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Dan Power

Greetings to all of my friends who work in the area of computerized decision support. This blog is a way for me to share stories from my encounters related to decision support, to comment on industry events, and to comment on other blogger's comments, especially those of my friends on the Business Intelligence Network. I'll try to state my opinions clearly and provide an old professor's perspective on how computers and information technology are changing the world. Decision making has always been my focus, and it will be in this blog as well. Your comments, feedback and questions are welcomed.

About the author >

Daniel J. "Dan" Power is a Professor of Information Systems and Management at the College of Business Administration at the University of Northern Iowa and the editor of DSSResources.com, the Web-based knowledge repository about computerized systems that support decision making; the editor of PlanningSkills.com; and the editor of DSS News, a bi-weekly e-newsletter. Dr. Power's research interests include the design and development of decision support systems and how these systems impact individual and organizational decision behavior.

Editor's Note: More articles and resources are available in Dan's BeyeNETWORK Expert Channel. Be sure to visit today!

What influences acceptance of decision support technologies?

by Dan Power
Editor, DSSResources.com 


Acceptance is an important issue when implementing decision support capabilities especially those that are expensive, novel and/or innovative. Developers and managers want users to have a favorable reaction to a new capability. Sadly acceptance is not always the response. Expensive software is sometimes hostily received, little used or "worked around." Acceptance of change can be grudging and even coerced or at the other extreme enthusiastically received and welcomed. Developers should seek cooperation and approval rather than compliance and acquiescence. How can positive acceptance be achieved? In a worst case, how can grudging acceptance be achieved?
Continue reading at http://dssresources.com/faq/index.php?action=artikel&id=242

from DSS News

Posted May 13, 2012 5:50 PM
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Can computerized decision support reduce information asymmetry?

by Dan Power
Editor, DSSResources.com 


In multiparty decision situations, one party often has better information than another. These situations commonly involve a purchase/sales transaction or a principal agent situation where a person acts on behalf of another and the principal attempts to monitor and control the agent. Information symmetry means all parties in a decision situation have the same information. Information asymmetry involves decisions in transactions where one party has more or better information. Providing complete information symmetry or what has been called "transparency" is probably impossible, but the goal is often to strive for transparency and information symmetry. Supposedly with the same information, the decisions of the parties will be better.

Posted May 2, 2012 5:42 AM
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What is the job of a decision support analyst?

by Dan Power
Editor, DSSResources.com 

Job titles often summarize job duties and sometimes the title conveys prestige or reflects the responsiblity of the person holding the job. Decision support analyst is a somewhat ambiguous job title. For example, a major hospital wanted to hire a decision support analyst who knew SPSS to prepare studies and analyses for administrators and outside agencies. This job function is certainly important, but some use the job title to describe an Information Systems specialist who helps with building and using decision support systems. So when is it appropriate to seek a decision support analyst and when is it best to hire a DSS/Business Intelligence analyst. In general, an analyst refers to an individual whose primary task is a detailed examination of a specific, limited problem area.

appeared in DSSNews, Vol. 13, No.8, April 15, 2012.

Posted April 16, 2012 7:12 AM
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Will thinking machines make better decisions than people?

by Dan Power
Editor, DSSResources.com 


Fifty years of computing technology improvement has led to faster computation, faster transmission of data and larger storage capacity. The information age is still young, but automation, technology use and decision support applications have increased dramatically since the 1970s. Will smart machines run the world? Will people be relegated to menial tasks? Will decision automation change the world? Today in some situations, computer software makes better decisions than people. Our future reality is unlikely to be the Matrix (1999) where sentient machines run the world, but the intelligent computer Hal of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is increasingly likely.

appeared in DSSNews, Vol. 13, No. 7, April 1, 2012.

Posted April 1, 2012 9:57 AM
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Can DSS enhance sustainability efforts?

by Dan Power
Editor, DSSResources.com  

Sustainability is the capacity to endure. Computerized decision support can potentially help managers and individuals make choices that are more likely to lead to sustainability. Also, data-driven DSS can help monitor sustainability efforts. Sustainability involves making many decisions over a long period of time. Potentially information and decision support technologies can help coordinate sustainability efforts.

appeared in DSSNews, Vol. 13, No. 6, March 18, 2012.

Posted March 28, 2012 6:40 AM
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