An Experimental Investigation of Some MIS Design Variables

An experiment was conducted to relate characteristics of an information system and a decision maker to the resulting decision making performance in a simulated inventory/production environment. One of the six independent variables which were analyzed, four (form of presentation, available of decision aids, availability of exception reporting, amount of information provided) were related to information system characteristics, the other two (decision making style, knowledge of functional area) described decision maker characteristics. The dependent variables, or the decision making quality variables, analyzed were cost performance, time performance, and the number of reports requested for decision making. The experimental setting, findings, and the number of reports requested for decision making. The experimental setting, findings, and the implication of the findings for information system design are discussed.