Question 4 OR (a)
Features of a decision support system, and how it differs from a management information system
8 marks
- Time to write
- About 16 minutes
From an older CBCS paper
Question
Question 4 OR (a) · 8 marksWhich features does a Decision Support System have ? Differentiate Decision Support System from Management Information System.
Reworded from the university paper; the task is the same. The original paper belongs to the University of Delhi. See DU's question bank.
Before you write
Read off the question and its marks
Read from the question
- Which…?Differentiate…Two asks in one question: answer both.
Write it in this order
- Read; underline the asks; jot your points 1 min
- 1 Meaning of a DSS and types of decision 1 mark 2 min
- 2 Features of a DSS 3 marks 5 min
- 3 Meaning and objectives of an MIS 1 mark 2 min
- 4 Distinction between DSS and MIS 2½ marks 4 min
- 5 Conclusion ½ mark 1 min
- Check: every ask answered, key terms underlined 1 min
Easy marks
- Steps 1 and 3 opens with the meaning: a one-line definition, the quickest mark in each.
Short on time? Trim steps 2 and 4 evenly rather than skip one: each is capped at its own marks. End with step 5 in a line or two.
Try it first. About 16 minutes for 8 marks. Write it out, then open the solution.
Solution
Hover or tap a marked figure, like 72,000, to see how it is made and where else it appears.
Decision support system: meaning
Decisions may be structured, with clear objectives, standard procedures and a standard solution; unstructured, for novel problems that call for judgment and a creative solution; or semi-structured, a mix of the two. A decision support system (DSS) is an interactive, computer-based system that helps decision makers use data and models to solve unstructured and semi-structured problems, by offering a range of alternative solutions; this is the sense of the definition given by Scott Morton. A spreadsheet model that a sales head in Indore uses to test how different discount rates would change next quarter's margins is a simple example.
Features of a decision support system
- It supports judgment, it does not replace it. It assists managers, especially at the top and middle levels, with semi-structured problems.
- It is interactive and user-friendly. Users work with it directly and can change assumptions, ask new questions and add new data; extensive participation by end users is desirable.
- It aims at effectiveness. It improves the quality of decisions rather than the speed with which they are made.
- It combines data and models. Its software stores and retrieves models from a model base and integrates them with data in a database, behind an easy, flexible interface.
- It is focused. It is built for a specific set of decisions, such as routing or queuing, not for general use, and provides flexible tools for analysing data.
- It relies on networks. Reliable communication networks and terminals matter more to it than large-scale data processing. Systems for group decisions were developed later.
Management information system: meaning
A management information system (MIS) is a system designed to supply the information required for the effective management of an enterprise. Its objectives are to make information available to the right person, at the right time and in the right form; to supply it at reasonable cost; to process data by efficient methods; to keep information up to date; and to keep confidential information secure. Information technology makes an MIS possible, with the computer organising and formatting data.
Decision support system and management information system distinguished
The distinction below is drawn from the stated purpose and features of each in the study material.
| Basis | Decision support system | Management information system |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Supports a manager's judgment in solving semi-structured problems | Supplies the information needed to manage the enterprise |
| Emphasis | Effectiveness of the decision rather than efficiency | Efficient processing of data and supply at reasonable cost |
| Scope | A specific set of decisions | Information for decisions at the various levels of the hierarchy |
| Way of use | Interactive: the user changes assumptions and asks new questions | Delivers up-to-date information to the right person at the right time |
| Content | Models as well as data | Data organised into information |
| Relationship | A specialised kind of MIS | Not every MIS is a DSS, because their purposes differ |
An MIS keeps managers informed; a DSS goes further and helps them work through a particular, partly structured decision by testing alternatives. The DSS is thus a specialised MIS built around decisions rather than reports.
Where the 8 marks sit
| # | Component | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meaning of a DSS and types of decision | 1 |
| 2 | Features of a DSS | 3 |
| 3 | Meaning and objectives of an MIS | 1 |
| 4 | Distinction between DSS and MIS | 2.5 |
| 5 | Conclusion | 0.5 |
| Total | 8 |
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