A Dialectical Methodology For Decision Support Systems Design

As organizations continue to grow in size, reaching global proportions, they have ever increasing impacts on their environments. Some believe that a much broader array of concerns should be brought into organizational decision-making processes, including greater consideration of social, political, ethical and aesthetic factors (Mitroff and Linstone, 1993; Courtney, 2001). Decision environments such as these are decidedly wicked (Rittel and Webber, 1973). Designing decision support systems in such environments where there is a high level of interconnectedness, issues are overlapping and a multiplicity of stakeholders is involved, is a very complex task. In this dissertation a methodology for the development of a DSS for wicked situations is proposed using the design theory building process suggested by Walls et al. (1992). This proposed theory is based on dialectic theory and the multiple perspective approach suggested by Linstone and Mitroff (1993). The design process consists of identifying relevant stakeholders, their respective worldviews, and conflicts in these worldviews. A design (thesis) and counter design (antithesis) are created, and a prototype systems based on these designs are developed. These prototypes are then presented to the different stakeholder groups who engage in a dialogue which leads to the development of a synthesized design. The process is repeated until all conflicts are resolved or resources are exhausted, and a final system is produced. Using action research and system development research methodologies, the proposed design theory was applied to zoning decision process in Orange County, Florida. The results of this study led to the following: 1. It is feasible to implement the MPDP methodology proposed in this dissertation. 2. The MPDP methodology resulted in a synthesized design that accommodates the different views of the stakeholders. 3. The MPDP methodology is suitable for contentious situations and may not be feasible for structured decisions. 4. Most of the subjects did achieve a more understanding of the decision process. These results suggest that the MPDP design theory can be effective in developing decision support systems in contentious situations

Hospitality unit diagnosis: an expert system approach

Formal methods of management problem-solving have been extensively researched. However, these concepts are incomplete in that they assume a problem has been correctly identified before initiating the problem-solving process. In reality management may not realise that a problem exists or may identify an incorrect problem. As a result, considerable time and effort may be wasted correcting symptoms rather than the true problem. This research describes the development of a computerised system to support problem identification. The system focuses specifically on the area of hospitality management, encompassing causes and symptoms of prominent problems in the hospitality industry. The system is based on knowledge rather than data. Research has shown that Expert Systems allow reasoning with knowledge. As a result, Expert Systems were selected as an appropriate technology for this application. Development is undertaken from the perspective of a hotel manager, using appropriate software development tools. The required knowledge is generally obtained from either expert interviews or textbook analysis. Gaining commitment from sufficient industry experts proved too difficult to allow the use of the former method, and therefore the latter method was utilised. However, knowledge acquired in this manner is limited in both quality and quantity. In addition, essential experience based judgmental knowledge is not available from this source. To counteract this, the personal knowledge of the author, a qualified hotel manager, was used. When developing an Expert System, knowledge acquisition and representation are of paramount importance. In this research, these issues are problematic due to the broad interdisciplinary nature and scope of hospitality management. To counteract this problem, some structure was required. Finance, Marketing, Personnel, Control, and Operations were selected as important functions within the hospitality business and therefore were represented within the system for diagnosis. A modular approach was used with modules being developed for each functional area. An initial top level module performs a general diagnosis, and then separate subordinate modules diagnose the functional areas. This research established that the knowledge required for incorporation into such a system is not available. The possibility of acquiring this knowledge is beyond the bounds of this research. However, sufficient marketing knowledge was sourced to facilitate the development of the Expert System structure. This structure demonstrates the application of the technology to the task and could subsequently be used when more knowledge is elicited. The research findings show that the development of a modular diagnostic system is possible using an Expert System Shell. The major limiting factor encountered is the total lack of the relevant knowledge. As a result, further research is recommended to establish the factors influencing diagnosis in the hospitality industry

A new trend for knowledge-based decision support systems design

Knowledge-based decision support systems (KBDSS) have evolved greatly over the last few decades. The key technologies underpinning the development of KBDSS can be classified into three categories: technologies for knowledge modelling and representation, technologies for reasoning and inference and web-based technologies. In the meantime, service systems have emerged and become increasingly important to value adding activities in the current knowledge economy. This paper provides a review on the recent advances in the three types of technologies, as well as the main application domains of KBDSS as service systems. Based on the examination of literature, future research directions are recommended for the development of KBDSS in general and in particular to support decision-making in service industry

Advances in Methodology and Applications of Decision Support Systems

These Proceedings are composed of a selection of papers of the Workshop on Advances in Methodology and Applications of Decision Support Systems, organized by the System and Decision Sciences (SDS) Program of IIASA and the Japan Institute of Systems Research (JISR). The workshop was held at IIASA on August 20-22, 1990. The Methodology of Decision Analysis (MDA) Project of the SDS Program focuses on a system-analytical approach to decision support and is devoted to developing methodology, software and applications of decision support systems concentrated primarily around interactive systems for data analysis, interpretation and multiobjective decisionmaking, including uncertainty analysis and group decision making situations in both their cooperative and noncooperative aspects. The objectives of the research on decision support systems (DSS) performed in cooperation with the MDA Project are to: compare various approaches to decision support systems; advance theory and methodology of decision support; convert existing theories and methodologies into usable (simple to use, user-friendly and robust) tools that could easily be used in solving real-life problems. A principal characteristic of decision support systems is that they must be tuned to specific decision situations, to complex real-life characteristics of every application. Even if the theory and methodology of decision support is quite advanced, every application might provide impulses for further theoretical and methodological advances. Therefore the principle underlying this project is that theoretical and methodological research should be strongly connected to the implementation and applications of its results to sufficiently complicated, real-life examples. This approach results in obtaining really applicable working tools for decision support. The papers for this Proceedings have been selected according to the above summarized framework of the research activities. Therefore, the papers deal both with theoretical and methodological problems and with real-life applications

Technology for a Smarter Planet: The Role of Cognitive Technologies and Open Innovation.

Information technology is making the human race smarter by increasing its cognitive capacity through at least two drivers: Open Innovation and cognitive computing. Open innovation allows leveraging the wisdom of the crowds by bringing in more people into the fold through open innovation platforms, open source development and citizen science. In this sense, open innovation is enabling harnessing of the latent cognitive surplus of the human race. The dawn of the cognitive computing era on the other hand, is affording new uses of computers in organizational decision making. Specifically, IT is now enabling organizations to scan, interpret and learn from larger subsets of their informational environment hitherto considered inaccessible and un-interpretable by computers. As organizations and individuals gain this sixth sense of sorts, they can make better resource allocation decisions. In my dissertation, I study both these technology developments and their role in making organizations smarter and thus better generators of value. The underlying motivation is that better organizational decisions will allow better use of scarcer resources making the planet more sustainable. In chapter 2, a purposive theoretical framework for synthesizing the role of IT in organizational decision making is attempted. The proposed interpretive model of IT, also achieves a clear delineation between the programmable and cognitive computing eras. In chapter 3, the antecedents of predictive analytics usage within firms are explored through an empirical study. In chapter 4, an empirical study of the idea selection process within an open innovation funnel is undertaken to explore the question whether open innovation funnels prefer innovative ideas over conservative ideas.PhDBusiness AdministrationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/113545/1/asharmaz_1.pd

Scenarios for system development: Matching context and strategy

A comparison of seventeen contingency models for system development (SD) led to the conclusion that no model supports all requested activities: diagnosing the contest, describing alternative approaches, matching context and approach, looking at social organizational issues, and supporting a dynamic fit between contest and approach. This study paid special attention to the social and organizational aspects of system development. Our contingency model specifies five possible types of risk (functional uncertainty, conflict potential, technical uncertainty and resistance potential) in system development that should be controlled. For each type, a corresponding proposition about its control was derived from this model and analysed in seven system development processes. We succeeded in explaining the outcome of the development process through the fit between context and situation, thereby gaining some preliminary support for the model. Still, the limitations of such a contingency model are to be taken seriously

An investigation into the impact of decision support systems on strategic marketing planning practice

Relatively few companies gain the benefits from marketing planning claimed by prescriptive literature. This results from cognitive, procedural, resource, organisational, cultural and data availability barriers to effective planning. Research in other domains suggests that decision support systems (DSS) could assist in reducing some of these barriers. The research aim was therefore to examine whether and how DSS could be used to improve strategic marketing planning practice. The research method incorporated: iterative development of a DSS named EXN4AR a formative evaluation of the prototype system using a survey and a multiple-case study; and a further multiple-case study of users of other, related systems to explore the extent to which the results from the EXMAR evaluation could be generalised. The study confirms that software can play a valuable role in reducing some of the barriers to effective planning. Systems can assist with the effective application of analytical marketing tools through automated calculations, graphical display and on-line guidance, thus reducing the technical marketing knowledge required. Support for fast iteration allows these tools to be used to facilitate group strategy debates. Endeavours to move planning out of the hands of specialists and into cross-functional teams can be further aided by cross-functional analyses and by automated assistance with managing the complexity of multiple-level plans. The electronic format can support moves towards continuous planning based on a live marketing model of the business, helping the organisation to respond to internal or external changes without the constraints of the annual planning cycle. Other barriers such as cultural problems must, however, be reduced by other means. Various factors contributing to success in system implementation are identified, including top management support, sufficiently wide planning team definition, appropriate definition of planning units, sufficiently flexible planning procedures, ease of use, and a system that is seen as empowering rather than controlling

A methodology for the selection of overall strategic performance measure for manufacturing business

This research has identified the performance measures congruent with each model during a business life cycle. Questionnaire surveys have also been carried out to complement and validate the theoretical models. The results of the survey generally confirm the expected measures derived from the theoretical models. The learning process for these newer industrial business organisations can be greatly reduced if the expertise and experience of the established manufacturing business organisations is made readily available. This is the motivation for this research and the methodology which has been developed. The research also proposes use of a knowledge based expert decision support system to encapsulate the methodology, and the wealth of expert knowledge in the domain of performance measures. A prototype knowledge based expert decision support system has been developed to test the concept. It is hoped that this research has achieved its aim to provide a new contribution in the manufacturing business organisation strategy domain and to the improvement of managerial productivity and effectiveness through better use of performance measures

Efficient Decision Support Systems

This series is directed to diverse managerial professionals who are leading the transformation of individual domains by using expert information and domain knowledge to drive decision support systems (DSSs). The series offers a broad range of subjects addressed in specific areas such as health care, business management, banking, agriculture, environmental improvement, natural resource and spatial management, aviation administration, and hybrid applications of information technology aimed to interdisciplinary issues. This book series is composed of three volumes: Volume 1 consists of general concepts and methodology of DSSs; Volume 2 consists of applications of DSSs in the biomedical domain; Volume 3 consists of hybrid applications of DSSs in multidisciplinary domains. The book is shaped decision support strategies in the new infrastructure that assists the readers in full use of the creative technology to manipulate input data and to transform information into useful decisions for decision makers