Improving the quality of strategic decision-making process in universities through employing expert systems: A case study from a developing country

Abstract

Strategic decisions represent the fundamental core of the strategic planning process and strategic management in universities and they are essential in shaping the universities' policies and achieving their strategic goals. Without those strategic decisions, the universities stand unable to achieve their strategic goals and mission; therefore, specialists realized the critical importance of improving the quality of strategic decision-making in the current complex fast-changing environment that its dynamism continuously increases and which is based on the use of cutting-edge information and communications technology (ICT). Undoubtedly strategic decision-making process requires processing a huge amount of information with different robust smart methods and the extensive use of experts knowledge. There are many discussions about the uses and applications of expert systems (ESs), which are evolving rapidly in solving real problems in many fields that require experienced experts with deep sound experiences, and despite these many applications in many different fields and domains. Literature reveals that there is a scarcity of scientific research on how to employ expert systems to raise the quality of strategic decision-making processes in universities. Thus the purpose of the research is to fill this research gap by investigating how expert systems will enhance the quality of the strategic decision-making process in universities. The research design is a case study applied in Ain Shams University as a model of public universities in a developing country. This research makes a new research contribution by suggesting a futuristic proposal for improving the quality of the strategic decision-making process in universities through employing expert systems that are based on the theoretical framework of the research and the results of the field study.