Clearly, one of the most important aspects in the business world today is the ability to compete in a cost effective and efficient manner. One of the ways in which the modern corporate organization can streamline its efficiency, increase its productivity, and continue to evolve and improve its internal structure and product line is through the ability to cogently manage information. Since the 1960s, the amount and variation of information has been logarithmically increasing (Beniger, 1986 in Buckland, 1989). Moreover, as the twentieth century draws to a close, even greater amounts of information are becoming available.
Given the voluminous amount of materials, one might ask how it will remain possible for business to keep up, and still be able to make informed decisions that are relevant to market trends? One answer to this situation involves the use of computers, both micro and mainframe, to manage, organize, and present the types of information needed for each corporation (Merrills, 1989). However, computer technology in itself does not solve the problem of information, it merely allows retrieval, storage, and manipulation of data. What is needed is a way to instantly access the most current information from almost any location within the company. One way to do this is to hook up the computer system to online information systems (Rowley and Butcher, 1989). These systems, varying in degree of complexity and cost, provide the most current information available today.
The basic focus issue is one of information management and its impact on the decision making process. Using online system technology, corporate information may be defined, centralized, and synthesized for more efficient management processes. For example, the more information available on the subject, combined with its level of complexity, results in more layers of hierarchical evaluation, which in turn slows down the decision making process. With the tech...