Business Intelligence, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes - Case Study Example

? Business Intelligence Business Strategy Kourdi (2009) conducted a research study to determine that a strategy is a detailed plan set in place by a business for achieving success. In short, the bundle of decisions and activities a business chooses in order to achieve its long-term goals and objectives refers to a business strategy. Strategy is like a path such that every organization has to figure out what it wants to accomplish. Upon determining its goals, it has to find the relevant tools or methods to use in order to make it happen. This procedure has everything to do with the organizations’ prospective customers, type of products, and operations. References from Kourdi (2009) will address the means of coming up with a business strategy an how to act on it with view of attaining the firm’s objectives. A business strategy is like a game plan. The best way of coming up with a business strategy is to initiate the viable business ideas that motivates us to begin a business. A business idea is a business thought that generates what we find most suitable for a business. For instance, if you want to open a restaurant, it is important you consider using recipes that proved suitable for all cooking, as it is possible that the rest will find the food unique and delicious. The second phase of a business strategy comprises of assets and income. In order to realize and deliver the promise of a business idea, you must use a package of assets (Kourdi, 2009). This package involves people and property. In this category, a location is crucial, furniture is inevitable, and employees are necessary as well as the other essentials required in a business. There must be assets that the business owner will use to refuel the business in order to keep it going. In a firm, a business strategy incorporates finding and providing what is lacking in the market. This means, a business strategy aimed at achieving success must offer satisfaction to the prospects. This may require a brand-new product, service, or it may signal offering that product at a lowered price than is currently available (Kourdi, 2009). In addition, a good business strategy drives transactions. Is what the business offering worth the customer’s exchange of money? A good strategy of a business puts into the heart of the business the best interest of the business, which in turn helps achieve the business’ both short- and long-term goals. Decision Support Systems The effect of training on user satisfaction as investigated by Jamakiraman & Surakesi (2004) shown that, the world of computerized decision support is intensifying at a vast rate to use technological inventions and to create new applications. Researchers of information systems and technologists built and carried out thorough investigation of computerized decision support systems for roughly four decades. The inventors and developers of decision support system define it as an interactive system based on computer or sub-system intended to assist decision makers use technologies, knowledge, data, models, and documents related to communications in identifying and solving problems. Furthermore, use the system to complete the process of decision-making and make new decisions. With evidence from (Jamakiraman & Surakesi, 2004) I will chronicle and explore the advancements related to building and deploying decision support systems. In addition, the article will also feature on how organizations can use this system to enhance their performance. Documented evidence echoes that the development of decision support systems has its journey rooted with the building of model driven decision support system in the late 1960’s. Highlighted in chronological order, theory developments of this system jetted in the 1970’s followed by financial implementation and planning systems together with spreadsheet-based decision support system in the wake and midst of 1980’s. Decision support system is a diverse field whose history is unclear. However, what it can achieve for a firm is what matters most as regards this article (Jamakiraman & Surakesi, 2004). With decision support system, an applicant can gather vitally typical information that is useful in projecting the future of an organization. For instance, decision support system applicants can use information asset inventories such as relational data sources, data marts, data warehouses, and legacy to help the company benefit through personal efficiency improvement. With such system, the company decision makers keep the process of decision making at a reasonable speed, which in turn increases the company’s control (Jamakiraman & Surakesi, 2004). Agreeably, the invention and development of decision support system was a crucial platform for organizational success. This is because, it also helps gather information regarding sales figures between a particular period and another that helps create competitive advantage over competition and consequently help automate managerial processes. Moreover, presence of decision support system within organization projects revenue figures based on assumptions of product sales, which is useful in generating new evidence in support of a decision. It also facilitates interpersonal communication, reveals new approaches to thinking about the problem space, and promotes learning or training necessary for meeting the organization’s objectives. Information and Management Study results by Blecker (2005) will help bring out the advantages of information combined with management. Truthfully, information can be a complex thing since all transactions carried out affect all angles of the business. Therefore, to analyze and understand information prior developing effective computer solutions is necessary. Information is like data, which is futile on its own unless acted upon by policy makers. Management is simply overlooking or taking care of something by ensuring the right prevails. Hence, information management is the discipline that analyzes organization’s information as a resource that covers uses, value, and the subsequent distribution of all the relevant data within an organization. This information might be raw or processed by a computer by in either way; management strives to ensure it functions with the best interests of the company at heart. Nowadays, enterprises are considering information as an asset the same way they consider the company’s financial resources, real estate, and capital equipment are assets. Business analysts exclaim that, when a company employs assets properly they create additional value with whose returns on investments are measurable. As such, strategically focused companies carry this step further considering information as an asset that when strategically employed can act as the company’s advantage against stiff market competition. The scope of information and the functions of management are variable among organizations. Nevertheless, (Blecker, 2005) asserts that the acquisition of data, its storage in the database, its manipulation in the process of adding value, information reporting by use of application programs, and the communication of the results is cognitively constant. For those organizations in need of reaping the best out systems information management, they ought to understand that success relies heavily on information and management personnel. When vitally managed, information can help the company effectively plan its activities, budget wisely, control, and exploit the resources in an organization efficiently. Additionally, information managers are able to coordinate and integrate a wide range of activities within the organization with much ease. Information and management facilitate the formulation of corporate information policies, designs, and subsequently exploit the information technology systems for competitive advantage (Blecker, 2005). Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes Wagner and Hollenbeck (2009) research determined how organizations are undergoing unprecedented and revolutionary transformation due to technological advancements. They are constantly facing shifting demands from global competitive pressures, decision making speed, mergers, to the need to reconsider business processes and alliances. In spite of all that, they must respond effectively, remain flexible, and subsequently transform themselves to the new world of work. Within these changes is organizational behavior written as a central focus of explanation together with human decision processes. Organizational behavior refers to the learning of individuals and their behavior within their workplace setting in an organization. The critical procedures human resource managers undertake while making decisions is the human decision process. The major goal of effects of training on user satisfaction as investigated by Wagner and Hollenbeck (2009) is to explain the fundamental results of both organizational behavior and the human decision process. Organizational behavior and human decision making process brings on board empirical research using diverse methodological approaches such as laboratory experiments, field studies, field experiments, as well as computational modeling. These researches make substantial contributions in an organization’s ability to understand the psychological processes relevant to human attitudes, cognitions, as well as behavior in an organization. Just as the title implies, organizational behavior and human decision processes spans a wide spectrum of headings that address psychological and aspects cognitive to organizational behavior. These headings fall under the broad range of sub-headings that discuss judgment, cognition, perceptions, emotions, motivations, well-being, performance, and choice. With each of these sub-headings come premiums and fundamental contributions that anchor in phenomena relevant to organizational ability to attain success (Wagner & Hollenbeck, 2009). Expert Systems with Applications Traunmiller (2004) conducted a research study, which determined that it is partially possible to meet the course of collecting, processing, analyzing, and finally reporting information by use of a number of computers and technologies based on information. Analysts refer to expert systems with applications as a refereed journal that focuses on the interchange of expert system related information applied in industries, universities, and government worldwide. The driving force of the journal is to publish papers that deal with designing, developing, implementing, and managing expert systems. It also provides practical guidelines of the systems development. Expert system has a conversational advantage. It offers many advantages for users if compared to traditionally programmed systems that operate like a human brain. In addition, it has quick availability and opportunity to program itself since its engine is untouchable. Has the ability to exploit a considerable amount of knowledge as it uses rule base depicting that the volume of knowledge to program is not a major issue. Expert system with application is reliable, scalable, preserves, and improves knowledge of an expert (Traunmiller, 2004). This helps an organization realize its goals easily since it does not have to worry losing valuable information and expertise via death, resignation, or retirement of an expert. Synthesis In summary, as explained above, every business must have a stratagem, deal plan or a strategy and implement it in order to achieve the business’ short- and long-term objectives. The plan must incorporate tools or methods suitable for meeting the unmet wants in the market. These tools might be in form of decision support systems that encompass business strategies, data, and/or models that facilitate decision making in an organization. These support systems use information to solve problems. Hence, they automate managerial processes through the study of information and management that in turn helps strategically focused firms to rely on information documented by experts within the organization. This information enables the company to tailor the emotions, cognitions, and motives of the employees via the procedure of evaluating the organizational behavior and human decision processes. The knowledge obtained from the assessment and evaluation of employees is stored in expert systems with application thereby the company retains crucial knowledge of experts even after death, resignation, or retirement. References Blecker, T., (2005). Information and management systems for product customization. New York: Springer. Jamakiraman, V. & Surakesi, K., (2004). Decision Support Systems. New Delhi: PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. Kourdi, J., (2009). Business Strategy: A Guide to Taking Your Business Forward. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Traunmiller, R., (2004). Database and expert systems applications: 15th International Conference, DEXA 2004, Zaragoza, Spain, August 30-September 3, 2004 : proceedings, Volume 15. New York: Springer. Wagner, J. & Hollenbeck, J., (2009). Organizational Behavior: Securing Competitive Advantage. Routledge: Taylor & Francis. Read More