Hands-on exercises can be used both as student assignments and as classroom demonstrations. At least one Internet-based exercise is provided for each chapter.

Each of the exercises uses at least one of the following software products:

• Internet: Netscape or Microsoft's Internet Explorer
• Word processing: Microsoft Word 97
• Spreadsheet: Microsoft Excel 97
• Database: Microsoft Access 97
• Presentation: Microsoft PowerPoint 97

The newest additions are bolded. The most recent additions were made on February 18, 1999.

Chapter 1: The Challenge of Applying IT Successfully

• Visit Web sites of the companies in the featured cases
• Compare Web sites of clothing retailers
• Test your current level of connectivity

Chapter 2: Basic Concepts for Understanding Systems

• Use Internet dictionaries and other Internet sources to explore the term "system"
• Create a WCA system snapshot
• Use two WCA system snapshots to align the scope of a system with a problem or issue

Chapter 3: Business Processes

• Describe the process of using the Web to plan air travel
• Produce a data flow diagram
• Explore integration within documents produced using office software

Chapter 4: Information and Databases

• Compare results of different Internet search engines
• Observe the role of HTML on the Web
• Create hypertext links in a Word Processing Document
• Create a pre-defined database using a Microsoft Access wizard
• Produce an entity-relationship diagram using a word processor
• Explore the role of DBMS in paperless operations

Chapter 5: Communication, Decision Making, and Different Types of Information Systems

• Use the Pivot Table function in Excel to illustrate ideas related to MIS and EIS
• Demonstrate the relationship between TPS and DMBS

Chapter 6: Product, Customer, and Competitive Advantage

• Compare "shopbots"
• Comparison shopping for computer software
• Honda Finance

Chapter 7: Human and Ethical Issues

• Check your credit report
• Look at the cookies file in your computer
• Explore the personal impact of software complexity

Chapter 8: Computer Hardware

• Calculate how much disk space an electronic version of this book would require

Chapter 9: Software, Programming, and Artificial Intelligence

• Test the quality of an automatic translation program
• Use the Pivot Table function to make a spreadsheet more flexible
• Demonstration of Java applets
• Demos of simple expert systems

Chapter 10: Networks and Telecommunications

• Use a spreadsheet to calculate download times

Chapter 11: Information Systems Planning

• Observe how project delays affect payback period

Chapter 12: Building and Maintaining Information Systems

• How easy is it to manipulate the results of a selection matrix?
• Create a prototype using Microsoft Access

Chapter 13: Information System Security and Control

• [under construction]

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