Time/place Framework pg 441

The effectiveness of collaborative computing technology depends on the location of the group members and on the time that shared info is sent and recieved.

When information is sent and recieved almost simultaneously, the communication is said to be synchronous (real-time): Telephones,IM and face to face meetings are egs.

Asynchronous communication occurs when the reciever gets the information at a different time than it was sent: email

Groupware

primary objective to support group work.

can support direct or indirect decision making

pro's/cons for working in groups pg 437

Group decision making process pg 436

characteristsics of groupwork page 436

• performs a task
• may be located in different locations
• may work at different times
• work for the same of different orgs
• groups is remporary or permanent
• can span several managerial levels
• may be synergy or conflict
• creates gains/or losses in productivity
• may have t be done quickly
• may be impossible or too expensive for all team members to meet in one location face to face
• needed data may come from many different sources, including external ones
• expertise of non team members maybe required
• should concerntrate on decision making

Electronic Meeting Systems (EMS)

Electronic Meeting Systems (EMS) is a collaborative tool for GSS

Different Time

General characteristics include:

• If one member disagrees, the others may well need re-consulting (chasing one’s tail situation)
• By keeping each team member’s comments confidential, members tend to not feel constrained or threatened (junior members often feel less inhibited as a result)

Same Time

General characteristics include:

• Preferable for decision-making
• Facilitated by:

1. video-conferencing, and
2. multi-media presentations
3. electronic white boards,

• Data/document sharing comparatively simple
• Web based GSS preferable support tool

Collaboration support

Four scenarios:

• Same place, same time
• Same place, different time
• Different place, same time
• Different place, different time

communication Support

• Vital element for decision support
• Modern information technologies via the Web provide:

1. Inexpensive
2. Fast
3. Capable
4. Reliable

means of supporting communications

• Enabling Platforms:

1. Internet/Intranet/Extranet

Group Support Systems

• Group Decision-Making
• Group Communication

1. Communication support

• Group Collaboration

1. Collaboration support

• Group Support Systems

1. Technologies/Tools

Internal Data page 98

The term “internal data” is used here to denote any information useful to the decision-making process found within the company.

http://www.gestiondesarts.com/index.php?id=783

Levels of DSS models - Strategic, Tactical, Operational page 105

http://www.smallbusinesshq.com.au/factsheet/20305-Tips-on-Strategic-Tactical-and-Operational-Decision-Making.htm

Strategic Decisions - 'What?'

Strategic decisions deal with the big picture of your business. The focus of strategic decisions is typically external to the business and usually future oriented. Strategic decision-making creates the forward thrust in the business.

It includes decisions about:

• What business are you in?
• What is your vision for the business?
• What's your business' identity?
• What do you stand for?
• Which direction is the business headed?
• How will the business compete?

Corporations often capture their overall business strategy in a "Statement of Intent" and it's an excellent term for describing what strategic decision-making is. Too often people confuse strategic decisions with tactical decisions and fail to really examine the big picture. It can lead to stagnation in the business and an inability to move forward.

Top managers

Tactical Decisions - 'How?'

Tactical decisions involve the establishment of key initiatives to achieve the overall strategy. For example, if you have decided to be the Number 1 provider in your market (a strategic decision) then you will develop tactics (e.g. implement a marketing system, increase number of therapists) to achieve that outcome. In a small business you may have 4 or 5 key tactics that you are going to use to achieve your overall strategy.

Again this layer of decision-making can sometimes be overlooked yet it is the glue that creates a strong connection between your long-term vision and your day-to-day activities. Tactical decision-making is the domain of 'mission' statements.

Think in terms of the battlefields from which the term has emerged. The overall strategy, that is, what the army is there to do, is to win the war. Then you have a number of 'missions' you send troops on, preferably diplomatic ones, the cumulative effect of which is intended to win the war.

Operational Decisions - 'How will we deploy resources?'

Operational decisions determine how activities actually get done. They are the 'grass roots' decisions about who is going to do what and when. It includes:

• How will we spend our money this month?
• How will we service that client?
• What is our procedure for delivering an order?
• Who will be doing quality control?

If you are making decisions involving processes and procedures they are usually operational decisions. Operational decisions are often made in 'real time' and are the result of needing to make quick adjustments or change to achieve the desired outcome.

http://www.enotes.com/business-finance-encyclopedia/decision-making

STRATEGIC, TACTICAL, AND OPERATIONAL DECISIONS

People at different levels in a company have different types of decision-making responsibilities.

Strategic decisions, which affect the long-term direction of the entire company, are typically made by top managers. Examples of strategic decisions might be to focus efforts on a newproduct or to increase production output. These types of decisions are often complex and the outcomes uncertain, because available information is often limited. Managers at this level must often depend on past experiences and their instincts when making strategic decisions.

Tactical decisions, which focus on more intermediate-term issues, are typically made by middle managers. The purpose of decisions made at this level is to help move the company closer to reaching the strategic goal. Examples of tactical decisions might be to pick an advertising agency to promote a newproduct or to provide an incentive plan to employees to encourage increased production.

Operational decisions focus on day-to-day activities within the company and are typically made by lower-level managers. Decisions made at this level help to ensure that daily activities proceed smoothly and therefore help to move the company toward reaching the strategic goal. Examples of operational decisions include scheduling employees, handling employee conflicts, and purchasing rawmaterials needed for production.

It should be noted that in many "flatter" organizations, where the middle management level has been eliminated, both tactical and operational decisions are made by lower-level management and/or teams of employees.

Regression analysis

regression analysis refers to techniques for modeling and analyzing several variables, when the focus is on the relationship between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables.

Regression analysis is widely used for prediction (including forecasting of time-series data).

from wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regression_analysis

Semi structured problems page 14

Fall between structured and unstructured problems, having some structured elements and some unstructured elements.

eg's

• Trading bonds
• setting marketing budgets
• capital aquisition analysis

see chart

Modelling and Analysis

Sean O'Sullivan: Modelling - building a model of the problem that will generate the alternatives. Sep 29, 2009 1:00:53 PM EST
Sean O'Sullivan: Analysis - incorporating the functions and process that will evalueate each alternative. Sep 29, 2009 1:01:55 PM EST
Sean O'Sullivan: 'processes that will evaluate' Sep 29, 2009 1:02:16 PM EST
Sean O'Sullivan: And then we strike a BIG problem! Sep 29, 2009 1:02:58 PM EST
Sean O'Sullivan: which is -- many problems are very different from each other. for example ' what is the best roster for next month?' or 'how shoudl I spend my marketing budget for the year?' Sep 29, 2009 1:04:23 PM EST
Sean O'Sullivan: Each of these two problems require different modelling and analysis, and each will probably need a different DSS. Sep 29, 2009 1:05:23 PM EST

Can you give an example of how a DSS might help wiht intelligence?

Sean O'Sullivan: A DSS that is focused on a database might provide a list of all the staff who are available at the required times with associated lists of their skills and costs (wages etc)... Sep 29, 2009 12:42:52 PM EST
Sean O'Sullivan: And you as the manager can then use this information to develop several alternative rosters ...(Design) Sep 29, 2009 12:43:39 PM EST
Sean O'Sullivan: .. and then choose the best roster ... (Choice) ... and then put it into place (Implementation) Sep 29, 2009 12:45:39 PM EST
Sean O'Sullivan: It can be useful to think of decision support as a COLLABORATION between a human decision-maker and a DSS. Sep 29, 2009 12:49:00 PM EST

Sean O'Sullivan: It turns out that the simplest of teh four stages to do aas a DSS is teh design stage. Iterlligence is very complex, choice is untrustworthy, and implementation is often outside teh scope of automated systems. ( Iw ant the house painted pink!) Sep 29, 2009 12:54:00 PM EST

What is the relationship of the DSS and its components to a MSS?

JENNIFER MCCOWATT: I figure a DSS is a variety of MSS with special features Sep 29, 2009 1:25:22 PM EST
Sean O'Sullivan: MSS = Management support system; DSS = Decision support system; Managers do many things including making decisions. A DSS is a specialised form of MSS that focuses on helping managers make good decisions. Sep 29, 2009 1:27:11 PM EST

What is a 'static' model?

Sean O'Sullivan: You might use a static model a vast number of times. Sep 29, 2009 1:10:53 PM EST
Sean O'Sullivan: If you have a still camera and a movie camera, which will produce a static model? Sep 29, 2009 1:12:19 PM EST
JENNIFER MCCOWATT: still camera Sep 29, 2009 1:12:27 PM EST
Sean O'Sullivan: Corect, but why do you think this is so? Sep 29, 2009 1:12:49 PM EST
Sean O'Sullivan: corect = correct Sep 29, 2009 1:12:58 PM EST
JENNIFER MCCOWATT: Because it is one shot. Many shots would produce dynamic Sep 29, 2009 1:13:23 PM EST
Sean O'Sullivan: yes a static model represents a single 'snapshot' of the problem with a sepfied set of inputs and conditions. 'What will the monthly payments on my home loan be if I borrow $100,000 for 20 years at a fixed interest rate of 4%?' Sep 29, 2009 1:15:47 PM EST
Sean O'Sullivan: sepfied = specified Sep 29, 2009 1:16:09 PM EST
Sean O'Sullivan: And I could use the same static model again but with a different set of inputs and conditions ..".What will the monthly payments on my home loan be if I borrow $200,000 for 15 years at a fixed interest rate of 3.5%? Sep 29, 2009 1:17:25 PM EST
If you have a still camera and a movie camera, which will produce a dynamic model? Sep 29, 2009 1:17:51 PM EST
JENNIFER MCCOWATT: the movie camera Sep 29, 2009 1:17:59 PM EST
Sean O'Sullivan: Yes -- "Many shots would produce dynamic" -- Dynamic models are usually (but not always) associated with time. Sep 29, 2009 1:19:38 PM EST
JENNIFER MCCOWATT: Right Sep 29, 2009 1:20:34 PM EST
Sean O'Sullivan: Particulary if the problem involves inputs and conditions that do or might change with time. Sep 29, 2009 1:20:42 PM EST
JENNIFER MCCOWATT: Like a variable interest rate? Sep 29, 2009 1:21:07 PM EST
Sean O'Sullivan: Good example, and the dynamic model for such a problem would have to include some way to model the variation in the interest rate. Sep 29, 2009 1:22:25 PM EST

ass 2 links

http://dssresources.com/

http://dssresources.com/faq/index.php?action=artikel&id=56

http://www.bestpricecomputers.co.uk/glossary/decision-support-systems.htm

The components of DSS Mathematical problems PART 2 page 92

Data management subsystem

• inlcudes a database that contains relevenat data, managed by DBMS. CAn be interconnected with DW.

1. DSS database

• internal data: from orgs Transaction Processing System (TPS). Monthly payroll, operational data from functional areas of the business, machine maintenance scheduling. future hiring pans. Included in DW.
• external data: industry data, market research consensus data, govt regs, tax rate schedules, national economic data.
• private data: guidlines used by specific decision makers as assesments of specific data and or situations.
  

1. DBMS
2. Data query
3. Query facility
   

Model management subsytem

software package: financial, statictsical, management science, quantitive models that provide analytical capabilities and software mgt. Often call model base management system MBMS. Can be connected to external storage.

• Model base

1. Strategic models: used by top managers for strategic planning responsibilities.
2. Tactical models: used by middel managers for allocation and controlling orgs resources.
3. Operational models: support day to day working activities.
4. Analytical models: used to perform analysis on data.
   

• MBMS
• Modeling langugae
• Model directory
• Model execution, integration, command processor.
  

User interface subsytem

User commiunicated with and comand the DSS. User is considered part of the system.

Knowledge based management subsytem

can support any of the other components or act as independant component. Augments system/ decision maker with intelligence.

Differenc between DSS and BI page 90

DSS generaly built to solve a specific problem and contains its on databases.

BI apps focus on reporting and identify problems by scanning data extracted from the DW (Date Warehouse)

DSS Characteristics and capabilities page 90

Total Cost of Ownership TOC

Return on Investment ROI