A comparison between the development of Interactive Financial Planning System Decision Support System models on mainframes and microcomputers /
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| Other Authors: | , , , |
| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
1988.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | ProQuest, Abstract Link to OAKTrust copy |
| Abstract: | Institutions of higher education are just beginning to explore the benefits of decision support systems. Case study methodology is used in this exploratory study of mainframe and microcomputer Interactive Financial Planning System (IFPS) Decision Support Systems (DSS) models of semi-structured higher education problems. Respondents to letters requesting participation were qualified by telephone prior to on-site interviews in California, Texas, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, New York, and Massachusetts. Open-ended questions were used to collect data on institutions, model builders, and the institution's experience in developing IFPS models. Cases include four private institutions, two public universities, and one community college. Interviewees, who built or modified the models used, included five mid-level staff managers, one financial analyst and one line manager. Five models supported financial decision-making, one was a cost feasibility study and one projected optimum instrument mix in a university band. IFPS models ranged in size from fifty lines on a microcomputer to many thousands of lines in a mainframe system of one hundred models at a private medical school. The following conclusions were drawn. Decision-maker expectations relate to presentation requirements. One page, tabular reports of aggregate information projected from historical bases such as current year adopted budget are preferred along with underlying assumptions. Graphic output is seldom used. User satisfaction of DSS is increased by quick responses to changing assumptions supported by what-if analysis. Analytical skills helpful in model development are found in mathematics and quantitative business methods courses. Other skills include attention to detail, ability to write logical equations, and good communication. Computer programming, while helpful, is not a requisite skill. Users are not inhibited from developing their own models. No differences were found in model design techniques using mainframes and microcomputers. Most higher education models could effectively run on microcomputers. DSS models are developed using the evolutionary approach. Executive decision-maker involvement was inhibited by a lack of understanding of modeling for decision support. Recommended future research include development of cases to teach DSS, the use of microcomputer DSS in higher education, and an in-depth examination of the long-term benefits of DSS. |
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| Item Description: | Typescript (photocopy). Vita. "Major subject: Educational Administration." |
| Physical Description: | xiii, 182 leaves : illustrations ; 29 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 155-166). |