Measuring DSS Effectiveness in a Simulated Environment

This study uses a business game as a vehicle for implementing decision support systems (DSS). Fifty-Eight companies, consisting of about 300 senior graduate students participating in a business game, developed DSS and reported on the systems developed. Questionnaires were later used to evaluate a number of relevant variables: use of systems, contribution of systems, and user satisfaction. Findings, consistent with previous empirical studies, strengthen the validity of the simulation exercise as a useful tool for measuring DSS effectiveness

USING DSS IN THE CLASSROOM

This research investigates the use of decision support systems while employing a classroom simulation game as a methodology. The goal of this paper is to find the unique patterns associated with the systems. Several techniques are employed to build the decision support model. The proposed model is applied in one MBA class and proved by the participants of the simulation experiments. Consequently, the model provides a feasible route to guide information technology specialists to establish effective and efficient decision support systems

Simulating Decision Support Systems: A Laboratory Experiment

This study implements decision support systems (DSS) in a business simulation game. Fifty-Eight companies, consisting of about 300 senior graduate students participating in a business game, developed DSS and reported on the systems developed. We later evaluated a number of variables related to their DSS: use of systems, contribution of systems, and user satisfaction. Our findings validate the use of the simulation exercise as a practical tool for measuring DSS effectiveness

The Effect of Age and Advice Accuracy on Compliance with Decision Support

This thesis was designed to determine whether age or the accuracy of advice provided significantly effects compliance with a computerized decision support assistant. 48 participants in two groups, aged 20-40 (younger adults) and 41-69 (older adults), performed a monitoring/vigilance task intended to be similar to screening baggage with an X-ray monitor. A decision support assistant was provided to assist participants in choosing one out of four gray circles that had the most contrast with the background screen. Compliance with the decision support assistant\u27s advice was then assessed. Results indicated that the level of advice accuracy did have a significant effect on compliance with decision support. As the advice accuracy level decreased, compliance decreased for both age groups. Although previous literature indicates that older adults may have negative attitudes toward computers, no significance was found for age or the interaction effect of age and advice accuracy on compliance with decision support technology

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

Mapas cognitivos difusos para apoio à decisão

Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico.Este trabalho apresenta uma nova metodologia, que permite utilizar um mapa cognitivo difuso - um modelo representando os meios disponíveis a um indivíduo difusamente conectados aos fins que ele deseja alcançar - para auxiliar a construção (estruturação) de problemas de um tomador de decisão, e apoiar a exploração da influência que as alternativas de decisão exercem sobre seus valores (fins). A partir do estabelecimento dos pressupostos teóricos, em especial da adoção da visão construtivista, a pesquisa propõe uma estrutura de mapa cognitivo que visa permitir a apoio à decisão em ambas as fases do processo: estruturação do problema e exploração das alternativas. A modelagem leva explicitamente em conta as limitações cognitivas do indivíduo em fornecer informações sobre suas preferências e percepções. Um experimento de campo, na forma de pesquisa-ação, foi conduzido, visando o teste do método. Conclusões, limitações e sugestões para pesquisas futuras são apresentadas ao final do trabalho

Comment structurer le problème de l'étalement urbain? : une approche concertée pour représenter la complexité territoriale

Enjeu majeur de la planification métropolitaine, la gestion de l’étalement urbain soulève le défi de saisir un phénomène complexe dans son ensemble. Cette complexité renvoie à la difficulté de proposer une représentation d’un problème toujours spécifique à un territoire, et perçu différemment par un ensemble varié d’acteurs. Les approches méthodologiques d’aide au diagnostic comme la méthode de cartographie cognitive de groupe semble adéquate pour faire émerger une représentation partagée des mécanismes explicatifs d’un phénomène, mais son utilisation invite à s’interroger sur la crédibilité scientifique des résultats obtenus. Une expérience de cartographie de groupe a d’abord été testée in situ puis évaluée de façon réflexive entre 2006 et 2007. Les recommandations proposées pour manipuler la complexité territoriale et accompagner le débat ont joué un rôle décisif sur un processus de concertation des acteurs de l’étalement urbain dans la région de Québec. Celui-ci a débuté par une analyse de la presse écrite publiée entre 2006 et 2009 afin d’explorer les représentations des acteurs ainsi que leur interaction potentielle. Un forum de discussion a ensuite été organisé sur une journée en 2009. Une trentaine d’acteurs ont ainsi négocié une représentation partagée des enjeux de l’étalement, de ses principaux mécanismes et des interventions qui devraient être priorisées. Les résultats de ce forum, soit un ensemble de cartes cognitives et leur négociation, sont enfin analysés en appliquant notamment la théorie des graphes. On observe ainsi que l’étalement urbain émerge de mécanismes territoriaux complexes et tortueux. Les représentations produites révèlent des contradictions entre les effets recherchés et subis de l’étalement, mais aussi les enjeux individuels et collectifs difficiles à concilier. Toutefois, les acteurs de Québec ont des représentations plus complémentaires que contradictoires et un modèle consensuel est mis en évidence. Ce modèle, rigoureusement comparé à la littérature scientifique récente et la plus citée sur l’étalement urbain en Amérique du nord, renforce à la fois sa crédibilité et sa spécificité. L’importance d’évaluer les représentations partagées construites lors de processus de concertation est ainsi démontrée, ce qui conduit finalement à proposer une approche générale pour manipuler la complexité territoriale, utile aux outils d’aide au diagnostic.Managing urban sprawl at a metropolitan scale challenges planners to comprehend a complex phenomenon holistically. The complexity comes from the difficulty of building a shared understanding of a problem that is always specific to a particular territory, but which is subject to a range of perceptions among a varied set of stakeholders. Current decision-support tools such as group cognitive mapping are increasingly used to diagnose complex and fuzzy problems, and promise to help develop a shared appreciation of concepts and explanatory mechanisms. However the results obtained often remain questionable in terms of scientific credibility. A preliminary trial of group cognitive mapping was implemented in situ and assessed reflexively between 2006 and 2007. Recommendations for improving the handling of territorial complexity, and for supporting the debate among stakeholders, led to further investigation into how best to consult those with an interest in urban sprawl. An analysis of written press coverage, published between 2006 and 2009, was used to explore stakeholders’ representations, and the potential for networking and interaction between stakeholders. Then, a one-day forum, held in 2009, was organized around twelve discussion groups. This allowed about thirty stakeholders with very diverse roles in the Quebec City metropolitan area to negotiate a shared understanding of sprawl, including the main issues, the explanatory mechanisms, and the priority interventions that should be considered. The result of the forum, expressed as a series of group cognitive maps, and summaries of the negotiation processes that led to them, was then analysed using methods based to a large extent on graph theory. From this we can observe that urban sprawl seems to emerge from complex and tortuous mechanisms, underlying contradictions between desired effects and their counterparts, as well as between individual and collective interests that are hard to reconcile. However, once surfaced, the stakeholders’ representations were more complementary than contradictory, and as a result it was possible to reach a consensus on a shared conceptual model. In the final stage of this research, the group model was rigorously compared to recent and most-cited scientific literature in North America, confirming both its scientific credibility and its applicability. The results thus reveal the relevance of assessing group models built interactively during the consultation process, and this leads to a proposed general approach for handling territorial complexity as a cornerstone of decision-support tools for the diagnosis of urban problems