUESTION ONE Business intelligence and analytics (BIA) is about the development of technologies, systems, practices, and applications to analyze critical business data so as to gain new insights about business and markets. a) How does this compare with the traditional data mining? (2 Marks) b) Big Data analytics has emerged as an interesting area in BIA. What are the key concepts involved? Hadoop is one of the tools that have been used in this area, briefly explain its main components. (6 Marks) c) Explain the following terms as used in Logic: i. Tautology ii. Satisfiability iii. Completeness (3 Marks) d) Use a truth table to test the validity of the following sentence in propositional logic: (2 Marks) f) Knowledge representation is a core concept in knowledge based systems. Describe the following properties that should be possessed by a knowledge representation system. i. Representational adequacy ii. Inferential adequacy iii. Inferential efficiency iv. Acquisition efficiency (4 Marks) QUESTION TWO You are required to come with a Prolog program for an extended family. It stores basic facts about the individuals that are part of the extended family, and some of the basic relationships between individuals in that family. It should also have rules that allow the derivation of new knowledge from the knowledge base. Below is a partial listing for a knowledge base on family relationships. gender (male or female) age (in years) height (in inches, feet, or centimeters) mother’s father; brother’s sister; husband’s wife. You may add other properties that you find relevant or interesting (e.g. weight, hair color, odd habits …). You can also add other relationships such as fiancé, friend, business partner,etc., but it is probably better to keep it simple. Your family should span at least 15 individuals over three or more generations; if necessary, you can add fictional individuals. Each individual must have at least one relationship, and on average each individual must have at least two instantiated properties. (15 Marks) QUESTION THREE a) What is customer analytics about? Detail at least one approach that can be used to achieve the goals of customer segmentation. (7 Marks) b) Simulation methods are considered important in business intelligence. Using a suitable example show why and how simulation can be used in BI. (8 Marks) QUESTION FOUR a) Predictive modelling is a key aspect in business intelligence. Using a suitable illustrative example, explain the key concepts and possible technique that can be used to achieve the same. (7 Marks) b) Text mining is becoming increasingly important in BI. What are the key concepts involved and by using an illustrative example, detail a possible technique that can be used for text mining in a given area of application. (8 Marks)

UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2017/2018 EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREES OF MASTERS OF SCIENCE IN DATA COMMUNICATIONS/ DATA ANALYTICS/ INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT MDA 5102/ MDC 5103/ MISM 5102: DATA STORAGE AND CLOUD SERVICES ORDINARY EXAMINATIONS DATE: NOVEMBER, 2017 TIME: 2 HOURS INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question One & ANY OTHER TWO questions. QUESTION ONE [20 MARKS] a) Apply an ideal order processing example to explain how the elements in a data center participate in executing a customer’s order. (5 Marks) b) Explain the following strategies for effective data storage: i) Storage resource mapping table ii) Multipath iii) Tiering (6 Marks) c) Define the LVM and cite its key characteristics (4 Marks) d) Explain the challenges involved in managing information in the current digital age (5 Marks) QUESTION TWO [15 MARKS] a) Discuss the characteristics of a level-5 RAID configuration (3 Marks) b) i) What is storage virtualization and why is it necessary? (3 Marks) ii) Explain the following common storage architectures: (6 Marks) DAS NAS SAN c) Identify and briefly explain any THREE data center management activities (3 Marks) QUESTION THREE [15 MARKS] a) Striping, parity and mirroring are terms commonly used with reference to RAID. Explain each of these terms (3 Marks) b) Storage technologies are now using the magnetic disk to emulate tape storage. What characteristics of the magnetic disk makes it more preferable to magnetic tapes? Discuss. (6Marks) c) Explain any THREE ways in which block access in a disk can be optimized (6 Marks) QUESTION FOUR [15 MARKS] a) Explain in detail the following characteristics of cloud computing: i) Resiliency ii) Homogeneity iii) Elasticity iv) Measured service (8 Marks) b) Briefly explain any SEVEN technologies that are relevant to cloud computing (7 Marks)

UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2017/2018 EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT MISM 5402: STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS DATE: NOVEMBER, 2017 TIME: 2 HOURS INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question One & ANY OTHER TWO questions. QUESTION ONE: 20 MARKS (COMPULSORY) a) State and explain four key attributes of strategic management. 4 Marks b) The management of XYZ Company is in the process of developing a new information system. Discuss the four feasibility test that must be undertaken before the development process gets underway. 4 Marks c) An obsolete information system could be defined as one that has reached the end of the economic useful life and is due for replacement by another information system. Discuss four symptoms of a system which is approaching the end of its useful economic life. 4 Marks d) Frameworks for integrating IS strategies with business strategies may be considered either as Centralized or Decentralized. Differentiate between the two strategies 4 Marks c) Discuss four key challenges faced by management in building, operating and maintaining information systems in organizations. 4 Marks QUESTION TWO: 15 MARKS a) Every organization exists within an environment that is also known as the society. Describe any four elements that make up the organizations environment showing how each element influences the organization. 4 Marks b) One approach to selection and acquisition of an Information System is by outsourcing the operations from an external vendor. Required i. State and explain four types of outsourcing. 2 Marks ii. Describe three levels of service provision from an external vendor. 3 Marks iii. Discuss any three elements of an outsourcing contract. 3 Marks iv. Outline three advantages and three disadvantages of outsourcing. 3 Marks QUESTION THREE: 15 MARKS a) Define the following terms 3 Marks i. Strategy ii. Strategic management iii. Competitive advantage b) Discuss six strategic positioning choices which the strategic managers can make in order to maintain a competitive advantage in their organization. 3 Marks c) Describe four strategic shifts that may result from the strategic positioning choices 2 Marks d) One important activity of strategic managers is strategic planning. Describe four characteristics of this activity. 2 Marks e) Describe the decision making theory highlighting the value of Information 5 Marks QUESTION FOUR: 15 MARKS a) Discuss five characteristics that information should possess in order to aid management in the performance of the key functions of planning, control and decision making. 5 Marks b) Uchumi Supermarkets in Kenya has been experiencing serious financial problems for over ten years now. Assume you are hired as the new Managing Director of Uchumi Supermarket in Kenya to address the problems ailing the store. Discuss in detail how you would use Information Systems in order to reverse the trend in the chain of stores. 5 Marks c) You hear a member of the Board of your financial organization, while in discussion with major customers, say that “Mobile computing renders all traditional IS/IT obsolete”. Discuss and justify the extent to which you agree or disagree with the above statement. 5 Marks

UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2017/2018 EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT MISM 5401: ADVANCED RESEARCH METHODS DATE: DECEMBER, 2017 TIME: 2 HOURS INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question One & ANY OTHER TWO questions. QUESTION ONE (20 MARKS) a) Probabilities of Type I Error, Type II Error, effect size, and statistical power are important concepts in test of hypothesis in most data-based decision making. Define each of these terms and explain how they relate to sample size. (6 Marks) b) Random sampling and random assignment are important concepts in empirical research. Define each of these concepts and briefly explain their importance in research. (4 Marks) c) Briefly describe the differences between research design and research methodology. What are some of the research conditions that informs the choice of a research design? (4 Marks) d) The linear regression model is a common data analytic technique used in quantitative research. Briefly describe a research problem where the use of linear regression model could be appropriate to analyze the data. Be sure to identify the variables in the study and their scale of measurement (6 Marks) QUESTION TWO (15 MARKS) In a study to assess the impact of access to internet on the number of pages read by college students at one sitting, the following descriptive statistics were obtained from SPSS based on data from a random sample of 140 students: Descriptive Statistics b) State the statistical model for this analysis (3 Marks) c) Test the null hypothesis you stated in (b) above at 0.05 level of significance. Include the critical value, the observed test statistic, the decision rule, and your decision (3 Marks) d) Provide a one sentence interpretation of the findings of the analysis above (3 Marks) QUESTION THREE (15 MARKS) a) What is commonly referred to as “negative findings” is not desirable in most research situations. What is the meaning of the term “negative findings” and how can the chances of its occurring be minimized in a study? (5 Marks) b) Triangulation is a useful approach that enhances the credibility of a qualitative research. Define triangulation. Briefly describe how you could use triangulation in a study. (5 Marks) c) Explain the difference between “True – experiment” and “Quasi-experiment” and indicate the potential challenge each will present in a research project. (5 Marks) QUESTION FOUR (15 MARKS) Identify and briefly describe the distinctive features of any FIVE of the following concepts as used in research: a) True-experimental research (3 Marks) b) Statistical power (3 Marks) c) Quasi-experiment research (3 Marks) d) Non-experimental research (3 Marks) e) Significance level (3 Marks) f) Type I error (3 Marks) g) Coefficient of determination (3 Marks)

UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2017/2018 EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT MISM 5204: DATA ANALYTICS AND KNOWLEDGE ENGINEERING DATE: NOVEMBER, 2017 TIME: 2 HOURS INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question One & ANY OTHER TWO questions. QUESTION ONE (a) Briefly describe the meaning of the following concepts as used in data analytics and knowledge engineering: (i) Explanation facility (1 Mark) (ii) Knowledge engineering (1 Mark) (iii) Inference engine (1 Mark) (iv) Big Data (1 Mark) (b) State and explain four components of a Knowledge-based System in the context of Data analytics and knowledge engineering. (4 Marks) (c) State and explain two types of factor analysis. (2 Marks) (d) Describe the difference between observable and non-observable variables as used in factor analysis. Use an example to illustrate your answer (2 Marks) (e) State and explain four types of data analytics (4 Marks) (e) Determinants of matrices are used in data analytics. Describe any two of these uses (2 Marks) (f) Consider the following matrix ) Evaluate the determinant of the above matrix (1 Mark) (ii) Based on the answer obtained in (i) does the matrix has an inverse? (1 Mark) QUESTION TWO (a) Describe the purpose of the following descriptive analytics. Give one example for each case (6 Marks) (i) Measures of dispersion (ii) Measures of relationship (iii) Measures of central tendency (b) Describe three limitations of descriptive statistics (3 Marks) (c) Consider the following students performance data set Use the above data set to compute measures for both age and Marks. Interpret results for each case (i) Standard deviation (2 Marks) (ii) Covariance (2 Marks) (iii) Correlation (2 Marks) QUESTION THREE (a) State and explain three main goals of data analytics. Use one example to illustrate each case (3 Marks) (b) Describe the importance of predictive analytics in data analytics (2 Marks) (c) Describe Predictive Analytics Process Cycle. (5 Marks) (d) Describe the importance of eigen values in principle component analysis (2 Marks) (e) Use the following matrix to calculate eigen values QUESTION FOUR (a) Discuss four knowledge engineering activities. Give one practical example to illustrate each activity (4 Marks) (b) Draw a semantic network for representing the following knowledge (2 Marks) Peter is a student of KCA University. He lives in Nairobi and is employed by the government of Kenya. His area of interest is Data analytics. (c) Consider the following knowledge base furniture(sink, kitchen,1). furniture(chair,lounge,4). Furniture(bed,bedroom,1). Furniture(cooker,kitchen,1). Furniture(chair,kitchen,4). furniture(sofa,lounge,1). Use the above knowledge base to answer the following questions i. What query would we use to find all rooms with chairs? (1 Mark) iii.What query would we use to get a list of items in the kitchen? . (1 Mark) iv. List all the rooms without stating items or the numbers (1 Mark) (d) You are given an expert system with several rules pertaining to the interpersonal skills of a job applicant R1: if the applicant answers questions in straight forward manner then she is easy to converse with. R2: If the applicant seems honest then she answers in straight forward manner. R3: If the applicant has item on her resume that are found to be untrue then she is not honest. R4: If the applicant is able to arrange an appointment with the executive assistant then she is able to strike up a conversation with the executive assistant. R5: IF the applicant strikes up a conversation with the executive assistant and the applicant is easy to converse with then she is amiable. R6: If the applicant has adequate interpersonal skills. Then we will offer her the job. Use the above rules to solve the following problems: i) Assume that the applicant does not have any items on her resume that are found to be untrue and that she is able to arrange an appointment with the executive assistant. (2 Marks) ii) Run a forward chain analysis to find out whether we will offer her a job. (2 Marks) iii) It is known that the applicant answers questions in straight forward manner. Run backward chain analysis to find out whether we will offer a job to the applicant (2 Marks)

UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2017/2018 EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT MISM 5203: DATA MINING AND WAREHOUSING DATE: NOVEMBER, 2017 TIME: 2 HOURS INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question One & ANY OTHER TWO questions. QUESTION ONE (a) State and explain three characteristics of operational data store (3 Marks) (b) Describe four data mining tasks. Use one example to illustrate each task (4 Marks) (c) Calculate hamming distance between the following two animals d) State and explain four techniques for filling missing values after collecting raw data (4 Marks) (f). Consider the following confusion matrix: a b c <– classified as 9 6 5 | a = Bsc IT 1 3 4 | b = BCOM 2 8 7| c = Diploma in IT Use the above confusion matrix to determine the following: (3 Marks) (i) Precision for BCOM category (iii) Recall for Bsc IT category (iv) True negatives for Diploma in IT ta communications (g) Consider the following data set Compute information gain for selecting humidity attribute as the root of decision tree during decision tree learning using ID3 algorithm (4 Marks) QUESTION TWO (a) Describe the meaning of the term ‘association rule’ in the context of association rule mining. Discuss one example to illustrate your answer. (2 Marks) (b) Describe the following two association mining (i) Brute force (2 Marks) (ii) Two step Approach (2 Marks) (c) State and explain two subjective measure of evaluating association rules. (2 Marks) (d). Consider the following data Given the above training data calculate support and confidence of the following association rule ( 2 Marks) {C,B}  {A} ii. Use apriori algorithm to find frequent 3-Itemset where minimum support count =2 (3 Marks) iii. Given that minimum confidence =1, generate strong association rules using apriori algorithm (2 Marks) QUESTION THREE (a) Distinguish between ‘data mart ’ and ‘data warehouse’ (1Mark) (b) Discuss the interplay between operation data store, data ware housing and data mining mart. Use a diagram to illustrate your answer (4 Marks) (c) State and explain four characteristics of a data warehouse (4 Marks) (d) Discuss three types of Data warehousing architectures (3 Marks) (e) Describe the meaning of initials ETL in the context of data warehousing (3 Marks) QUESTION FOUR (a) Briefly explain the meaning of the following data warehousing terms: (i) Schema (1 Mark) (ii)OLAP (1 Mark) (iii) fact (1 Mark) (iv) Dimension (1 Mark) (b) State and explain three types of schemas that are used to model data in datawarehouse. Draw a diagram to illustrate each schema (6 Marks) (c) Describe the meaning of the following types of clustering approaches as used in data mining and warehousing. Give one example for each case (i) Partitioning approach (1Mark) (ii) Hierarchical clustering approach (1 Mark) (iii) Model based clustering approach (1 Mark) (d) Discuss any two potential applications of cluster mining in business enterprises (2 Marks)

UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2017/2018 EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT MISM 5201: DATABASE INTEGRATION AND E-COMMERCE DATE: NOVEMBER, 2017 TIME: 2 HOURS INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question One & ANY OTHER TWO questions. QUESTION ONE [20 MARKS] a) Explain the need for database integration and cite its applications. (4 Marks) b) Business processes involved in the trade cycle of e-commerce can vary depending on various factors. Discuss these factors. (6 Marks) c) The e-cash system allows a person to pay for goods or services by transmitting a number from one computer to another. i) Discuss and illustrate the processing of e-cash (4Marks) ii) Which are the properties of an ideal e-cash? (4Marks) d) Explain TWO main classifications of digital tokens (2Marks) QUESTION TWO [15 MARKS] a) Identify and briefly discuss FOUR challenges of virtual database integration (4 Marks) b) It is said that the internet played a significant role in the US presidential election. You are asked by Nigeria’s major political party to offer advice on the internet policy and associated web site. The party has about 20,000 members, each paying 5,000 per annum membership fee. Its total annual income, mainly from donations, is about 200M. The current House of Representatives, formed following elections held in April 2015, has a total of 360 members who are elected in single-member constituencies using the simple majority (or first-past-thepost) system. Members serve four-year terms. i) Describe in brief bullet points the key elements of your proposed internet strategy (4Marks) ii) Draw an outline block diagram of the architecture that would be needed (3Marks) iii) Outline the relevant regulations to be considered by such a strategy. (4Marks) QUESTION THREE [15 MARKS] a) Virtual database integration systems are said to follow the Global As View (GAV) or the local As View (LAV). i) Discuss the characteristics of each of these approaches (4 Marks) ii) Illustrate how the mediated schema Movie (title, dir, year, genre) would be reformulated using GAV and using LAV (4 Marks) b) Suppose your business had an e-commerce Website where it sold goods and accepted credit card payments. Discuss the major security threats to this Web site and their potential impact. What can be done to minimize these threats? (7 Marks) QUESTION FOUR [15 MARKS] a) Electronic commerce transactions services can be distinctly classified into market place, market link and market driven transactions. Explain each of these three types (6 Marks) b) Earnest Higginbottom started making Potted Beef in Heckmondwike in 1876 and the company has been run on traditional lines ever since. Recently the business has started to change. Traditional local outlets are being replaced by supermarkets. Native Yorkshire tykes living as far away as Liverpool and Los Angeles are ringing in to ask how to get hold of a bit of real potted beef. Suppliers, such as the maker of the jars, have started using computerized ordering systems. Required: Discuss where and in what form Higgies’ Potted Beef could implement e-Commerce. (9 Marks)

UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2017/2018 EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT / MASTER OF SCIENCE IN DATA ANALYTICS MISM 5104/MDA 5104: OBJECT ORIENTED TECHNOLOGIES DATE: NOVEMBER, 2017 TIME: 2 HOURS INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question One & ANY OTHER TWO questions. QUESTION ONE Your company has been asked to design an appointment system for a health centre. You have been given the following description of the organization:- The health centre keeps information about a number of different people. These include patients and employees. There are three types of employee: doctors, nurses and administrative staff. The information held on these people includes their name, address and telephone number. A medical history is maintained for each patient including information about their blood pressure, allergies etc. Appointments can be scheduled for patients with an available doctor. Details of the date, time and reason will be held for each appointment. As a result of the appointment, the doctor will typically identify certain symptoms and prescribe a course of treatment for the patient. The information held on each treatment will include details of medication and any important instructions. Draw a class diagram modeling the situation described in the above paragraph. Justify your answer. Marks will be awarded for:- a) Correct diagram syntax. (5 Marks) b) Correct representation of relationships. (5 Marks) c) Appropriate allocation of attributes to classes. (5 Marks) d) Well argued justification. (5 Marks) QUESTION TWO Most modern development methods are based on an object-oriented approach to systems development. a) Describe the principal characteristics of an object-oriented software system. (3 Marks) b) Why is it important for an object-oriented development method to be architecturecentric? (4 Marks) c) What does it mean for an object-oriented development method to be iterative and incremental? ( 5 Marks) d) What does it mean to say that a development method is “use case driven”? (3 Marks) QUESTION THREE A dentist has asked for a system to help with scheduling appointments at her busy surgery. The system should also help with billing customers. Following an initial visit, a systems analyst has identified and documented a number of key use cases. The following is a short description of the “Make Appointment” Use Case. The patient contacts the surgery requesting an appointment. The receptionist finds the patient in the patient database. The receptionist checks to see if the patient has any outstanding bills. The receptionist asks the patient for possible appointment times. The receptionist matches the patients desired appointment time with available appointment times and schedules the appointment. a) Draw a communication diagram (also known as a collaboration diagram in earlier versions of the UML) from the above use case description. (4 Marks) b) Convert your communication diagram into a sequence diagram. Explain any assumptions you have made. (4 Marks) c) Why does UML support both sequence and communication diagrams? (4 Marks) d) Explain how use cases and class diagrams are related to communication diagrams. What types of check should be carried out to ensure that the different models are consistent? Explain your answer with reference to the dentist example provided above. (3 Marks) QUESTION FOUR a) Explain the purpose of state charts. (3 Marks) b) Draw a state chart to model the behavior of the Patient in the following scenario:- (9 Marks) The patient arrives at the hospital where he is checked in, and then admitted to the emergency room. The patient is looked at by a doctor. If the doctor declares the patient to be healthy he is released from the hospital. If the doctor finds the patient to be unhealthy, he is kept under observation until considered to be healthy enough for release. c) Describe the type of class that is best represented by a state chart. Give THREE examples of classes that should be represented by state charts and explain why. (3 Marks)

All the commodities are not suitable for futures trading. It must fulfill the following characteristics: 1) The commodity should have a suitable demand and supply conditions. 2) Prices should be volatile to necessitate hedging through futures price risk. As a result there would be a demand for hedging facilities. 3) Prices should be volatile to necessitate hedging through futures trading in this case persons with a spot market commitment face a price risk. As a result there would be a demand for hedging facilities. 4) The commodity should be free from substantial control from Govt. regulations (or other bodies) imposing restrictions on supply, distribution and prices of the commodity. 5) The commodity should be homogenous or, alternately it must be possible to specify a standard is necessary for the futures exchanges to deal in standardized contracts. 6) The commodity should be storable. In the absence of this condition arbitrage would not be possible and there would be no relationship between spot and futures.

UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2017/2018 EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT MISM 5103: BUSINESS PROCESS MODELLING DATE: NOVEMBER, 2017 TIME: 2 HOURS INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question One & ANY OTHER TWO questions. QUESTION ONE “It is no longer good enough to be a good process implement or good process designer” Explain this statement briefly discussing the wider issues a good modeller should put into considerations 6 Marks Enlist Skills that a business process analyst should have explaining the need for the skill 5 Marks A business analyst should be competent in whatever process he is trying to automate. Discuss FIVE competencies that s/he should have. 5 Marks Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is one of the brainstorming methods for establishing objectives, priorities and alternatives. Discuss AHP as well as the procedure for achieving it. 4 Marks QUESTION TWO A process is a structured, measured set of activities designed to produce a specified output for a particular customer or market. Making a link between business objectives and the requirements is a challenge. “Process models can be a source of solutions to this challenge”. Explain 5 Marks A process model is a simplified description of process activities. When describing processes in detail it is usual to produce several different types of model giving different process information and perspective. Discuss FOUR of such models 8 Marks Define and describe a use case model QUESTION THREE Consider the following process of placing an order. Describe the for relations that are marked by dotted arrows QUESTION FOUR In process calculus, how do you model relationships? 3 Marks Effective uses of Business Process Simulation comprises of four elements/processes. Discuss them. 6 Marks Consider the following model Given the following initial parameters and values, outline and discuss the generated output on running the model. The initial parameters are Converter “Desired Level”　：100liters Stock “Bathtub”：initial value＝０ liter 5 Marks