| Decision support systems (DSSs) help improve logistics, competitiveness, and general decision-making processes in trucking organizations. The research problem is the lack of guidance in the DSS literature to implement DSSs taking into consideration new technological developments in the fast-changing environment of the U.S. trucking industry. Drawing from three principles of organizational management, the purpose of this study was to develop a conceptual DSS implementation framework that would allow easier implementation of emerging technologies in trucking operations. The research questions were meant to determine whether this framework had merit in the information systems community. Using a holographic data-storage technique, the proposed DSS framework aggregated hardware, software, and emerging technologies to standardize DSS implementations in the trucking industry. The mixed-method grounded theory design was based on expert input and survey research from 30 IT professionals. Open-ended data was coded for meaning units that were analyzed into emergent themes related to efficacy of the proposed model. Correlational analyses of quantitative ratings showed strong associations among the individual items; and Cronbach's alpha verified the internal consistency (.83) of those survey questions used to form a scale that assessed participant views of the underlying efficacy of the model proposed in this study. A one-sample t test revealed that the survey participants agreed that this study's concept of a flexible DSS implementation framework had merit. The social change implications of this study include improving trucking efficiencies, ensuring more competition between smaller and larger trucking companies, and allowing effortless and cost-effective adoption of new technologies in the operation of trucking business. |
