Focus and Nominal Groups
Several differences exist between focus groups and nominal groups. The first one is that focus groups consist of individuals with mutual interests or common characteristics. Many times, these individuals meet during a forum, and the moderator or interviewer seeks their input about a specific subject or topic. Members of focus groups often sit together and argue, debate, or discuss a particular issue and highlight important information that can be used for further understanding. Discussions within focus groups may be conducted several times with similar participants who share different perspectives to identify patterns and trends ( McMahon et al., 2016) .
A nominal group, on the other hand, consists of people who may not share common characteristics. Often, nominal groups consist of individuals from contrasting or differential powers between them. For example, it could include managers and subordinates or teachers and students. In many cases, these individuals do not interact or meet face-to-face with each other. Instead, in nominal group interviews, each participant is contacted separately and interviewed via phone or social media video calls ( McMahon et al., 2016) . Mostly, nominal groups are held among individuals who cannot be assembled quickly on short notice, such as senior executives or government officials. Although nominal groups are not as spontaneous as focus groups, both techniques allow participants to share their opinions and give their perception about a specific issue, product, or service.
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MIS and DSS
The primary difference between Management Information System (MIS) and Decision Support System (DSS) is that MIS involves supporting structured decision-making, while DSS supports semi or unstructured decisions. MIS provides data and information, such as reports and statements, for executives to make effective decisions and manage internal operations ( Ada & Ghaffarzadeh, 2017) . The DSS helps managers and subordinates to make decisions regarding everyday tasks. These two systems are interlinked because the MIS contains documents that are important for use by the DSS. The MIS consists of features that can only be used by intellectual groups in the organization, such as mid and high-level management. DSS, on the other hand, can be used at all organizational levels, and the information can be used both internally and externally.
References
Ada, S., & Ghaffarzadeh, M. (2017). Decision making based on a management information system and decision support system. TRANS Asian Journal of Marketing & Management Research (TAJMMR) , 6 (1), 25-38.
McMahon, K., Ruggeri, A., Kämmer, J. E., & Katsikopoulos, K. V. (2016). Beyond idea generation: The power of groups in developing ideas. Creativity Research Journal , 28 (3), 247-257.
