EXECUTIVE INFORMATION-SYSTEMS - A STUDY AND COMPARATIVE-ANALYSIS
Decision support software designed to meet specific needs of executives is referred to as an Executive Information System (EIS). This provides a means for information to be accessed, created, and analyzed-on-demand by high-level executives using personal computers, local area networks, minicomputers, or a centralized mainframe. Executive decisions are generally broad and based, to a large extent, on intuition. These characteristics are reflected in the executive decision-making environment, which is itself characterized by a lack of structure, a high degree of uncertainty, a future orientation, informal sources, and a low level of detail. Executive Information Systems can directly aid and support some business decisions. Strategic-planning capabilities, an external. environment focus, ease of learning and use, and custom tailoring to meet the unique needs of individual executives are common properties of Executive Information Systems. This paper reports the findings of a study of executives in major U.S. corporations regarding the status, trends, benefits, and plans for future development of Executive Information Systems. A comparative analysis of user satisfaction and specific issues associated with the leading EIS Systems is also presented.
executive information systems executive support systems decision support systems