George M. Kasper

IS '95: guidelines for undergraduate IS curriculum

This paper provides an overview report of the first joint curriculum development effort for undergraduate programs in information systems. The curriculum recommendations are a collaborative effort of the following organizations: ACM, AIS, DPMA, and ICIS. After a summary of the objectives and rationale for the curriculum, the curriculum model is described. Input and output attributes of graduates are delineated. Resource requirements for effective IS programs are then identified. Lastly, there is a proposal for maintaining currency of the curriculum through electronic media.

A Theory of Decision Support System Design for User Calibration

A theory is proposed for designing decision support systems (DSS) so that the confidence a decision maker has in a decision made using the aid equals the quality of that decision. The DSS design theory for user calibration prescribes properties of a DSS needed for users to achieve perfect calibration. Relevant calibration, decision making, and DSS literatures are synthesized; and related behavioral theories are borrowed to identify the properties of expressiveness, visibility, and inquirability as requisite components of the DSS design theory for user calibration.

TELCOT: an application of information technology for competitive advantage in the cotton industry

This paper describes the strategic use of information technology by the Plains Cotton Cooperative Association (PCCA). TELCOT, a computer-based system developed by PCCA, provides cotton traders with functions much like those available to NYSE or AMEX traders. TELCOT transformed PCCA from a small cotton merchant to a major cotton broker. Handing 115,000 to 240,000 computer transactions per day, TELCOT provides over 20,000 cotton producers, 40 buyers, and 200 gin operators with an electronic marketing service that has helped PCCA grow from a

Knowledge, skills and abilities of information systems professionals: past, present, and future

50 million to a

A laboratory study of user characteristics and decision-making performance in end-user computing

500 million enterprise in just 15 years.

Toward representing management-domain knowledge

Abstract This study provides information and direction regarding the skills needed by current and future information systems (IS) professionals. Based on information gathered in 1978, 1987, and 1988 through structured interviews with a total of one-hundred-eighty senior information systems managers responsible for planning, training, and hiring IS personnel, the trends in the current and future usefulness to project managers, systems analysts/designers, and programmers of twenty dimensions of knowledge, skill, and ability are evaluated. The results indicate that senior IS managers believe that human factors and managerial knowledge, skills, and abilities have and will continue to increase in importance for all IS professionals, particularly for project managers. The findings also confirm the increasing need to personnel with knowledge of advanced technologies and an increased awareness of the value of information as a corporate resource. Collectively, the results suggests a clearer division of labor among IS professionals, precipitated by advances in technology and their application to ever increasingly complex and ill-structured problems.

Information systems '95 curriculum model: a collaborative effort

Abstract A laboratory study using a simulated business setting was conducted to examine relationships among user characteristics, DSS usage patterns, and decision-making performance. MBA-student subjects self-selected into one of two categories: (1) “end-user programmers” who chose to use the DSS modeling language to develop personalized decision models, or (2) “command level users” who used only “canned” models and query language retrievals. The results show that early development of personalized decision models was positively related to the end-users previous computer experience. The findings also support the contention that end-user programming improves decision-making performance. End-user programmers consistently outperformed the command level users in terms of their firms stock price, market share, and return on assets.

The effect of human-computer interchange protocol on decision performance

Abstract Guidelines for the application of artificial intelligence to management-domain problems are proposed. A tutorial highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of several popular knowledge representation techniques is presented. Matching the strengths of these techniques with the requirements of different management decision-making domains provides a basis for the proposed guidelines. Management areas for which current approaches to knowledge representation provide little support are also discussed.

The effect of presentation media on recipient performance in text-based information systems

This paper provides a progress report of the joint curriculum task force effort to develop a new model curriculum for undergraduate programs in Information Systems. The curriculum work is the first collaborative effort between ACM and other professional societies associated with information systems education. The paper presents a brief background description, current task force activities, list of recommended courses and course description, and other addressed curricula related issues.

A knowledge exchange architecture for collaborative human-computer communication

Abstract:The concept of a collaborative human-computer interchange was proposed almost thirty years ago. The goal of this paradigm is to design human-computer decision-making systems that think and process information at a level exceeding that of either the human or the computer alone. Technological and conceptual developments have made this holistic partnership increasingly possible. Moreover, recent discussions of human-computer collaborative work have highlighted the system performance advantages of this interchange.In this paper, the notion of human-computer interchange protocols is developed and the importance of these protocols to human-computer collaboration and system performance is argued. Based on data collected in a laboratory setting, empirical support for the proposed holistic effect of human-computer interchange protocols on system performance is provided. Decision performance is significantly improved by interchange protocols that encourage human-computer interaction during the problem-solv...