Pointing to Priorities for Multiple Criteria Decision Making — The Case of a MIS-Based Project in China

Abstract

The priority-pointing procedure (PPP) is a systemic thinking-based approach for multiple criteria decision making (MCDM). PPP helps to synthesize responses to open-ended questions about the strategic direction that an organization should take. We applied PPP to a Management Information Systems-based Management Innovation in Fiscal Department (MIS-MIFD) project in Shaanxi Provincial Government’s Department of Fiscal Affairs. PPP surveys were conducted in five regions in Shaanxi Province using the same research questions. The combination of all five surveys into one survey for Shaanxi Province showed that the results in each county can be compared to identify their particular different problems. The analysis shows that PPP can help to obtain balanced integrated solutions when solving strategic direction problems in management and give practical implications. From a scientific research point of view, this study has provided unique support for the underlying nomological theory on which PPP is based. The findings of this study indicate that coherent groups of decision-makers do have a “collective mind”, and this can be accessed using a nomological procedure. This research can add knowledge to the understanding of nomological theory and extend the application of it in opinion mining and decision making in the context of IT.