Challenging Group Support Systems Research: The Case for Strategic Decision Making

Strategic decision making (SDM) often occurs in groups that can benefit from the use of group support systems (GSS). However, no comprehensive review of this logical intersection has been made. We explore this intersection by viewing GSS research through the lens of SDM. First, SDM is broadly characterized and a model of GSS-mediated SDM is produced. Second, we review empirical GSS research linking these findings to the characteristics of SDM. We conclude that GSS research has not produced sufficient knowledge about group history, heterogeneity, member experience, task type, time pressure, technology or tool effects, and decision consensus for a favorable evaluation of SDM in GSS groups. SDM in GSS groups challenges researchers to study the effects of group processes such as those just mentioned in a context that involves ongoing and established groups, political activity, and a multiplicity of tasks.     

从战略管理角度透视财务管理目标

运用战略管理的基本理论 ,在分析现行理论界关于财务管理目标的不足之处的基础上 ,提出了财务管理的新的目标———战略计划期利润最大化。     

战略管理近视症

随着信息网络化、经济全球化,长期以来一直指导企业发展的战略假设和前提正受到严峻挑战,有的已经成为束缚企业战略视角的谬论。对战略管理近视症的分析,有助于矫正陈旧的战略假设,树立全新的战略视角。     

Brand Management and Strategic Performance

ABSTRACT

This article reports on a study using a previously published checklist to assess the brand management practices of South African firms. Indications are that the perceptions of a sample of senior managers regarding how well their institutions manage their brands are reasonably positive, and that the management of brands has effects on a firm's profitability, market share and growth compared to competitors. While the checklist used seems to possess the characteristic of reliability, further development needs to be done on aspects of its underlying structure. Implications for managers and further avenues for research are identified and discussed.     

A Multi-Agent View of Strategic Planning Using Group Support Systems and Artificial Intelligence

The strategic planning process is dynamic and complex. Including a Group Support System (GSS) in the problem-solving process can improve the content quality of the strategic plan by allowing increased participation by more members of the organization. However, it can also add to the complexity of the problem by increasing the quantity of textual information that can result from group activity. Added complexity increases cognitive overload and frustrations of those participants negotiating the contents of the strategic plan. This article takes a multi-agent view of the strategic planning process. It considers group participants as multiple agents concerned with the content quality of the strategic plan. The facilitator agent is responsible for guiding groups in the strategic plan construction process as well as for solving process problems such as cognitive overload. We introduce an AI Concept Categorizer agent, a software tool that supports the facilitator in addressing the process problem of cognitive overload associated with convergent group activities by synthesizing group textual output into conceptual clusters. The implementation of this tool reduces frustrations which groups encounter in the process of classifying textual output and provides more time for discussion of the concepts themselves. Because of the large amount of convergent activity necessary for strategic planning, the addition of the AI Concept Categorizer to the strategic planning process should increase the quality of the strategic plan and the buy-in of the participants in the strategic planning process.     

Group Decision Support Using Fuzzy Cognitive Maps for Causal Reasoning

Cognitive maps have been used for analysing and aiding decision-making by investigating causal links among relevant domain concepts. A fuzzy cognitive map (FCM) is an extension of a cognitive map with the additional capability of representing feedback through weighted causal links. FCMs can be used as tools for both static as well as dynamic analysis of scenarios evolving with time. An FCM represents an expert's domain knowledge in a form that lends itself to relatively easy integration into a collective knowledge base for a group involved in a decision process. The resulting group FCM has the potential to serve as a useful tool in a group decision support environment. An appropriate methodology for the development and analysis of group FCMs is required. A framework for such a methodology consisting of the development and application phases is presented.     

我国中小企业战略管理研究

我国的中小企业已经成为国民经济的重要组成部分,它们的快速健康发展将直接促进我国经济的发展。当前,我国成千上万的中小型企业面临着严峻挑战,他们在单一的市场或有限的几个市场上运作,创建者的经验、个人价值观影响企业战略定位,有着很大的局限性。因此,我国中小企业有必要加强其战略管理,增强企业竞争力,将企业做大做强。     

企业实施战略管理会计的绩效评价体系探析

对传统财务指标评价进行了分析与探讨,提出实施战略管理会计的绩效评价体系应在财务评价的基础上,以价值增值指标衡量长期绩效,并增加非财务指标以全面衡量企业业绩。企业应借鉴其经验,完善自身的绩效评价体系。     

基于高层支持与信息化咨询的知识转移研究

知识转移是企业信息系统实施的重要一环,本文在已有研究的基础上从领导角度出发,以华为IPD项目为案例,探讨了高层领导支持与知识转移之间的关系,认为高层认知以及高层对信息化工作的支持直接影响知识转移环境的塑造,进而促进知识转移的成功。     

金融支持与战略性新兴产业发展研究:一个文献综述

建立良好的金融支持体系,充分发挥金融的支持功能,是实现战略性新兴产业快速发展的重要保障。现有研究对于金融支持战略性新兴产业发展的作用机理、战略性新兴产业发展的金融支持模式选择、战略性新兴产业发展的金融支持风险、金融创新与战略性新兴产业发展等问题进行了探索。     

ABC Inventory Management Support System With a Clinical Laboratory Application

Many manufacturing and service organizations invest a large amount of capital in inventory. For this reason, it is important for inventory managers to reduce the costs associated with inventory. Firms that carry a variety of items require a classification system for the effective management of inventory. The ABC support system is a well-established inventory planning and control method that is used to manage different classes of inventory and reduce inventory costs concurrently. This paper presents a decision support system for ABC inventory management that can be used by managers to determine the efficiency of their inventory policies and to evaluate inventory decisions. The mathematical formulas to support inventory decisions are discussed. Since managers must manage in term of dollars, the quantitative tools are explained in terms suitable for management.     

Electronic Meetings and Intense Group Conflict: Effects of a Policy-Modeling Performance Support System and an Audio Communication Support System on Satisfaction and Agreement

Ad-hoc decision teams were used to examine the effects of an electronic meeting system (EMS) on group satisfaction and agreement. The decision task provoked intense conflict of values. The EMS had two core features - a policy-modeling group performance support system (incorporating structured decision methods and computer-supported cognitive feedback using Multi-Attribute Utility Analysis and Social Judgment Analysis), and an audio-based group communication support system (allowed dispersed members to communicate by voice). Policy groups reached higher agreement than conventional decision-making groups, apparently due primarily to the structure for cognitive-conflict tasks that was imposed on group discussion rather than computer-supported cognitive feedback displays. Audio groups were more satisfied with the conflict process than face-to-face groups. Decision agreement was equivalent across the two media. These audio effects for a highly equivocal task represent a further challenge to media richness theory.     

企业战略联盟的动态管理与关系管理

从企业战略管理的角度看战略联盟的动态本质,即企业战略联盟的动态管理具备结构性和时效性两个纬度。在评价现有战略联盟关系管理方法的基础上,采用了组合的动态联盟管理方法。以有限的企业资源和择优的资源分配方案,提高企业联盟总体绩效,是企业战略联盟动态管理的根本目标。     

战略联盟视角的成本管理创新

在成本管理中,引入战略联盟思维理念,打破企业之间,企业内部成本与技术、管理等部门之间的界限,在不同的价值链范围之内,寻求资源优化组合与动态配置,构建具有战略联盟思维特点的现代成本管理思路。其中,开展内部成本协作联盟体以求成本协同效应,实施虚拟生产以减少投资和节约费用,组建基于管理信息系统的信息共享联盟以降低交易成本,以此来启示现代企业成本管理创新。     

论战略管理会计对传统管理会计的突破

战略管理会计是一支新兴的会计学分支学科,较之传统管理会计有着进一步的发展。即战略管理会计是外向型的信息系统;战略管理会计着眼于企业的长远目标和整体利益;战略管理会计提供了与战略管理相关的多样化信息;战略管理会计对管理会计人员的职能和素质提出了更高的要求;战略管理会计是一种全面性、综合性的风险管理;战略管理会计采用战略性的业绩评价。     

转型期中国企业管理的战略选择

本文认为,传统的企业战略管理注重进攻性,考虑的是企业在常规状态下的战略目标、战略选择和战略实施,而忽略了各种危机(如信息危机、产品危机、财务危机、信誉危机、财产危机、人才危机等)给企业带来的影响与危害。同时,企业的外部环境已经改变,当前所面临的危机已经呈现出多样性与复杂性的特点。因此,战略管理与危机管理相结合是经济转型期我国企业管理的必然选择。企业不仅要认识和捕捉市场发展的机会,而且要未雨绸缪,认识、分析、排除潜在的和面临的危机,既要制定企业正常状态下的发展战略,又要制定非正常状态下的发展战略。     

Cognitive Mapping: A Process to Support Strategic Planning in an Academic Department

Cognitive mapping has been used to support strategic planning in business. However, the process has seldom been utilized to support strategic planning in nonprofit public organizations, where many reporting lines are less clear. This paper describes how the cognitive mapping process was designed and implemented to help a large academic department identify and merge the individual goals of faculty members as a first step in creating a strategic plan. Each map was created using the Decision Explorer^TM software during individual interviews, as opposed to using paper and pencil. An action case approach was used to plan and evaluate individual mapping sessions. Eliciting individual cognitive maps led to greater engagement by faculty in the strategic planning process. Nearly all of the participating faculty members believed that the cognitive mapping process was helpful and insightful and the resulting map was accurate and complete.     

战略管理会计在我国企业中的应用分析

战略管理会计的形成和发展是现代市场经济和竞争的必然结果,是建立和完善现代成本管理体系的必然要求。我国企业已具备了实施战略管理的应用条件,应把传统管理会计与战略管理会计结合起来,依据市场动态来扩展管理会计的领域与内容,使战略管理会计成为推动企业制度创新和发展的有力工具     

The Impact of Role Training in a User-Driven Group Support System Environment

We tested the proposition that training groups to use roles would improve performance in a user-driven, GSS-supported meeting. Two methods of role training, fixed and rotated roles, were compared against a control procedure in which no formal role training was provided. In a repeated measures experiment, half of the groups completed four generate-creative tasks, while the remaining groups completed three generate-creative tasks followed by one choice-intellective task. Both role training methods were successful in reducing the time spent by groups orienting themselves to the technology, particularly in the choice-intellective task context; however, decision quality or quantity did not improve with role training.     

战略成本管理在企业中的应用探讨

随着信息时代的到来与现代高新技术的蓬勃发展 ,传统的成本管理模式由于其内在的狭隘性与局限性而愈来愈无法适应新环境的剧变。因此 ,各国企业界一直在致力寻找一种能使企业在信息时代的竞争中生存下去的成本管理模式。而战略成本管理在现代企业管理中起着越来越重要的作用。它将企业战略与成本管理相结合 ,从战略高度对企业成本行为及结果进行全面了解、控制和改善 ,从而可以创造企业的长期竞争优势。