Library and Information Science

The idea of the management information system has been accepted by enterprises simultaneous1y with introduction of the computer, and soon there appeared a boom in MIS. But when the boom had gone, there broke out from various quarters cries of disappointment in MIS. The disappointment occurred because the enterprises misunderstood introduction of the computer, a tool used in MIS, as the development of MIS itself, and they thought that development of the electronic data procsessing system by introducing the computer was nothing but introduction of MIS to the enterprise.

In this article the writer tries to find out by means of examining representative literature of the field in each period,. what are the characteristics of MIS, the reasons why MIS, and the EDPS were confused, and to what direction the theory of the MIS is going.

In concrete, the writer seeks the origin of MIS theory in the Management Information System and the Computers by J. D. Gallagher, and traces the processes of the changes of the concept of MIS caused by various factors besieging the enterprises and development and wide spread of computers, in both Japan and USA. Thus the writer tries to make clear the present problems for the development of MIS.