A case study in multiple criteria decision support systems

Evaluation of strategic alternatives is an important task for strategic managers. This is a difficult task due to inherent complexities of the evaluation process and lack of structured information. The evaluation process must consider external opportunities and threats, and internal strengths and weaknesses. This paper presents a case study in multiple criteria decision support systems. The decision support system presented in this paper utilizes the model presented in the appendix along with several computer systems including EXPERT CHOICE and Spreadsheets to enhance and aid the decision maker\u27s- intuition in evaluating potential alternatives

A clustering algorithm to identify information subsystems

This paper presents an algorithm to cluster the entities and relationships identified by database designers into a set of internally cohesive subsystems. Our algorithm is based on the calculation of a distance score that is inversely related to the similarity of interactions of a pair of entities with the relationships in a binary entity-relationship matrix. Our algorithm avoids manual manipulation of rows and columns required by some of the available approaches (Feldman et al, 1986; Teorey, et al, 1989). It has been implemented on a PC, and does not require a super computer as the Wei and Gaither (1990) method does. Using a part-machine clustering problem presented by King (1980), we also show that our algorithm is superior to King\u27s rank order cluster algorithm which requires manual intervention to suppress exceptional entries before one can arrive at the final solution. Directions for further research are identified

Immediate induction of labor in premature rupture of membranes at term (PROMT)-vaginal Misoprostol tablet versus PGE2 gel: a randomized comparative study

Background: The aim of the study is to compare immediate induction with vaginal misoprostol tablet and immediate induction with vaginal PGE2 gel in women with premature rupture of membranes at term (PROMT).Methods: Nine hundred thirty-two women with PROM at term were assigned randomly to receive intravaginal 25μg misoprostol tablet, 4 hourly with a maximum of 5 doses or 0.5 mg vaginal PGE2 gel 6 hourly with a maximum of 2 doses. The primary outcome measures were cesarean section rate, admission to delivery interval and induction to delivery interval. Secondary outcomes included, mode of delivery, and maternal and neonatal safety outcome. Results were calculated applying Fisher Exact Test, Chi square test, t test and calculating the P-value using an alpha level of 0.05 for Type I error.Results: The mean time from admission to delivery was 13.16 hours in the misoprostol group and 13.56 hours in the PGE2 group (P= 0.3014). Induction to delivery interval was also comparable between the groups (10.23 h versus 10.18 h).Caesarean section rate did not differ significantly between groups (12.13% versus 15.74% ,P=0.135 RR 0.783 95% CI 0.568-1.079).More women in misoprostol group had instrumental delivery (7.57% versus 4.25%, P=0.031, RR 1.089 95% CI 1.04-3.03).The  neonatal outcomes were comparable between the groups . Maternal outcomes were not significantly different except incidence of analgesic use (P=0.009 RR 1.62 95% CI 1.03-1.30), meconium stained liquor (P=.0096 RR 2.03 CI 1.17-3.53) and   number of digital vaginal examinations (P<.0001) in misoprostol group.Conclusions: Vaginal misoprostol is equally efficacious in labor induction and demonstrates a similar fetal and maternal safety profile to PGE2 gel

Strategic Assessment Model (SAM): A Multiple Criteria Decision Support System for Evaluation of Strategic Alternatives

The evaluation of strategic alternatives is a particularly difficult task. This difficulty is due to the complexities inherent in the evaluation process and the lack of structured information. The evaluation process must consider a multitude of relevant information from both the internal and external environments of the organization. Various analytical and normative models have helped decision makers utilize large volumes of information in strategic evaluation; however, most of these models have some limitations. We present a multiple criteria decision support system, called strategic assessment model (SAM), that addresses some of the limitations inherent in the existing models. SAM captures the decision maker\u27s beliefs through a series of sequential, rational, and analytical processes. The environmental forces—decomposed into internal, task, general opportunities, and threats—are used along with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), subjective probabilities, the entropy concept, and utility theory to enhance the decision maker\u27s intuition in evaluating a set of strategic alternatives

EVALUATING STRATEGIC ALTERNATIVES: AN ANALYTICAL MODEL

Scope and Purpose--Strategic decision making is an extremely complex and difficult process. Hofer and Schendel note that most decision makers perform far better when they separate this process into distinct steps, address each step separately, and then combine the results at the end. In this paper we present a structured approach involving a specific step-by-step procedure designed to enhance the objectivity of the strategic decision making process. The proposed approach uses an analytical model to rank strategic alternatives based on their expected risks and returns. The information provided by the model can significantly support and supplement the decision maker's intuition. Abstract--The amount of information involved in strategic decision making and the computational limitations of human decision makers makes strategy selection a difficult task. Various approaches from sheer intuition to computerized decision systems have been proposed for strategy selection. In this paper we present an analytical model which systematically evaluates a series of strategic alternatives by decomposing environmental opportunities and threats into internal, transactional, and contextual segments. Judgments about opportunities and threats are used to obtain two composite weighted scores measuring the risk and return associated with each strategic alternative. The proposed system puts the decision maker and the computer into an interactive partnership by providing a formal and systematic approach to strategy selection while using the computer to manage complex logical processes and vast amounts of information. 1