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Reviewer: Jane Fedorowicz

The long-awaited second edition of this classic Management Information Systems (MIS) text has finally been published. Like its predecessor, it is one of the few survey texts appropriate for an introductory MBA-level course or an advanced course at the undergraduate level. It stands out because it takes a conceptual orientation, rather than the “cookbook” approach of most general MIS texts. Because of the emphasis on research and an extensive reference list following each chapter, the book can be used in a PhD seminar. The conceptual orientation should appeal to the two intended sets of readers: “. . .people who are or will be managers of an organizational function that is supported by MIS or their staff support specialists” and “. . .computer professionals who need to broaden their knowledge of information systems and learn to comprehend user needs for information” (p. 19–20). These people are students in computer science or business, or those who are users or potential users of MIS. Some students (particularly those with no business training) may have difficulties in comprehending the highly emphasized organizational issues in the text. Even though it is stated in the Preface that “(t)he text does not assume any special background,” I would recommend a course in organizational behavior/theory before reading the book and, in particular, before reading Section 3. There is so much content packed into this section that it is sometimes easy to lose sight of the implications for MIS. In some chapters, more time is spent on non-MIS topics than on their MIS couterparts. Arguably, this might be necessary in order to provide sufficient background on the wide array of topics covered for readers unfamiliar with either management or technology issues. The text comprises six sections. Section 1 contains two chapters. Chapter 1 is an overview of the layout of the book. The structure of an MIS is discussed in Chapter 2. Section 2 describes the technical environment surrounding MIS: an overview of hardware, software and communication technologies (Chapter 3); storage and retrieval of data (Chapter 4); and the functions of transaction processing, office automation, and information processing controls (Chapter 5). Section 3 covers information use and information value, and how they relate to the organization and humans as information processors. Titles of the six chapters in this section are as follows: The Decision-Making Process, Concepts of Information, Humans as Information Processors, System Concepts, Concepts of Planning and Control, and Organizational Structure and Management Concepts. Section 4 discusses MIS as a support system for all forms of organizational knowledge work. Within this section, Chapter 12 describes information support for decisionmaking, and Chapter 13 is on general support for knowledge work. Determining information requirements is the subject of Section 5. Chapters 14 through 17 discuss developing a long-range plan, strategies for determining information requirements, data modeling for database requirements, and user interface requirements. The last section, Section 6, covers the development, implementation, and ongoing management of information systems (Chapters 18–20). Chapter 21 is entitled Future Developments and Their Organizational and Social Impacts. The book is well written and goes into far more detail than most of its counterparts. Reiterating, this is not a “cookbook” approach. The reader receives an indepth overview (if that is not a contradiction in terms) of many diverse conceptual paradigms related to the study of MIS. At times this approach may be frustrating when the true beginner is left to make the connection between the reference disciplines and their relevance to or impact on MIS. However, it is well suited for an MBA curriculum or upper-division MIS seminar, where students will be able to use the course to tie together many of the concepts taught in other disciplines. I highly recommend the book.