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“Jennifer, do you see what just happened? I gave you an idea and you said you’d
do it. That’s not what I need. I need you to find solutions on your own.”
“I worked really hard. I put in a lot of hours. I’ve got all these reports written.”
“Has anyone seen them?”
“I talked to you about some of them. But I was waiting until I was satisfied with them.”
“Right. That’s not how we do things here. We develop ideas and then kick them
around with each other. Nobody has all the smarts. Our plans get better when we
comment and rework them… I think I told you that.”
“Maybe you did. But I’m just not comfortable with that.”
“Well, it’s a key skill here.”
“I know I can do this job.”
“Jennifer, you’ve been here almost 6 months; you have a degree in business.
Several weeks ago, I asked you for your first idea for a process that would identify
potential drones, or drone parts, that could be 3D-printed. Do you remember what
you said?”
“Yes, I wasn’t sure how to proceed. I didn’t want to just throw
something out that might not work.”
“But how would you find out if it would work?”
“I don’t want to waste money …”
“No, you don’t. So, when you didn’t get very far with that task, I backed up
and asked you to send me a list of parts that could be printed based on our existing
drones, a list of replacement repair parts we buy on a regular basis, the specifications
for future drones that we might buy, and a description of how existing 3D-printed
drones are made. Not details, just an overview.”
“But today, they’re “Yes, I sent you those part lists and specifications.”
not enough.” “Jennifer, they made no sense. Your lists included parts that can’t be 3D-printed,
Image source: rommma/Fotolia and your list of potential future drones included models that can’t even carry cameras.”
“I know which parts can be printed, I just wasn’t sure which ones to include. But
I’ll try again!”
“Well, I appreciate that attitude, but we’re a small company, really still a startup
in many ways. Everyone needs to pull more than their own weight here. Maybe if we
were a bigger company, I’d be able to find a spot for you, see if we could bring you
along. But we can’t afford to do that now.”
“What about my references?”
“I’ll be happy to tell anyone that you’re reliable, that you work 40 to 45 hours a
week, and that you’re honest and have integrity.”
“Those are important!”
“Yes, they are. But today, they’re not enough.”

Study QueStIonS

Q1-1 Why is Introduction to MIS the most important class
in the business school?
Q1-2 How will MIS affect me?
Q1-3 What is MIS?

Q1-4 How can you use the five-component model?
Q1-5 What is information?
Q1-6 What are necessary data characteristics?
Q1-7 2026?
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