An integrated approach toward strategic information systems planning

Within the competitive global environment, information has become a key resource for increasing a corporation's competitiveness by changing the nature or conduct of business. Accordingly, corporations are now seeking a method for information systems planning to maximize their strategic effectiveness.Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP) refers to the process of creating a portfolio for the implementation and use of IS to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of a corporation, so that it can achieve its objectives. An investigation of SISP, however, showed that only 24% of planned applications were actually developed (Int. J. Comput. Appl. Technol., 8 (1995), 61; MIS Quarterly, September (1988), 445). This figure clearly shows that enhancements are required for current SISP processes. In particular, this paper focuses on SISP methodologies, which provide support for overall SISP processes.The paper initially identifies four general SISP methodology problems: lack of support for Information Technology Architecture, under-emphasis on information technology opportunities, duration of SISP, and lack of support for business process reengineering. Next, it proposes an integrated SISP methodology which solves the above problems while retaining the advantageous qualities of current SISP methodologies. Finally, a case study is added to show how the methodology actually works in practice.     

Transitioning from tactical to strategic planning in computer integrated manufacturing

This paper describes a strategic manufacturing planning software system which is presently being developed to guide the planning, development and absorption of computer integrated manufacturing within manufacturing operations.     

An intelligent agent-based architecture for strategic information system applications

Strategic information systems (SIS) focus on the use of information system (IS) and information technology (IT) in the strategic management process in business organizations. The emphasis is on the strategic view of IS and IT and their impact on organizational strategy. Increased competition and advances in information technologies push for considerable structural changes in SIS. Agents, as autonomous entities which either work on their own or cooperate with others, and agent architectures have enormous potentials to be applied in such critical systems. In this article, first we investigate the very fundamental concepts of strategic information systems and intelligent agent technology. Then, the discussion continues on the specification of the characteristics and implementation issues of a typical SIS. Afterwards, we make use of these concepts and integrate them into a state-of-the-art, intelligent architecture for strategic information systems, called intelligent agent-based SIS. This is a comprehensive framework for a SIS in IT era which may be put into practice by a team of professionals in the near future. The graphical representation of this model is intended to help the reader understand the concept much better. After explaining the suggested model in full details, we introduce some support agents and specify their corresponding roles in an intelligent agent-based SIS architecture. Discussions and concluding remarks regarding the proposed system are provided at the end of the paper.     

A neural networks-based approach for strategic planning

We establish a systematic approach that incorporates neural networks in conjunction with portfolio matrices to assist managers in evaluating and forming strategic plans. Based on the principle of dispersing risks, we also provide a linear integer programming model, which helps in allocating the annual budget optimally among proposed strategies. The approach has been successfully implemented for a major food industry leader in Taiwan for its annual strategic planning. Although a particular portfolio matrix model was adopted in our approach, the framework proposed here can be modified to incorporate other strategy-evaluation measures.     

A decision support system for strategic planning in large-scale marketing channels: An example in the tile industry

This paper presents a decision support system for strategic planning in marketing channels. A dynamic model of the marketing channel is employed which comprises manufacturer and retailer levels. Decision making is achieved through a game theoretical inference mechanism in which each player (manufacturer/retailer) optimises for a long-term profit maximisation objective. Both historical data and managerial expertise are used for the parameterisation of the system's knowledge base. The decision support system provides a forecast of profit and sales and computes pricing and shelf space allocation strategies that maximise long-term profit. It offers facilities such as the study of coalitions, long-term decision-making in all phases of a product's life cycle, the impact of pricing, allocation strategies, production expansion, cost regulation, and others. The operationality of the system is illustrated in decision-making situations in the tile industry.     

Information systems planning: Lessons from strategic planning

IS planning has changed considerably since its inception as an operational planning tool, expanding its scope to address key business objectives and forging a link with strategic business planning. A great deal of attention is currently focused on identifying and developing strategic information systems. Strategic planning has also become more broadly-focused over time, as simple forecasting techniques have been replaced by a variety of adaptive approaches that emphasize industry structure analysis and environmental dynamics. However, strategic planning has come under fire recently for failing to live up to its promises. As these two disciplines become more closely aligned, planners can learn from the experiences of strategic planners and, hopefully, avoid a similar crisis of confidence.     

DSS development and applications in China

This paper provides an overview of the application and development of decision support systems in China. The curriculum and research in decision support systems in major Chinese universities is introduced first, then selected recent applications of decision support systems in China is described. Finally, the main research topics and direction on decision support systems in China are discussed.     

DSS中多语言模型混合的模型库与数据库接口技术

多种语言模型的同时存在是决策支持系统开发中不可回避的问题。利用ODBC技术和磁盘数据文件研究一种用于多语言模型混合的模型库和数据库之间的接口技术，并开发接口程序，避免了对已有模型的重新编制，提高了决策支持系统开发的效率。     

DSS research and practice in perspective

The aim of this paper is to assess the state-of-the-art in the Decision Support Systems (DSS) field from both a research and a practice perspective. Three main dimensions of DSS research and practice are addressed: 1) supporting human decision-making processes, 2) integrating DSS into the organizational context, and 3) identifying new application domains. The related analysis and discussion provides a better understanding of past developments in the DSS field and insights into future evolution patterns.     

Designing a DSS for the assessment of company performance and viability

In this article, a multicriteria financial evaluation system for the assessment of company performance and viability is proposed. The main advantage of the proposed system is that it combines qualitative and quantitative (financial) evaluation criteria. Company evaluation is performed by calculating a total score for each company based on its performance on every criterion and by ranking the companies from best to worst according to their total score. The system may also sort the companies into groups. The system capabilities are illustrated by a study of a group of 25 companies.     

A DSS for integrated distribution of empty and full containers

A DSS integrating empty and full containers transshipment operations is presented, addressing the typically unbalanced export/import containers trading problem. The problem is modeled as a network, where nodes represent customers, leasing companies, harbors and warehouses, while arcs represent transportation routes. The underlying mathematical model operates in stages, first prioritizing and adjusting full containers demands considering available empty containers supplies, and then statically optimizing costs. Transportation routes are registered and dynamically controlled, cyclically, for a given time horizon. The DSS is flexible, allowing several parameters to be configured. Experimental examples using randomly generated parameters were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the system.     

An approach to efficient business intelligent system for financial prediction

A concept of business intelligent system for financial prediction is considered in this paper. It provides data needed for fast, precise and good business decision support to all levels of management. The aim of the project is the development of a new online analytical processing oriented on case-based reasoning (CBR) where a previous experience for every new problem is taken into account. Methodological aspects have been tested in practice as a part of the management information system development project of “Novi Sad Fair”. A case study of an improved application of CBR in prediction of future payments is discussed in the paper. This paper is originally presented at The International Conference on Hybrid Information Technology 2006, at the special session on “Intelligent Information Systems for Financial Engineering”, November 2006 in Cheju Island, Korea.     

A DSS For Modelling Logistic Chains in Freight Transport Policy Analysis

As the logistics activities of firms are becoming increasingly dynamic and global in nature, private and public decision makers depend more and more on information regarding the expected development of future freight flows. A newly developed Decision Support System (DSS) called SMILE (Strategic Model for Integrated Logistic Evaluations) produces forecasts of freight flows related to the Netherlands for a large number of products and modes of transport. The underlying model describes logistics chains at three levels: production, inventory and (multimodal) transportation. The second level accounts for warehousing by using integrated cost functions comprising handling, stockholding and transport costs, using a new segmentation of goods according to their logistical requirements. By means of a graphical user interface, the DSS assists the user with designing scenarios for simulations up to 25 years ahead and visualises the impacts of policy measures on freight flows and the environment. This paper describes the theory behind the model, characteristics of the DSS and potential policy applications.     

一个基于数据仓库的企业财务管理决策支持系统框架初探

基于Internet环境,应用数据仓库和数据挖掘技术,本文构建了一个企业财务管理决策支持系统框架,提出了系统的体系结构。     

项目计划生成决策支持系统

项目计划质量的好坏,很大程度上决定着项目的成败,而计划工作涉及很多不确定因素。在分析项目计划中信息流动的基础上,给出了基于网络架构的项目计划生成的决策支持系统的系统体系结构及其实现方法。该系统通过充分发挥决策人员的群体参与,将提高项目计划的可行性和可操作性。     

OSPM: A design methodology for open strategic planning

This study employs a design science perspective to propose a methodology for open strategic planning (OSP). Habermas’ discourse theory and Bryson’s strategy change cycle are used as informing kernel theories. A methodology is proposed to satisfy the requirements retrieved from the kernel theories. The proposed methodology contains modules for a planning system and a planning process. Design principles are explained through a blueprint of the system and process. The proposed methodology is applied and evaluated in two cases. Contributions to the literature involve extending the literature on OSP to an applicable methodology with guidelines on how to implement open strategy.     

Evaluating strategic options using decision-theoretic planning

The purpose of this research is to examine whether decision-theoretic planning techniques can be used to help managers evaluate strategic options in complex and uncertain environments. Firms faced with choices such as whether to acquire a start-up, develop a new product, or invest in updated production technology continue to make decisions based on unreliable heuristics, “gut feel” or misleading financial measures such as net present value (NPV). In this paper we show that decision-theoretic planning techniques originally developed for robot planning permit us to gain the insights provided by real options analysis without working within the restrictions of models designed to price financial options or incurring the overhead of constructing huge decision trees. A biotechnology licensing problem similar to those addressed elsewhere in the real options literature is used to illustrate the methodology and demonstrate its feasibility.     

A DSS for production planning focused on customer service and technological aspects

Production planning and control in manufacturing systems cover several aspects, at different hierarchical levels, including decisions on production and inventory quantities, resource acquisition, production allocation and sequencing. We consider a problem that is typical of companies that manufacture products in production plants placed in different production areas worldwide. A solution framework for the production allocation and balancing problems based on mathematical programming is proposed. Its computational efficiency is improved using techniques from constraint programming, in order to make it possible to solve real world instances of the problems. An industrial test case is used as a benchmark to prove the effectiveness of the proposed approach.     

An integrated approach for sustainable supply chain planning

This paper proposes an integrated approach for transposing sustainable development principles to supply chain planning models. Inspired by research on performance measurement, we designed a method that links sustainability performance to supply chain decisions, and allows setting coherent performance measures. By transposing this method to a multi-objective mathematical programming, the supply chain planning is optimized while the economic, environmental and social performances are all coherently integrated into the model. To illustrate our approach, we applied it to a Canadian lumber industry case. We solved the mathematical model by using the weighted goal programming technique, which results in a set of “compromise” solutions allowing the decision maker to choose the alternative that reflects the balance he/she wishes to make regarding the three dimensions of sustainability.     

An anchorage planning strategy with safety and utilization considerations

Heavy maritime traffic and the subsequent increase in vessel density in anchorages have recently become a focal issue in maritime traffic safety. In this study, we consider the problem of determining the optimal berth locations of incoming vessels in an anchorage area with the goals of maximizing utilization and minimizing the risk of accidents. We introduce novel performance metrics aimed at measuring achievement of these two goals. In this context, we propose a multi-objective optimization strategy and benchmark it against current state-of-the-art anchorage planning algorithms using real-world data as well as Monte Carlo simulations. Our results indicate that the proposed strategy yields much safer berth locations while maintaining similar utilization levels.