Introduction
The ways in which decisions are made have always been important for every kind of organization of people. This issue is of special importance for business organizations in which the speed of problem identification and decision-making influences the effectiveness of the performance of the whole company. The article by Elam and Leiden (1995) deals with the issues of implementation of Executive Information Systems (EIS) at three large banks in the USA in order to see their impact upon the performance of the companies and upon the decision-making style of the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) o those companies (Elam, J.J. & Leiden, D. G., 1995, pp. 89 – 90).
Summary
The research reported in the considered article was carried out in the form of a case study. The major source of information was the interview of Chief Executives and high-ranking managers of the three banks, Bank Alpha, Bank Beta, and Bank Delta. As for the methods of data gathering and analysis, generalization and interpretation of information together with its structuring into tables were used. The findings of the research showed that only one bank, namely bank Delta, implemented EIS due to the management and decision style of its Chief Executive Officer, and the 5 propositions of the research were formulated for the reasons of such findings.
They state that first, adoption of EIS depends on the decision style of CEOs; secondly, time-saving is another factor promoting EIS usage; thirdly, CEOs using EIS rely less on their subordinates; fourthly, EIS help saving time for problem identification and problem-solving; and fifthly, the usage of EIS is associated with the double-loop organizational learning (Elam, J.J. & Leiden, D. G., 1995, p. 100).
Review
To start the current critical review, it will be not out of place to state the strong and weak points of the article under consideration. Starting with the strong points, it can be stated that the research was carried out with the help of an adequate theoretical framework and respective methodology that allowed obtaining the objective data. Secondly, the research touched upon a rather important issue of business activities, and its relevance can not be doubted.
Thirdly, the intended audience of the article can be not only the Chief Executive Officers who can acquire some additional knowledge about the effect of EIS but also the ordinary employees of business companies who can build their relations with the CEO and high-ranking managers depending on the decision-making style he or she uses. Moreover, scholars dealing in the field of decision support systems and students studying it in Universities can be the article’s audience as they can see the directions that demand further research and study the already acquired data (Marakas, 2002, pp. 23 – 25).
Among the weak points of the article, such ones can be singled out as the narrow scope of the research and its narrow scope of practical implementation. In other words, the typical features of EIS implementation in three specific banks do not provide adequate information that can be implemented in any other case. Moreover, the efficiency of EIS on the larger scope will be demanded to prove that it works with every kind of company and in all spheres of business (Westland and Walls, 1991, pp. 3 – 5).
On the whole, the author of this review keeps to the point of view expressed by Elam and Leiden (1995) in their article. The social and business importance of the issue of effective and fast decision-making can not be doubted. Numerous scholars paid attention to this issue and found out that the implementation of modern technology and progressive approach to business is dependant mostly upon the human factor, i. e. upon the likes and dislikes of people who are entitled to make decisions in this or that company. For example, Westland and Walls (1991) examined the theoretical foundations of Executive Information Systems in different companies.
Their point of view is rather similar to the ideas expressed by Elam and Leiden. They argue that EIS will not be effective, even if properly operated, in an environment where the Chief Executive Officer is not used to modern technology and prefers to rely upon his experience and feeling of business. Drawing from this, the article by Elam and Leiden can be assessed rather positively as it has a strong theoretical basis and reputable scholars agree with its ideas (Marakas, 2002).
The methodology of the article also contributes to its positive image as far as the authors use the methods of case study, interview, generalization, and structuring of information for its proper analysis. These are effective methods and they allow obtaining objective non-biased information about the issues studied (Elam, J.J. & Leiden, D. G., 1995, pp. 90 – 92). Moreover, the opinions of other scholars prove the effectiveness of the current methodology. Westland and Walls (1991) call a case study the most effective method for research of a narrow scope aimed at identifying a problem and its reasons (p. 43).
Conclusions
To conclude this review, it should be stated that the article by Elam and Leiden (1995) is a valuable source of information about the implementation of EIS in business companies. It possesses a strong theoretical base, developed methodology, and provides specific conclusions for reasons of implementation or non-implementation of EIS. The sources used by the authors of the article and the opinions of other scholars prove that the viewpoint of Elam and Leiden (1995) is adequate.
References
Marakas, George M. (2002). Decision Support Systems, In the 21st Century, Second Edition, Prentice-Hall.
Elam, J.J. & Leiden, D. G. (1995). EIS Adoption, Use, and Impact: The Executive Perspective. Decision Support Systems 14. 89-103.
Westland J.C. and J.G. Walls. (1991). Theoretical Foundations for the Design of EIS in Equivocal Environments, HICSS-24 Proceedings.