Management and Office Information Systems

Decision making is a very complex phenomenon. Modern decision makers must deal with very complex problems which are constantly changing and often ill- structured, making modeling and analysis difficult. In order to provide support for the decision makers, computer-based information systems are designed to collect, store, process, and transport information. Recent advances in computer technol- ogy, data communications, database systems, office automation, and knowledge engineering have made possible the design of very sophisticated information sys- tems. However, rapid technological advances also create many problems, not the least of which is the lack of integration among the various disciplines in infor- mation system design. Without such integration, a costly computer-based infor- mation system is at best partially useful and at worst totally useless. The aim of this book, therefore, is to examine the various issues involved in designing man- agement information systems, decision support systems, and office information systems for increasing productivity and providing decision support. This book is the outcome of the Workshop on Management and Office Infor- mation Systems, which was organized by the Knowledge Systems Institute and held at Chicago, Illinois, from June 28 to 30, 1982. Twenty-seven papers from the working papers presented at that workshop were selected for inclusion in the present volume, which is organized into five parts: (I) organization structures and management, (II) decision support systems, (III) database systems, (IV) office information systems, and (V) systems and applications.