For communication-driven DSS, not recognizing the cultural sensitivities can be a
major obstacle, in addition to the differences in electronic communication facilities and the
telecom infrastructure of various countries. On the other hand, in the case of data-driven
DSS, being able to properly transform decision-support data across currency and other
measurement units should be the highest priority. For document and knowledge-driven
DSS, familiarity with the cultural contexts and also the legal landscapes while interpreting
the explicit documents and/or tacit knowledge is an important consideration.
Can these obstacles be overcome? YES. Building web-based DSS is a way to reduce
telecommunications and computing infrastructure obstacles. One solution to cultural
obstacles is planning and implementing DSS so that they can more easily be adapted to
specific local languages. Localizing a Decision Support System can include: allowing
space in user interfaces for translation of text into languages that require more characters;
developing DSS with products like Web editors or authoring tools that can support
international character sets (Unicode); creating graphic images that are universal in
meaning; and using examples in help systems and software documentation that have global
meaning. At a minimum the six major issues discussed above must be addressed in the
evaluation of a proposed DSS that will have a global reach.