Chapter 9
Information, Decision
Support…





Please discontinue use of cell
phone and turn off ringer
Succeeding with Technology
Decision Making and Problem Solving
Management Information Systems
Decision Support Systems
Group Decision Support Systems
Artificial Intelligence and Special-Purpose
Systems
9.1
Decision Making and
Problem Solving
Key Terms
•
•
•
•
•
•
Decision making
Problem solving
Programmed decisions
Nonprogrammed decisions
Optimization model
Heuristics
Succeeding with Technology
Decision Making
& Problem Solving Process
Intelligence Stage
Potential Problems and
opportunities are identified
and defined
Design Stage
Alternative solutions to the
problem are developed
Choice Stage
Select a course of
action
Decision
Making
Problem
Solving
Implementation
Solution put into
effect
Monitoring
Evaluate the
implementation
Succeeding with Technology
Decision Types
Programmed decisions
MIS
Structured situations with well defined
relationships
Quantifiable
Non-programmed decisions
DSS
Ill-structured situations with vague or changing
relationships between variables
Not easily quantifiable in advance
Succeeding with Technology
MIS vs. DSS
 A MIS sheds light on a
wide-range of common,
day-to-day business
decisions.
Succeeding with Technology
 A DSS supports
decision making for
specific unique and
difficult decisions.
Optimization and Heuristic
Approaches
 An optimization model finds the best
solution, usually the one that will best help
individuals or organizations meet their goals.
 Heuristics, often referred to as “rules of
thumb”—commonly accepted guidelines or
procedures that usually find a good solution,
but not necessarily the optimal solution—are
often used in the decision-making process.
Succeeding with Technology
9.2
Management Information
Systems
Key Terms
•
•
•
•
Management Information System (MIS)
Scheduled report
Demand report
Exception report
Succeeding with Technology
Management Information
Systems (MIS)
 MIS: an information system
designed to provide routine
information to managers
and decision makers
 Example:
Search for a car on edmunds
Succeeding with Technology
MIS Input and Output
Succeeding with Technology
Reports, Reports, Reports
www.cognos.com/products/business_intelligence/reporting_sapbw/
Succeeding with Technology
Reports
 Scheduled Reports are produced
periodically on a schedule; daily, weekly,
monthly, quarterly, annually, etc.
 Demand Reports are developed to get
certain information at a person’s request.
 Exception Reports are automatically
produced when a situation is unusual or
requires action.
Succeeding with Technology
9.3
Decision Support Systems
Key Terms
• Decision Support System
• What-if analysis
• Goal-seeking analysis
Succeeding with Technology
Decision Support Systems
 A decision support system (DSS) is
an information system used to support
problem-specific decision making.
www.epocrates.com
Succeeding with Technology
What-if?
 What-if analysis
is the process of
making
hypothetical
changes to
problem data
and observing
the impact on the
results.
Succeeding with Technology
What-if is used in projecting paths of hurricanes
Goal-seeking
 Goal-seeking analysis is the process of
determining what problem data is required
for a given result.
What must be done in order to safely
withdraw troops within a year?
What if??? Excel Grade
Individual Activity
Succeeding with Technology
9.4
Group Decision Support
Systems
Key Terms
• Group decision support system (GDSS)
• Groupware
Succeeding with Technology
Group Decision Support
Systems (GDSS)
 A GDSS or
computerized
collaborative work
system is
designed to
provide effective
support in group
decision-making
settings.
A GDSS is flexible, supports anonymous input, and reduces negative group dynamics
Succeeding with Technology
Groupware
 GDSS software, called groupware, helps
with joint work group scheduling,
communication, and management.
www.lotus.com
Succeeding with Technology
9.5
AI and Special-Purpose
Systems
Key Terms
•
•
•
•
•
•
Robotics
Vision systems
Natural language processing
Learning systems
Neural network
Fuzzy logic
Succeeding with Technology
•
•
•
•
•
•
Genetic algorithm
Intelligent agent
Expert system (ES)
Virtual reality
Geographic information system (GIS)
Game theory
An Overview of AI
 AI systems simulate human thought and
behavior.
www.cyc.com
Succeeding with Technology
Interesting Statistics
 It has been estimated that
computers that can exhibit
humanlike intelligence –
including musical and
artistic aptitude, creativity,
the ability to move
physically through the
world, and emotional
responsiveness – require
processing power of 20
million billion calculations
per second (petaflops).
Succeeding with Technology
Succeeding with Technology
Robotics
 Robotics involves
developing mechanical
or computer devices to
perform tasks that
require a high degree
of precision or are
tedious or hazardous
for humans.
 ASIMO Demo
Succeeding with Technology
Other Forms of AI
 Vision systems permit computers to
capture store and interpret visual imaged
and pictures.
 Natural language processing, or speech
recognition, allows a computer to
understand and react to statements and
commands made in a natural language.
 Learning systems allow the computer to
change how it functions or reacts to
situations based on feedback it receives.
Succeeding with Technology
Specialized Systems
 A geographic
information system
(GIS) is capable of
storing, manipulating, and
displaying geographic or
spatial information
including maps of
locations or regions
around the world.
 Google Earth
 Zillow
Succeeding with Technology
Specialized Systems
 Game theory involves
developing strategies for people,
organizations, or even countries
that are competing against each
other.
 Informatics combines traditional
disciplines, like science and
medicine, with computer systems
and technology.
Succeeding with Technology
Chapter 9 Questions?
Don’t forget to turn
your phone on!!
Succeeding with Technology