Integrating new information and communication technologies in a group decision support system

We view group decision making as a collaborative process, where decision makers can establish a common belief on the dimensions of the problem by following a series of well-defined communicative actions. Having first defined these actions, this paper reports on the exploitation of recent advances in information and communication technology, which can be used to: (i) remove the communication impediments among spatially dispersed decision makers; (ii) efficiently elicit and represent the domain of knowledge; (iii) develop efficient mechanisms to structure and consistently maintain the decision analysis; and (iv) automate the decision making process itself. Automation concerns coherence and consistency checking, detection of contradictions, truth maintenance, and information retrieval techniques.     

Computer decision-support systems for public argumentation: assessing deliberative legitimacy

Recent proposals for computer-assisted argumentation have drawn on dialectical models of argumentation. When used to assist public policy planning, such systems also raise questions of political legitimacy. Drawing on deliberative democratic theory, we elaborate normative criteria for deliberative legitimacy and illustrate their use for assessing two argumentation systems. Full assessment of such systems requires experiments in which system designers draw on expertise from the social sciences and enter into the policy deliberation itself at the level of participants.

基于群体研讨支持系统的项目管理系统研究

项目管理在各行各业被广泛应用,目前市场上的项目管理软件虽然功能强大,但在实际的项目管理中常常不能得到很好的应用,甚至在某些项目中根本难以使用。首先考查当前项目管理软件的应用问题,提出了项目管理系统的需求。在此基础上,从项目管理过程、项目管理知识领域及项目利益相关人员三个角度抽象出项目管理框架,用来组织群体活动,并设计了基于群体研讨支持系统的项目管理信息系统,实现以项目利益相关人员为中心,对项目信息进行全方位的集成。并根据项目管理的信息需求,描述了该系统如何实现项目信息管理的需求。     

JUDGES: A descriptive group decision support system for the ranking of items

A set of tools for group decision support are presented. Decision problems involving several decision makers, here-after called judges, that have to rank several alternatives, are considered. The toolbox is called JUDGES. It includes the four following procedures:

• - a hierarchical representation of the judges allows to display the existing conflicts between groups of judges,

• - enhanced box-plots representations of the alternatives are generated in order to detect those that are responsible for the major conflicts,

• - specific advice is issued to each judge in order to reach more easily a consensus,

• - a general framework for a pairwise group preference structure is proposed, and can be used to finalise the decision.

These procedures are embedded in an interactive software, implemented on micro-computer, which currently simulates the use on a network. Actual network implementation is foreseen in the near future. Several applications are presented and future developments are discussed.

A consistency and consensus based decision support model for group decision making with multiplicative preference relations

In group decision making (GDM) with multiplicative preference relations (also known as pairwise comparison matrices in the Analytical Hierarchy Process), to come to a meaningful and reliable solution, it is preferable to consider individual consistency and group consensus in the decision process. This paper provides a decision support model to aid the group consensus process while keeping an acceptable individual consistency for each decision maker. The concept of an individual consistency index and a group consensus index is introduced based on the Hadamard product of two matrices. Two algorithms are presented in the designed support model. The first algorithm is utilized to convert an unacceptable preference relation to an acceptable one. The second algorithm is designed to assist the group in achieving a predefined consensus level. The main characteristics of our model are that: (1) it is independent of the prioritization method used in the consensus process; (2) it ensures that each individual multiplicative preference relation is of acceptable consistency when the predefined consensus level is achieved. Finally, some numerical examples are given to verify the effectiveness of our model.     

A metalanguage design for sessions with group decision support systems

This paper proposes a metalanguage for representing communication among participants in a session of a group decision support system (GDSS). Such a vehicle can be used for setting standards and designing specific user interfaces with GDSS.Three different roles of participants are identified: chairperson, chauffeur and regular participant. The tasks and activities of each role are analyzed. Based on the analysis, communications requirements are derived. The requirements lead to a design of a metalanguage consisting of 15 different commands. The paper concludes by displaying the structure and syntax of each command.The work described here is conceptual and could be considered as a proposal for GDSS language design.     

用户驱动的研讨信息可视化平台的设计与实现

在“以计算机为媒介的群体沟通”环境下,常常出现“知识断层”和“信息过载”。研讨信息可视化丰富了研究和认知手段以及群体发现信息的途径,因而成为缓解“信息过载”的一个重要途径。以研讨用户为中心,从单个信息、信息关系、了解研讨状态、把握研讨过程四个方面识别出研讨用户的信息寻找、发现以及获取的需求;并基于群体研讨支持系统的信息组织模型,设计了用户驱动的研讨信息可视化平台,并结合J2EE、XML、计算机图形学等技术,实现了可视化平台,并结合一个具体应用示范了平台的功能。     

A view of group decision making process and bivoting approach

Many characteristics of Group Decision Making (GDM) are different from those of individual decision. The literature dealing with the stages of GDM is rather scant. This paper presents a view about the stages of group decision processes, characterizing GDM as a dynamic process. We discuss particularly the aggregation stage of preferences and reports a bivoting approach' used in practising group decision support systems (GDSS). Finally, a concrete example is given to illustrate each stage of group decision process and tile 'bivoting approach' in consensus reaching stage.     

Robust ordinal regression for multiple criteria group decision: UTA-GROUP and UTADIS-GROUP

We introduce the principle of robust ordinal regression to multiple criteria group decision, and we present two new methods using a set of additive value functions as a preference model, called UTA^GMS-GROUP and UTADIS^GMS-GROUP. With respect to the set of decision makers (DMs), we consider two levels of certainty for the results. The first level is related to the necessary or possible consequences of indirect preference information provided by each DM, whereas the other refers to the subset of DMs agreeing for a specific outcome. In this way, we investigate spaces of consensus and disagreement between the DMs. The proposed methods are illustrated by examples showing how they can support real-world group decision.     

The effect of individual and task characteristics on decision aid reliance

This research explores reliance behaviours of decision-makers using a decision aid. Objective and subjective task characteristics in the form of task complexity and task difficulty, respectively, are examined, along with the effect of the individual characteristic of expertise. A total of 130 subjects (65 novices and 65 experienced practitioners) completed a lab experiment using a decision aid (Insolve-DG) to help them make decisions for two insolvency tasks with differing levels of complexity. The research finds that the objective task characteristic (task complexity) and individual characteristic (expertise) both affect reliance behaviours; however, their effects are fully mediated by the subjective task characteristic (task difficulty). Expertise and task complexity are both associated with the degree of task difficulty experienced by an individual user: increasing task complexity increases task difficulty, and increasing expertise reduces task difficulty. Task difficulty and task complexity are established as different constructs; and importantly it is task difficulty, not task complexity, that ultimately affects reliance.     

企业集团分布式数据仓库及决策支持系统研究

为了构建支持企业集团决策分析的信息系统,分析了企业集团决策支持系统信息模型,给出了面向整个集团的基于分布式数据仓库的企业集团决策支持系统的体系结构;通过定义决策方案模型及决策任务模型,提出了模型驱动的企业集团决策支持系统解决方案,并给出了决策任务模型并行执行算法。应用表明,该体系结构是可行且有效的。     

Types of feedback in a computer-based collaborative problem-solving group task

This study measured collaborative problem-solving processes and outcomes in a computer-based knowledge mapping environment. One hundred and twenty Asian American high school students were randomly assigned to be either a group leader, whose responsibility was to construct the map, or a group searcher, whose responsibility was to seek information and access feedback from a Web environment. Each group was randomly assigned to a feedback condition (knowledge of response feedback or adapted knowledge of response feedback). Results showed that adapted knowledge of response feedback was significantly more beneficial than knowledge of response feedback. Further, most of the study hypotheses were supported regarding the relationship between problem-solving processes and outcomes.     

A distance-based group decision-making methodology for multi-person multi-criteria emergency decision support

In this paper, a distance-based group decision-making (GDM) methodology is proposed to solve unconventional multi-person multi-criteria emergency decision-making problems. In this model, some decision-makers are first identified to formulate a group decision-making framework. Then a standard multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) process is performed on specific decision-making problems and different decision results are obtained from different decision-makers. Finally, these different decision results are aggregated into a group consensus to support the final decision-making. For illustration and verification purposes, a numerical example and a practical unconventional emergency decision case are presented. Experimental results obtained demonstrate that the proposed distance-based multi-criteria GDM methodology can improve decision-making objectivity and emergency management effectiveness.     

Analytic hierarchy process: It can work for group decision support systems

Most group problems are complex and unstructured and are difficult to find solutions, GDSS, systems for group decision making support, have more concentrated on the development of technological factor such as communication support, electronic meeting support, etc. And there have been relatively few researches about group problem modeling and group decision-aid. We cannot guarantee the value of GDSS just with the support in technological basis. The AHP has been suggested as an group problem modeling tool. In this paper authors applied AHP in real world group problems, investigated its value. and suggested the elements of GDSS software.     

The influence of the shared-display configuration on group decision making

Large shared displays are increasingly being used to support co-located group decision-making tasks. The expectation is that they can provide a shared visual reference and facilitate interaction between decision makers. This study examined the impact of shared-display configurations on group decision-making processes and outcomes. Three design factors were examined: submission control, display control, and presenting predictions on shared displays. Sixty-four participants performed an optimization task in groups of four members that were supported by different shared-display systems. The results show that submission control has a positive impact on the level of participation, the satisfaction with the group process, and the commitment to the decisions made, but it negatively influences the decision quality; presenting predictive information on the shared display, which is separated from the current information on the personal displays, has a negative impact on the group process and decision quality. In addition, the participants tend to always display all of the information that is available on the screen, in spite of the provision of the display control option.Relevance to industryHow group members can control the content on the shared displays and on their personal displays would influence the group behavior. Gained knowledge from this study is useful for designing and configuring shared-display systems for better group decision-making support.     

A group decision making framework based on fuzzy VIKOR approach for machine tool selection with linguistic information

Computer numerical control (CNC) machines are used for repetitive, difficult and unsafe manufacturing tasks that require a high degree of accuracy. However, when selecting an appropriate CNC machine, multiple criteria need to be considered by multiple decision makers. In this study, a multi-criteria group decision making (MCGDM) technique based on the fuzzy VIKOR method is developed to solve a CNC machine tool selection problem. Linguistic variables represented by triangular fuzzy numbers are used to reflect decision maker preferences for the criteria importance weights and the performance ratings. After the individual preferences are aggregated or after the separation values are computed, they are then defuzzified. In this paper, two algorithms based on a fuzzy linguistic approach are developed. Based on these two algorithms and the VIKOR method, a general MCGDM framework is proposed. A CNC machine tool selection example illustrates the application of the proposed approach. A comparative study of the two algorithms using the above case study information highlighted the need to combine the ranking results, as both algorithms have distinct characteristics.     

Effects of GSS interface and task type on group interaction: An empirical study

The effects of GSS interface and task type on group interaction are examined in this experimental study. A 2 × 2 factorial design is employed. Each treatment has eight groups. Two types of GSS interfaces are studied: icon-based and text-based. Two task types are investigated: intellective and preference. Three dependent variables are measured: efficiency of influence attempts, inequality of influence attempts, and dominance significance. Results of data analysis show that groups using icon-based interface achieve greater efficiency of influence attempts, greater equality of influence attempts, and less dominance significance than groups using text-based interface. Moreover, equality of influence attempts is greater for preference task groups than intellective task groups. These results suggest that an icon-based interface is a useful feature of a GSS, particularly when group members are novice computer users. GSS developers should, therefore, pay attention to interface design on top of the considerations for other GSS features.