EXECUTIVE INFORMATION SYSTEMS (EIS), OR EXECUTIVE SUPPORT SYSTEMS (ESS) as they are sometimes called, have exploded onto the information systems scene. It was only in 1982 that Rockart and Treacy [13] introduced the ms term to describe those computer-based systems that a small but noteworthy group of senior executives were using to help carry out their job responsibilities. Since that time, the number of organizations that have developed, are currently developing, or are considering the development of an ms has grown rapidly. Intemational Data Corporation, a market
An earlier version of this paper was originally published in the Proceedings ofthe Twenty-Third Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (IEEE Computer Society Press, 1990).research firm, estimates that the U.S. market for Eis software development, including the purchase of software, customer consulting, and in-house software development, is growing at a compound annual rate of 40 percent and will reach $350 million in 1992 [1]. Rockart predicts that 25 percent of senior executives will be Eis users by 1993 [8].