Performance and Attitudinal Affects of a Decision Support Package in a Business Game

Abstract

Traditional wisdom from the MIS/DATA Processing field suggests that Decision Support Systems (EWS) improve corporate decision making and planning. This paper investigates this question utilizing four business policy sections, two with EWS packages and two without. It was found that the use of EWS produced a more positive overall attitude toward game play, a greater willingness to perform planning, and a better understanding of game play and planning, than handscored work sheets. It could not be determined that a significant difference occurred in the performance of teams with and without the EWS, although the evidence suggests a change in this direction.