Publications

With our publications we cover the most diverse research areas that arise in the field of man, task and technology. In addition to traditional Business Information Systems topics such as knowledge management and business process management, you will also find articles on current topics such as blended learning, cloud computing or smart grids. Use this overview to get an impression of the range and possibilities of research in Business Information Systems at the University of Duisburg-Essen.

Type of Publication: Article in Collected Edition

The Power/Generality Trade-Off in Decision and Problem Modeling - Theoretical Background and Multi-Level Modeling as a Resolution

Author(s):
Bock, Alexander
Title of Anthology:
Exploring Modelling Methods for Systems Analysis and Development (EMMSAD 2018). 23rd International Conference, Held at CAiSE 2018
Publisher:
Springer
Location(s):
Tallinn, Estonia
Publication Date:
2018
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):
doi:10.1007/978-3-319-91704-7_14
Link to complete version:
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-319-91704-7_14
Citation:
Download BibTeX

Abstract

A central conflict in decision and problem solving support is known as the ‘Power/Generality’ trade-off. The incorporation of a high level of domain-specific concepts and mechanisms in a decision instrument will increase the instrument’s power but will do so at the cost of the instrument’s generality. This paper has two purposes. First, it brings to attention the power/generality conflict in conceptual decision and problem solving modeling, and it demonstrates the resultant problems in relation to an existing enterprise decision modeling language. Second, the paper proposes the use of a multi-level modeling paradigm as a possible resolution of the conflict, and it proposes concrete re-conceptualizations for an existing modeling language to alleviate the associated problems.