Information systems have become an essential part of every business organization's production and management process. It is critical to an enterprise to integrate its organization and information systems. However, the lack of computer-supported tools for modeling organization and information systems has put their integration far beyond our reach. In this research, a metasystem approach that can integrate organization and information system modeling by means of group decision support systems (GDSS) and computer-aided software engineering (CASE) has been proposed. A prototype system, called MetaPlex, has been designed and implemented to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach. The emphasis in design and implementation of MetaPlex has been on making the underlying knowledge representation expressive enough to meet modeling requirements and ensuring that the user interface is easy for managers and users to use. The use of a GDSS makes it possible to capture strategic assumptions and business objectives, as well as structures of an organization, from managers through face-to-face group meetings. The application of the metasystem concepts in generating GDSS tools makes the customization of a GDSS environment possible. Because of GDSS environment driven by a metasystem can be used to acquire information about a target system from multiple experts in a structured format that can be integrated with CASE tools, this approach provides a basis for a seamless integration of GDSS and CASE tools to support both organization and information system modeling.

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.

Given the increasing problem of fraud, crime, and national security threats, assessing credibility is a recurring research topic in Information Systems and in other disciplines. Decision support systems can help. But the success of the system depends on reliable cues that can distinguish deceptive/truthful behavior and on a proven classification algorithm. This investigation aims to identify linguistic cues that distinguish deceivers from truthtellers; and it aims to demonstrate how the cues can successfully classify deception and truth.Three new datasets were gathered: 202 fraudulent and nonfraudulent financial disclosures (10-Ks), a laboratory experiment that asked twelve questions of participants who answered deceptively to some questions and truthfully to others (Cultural Interviews), and a mock crime experiment where some participants stole a ring from an office and where all participants were interviewed as to their guilt or innocence (Mock Crime). Transcribed participant responses were investigated for distinguishing cues and used for classification testing.Disfluencies (e.g., um, uh, repeated phrases, etc.), hedging words (e.g., perhaps, may, etc.), and interjections (e.g., okay, like, etc.) are theoretically developed as potential cues to deception. Past research provides conflicting evidence regarding disfluency use and deception. Some researchers opine that deception increases cognitive load, which lowers attentional resources, which increases speech errors, and thereby increases disfluency use (i.e., Cognitive-Load Disfluency theory). Other researchers argue against the causal link between disfluencies and speech errors, positing that disfluencies are controllable and that deceivers strategically avoid disfluencies to avoid appearing hesitant or untruthful (i.e., Suppression-Disfluency theory). A series of t-tests, repeated measures GLMs, and nested-model design regressions disconfirm the Suppression-Disfluency theory. Um, uh, and interjections are used at an increased rate by deceivers in spontaneous speech. Reverse order questioning did not increase disfluency use. Fraudulent 10-Ks have a higher mean count of hedging words.Statistical classifiers and machine learning algorithms are demonstrated on the three datasets. A feature reduction by backward Wald stepwise with logistic regression had the highest classification accuracies (69%-87%). Accuracies are compared to professional interviewers and to previously researched classification models. In many cases the new models demonstrated improvements. 10-Ks are classified with 69% overall accuracy.

Large opencast coal mines require a complex infrastructure to fulfill production demand and quality values. The distinct specifications required by each customer are achieved by blending adjustments. There is limited control in variability. With only partial information available, operation controllers blend coal by empirical approximation, trying to keep quality between acceptable ranges in order to avoid penalizations, shipment rejections or even contract suspensions. When a decision support system (DSS) centralized in a control room is used for blending control, crew operators visualize enhanced displays of the different sources of information, obtaining a holistic perspective of operations. Using a simulator to reproduce the blending sequence, crew operators can experiment with diverse what-if scenarios and develop blending strategies for an entire working shift, in which they also incorporate their own expertise and the knowledge obtained after interpreting the simulation results. The research focuses on the empirical analysis of the effectiveness of the DSS by studying the performance of crew users in different operating scenarios produced with a simulator. The development of a methodology for measuring this effectiveness and its impact in the quantification of controlling the variability of blending represents a significant contribution in the area of quality improvement for coal production. The effectiveness of the DSS for controlling the blending and load out processes has been numerically measured after experimenting diverse simulated scenarios, proving that the difference between estimated and actual quality delivered is narrower when using a DSS, in comparison with the BTU variability obtained from historical data. The strategies that produced better results in terms of control of coal quality variability, maximization of infrastructure utilization, time spent in making decisions and the minimization of risk for penalizations and rejections, were scored proportionally to the benefits obtained.

Executive Information Systems (EIS) grew out ofthe information needs of top executives. The recent literature reports that EIS usage has spread throughout organisations. Web-based technologies are causing a revisit of existing IT implementation models, including those for EIS. These technologies include: Intranet, Internet, Extranet, e-Commerce: Business-to-Business (B2B), e-Comrnerce: Business-to-Consumer (B2C), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) and other mobile technologies. The author conducts a field study of 31 well-established organisations in KwaZulu/Natal, South Africa, which have EIS experience. A validated survey instrument is administered to an EIS stakeholder in each organisation surveyed. This dissertation reports on (1) an investigation into previous research on IT adoption; (2) that there is little evidence to support that the theoretical usage aspects of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) are echoed in EIS implementations in KwaZulu/Natal; and (3) identifies and ranks Web-based technologies in order of their perceived impact on EIS currently and in the future. There is a positive impact level trend for all Web-based technologies on future EIS implementations. The results from this field study could be useful in formulating a set of management perspectives for organisations in South Africa wishing to embark on EIS implementation programs. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.

This study investigates the effects of eight organizational support systems on virtual team effectiveness in five areas: communication, planning tasks and setting goals, solving problems and making decisions, resolving conflict, and responding to customer requirements. One hundred and eighty surveys were sent to information technology managers and collaborative team members, representing 43 companies. The results indicated that developing new roles for IT professionals and senior managers significantly increased virtual team effectiveness in several areas. The findings support the theory that organizations that utilize virtual teams must create high-level structures, policies, and systems to support the teams and the information tools they use.

Although Operational Research (OR) has successfully provided many methodologies to address complex decision problems, in particular based on the rationality principle, there has been too little discussion regarding their limited consideration in IT evaluation practice and associated decision making satisfaction levels in an organisational context. The aim of this paper is to address these issues through providing a current account of diffusion and infusion of OR methodologies in IT decision making practice, and by analysing factors affecting decision making satisfaction from a Technological, Organisational, and Environmental (TOE) framework in the context of IT induced business transformations. We developed a structural equation model and conducted an empirical survey, which supported four out of five developed research hypotheses. Our results show that while Decision Support Systems (DSS), holistic IT evaluation methods, and management support seem to positively affect individual satisfaction, legislative regulation has an adverse effect. Results also revealed a persistent methodology diffusion and infusion gap. The paper discusses implications in each of these aspects and presents opportunities for future work. (authors' abstract)

Organizations that must respond quickly to environmental pressures look for tools to assist in that response. Information technology may be one tool to facilitate the response. In this study the possible effects of using information technology, specifically a decision support system, in the feedback segment of one organization's strategic management loop were examined. The organization was one region of the Board of Probation and Parole in a central state. Personnel included administrators, parole officers and clerical workers. The information technology was an off-the-shelf software product called PlanRight. This study is significant for two reasons: a new application for information technology was examined and the adequacy of a generic computerized tool designed to be suitable for various operations was explored. This study was a case study. Two months of data were taken prior to the implementation of the decision support system, and four months of data were taken after the system was implemented. Questionnaire data taken before system implementation provided descriptive characteristics of the organization. Follow-up surveys and interviews at the conclusion of the study were used to evaluate employee perceptions. The study was done in three phases. During phase one questionnaires were distributed and returned. During phase two, goals, plans and evaluation criteria were formulated and plans were implemented. Feedback was obtained and evaluated through the use of the decision support system enabling reaction to the feedback data. In phase three perceptions of administrators and parole officers were elicited using follow-up surveys and semi-structured interviews. Three propositions guided the evaluation of the study's outcomes. These propositions dealt with performance toward goal achievement, satisfaction with feedback processes and quality of plans formulated for the project. Performance was moderately successful. Satisfaction with processes was high. Speed of obtaining feedback was considered high by administrators and paroled officers. Quality of processes and outcomes was evaluated to be good.

Situation Awareness (SA) is critical commodity for teams working in complex sociotechnical systems and is thus a fundamental consideration in collaborative system design and evaluation. Despite this, SA remains predominantly an individual construct, with the majority of models and measures focused on SA from an individual perspective. In comparison, team SA has received much less attention and this thesis argues that further work is required in the area both in relation to the development of theoretical perspectives and of valid measures, and to the development of guidelines for system, training and procedure design. This thesis advances team SA theory and measurement by further investigating a recently proposed model of SA in complex collaborative environments, the Distributed Situation Awareness (DSA) approach, and by testing a new methodology for representing and analysing DSA during real world collaborative activities. A review of SA theory and SA measurement approaches is presented. Following this, the DSA theory and propositional network assessment methodology are outlined and a series of case studies on DSA during real world collaborative activities in the military and civil domains are presented. The findings are subsequently used to explore the concept of DSA and the sub-concepts of compatible and transactive SA. In conclusion, a model of DSA in complex collaborative systems is presented, and a series of system design guidelines for supporting DSA are outlined.

Finding the optimal solution for the call-center scheduling problem can be done by using Microsoft Excel with an integer programming software add-in. Utilizing VBA, we are able to vary start, break, and lunch times as well as number of employees. By creating a list of all possible schedules that follow these requirements, we use the optimization engine to solve for the best possible combination of individual schedules. Custom programs for optimization such as this are becoming a vital part of the world today as decisions need to be made quickly. This flexible and easy to use scheduling tool saves time and effort while creating peace of mind knowing that the best possible solution has been found. Using this tool, we are able to decrease the amount of time to create schedules from approximately 15 hours of manual work to 25.2 seconds. Additionally, we are able to improve the accuracy of meeting the forecast – guaranteeing all manpower demand is met with an efficient and reliable tool. Accuracy, efficiency, and reliability are traits that anyone could wish for, and this tool makes that possible.