Until the 1960s, the role of most information systems was simple. They were mainly used for
electronic data processing (EDP) purposes such as transactions processing, record-keeping and
accounting. EDP is often defined as the use of computers in recording, classifying, manipulating,
and summarizing data. It is also called transaction processing systems,-(TPS), automatic data
processing, or information processing.
In the 1960s, another role was added to the use of computers: the processing of data into useful
informative reports. The concept of management information systems (MIS) was born. This new role focused on developing business applications that provided managerial end users with
predefined management reports that would give managers the information they needed for
decision-making purposes.
By the 1970s, these pre-defined management reports were not sufficient to meet many of the
decision making needs of management. In order to satisfy such needs, the concept of decision
support systems (DSS) was born. The new role for information systems was to provide
managerial end users with ad hoc and interactive support of their decision-making processes.
In the 1980s, the introduction of microcomputers into the workplace ushered in a new era, which
led to a profound effect on organizations. The rapid development of microcomputer processing
power (e.g. Intel’s Pentium microprocessor), application software packages (e.g. Microsoft
Office), and telecommunication networks gave birth to the phenomenon of end user computing.
End users could now use their own computing resources to support their job requirements instead
of waiting for the indirect support of a centralize corporate information services department. It
became evident that most top executives did not directly use either the MIS reports or the
analytical modelling capabilities of DSS, so the concept of executive information systems (EIS)
was developed.
Moreover, breakthroughs occurred in the development and application of artificial intelligence
(AI) techniques to business information systems. With less need for human intervention,
knowledge workers could be freed up to handle more complex tasks. Expert systems (ES) and
other knowledge management systems (KMS) also forged a new role for information systems.
ES can serve as consultants to users by providing expert advice in limited subject areas.
Kavungya answered the question on May 14, 2019 at 07:28
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