Strategic Alignment Process and Decision Support Systems – Theory and Case Studies

Citation

Braziotis, C. and Tannock, J. (2007), "Strategic Alignment Process and Decision Support Systems – Theory and Case Studies", Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, Vol. 18 No. 2, pp. 239-240. https://doi.org/10.1108/17410380710722926

This book is described as dealing with strategic organisational decision‐making, by providing techniques for improving the intelligence of actions by organisational decision‐makers. To achieve that, with reference to IT support systems and the internet, its authors attempt to develop a bridge between the strategic decision‐making process with commonly‐used decision support systems and models, within organisations. The 13 Chapters of the book can be readily grouped into three main theoretical fields.

The first grouping (Chapters 1‐4) introduces and analyses issues related to strategic decision‐making and operational considerations. Starting with an introduction to the history and main concepts of strategy for organisations, the authors proceed to introduce strategies for competitive advantage, focusing on the competitive environment and industry, as well as the internal analysis. Topics such as value chain, supply chain and strategic alliances are introduced and analysed; as are issues regarding the alignment of strategy with organisational structures and project deployment.

In the second group (Chapters 5‐7) the authors tackle IT, performance measurement approaches (such as Balanced Scorecard), and the internet. It also discusses the key issue of aligning organisational strategy with IT strategy, focussing on strategies for dealing with the dynamic competitive environment in the new e‐business‐oriented economy.

The final group of Chapters (8‐13) deals with the decision‐making process and associated models. This part starts with an overview of the decision‐making process in organisations, introducing the structure of the strategic decision‐making process. It moves on to analyse the nature of strategic decision‐making models, discusses the role of simulation and business games, reviews decisions based on organisational knowledge, decision support systems, expert system and business intelligence, and finally introduces group decision and negotiation in strategic decision‐making.

This book does not present a complete coverage of either strategic management or decision support systems. Its aim is to provide integration between those fields, at an inevitable cost (for example, there is no discussion on “hybrid strategies” when considering Porter's generic strategies and only a few illustrative examples when analysing decision‐making models). Yet, with its breadth of references the book does provide the reader with good insights into the main fields discussed. Indeed, in some chapters the book covers topics beyond the expected ones, such as its consideration of important issues related to operational effectiveness introduced by Porter.

In addition to the case studies provided at the end of each chapter, the authors provide illustrative practical examples, for most of the theoretical fields introduced. However, these are largely retrieved from other works. Some readers may find the approach somewhat lacking in originality. Nevertheless, in that respect the book provides a good source for additional reading, for the interested reader who may identify a point to be followed‐up from one of the sections or case studies in this book. In the final chapters discussing decision‐making models, the reader will notice the limited number of examples provided per model. The focus of some cases on the Brazilian context (mostly evident in Chapter 2), may hinder the book's acceptance in international academic programmes.

Overlooking a larger than usual number of types and printing mistakes, we believe that the book successfully provides an integrative perspective across the topics which it intends to cover. It could provide a useful reference in the hands of a practitioner, and it may also be relevant to researchers/students who are searching for a comprehensive tool to explore the link between strategy and decision‐making models or quantitative techniques.