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                          DSS News
                       by D. J. Power
             January 28, 2001 -- Vol. 2, No. 3
         A Bi-Weekly Publication of DSSResources.COM
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     Check Chapter 2 in HTML at http://dssresources.com
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Featured:
* DSS Wisdom
* Ask Dan! -- What factors indicate a special study is more  
              appropriate than a DSS?
* Request for Information -- Health Care Simulations
* What's New at DSSResources.COM
* DSS News Stories
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We have more than 2300 unique visitors each week at DSSResources.COM 
and more than 400 subscribers from more than 50 countries to this 
newsletter. Please forward this email to people interested in Decision 
Support Systems. 
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DSS Wisdom
James March wrote in 1978, "Prescriptive theories of choice are 
dedicated to perfecting the intelligence of human action by imagining 
that action stems from reason and by improving the technology of 
decision. Descriptive theories of choice are dedicated to perfecting the 
understanding of human action by imagining that action makes sense. Not 
all behavior makes sense; some of it is unreasonable. Not all decision 
technology is intelligent; some of it is foolish." (p. 604)
from March, J. G. "Bounded Rationality, Ambiguity, and the Engineering 
of Choice", Bell Journal of Economics, Vol. 9, 1978, pp. 587-608.
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Ask Dan!
What factors in a decision situation indicate that it 
is probably more appropriate to prepare a special 
study than it is to build a Decision Support System?
Let's clarify the term special study. Some other names
that are used include: a quantitative analysis, a simulation
study, and a management analysis. Special studies are usually
prepared to support decision-making in situations that 
are especially important and one-time (novel or infrequent).
Situations that are very unstructured, involve negotiation or
bargaining or that are political are also likely candidates
for special studies. DSS are not very appropriate in these
situations.
Data-Driven DSS seem most appropriate where
managers need frequent access and ad hoc analysis of large
data sets. Model-Driven DSS are appropriate in recurring
decision situation that are semi-structured where a quantitative
model or models can inform or support analyses and choices.
Knowledge-Driven DSS are appropriate where a narrow domain
of expertise can be defined and where one or more experts
can be identified or where knowledge can be codified to help
a less expert decision maker. A Document-Driven DSS should
be built when a very large set of documents has been, is or will be
created that needs to be filtered, sorted, searched and analyzed.
A Communications-Driven DSS is most appropriate where two or
more people need to be involved in an ad hoc or on-going decision
process and either can't meet or find it costly to meet and
want to use technology tools to communicate, collaborate, evaluate
and support decision analysis or evaluation.
NOTE to DSS News Subscribers: Please send me your comments and feedback 
or post the information to the DSSResources.COM Bulletin Board.
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Request for Information -- Health Care Simulation
I am searching for a simulation computer model (software) to enable 
health sciences medical students at rural health clinics to learn health 
systems dynamics, strategic thinking resulting in action plans for their 
assigned clinics. Can you recommend a model or software related to 
systems dynamics?
Thank you. 
R. Rudy Filek, PhD
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What's New at DSSResources.COM
01/20/2001 Posted HTML version of Chapter 2 "Gaining Competitive 
Advantage with Decision Support Systems". This is an experimental 
chapter that we are testing. The plan is to put all of the chapters in 
the subscriber zone in a similar HTML format. Chapter 2 is currently 
being revised and your comments on its content and format will be 
appreciated.
01/20/2001 Revised Ask Dan! format.
01/15/2001 Updated and posted the DSS Web Tour (version 4.0).
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DSS News Stories - Jan. 14 to Jan. 28, 2001
01/26/2001 During the morning of January 25, Microsoft was the target of 
a denial-of-service attack against the routers that direct traffic to 
its Web sites.
01/26/2001 Facilities Management software transforms facilities 
organizations to e-Businesses.
01/25/2001 The University of Minnesota identified more than $500,000 
annual savings from the implementation of enterprise facilities 
management system.
01/25/2001 2,200 delegates to World Economic Forum use Pocket PCs and 
Wireless Network for information management.
01/25/2001 The Freedom Group selected Brokat's Java-Based rules 
management technology to facilitate insurance processes.
01/24/2001 Fair, Isaac announced availability of its next generation 
decision engine technology.
01/22/2001 Saatchi & Saatchi deploy Hummingbird Cyberdocs 3.1 document 
management application.
01/22/2001 Study finds organizations with successful balanced scorecards 
involved high-level senior management.
01/19/2001 M-I deployed Web-based Cognos Finance enterprise-wide for 
budgeting; replaced Excel spreadsheet and Oracle system.
01/19/2001 Call for papers: ISE2001 Workshop on Knowledge Management 
Systems June 25-28, 2001 in Las Vegas. Submission deadline is March 26, 
2001.
01/18/2001 SupplyLinks chose NextLinx to support global transportation 
decisions for its customers. 
01/18/2001 Microsoft selects Sagent to help develop a comprehensive 
database to personalize marketing campaigns. 
01/17/2001 BizLand is offering its small business members a customized 
Web Site Building Tool from Trellix. 
01/17/2001 Bristol-Myers Squibb signed contract for Fair, Isaac 
MarketSmart Decision System. 
01/16/2001 Informix Business Solutions changed its name to Ascential 
Software, Inc. 
01/16/2001 Seagate Software previewed new Web Analytic Reporting tool: 
Crystal Analysis Professional. It features OLAP reporting and 
interactive analytic application creation delivered via the Web.
01/16/2001 Thailand's CP 7-Eleven chose Computer Associates' Unicenter 
TNG for data transport to support 1,500 7-Eleven retail outlets.
01/15/2001 Royal Philips Electronics is deploying Lotus Collaboration, 
Knowledge Management and Business Balanced Scorecard solutions.
01/15/2001 Staples selects MarketMAX for Web-based, multi-channel 
merchandise planning.
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