Multimedia as value enabler for decision making in virtual enterprises

Decision making in organizations, as contrasted with virtual enterprises, is based on physical, communicating, functional departments. The twin technologies of computing and communication, and the need for management problem-solving expertise have made it necessary to have a virtual enabler for effective decision making in enterprise processes. This paper brings out value-added aspects of multimedia technology in decision making and describes the Multimedia Architecture for Decision Processes (MADP), which can be used at the strategic, tactical and operational levels of enterprises. The study was applied to the financial analysis of mergers and acquisition decisions, and to equipment diagnosis.