This special issue explores the traditional and unique aspects of information systems in interorganizational networks. What makes the application of information systems different when applied betwe...

Organizational learning typically focuses on implicit adaptation in the firm's internal environment. This paper discusses organizational learning in the extended enterprise: consisting of the turbulent competitive/political environment of threats and opportunities, and the organization's internal environment - traditionally consisting of people and their institutions - extended to include the information technology platform. Here, internal and external policies need to be modeled for an effective adaptation of the enterprise. Artificial intelligence and machine learning methods are applied to organizational design in monitoring and analyzing decisions based on the impact and structure of the organization - monitoring changes as part of the learning and adaptation cycle.

The applicability of a knowledge-based system for resource management in the context of information centers (ICs) is discussed. The Information Center Expert (ICE) system has been developed to support the consultation process of IC personnel. The system determines the (software) resource requirements of the end users and makes appropriate recommendations. ICE further aids the management of IC software resources by keeping track of user consultations and the recommendations made. Issues of knowledge requirements, acquisition and representation and implementation of ICE are discussed. An evaluation of ICEs which focused on maintainability and transportability was conducted at two corporate locations and a university setting. Based on the informal feedback, the implications of this approach for future research are discussed.>

A form model and an expert database system that analyzes instances of the form model to derive a conceptual schema are proposed. The form model describes the properties of form fields such as their origin, hierarchical structure, and cardinality. The expert database design system creates a conceptual schema by incrementally integrating related collections of forms. The rules of the expert systems are divided into six phases form selection; entity identification; attribute attachment; relationship identification; cardinality identification; and integrity constraints. The rules of the first phase use knowledge about the form flow to determine the order in which forms are analyzed. The rules in other phases are used in conjunction with a designer dialog to identify the entities, relationships, and attributes of a schema that represents the collection of forms.>

An automated software design assistant was implemented as a part of a long-term project with the objectives of applying the computer-aided technique to the tools in a software engineering environment. A set of quantitative measures are derived based on the degree to which a particular design satisfied the attributes associated with a structured software design. The measure are then used as decision rules for a computer-aided methodology for structured design. The feasibility of the approach is also demonstrated by a case study using a small application system design problem.>

The increasing reliance on group decision-making in today's complex business environments and advances in microcomputer, telecommunications and graphic presentation technology have combined to create a growing interest in the design of group decision support systems (GDSS). Planning is an important group decision-making activity within organizations. Effective planning depends on the generation and analysis of innovative ideas. For this reason, the idea generation and management process has been chosen as the domain for the study of the design and implementation of a GDSS to support complex, unstructured group decision processes within organizations.The MIS Planning and Decision Laboratory has been constructed to provide a research facility for the study of the planning and decision process while top executives from a variety of organizations use the laboratory to conduct actual planning sessions for their organization. This paper presents the design of a system to support the idea generation and analysis process in organization planning. Results of research conducted in the MIS Planning and Decision Laboratory on the use of the Electronic Brainstorming system with over 100 planners from a variety of organizations are presented and discussed.The findings of the research indicate that computer brainstorming stimulates task oriented behavior, decreases group interactions and equalizes participation. Information presentation, network speed and typing skills of the upper level managers were identified as possible inhibitors of the idea generation process that must be considered in the design of the system and the methodology for its use. Planners using the GDSS reported high levels of satisfaction with the process and outcome of the planning sessions. They rated the computer as an important tool for idea generation and the computer brainstorming process as "Much Better" than manual brainstorming.

This paper examines the concept of a model management system, what its functions are, and how they are to be achieved in a decision support context. The central issue is model representation which involves knowledge representation and knowledge management within a database environment. The model abstraction structure is introduced as a vehicle for model representation which supports both heuristic and deterministic inferencing as well as the conceptual/external schema notion familiar to database management. The model abstraction is seen as a special instance of the frame construct in artificial intelligence. Model management systems are characterized as frame-systems and a database implementation of this approach is described.

Specification of office communications requirements necessitates the development of a communications model applicable to office processes. The model must facilitate the representation of communications processes in terms of office physical and logical organization and operation. Physical aspects include office communications equipment and their interconnections, while logical components represent such items as message profiles and information flows. A model for representation of office information communications is developed. The model is based on a paradigm consisting of a representation framework including definition of objects, attributes, and relations. Further, application of the model in the development of a language for specification of logical communications requirements and a computer-based analysis of the requirements is presented.

The tremendous demand for education in the use and application of computers and computer based systems in business, commerce and government has led to the establishment of Information Systems Departments and to the option of an Information Systems concentration in established Computer Science Departments. In fact, the Information Systems degree is now becoming one of the fastest growing and most popular in the area of computer education. This report is presented to the Computer Science and Information Systems education community as a preliminary proposal of ideas on which to base an accreditation standard. It was developed with the background that many Information Systems departments are incorporated in Schools and Colleges of Business, and an attempt was made to have the standard consistent with the American Association of Colleges and Schools of Business accreditation guidelines. The successful future of Information Systems depends on a firm foundation for graduating students; this work is directed towards offering a minimal or floor program for the Information Systems bachelors degree.