by Chan Kok-Wing, Chu Ming-Cheung. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1985. / Bibliography: leaves 100-102.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Alfred P. Sloan School of Management, 1982. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND DEWEY / Bibliography: leaves 122-126. / by Martin John Guyote. / M.S.

This dissertation presented research by the author in the development of a computer Decision Support System (DSS) for assisting in providing equal educational opportunity in a public school district. The research process consisted of five major phases: (1) The support of a local school district was obtained, and, with the assistance of the superintendent, a task group of concerned administrators was assembled to assist in defining the needs and goals for the DSS. (2) A list of key variables was developed for inclusion in the support system. Data were gathered and stored for a preliminary version of the DSS. (3) A thorough literature review was undertaken in order to reach an understanding of the concepts involved in Equality of Educational Opportunity (EEO) sufficient to provide a model to be included in the DSS. The literature review led to the development of four conceptual (subjective) EEO models. (4) Analytical techniques were undertaken to determine which model, if any, best represented reality (as defined by the data gathered in Phase 2.) The analytical techniques used were: correlation analysis, subgroup analysis, graphic analysis, and phenomena explanation. The results showed that one model, identified as the EEO Achievement Aspects Subjective Model, best fit the data examined. (5) The model was incorporated into a DSS in such a way that a single value, termed an EEO Accountability Index, was calculated for a given set of data. The potential uses of such an index and of such a DSS were then explained. The expected use of the DSS is in providing analyses based on a statistically-derived model of reality. The process of building the statistically-derived model is expected to add new insights into the concepts of EEO. Accordingly, this research is anticipated to be of particular use to (1) information specialists, (2) school district board members, superintendents, and decisionmakers, and (3) other academicians interested in developing a better understanding of the concepts of EEO and the implications those concepts have for educational decisionmaking.

This paper investigates the feasibility of compiling the functionality of a decision theoretic problem solving engine into a set of rules or functionally similar construct. The decision theoretic engine runs in exponential time, while the rule set runs in linear time at worst. The main question that will determine the feasibility is whether the size of the rule set is small enough to be of practical use. Based on the tests run, size does not appear to be a limiting factor in compiling rule sets. / Graduation date: 1992

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 201-208). / Microfiche. / xv, 208 leaves, bound ill., col. maps 29 cm

This research examines the impact of Decision Support Systems (DSS) on the decision making process for preferential choice tasks. The potential impact of DSS on the decision process is evaluated in terms of how the system alters the decision maker's cognitive load. Competing hypotheses are developed based on the possible objectives of the decision maker with respect to decision effort and decision quality. One line of reasoning assumes that the DSS will be used in such a way as to maximise decision quality. The other asserts that the use of the DSS will be geared towards effort conservation. These hypotheses about the impact of the DSS on the decision process are tested in three experiments. The three studies employed concurrent verbal protocols to capture data about the decision process. In experiment 1 subjects were placed in either and aided or unaided decision setting and given problems of either five or ten alternatives from which to make a choice. The results showed that decision strategy changed as a results of the use of the decision aid. In general, subjects behaved as effort minimisers. There were no significant effects related to the amount of information processing. Experiment 2 was similar to experiment 1 except that subjects were given problems with either ten or twenty alternatives. The results were consistent with, though stronger than those of experiment 1. Almost all aided group subjects used Elimination by aspects strategy while the unaided group used a Conjunctive strategy. This is consistent with the notion of effort minimisation. There were no significant differences in the amount of information processing Experiment 3 was designed to test whether the results in experiments 1 and 2 were a due to the tendency of decision makers to minimise effort or because the aid was not powerful enough to induce additive processing. In this study the DSS was altered to both increase the support for the additive difference strategy and reduce support for the elimination by aspects approach. The results of experiment 3 show that decision makers tend to adapt their strategy to the type of decision aids available. There is evidence that if additive strategies are made sufficiently less effortful to use they will be employed. Similarly, when the degree of effort to follow a particular elimination strategy is manipulated decision makers tend to adapt in such a way as to minimise effort. Overall the results of the three experiments are consistent in demonstrating the adaptivity of decision makers to the types of support tools available to them. This adaptivity centres around the minimisation of decision effort. It appears that decision makers are highly conscious of the effort required to make decisions and work in such a way as to minimise that expenditure. When faced with the use a decision aid they appear to calibrate their own decision effort to that provided by the decision aid. There is some evidence that sufficient changes in the relative effort required to use various strategies can lead decision makers to follow more effortful approaches than they might otherwise consider. The precise nature of this effort-accuracy relationship needs to be studied more closely. The basic contribution of the dissertation has been to provide a formal approach for the study of DSS, based on concepts drawn from behavioural decision theory and information processing psychology. This work also has implications for behavioural decision theorists, consumer researchers and practical implications for the development of DSS in preferential choice settings. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

A software architecture for strategic-management support-systems is developed, with an underlying principle that new additions to the library of planning tools in such support systems should not have to be new programming efforts. The current status of group decision support is surveyed and the lack of a software architecture for such systems is noted. The software architecture that has been developed is intended to guide the development of such support systems and is based on a library of procedural abstractions called elemental-engines. Selected sets of elemental-engines are assembled into synthesized support drivers which support an even higher level of abstraction, that of the generic logic supporting a family of planning tools. Thus, a family of planning tools may be expanded by the simple creation of text files, containing the dialog of the new tool. The work looks first at the nature of strategic management decision-making, then to work done in group decision support systems. A framework for software development, particularly in the area of list-processing is presented. A data structure to support such list processing is developed and discussed. An example of the software architecture is presented via the code for the initial planning-tool developed. This code was then generalized into the library of elemental-engines and a set of synthesized support drivers. This library of planning-tools, built around the architecture is described, and the use of the tools in a planning session is evaluated. Some possible extensions with respect to a decision laboratory are suggested. The laboratory incorporates features developed in the evolution of using computers to support human decision-making, with software written according to the architecture presented.

Aided by advances in information technology, decision support systems (DSS) are widely used throughout organizations. These DSS are limited to support of specific structured and semi-structured management tasks for individual decision-makers and use primarily quantitative models. The next step in the evolution of DSS is to support complex, unstructured decision processes using qualitative, creativity enhancement models. The purpose of this research was to design, implement and evaluate an automated system to support complex, unstructured group decision processes. Idea generation and management in organization planning has been chosen as the domain for the system. A DSS architecture has been developed that includes a process management system component in addition to traditional data, dialogue and model management components. A group DSS and knowledge-based management system approach are central features of the system architecture. Software engineering methods were used to design, implement and evaluate the technical feasibility of the prototype system. Action research using participant and structured observation methods was used to study the (1) dynamics of the idea generation process during automated brainstorming, (2) influence of the technology on the idea generation process and (3) satisfaction of the planners with automated brainstorming for idea generation in a group setting. The findings of the research indicate that automated, networked idea generation can assist groups of planners in generating ideas during planning sessions. These ideas were accurately represented and stored and efficiently retrieved using a semantic inheritance network and frame knowledge management system implemented using a specially-designed knowledge representation language developed by the author. Over 100 planners from a variety of organizations used the system. Data indicated that computer brainstorming changed group dynamics, especially group interaction and participation. The anonymity provided by EBS neutralized social inhibitions and, in combination with the capability for parallel idea generation on the computer network, helped equalize participation. Minimal group interaction occurred. Planners using interactive computer brainstorming reported high levels of satisfaction with the process and outcome of the planning session.

This dissertation develops the Focus Theory of Group Productivity, describes the use of the theory to guide development of several electronic group support tools, and reports the results of experiments testing whether the tools yield the predicted productivity gains. Focus theory posits that to be productive group members must divide their attention between three cognitive processes: communication, Deliberation, and information access. Communication, Deliberation, and information access are, in turn, constrained by limited attention and fading memory. Finally group members are only willing to engage their attention resources to the extent that the group goal is congruent with their individual goals. Electronic tools can reduce the attention demand of each of the three cognitive processes, and focus participant attention on appropriate problem-solving behaviors. Electronic tools can foster goal congruence under some circumstances. This dissertation describes how Focus Theory guided the development of the several electronic tools to support the needs of real groups experiencing real productivity problems. It reports the results of several laboratory experiments to test the goal-congruence hypothesis of Focus Theory. The first experiment frames social loafing and social comparison as goal congruence issues, showing that subjects using a real-time graph to compare their own performance to that of an average group generated more unique ideas than a group with no basis for comparison. Facilitation techniques boosted the salience of the comparison, further increasing performance. The second study frames affective reward as a goal congruence issue and develops and validates a measure for the construct. The third study frames user interface design in terms of goal congruence and demonstrates the strengths (pointing, selecting, moving, fine motor control) and weaknesses (handwriting recognition) of pen-based interfaces in those terms. The fourth study frames the classroom as a group-productivity setting and demonstrates that group support systems can be used to improve classroom interactions.

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