Discuss the significance and requirements of EIS (Executive information system) and ESS (executive support system). Also, explain the differences between MIS and EIS.

^{Ans. Executive information system}

<sup>An executive information system (EIS) is a decision support system (DSS) used to assist senior executives in the decision-making process. It does this by providing easy access to important data needed to achieve strategic goals in an organization. An EIS normally features graphical displays on an easy-to-use interface.

Executive information systems can be used in many different types of organizations to monitor enterprise performance as well as to identify opportunities and problems.</sup>

^{EIS helps executives find data according to user-defined criteria and promote information-based insight and understanding. Unlike a traditional management information system presentation, EIS can distinguish between vital and seldom-used data, and track different key critical activities for executives, both which are helpful in evaluating if the company is meeting its corporate objectives. After realizing its advantages, people have applied EIS in many areas, especially, in manufacturing, marketing, and finance areas.}

^{Executive support system}

^{An Executive Support System (ESS) is software that allows users to transform enterprise data into quickly accessible and executive-level reports, such as those used by billing, accounting and staffing departments. An ESS enhances decision making for executives.}

^{ESS is also known as Executive Information System (EIS).}

^{An ESS facilitates access to organized enterprise and departmental data while providing analysis utilities and performance assessment predictors. An ESS provides potential outcomes and quick statistical data that are applied to decision making processes.}

^{Ultimately, ESS reporting tools and results are contingent on developer and industry application. For example, Cambridge Systematics, Inc. built an ESS that is integrated with the investment plan for the Ministry of Transportation in Canada.}

^{Difference between MIS and  EIS}

^{MIS (MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS) :}

 ^{MIS is generally more sophisticated reporting systems built on existing transaction processing systems}

^{-    Often used to support structured decision making (decisions that can be described in detail before the decision is made)}

^{-    Typically will also support tactical level management, but sometimes are used at other levels}

^{-   Examples of structured decisions supported by MIS might include deciding on stock levels or the pricing of products.}

^{EIS (EXECUTIVE INFORMATION SYSTEM) :}

^{-      EIS support a range of decision making, but more often than not, this tends to be unstructured}

^{-     EIS support the executive level of management, often used to formulate high level strategic decisions impacting on the direction of the organization}

^{-     These systems will usually have the ability to extract summary data from internal systems, along with external data that provides intelligence on the environment of the organization}

^{-   Generally these systems work by providing a user friendly interface into other systems, both internal and external to the organization}

DIMENSION	MIS	EIS
Focus	Information processing	Status Access
Typical Users Served	Middle, lower levels, sometime senior executives	Senior Executives Expediency
Impetus	Efficiency
Application	Production control, sales forecasts, financial analysis, human resource management	Environmental scanning, performance evaluation, identifying problems and opportunities
Database(s)	Corporate	Special
Decision Support Capabilities	Direct or indirect support, mainly structured routine problems, using standard operations, research and other models	Indirect support, mainly high level and unstructured decisions and policies
Type of Information	Scheduled and demand reports; structured flow, exception reporting mainly internal operations	News items, external information on customers, competitors and the environment
Principal Use	Control	Tracking and control
Adaptability to Individual User	Usually none, standardized	Tailored to the decision making style of each individual executive, offers several options of outputs
Graphics	Desirable	A must
User Friendliness	Desirable	A must
Treatment of Information	Information is provided to a diversified group of users who then manipulate it or summarize it as needed	Filters and compresses the information, tracks critical data and information
Supporting Detailed Information	Inflexibility of reports, cannot get the supporting details quickly	Instant access to the supporting details of any summary
Model Base	Standard Models are available but are not managed	Can be added, usually not included or limited in nature
Construction	By vendors or IS specialists	By Vendors or IS Specialists
Hardware	Mainframes, Micros or distributed	Distributed system
Nature of Computing Packages	Application oriented, performance reports, strong reporting capabilities, standard statistical, financial, accounting and management science models	Interactive, easy to access multiple databases, on-line access, sophisticated DBMS capabilities and complex linkages