A decision-support system for business acquisitions

In this paper, a hybrid Decision-support System for Business Acquisition Pr ocess (DSBAP) is presented. This application uses a hybrid knowledge-based system to place a bidding on the target company, formulating a strategy, an d modification of the initial strategy (if necessary) for the acquisition p rocesses. The whole system relies on two reasoning methods, rule-based reas oning (RBR) and case-based reasoning (CBR) to assist in decision-making pro cess for business professionals. It also describes an argument structure to generate plausible explanations for conclusion reached by RBR, and a means of integration with CBR. The RBR module dominates, but activates CBR expli citly at specific points in the reasoning process. The knowledge in rule fo rm and previously decided case form are represented by using an object-orie nted scheme. An overview of the functionality of the DSBAP system and a des cription of the represented knowledge are presented through the example of a set of business acquisition cases. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rig hts reserved.