Management information-decision systemsA new era ahead?

Abstract The sheer size and complexity of today's vast business conglomerates require a new technology to cope with the problems of administration. Such a technology is being developed: management information-decision systems. This new discipline is emerging to integrate other techniques and to provide the analytical frames of reference and the methodologies necessary to meet the new management requisites. This article defines the system (which views information as a resource parallel to land, labor, and capital), raises some problems (the content of the field is still subject to question), explores the state of the art (the action is in information, decisions, and interactive systems), and looks to the future.