Executive information systems in Australia: current status and some historical comparisons

Executive information Systems (EIS) are still a relatively new phenomenon and problems still exist in their development and implementation. In Australia, little research into EIS has been conducted. This study has attempted to paint a picture of the state of EIS in Australia today, particularly in large organisations. EIS managers and executive users in the largest organisations in Australia revealed that relatively few EIS were fully operational though there had been an increase in the past 5 years and many were now under development and implementation. The study has examined the extent and type of executive-usage, approaches to development, important development problems, the reasons for needing EIS, impacts of EIS, executive attitudes to IT arising from EIS experiences, the relative importance of organisational and technical issues, and reasons why EIS failure might arise. Comparisons have been made with a previous Australian study and also with more recent US studies which reveal the changes in Australian EIS, and differences and similarities with the US