Management Information Systems Chapter 12

group decision-support systems (GDSS)

An interactive computer-based system to facilitate the solution to unstructured problems by a set of decision makers working together as a group

semi-structured decisions

Decisions in which only part of the problem has a clear-cut answer provided by an accepted procedure

balanced scorecard method

Framework for operationalizing a firms strategic plan by focusing on measurable financial, business process, customer, and learning and growth outcomes of firm performance.

key performance indicators (KPIs)

Measures proposed by senior management for understanding how well the firm is performing along specified dimensions.

informational roles

Mintzberg's classification for managerial roles where managers act as the nerve centres of their organizations, receiving and disseminating critical information

decisional roles

Mintzberg's classification for managerial roles where managers initiate activities, handle disturbances, allocate resources, and negotiate conflicts

interpersonal role

Mitzberg's classification for managerial roles where managers act as figureheads and leaders for the organization

unstructured decisions

Nonroutine decisions in which the decision maker must provide judgement evaluation, and insights into the problem definition; there is no agreed upon procedure for making such decision

implementation

Simon's fourth stage of decision-making, when the individual puts the decision into effect and reports on the progress of the solution

design

Simon's second stage of decision making, when the individual conceives of possible alternative solutions to a problem

choice

Simon's third stage of decision making, when the individual selects among the various solution alternatives

data visualization

Technology for helping users see patterns and relationships in large amounts of data by presenting the data in graphical form.

drill down

The ability to move from summary data to lower and lower levels of detail.

classical model of management

Traditional description of management that focused on its formal functions of planning, organizing, coordinating, deciding, and controlling.

business performance management (BPM)

attempts to systematically translate a firm's strategies (e.g., differentiation, low-cost producer, market share growth, and scope of operation) into operational targets

structured decisions

decisions that are repetitive, routine, and have a definite procedure for handling them

behavioral models

descriptions of management based on behavioral scientists' observations of what managers actually do in their jobs

managerial roles

expectations of the activities that managers should perform in an organization

sensitivity analysis

models that ask "what if" questions repeatedly to determine the impact of changes in one or more factors on the outcomes

pivot table

spreadsheet tool for reorganizing and summarizing two or more dimensions of data in a tabular format

geographic information system (GIS)

system with software that can analyze and display data using digitized maps to enhance planning and decision-making

intelligence

the first of Simon's four stages of decision making, when the individual collects information to identify problems occurring in the organization