Search results

A total of 41 top executive managers in large organizations/enterprises were interviewed about factors affecting their demands on, attitudes towards and use of, information and communication technology (ICT) when making strategic decisions in their work. Poor knowledge management, i.e. poor possibilities to store, reuse, and share knowledge in an organized and disciplined way due to inefficient ICT, was reported to be an obstacle in supporting the decision‐making process effectively. Problems with accessibility, accuracy and trust of the information in the ICT‐systems were prevalent. Furthermore, ICT did not provide much help with respect to the necessary social interactions in the decision‐making process. Implications of these findings are discussed for the design of future decision‐support systems.

As the world approaches a new millennium, more and more industrial and manufacturing processes are being computerized and rapid retrieval and use of necessary information is vital if an organization is to remain competitive. The present work develops a computerized decision support system to assist in maintenance planning. The system design and analysis, and the decision support system design and development are all developed in an object‐oriented environment. The support system is driven by maintenance performance indices. Both object‐oriented databases and relational databases are used, for transient and permanent entities respectively. A knowledge base with if‐then rules is developed for fault diagnosis and repair. The methodology was applied to a powder coating plant to develop its maintenance decision support system.

Decision support systems (DSS) are a process common to all decision‐making and are essentially individualistic. DSS were externalised to improve management productivity and to cope with increasing volumes of data. Computers were introduced to speed up the process, to improve the accuracy of results and to control costs.

In a period of rapid environmental change, banks recognise that their survival hinges on their ability to innovate and be responsive to the needs of their customers. Partially spawned by such recognitions, private banks have grasped computer‐based management information systems and incorporated them into all facets of their operations. Their public sector counterparts, however, have been rather tentative in adopting computerised information systems. A proposed computerised quality assurance information system (CQAIS) is described. The system was designed after systematically studying the internal operations of a public agency charged with regulating the activities of banks in a Southeastern state in the United States. The objectives and components of the CQAIS are presented and requirements for its successful implementation are discussed.

Today, human resource managers do not have the luxury of operating and performing in a stable, predictable environment as political, social and economic changes are affecting all organizations and their human resource management activities. In particular, the dominant environmental uncertainties combined with recent trends/changes in the socio‐economic climate are having considerable effects on the place and role of human resource planning (HRP). Outlines some of the major issues surrounding the HRP function in the face of the above uncertainties and changes. An operational HRP model designed to incorporate these is proposed and outlined. Suggestions for implementing the model by means of simple spreadsheets or a basic (object oriented) computerized decision support system are also made. A preliminary computerized decision support system, based on the proposed model, can easily be developed. This would prove of great assistance to human resource managers, planners and professionals in the challenging task of personnel planning in the 1990s. Also outlines the various scenarios and procedures required in building the operational model.

Seeks to identify physicians' perceptions of possibilities and obstacles prior to implementing a computerised drug prescribing support system. Details a descriptive, qualitative study, with semi‐structured individual interviews of 21 physicians in the Accident and Emergency Department of South Stockholm General Hospital. Identifies four descriptive categories for possibilities and obstacles. Concludes that gaining access to patient drug history enables physicians to carry out work in a professional way – a need the computerised prescription support system was not developed for and thus cannot fulfil. Alerts and producer‐independent drug information are valuable in reducing workload. However, technical prerequisites form the base for a successful implementation. Time must be given to adapt to new ways of working.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a decision support system (DSS) for multi grade fuzzy leanness assessment (MGFLA) (DSS‐MGFLA).

The assessment of leanness gains vital importance. Due to the drawbacks associated with conventional approaches, fuzzy methods are gaining importance. In this context, multi‐grade fuzzy method has been used for leanness assessment. Since the computation is time consuming and error‐prone, a computerized DSS known as DSS‐MGFLA has been developed.

DSS‐MGFLA enables the accurate evaluation of leanness. Besides assessing leanness, DSS also enables the identification of improvement areas. The DSS has been validated in an Indian relays manufacturing organization. Based on the validation, its practical feasibility has been ensured.

DSS‐MGFLA has been validated in a single manufacturing organization for its working feasibility. But the findings could be extended to similar manufacturing organizations.

The idea of developing DSS for leanness assessment is novel, original and unique contribution of authors.

This paper reports a web‐based intelligent system, called WebStra, for the formulation of marketing strategies and associated e‐commerce strategies. In the paper, the architecture and functional components of the WebStra system are described. The system's effectiveness and efficiency are also evaluated. WebStra can be applied to support real‐world strategic marketing decision making. It may also be used as a useful tool for training and consultancy purposes.

Proposes using the analytic concept of genre of organizational communication to study the organizational consequences of implementing clinical information systems and shifting from paper‐based to electronic patient records in clinical practices. By focusing research attention on interpersonal communication and social interaction issues not addressed in medical informatics research, this approach contributes to the understanding of organizational and institutional issues that implementing such systems may entail. The paper develops an example drawn from an in‐depth case study of a computerized order entry system to illustrate the insights this approach may provide.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the implications of registered nurses’ (RNs) use of a computerized decision support system (CDSS) in medication reviews.

The paper employs a quasi-experimental, one-group pre-test/post-test design with three- and six-month follow-ups subsequent to the introduction of a CDSS. In total, 11 RNs initiated and prepared a total of 54 medication reviews. The outcome measures were the number of drug-related problems (DRPs) as reported by the CDSS and the RNs, respectively, the RNs’ views on the CDSS, and changes in the quality of drug treatment.

The CDSS significantly indicated more DRPs than the RNs did, such as potential adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The RNs detected additional problems, outside the scope of the CDSS, such as lack of adherence. They considered the CDSS beneficial and wanted to continue using it. Only minor changes were found in the quality of drug treatments, with no significant changes in the drug-specific quality indicators (e.g. inappropriate drugs). However, the use of renally excreted drugs in reduced renal function decreased.

The RNs’ use of a CDSS in medication reviews is of value in detecting potential ADRs and interactions. Yet, in order to have an impact on outcomes in the quality of drug treatment, further measures are needed. These may involve development of inter-professional collaboration, such as established procedures for the implementation of medication reviews, including the use of CDSS.

This is, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the first study to explore the implications of medication reviews, initiated and prepared by RNs who use a CDSS. The paper adds further insight into the RNs’ role in relation to quality of drug treatments.