Page 36 - Information Management 3rd Edition

Information Management
where success criteria are not clear. It was developed to overcome the rigidity of the MIS with its reporting structures and limitations.
The DSS can be used in several ways, such as in financial services where insurance agents need to structure sales situations and respond to clients’ requests by choosing the best combination from a set of options. The DSS does not provide the decision, but it provides information about different options that the manager will use to make the decision.
The main characteristics of a DSS are to:
• provide support for decision-makers in either unstructured or semi-structured situations by combining computerised information with human judgement,
• increase the number of alternatives,
• enable more rapid response to unexpected situations,
• enhance teamwork by providing support to all involved, and
• improve management control.
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Senior and top managers also use executive support systems (ESSs) to make decisions
and serve the strategic level of the business. They address non-routine decisions
requiring judgement, evaluation and insight. ESSs create a generalised computing
and communications environment rather than any fixed application or specific
capability. The focus is on long-term trends, internally and externally. External
changes must be noted to adjust internally and thereby remain competitive. Examples are the long-term industry trends and future products of the industry.
The system gathers information from many different sources and this information is put on an information technology system. This system must be user-friendly so that the managers do not spend all their time trying to operate the system instead of easily accessing the information they need.
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The information must, of course, be relevant to the decisions the managers need to take. This information will be on matters such as competitors, the economy,
politics, customer needs and government rules and regulations. The information must be presented graphically, where possible, and summarised to save time when working through it. Details must be available on request. This system makes use of the available databases, internally and externally, as well as a database specifically designed for this purpose.
2.9.3 Expert systems
Some businesses also make use of an expert system. This system is more advanced than the DSS and can arrive at a decision when certain facts are given to it. The system is programmed to select specific options when receiving certain inputs. A specialist in the field of application should assist the developer/programmer to design such a system. Data about the specific field is collected from a specialist and placed in a database. Managers can then extract this expertise when a problem arises. Once the system is in operation, a specialist is not needed to use the system.
Businesses also make use of network systems called intranets and extranets. These systems are computer networks that link different people in the business and allow them to communicate electronically and to share databases. Information can be transferred and shared by using these computer linkages. The system can
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