Interaction of strategic planning and short-term planning: An intelligent DSS by the post-model analysis approach

The Extended Sales Mix Problem (ESMP) is a problem which considers the strategic impacts as well as the profits generated by the sales mix plan of the current period. To solve the ESMP, the trade-offs between qualitative strategic impacts and quantitative short-term profits are unavoidable. Therefore, the Post-Model Analysis (PMA) is adopted to explore the opportunity costs of qualitative goals and to support the qualitative judgments. For the support of qualitative judgments, the graphical schemes of strategic planning, like the growth share matrix, the GE matrix, and the trend graph are organized with the guide of a knowledge-based expert system. To implement the idea, an intelligent decision support system named SAM was designed and a prototype was developed on the microcomputer. The SAM has optimization models, knowledge, graphs, and data components. The SAM is illustrated via numerical examples and dialogue.