ylfink@water.waterloo.edu (ylfink) (06/09/88)
DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO
SEMINAR ACTIVITIES
INFORMATION SYSTEMS SEMINAR
- Monday, June 13, 1988
Mr. Alistair Davidson, Chairperson, Alacritous, Inc.,
Toronto, Ontario, will speak on ``A Demonstration of
Decision Support Systems Technologies Using Alacrity
(The M.B.A. in a Box)''.
TIME: 2:30 PM
ROOM: CPH 3387
ABSTRACT
A Decision Support System is an Expert System - a
program designed to solve problems that normally call
for a human expert. Expert Systems are a branch of
Artificial Intelligence using a mechanism called an
inference engine to search, manipulate and interpret
the contents of a database containing knowledge of a
given field.
Alacrity is a 12 MB program that ties into Framework
II's API, enabling accountants, consultants, high-tech
marketers, planners, financial analysts and others to
develop and evaluate strategic business plans.
Alacrity is known to be the largest product built
around Framework II and the largest Expert System
available on a Personal Computer.
Alistair Davidson is co-founder and co-developer of the
Alacrity Strategic and Financial Expert Systems. A
Harvard M.B.A. graduate (1976), his background includes
consulting, policy analysis, publishing and finance.
Mr. Davidson is the co-author of Seizing the Future
(TransCanada Press, 1983), and author of a number of
articles, including his most recent, ``Expert Systems:
Malpractice, Good Practice or Lots of Practice''
(Business Quarterly, c. 1988, Winter 1987).
Additional background material is available upon
request. Contact Adhir Yelaja at U.W., Ext. 3863 for
more details.