Handling Decision Problems: Structuring Language and Interactive Modules

摘要

This report describes the result of the second year's work on a 3-year projectdesigned to identify and develop methods of effective support for higher-level decision making where the use of decision makers' own language in identifying and structuring problems is important. It examines the four classes of systems and tools for decision support that need to be provided within the general procedural schema for handling ill-structured decision problems to provide a comprehensive library of microcomputer-based tools for handling such problems at strategic and lower levels. Analysis of results confirms the basic hypothesis--problem handling is management strata specific. Higher strata managers employed better structuring processes in their problem handling; they proposed less strategic issues and more tactical issues both at the beginning and at the end of the decision conference. We also focused on identifying differences in perspectives of stakeholders in a risky technology, that of hazardous waste incineration in a real-life setting. We studied groups of stakeholders in industry and government (regulatory agency) as well as lay people and a pressure group.