10.1 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

10Chapter

Improving Decision Improving Decision Making and Managing Making and Managing

KnowledgeKnowledge

Improving Decision Improving Decision Making and Managing Making and Managing

KnowledgeKnowledge

10.2 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

STUDENT OBJECTIVES

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

• Compare different types of decisions and describe the decision-making process.

• Evaluate the role of information systems in helping people working individually and in groups make decisions more effectively.

• Evaluate the business benefits of using intelligent techniques in decision making and knowledge management.

10.3 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

STUDENT OBJECTIVES

• Define and describe the types of systems used for enterprise-wide knowledge management and demonstrate how they provide value for businesses.

• Define and describe the major types of knowledge work systems and demonstrate how they provide value for firms.

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

10.4 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

Procter & Gamble Restructures Its Supply Chain

• Problem: Cost pressures, complex supply chain.

• Solutions: Deploy modeling and optimization software to maximize return on investment and predict the most successful supply chain.

• Modeling software fueled with data from Oracle data warehouse improved efficiency and reduced costs.

• Demonstrates IT’s role in restructuring a supply chain.

• Illustrates digital technology improving decision making through information systems.

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

10.5 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

Decision Making and Information Systems

Business Value of Improved Decision MakingBusiness Value of Improved Decision Making

• Measuring the value of improved decision making

• Identifying key decisions that may benefit from new system investments that could improve decision making

• Decisions may be common, routine, and numerous

• Value of improving multitudes of small decisions that may not provide much value as single decisions

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

10.6 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

Types of DecisionsTypes of Decisions

Decision Making and Information Systems

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

• Unstructured

• Structured

• Semistructured

10.7 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

Figure 10-1

Senior managers, middle managers, operational managers, and employees have different types of decisions and information requirements.

Information Requirements of Key Decision-Making Information Requirements of Key Decision-Making Groups in a FirmGroups in a Firm

Decision Making and Information Systems

10.8 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

The Decision-Making ProcessThe Decision-Making Process

Decision Making and Information Systems

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

• Intelligence

• Design

• Choice

• Implementation

10.9 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

Decision Making and Information Systems

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

Figure 10-2The decision-making process can be broken down into four stages.

Stages in Decision MakingStages in Decision Making

10.10 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

Quality of Decisions and Decision MakingQuality of Decisions and Decision Making

Decision Making and Information Systems

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

• Accuracy

• Comprehensiveness

• Fairness

• Speed (efficiency)

• Coherence

• Due process

10.11 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

Systems and Technologies for Supporting DecisionsSystems and Technologies for Supporting Decisions

Decision Making and Information Systems

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

• Management information systems (MIS)

• Decision-support systems (DSS)

• Executive support systems (ESS)

• Group-decision support systems (GDSS)

• Intelligent techniques

10.12 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

Management Information Systems (MIS)Management Information Systems (MIS)

Systems for Decision Support

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

• Help managers monitor and control a business

• Produce regular reports on performance, such as monthly or annual sales

• Sometimes highlight exceptional conditions

• Reports often available online

10.13 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

Decision-Support Systems (DSS)Decision-Support Systems (DSS)

• Support semistructured and unstructured problem analysis

• Model-driven

• “What-if” analysis

• Data-driven

• Online analytical processing (OLAP)

Systems for Decision Support

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

10.14 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

Components of DSSComponents of DSS

Systems for Decision Support

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

• DSS database

• DSS software system

• Models

• Sensitivity analysis

• DSS user interface

10.15 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

Examples of DSSExamples of DSS

Systems for Decision Support

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

• Burlington Coat Factory: DSS for pricing decisions

• Parkway Corporation: DSS for asset utilization

• Compass Bank: DSS for customer relationship management

10.16 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

Data Visualization and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)Data Visualization and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Systems for Decision Support

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

• Data visualization tools present data in graphical form to help users see patterns and relationships in large quantities of data

• Geographic information systems (GIS) use data visualization technology to analyze and display data in the form of digitized maps

• GIS support decisions that require knowledge about the geographic distribution of people or other resources

10.17 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

Systems for Decision Support

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

Bermuda’s High-Tech Rat TrapBermuda’s High-Tech Rat Trap

• Read the Focus on Technology and then discuss the following questions:

• What was the problem facing the island of Bermuda?

• What was the business impact of the problem?

• How did the GIS solve the problem?

• Was it a good solution?

• Describe the technology involved in the solution.

• Do you think there was room for improvement on any aspect of the solution? What else might have been done?

10.18 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

Systems for Decision Support

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

Interactive Session: GISInteractive Session: GIS

• What other kinds of problems can you think of that could be solved using geographic information systems?

• How would GIS technology provide a solution in your example?

• Are there any disadvantages or negative consequences of GIS technology? What are they?

10.19 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

Web-Based Customer Decision-Support Systems (CDSS)Web-Based Customer Decision-Support Systems (CDSS)

Systems for Decision Support

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

• Interactivity and personalization

• Intensity of information

• Customer decision-support systems assist customers in the decision-making process

• Search engines, intelligent agents, online catalogs, Web directories, newsgroups, e-mail, etc.

10.20 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

Executive Support Systems (ESS)Executive Support Systems (ESS)

• Give senior executives a picture of the overall performance of an organization

• Enable an executive to zoom in on details or zoom out for a broader view

• Drill down capability

• Digital dashboard

Systems for Decision Support

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

10.21 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

Group Decision-Support Systems (GDSS)Group Decision-Support Systems (GDSS)

• Interactive, computer-based systems that facilitates solving of unstructured problems by a set of decision makers

• Used in conference rooms with special hardware and software

• Support increased meeting sizes with increased productivity

Systems for Decision Support

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

10.22 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

• Artificial intelligence (AI)

• Expert systems• Knowledge base• Inference engine• Knowledge engineer

• Case-based reasoning

• Fuzzy logic systems

• Neural networks

• Genetic algorithms

• Intelligent agents

Intelligent Systems for Decision Support

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

10.23 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

Figure 10-11Intelligent agents are helping Procter & Gamble shorten the replenishment cycles for products, such as a box of Tide.

Intelligent Agents in P&G’s Supply Chain NetworkIntelligent Agents in P&G’s Supply Chain Network

Intelligent Systems for Decision Support

10.24 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

• Structured knowledge systems

• Semistructured knowledge systems

• Knowledge network systems

• Portals, collaboration tools, and learning management systems

Enterprise-Wide Knowledge Management SystemsEnterprise-Wide Knowledge Management Systems

Systems for Managing Knowledge

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

Knowledge management: business processes developed for creating, storing, transferring, and applying knowledge

10.25 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

Stikeman Elliott Computerizes Its BrainpowerStikeman Elliott Computerizes Its Brainpower

• Read the Focus on Organizations and then discuss the following questions:

• What are the problems and challenges that a law firm such as Stikeman Elliott faces?

• What solutions are available to solve these problems?

• How did implementing Hummingbird address these problems?

• How successful was the solution?

• Did Stikeman Elliott choose the best alternative?

Systems for Managing Knowledge

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

10.26 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

Interactive Session: Stikeman ElliottInteractive Session: Stikeman Elliott

Systems for Managing Knowledge

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

• Present an example of a knowledge management system that you encounter in your everyday life

• Describe the type of knowledge in the system and who uses it

• How does this system increase the value of the knowledge it manages?

• What are the benefits of the system to the user?

• How could the system be improved?

10.27 © 2007 by Prentice Hall

Knowledge Work Systems (KWS)Knowledge Work Systems (KWS)

Systems for Managing Knowledge

Essentials of Business Information SystemsEssentials of Business Information SystemsChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing KnowledgeChapter 10 Improving Decision Making and Managing Knowledge

• Requirements of knowledge work systems

• Examples of knowledge work systems

• Computer-aided design (CAD) systems

• Virtual reality systems

• Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML)

• Investment workstations