Office Information Systems

In the past 20 years computers have exerted a powerful effect on the office environment and the way in which offices operate. Computers and communication technology made possible the concept of office information systems (OISs).

An office information system (OIS) helps knowledge workers manage the preparation, storage, retrieval, reproduction, and communication of information within and among business offices. A knowledge worker is a person who creates, processes, and distributes information. In the Information Age these activities are the predominant tasks of most business workers, making an office information system extremely important to the efficient management of information in today’s business world. An OIS makes the production and flow of information more efficient, cheaper, and faster.

OISs incorporate a variety of technologies. Word processing is the most widely adopted of all the office technologies. Computer technology has also changed the way data are processed, stored, and retrieved in a business office. Computerized equipment automates and in many cases separates data-processing activities from general office activities. Most of a company’s records are now stored electronically in separate data-processing departments. Some records need to be stored for many years; electronic media, such as tapes and disks, take up much less space than traditional file cabinets. OISs link data-processing departments electronically to other department offices, permitting secretaries, managers, executives, and others to access relevant data and information while remaining at their desk.

Executive Support System

Executive is usually synonymous with strategic or top-level management. An executive has the responsibility of setting long-range planning goals and a strategic course for an organization for the years ahead. An information system that caters specifically to the special information needs of executives, such as managerial planning, monitoring and analysis, is called an executive support system (ESS).

An ESS incorporates large volumes of data and information gathered from the external environment of an organization, i.e., from sources outside itself. That information is used in conjunction with the information generated by management information systems (MISs) within functional areas (e.g., marketing, accounting, production, etc.) of the organization to accommodate the specialized information needs of executives. An ESS plays a vital role in summarizing and controlling the volume of information that an executive must read. An executive assigns values to the various sources of information from which data for an ESS are drawn in order to place emphasis on most important sources. Thus, ESSs can be tailored to meet the specific needs of each executive in an organization.

Active Words and Phrases:

knowledge-based system	система, що ґрунтується на знаннях	exert	виготовити
inference engine	механізм виводу	predominant	преважний
knowledge base	база знань	flow of information	інформаційний потік
body of knowledge	тіло знань	word processing	обробка текстів
performance	(робоча) характеристика	adopt	приймати
from scratch	на голому (пустому) місці	link	зв’язувати, з’єднувати
shells	оболонка	permit	дозволяти
tools	інструментальні засоби	relevant	релевантний
detection	визначення	file cabinets	картотечні ящики
oil wells	нафтові свердловини	executive	виконавець

Ex. III. Match the words with their definitions:

1) environment	a. the information and understanding that you have gained through learning or experience;
2) conclusion	b. someone with special skills or knowledge, gained as a result of training or experience;
3) knowledge	c. the ability to learn, understand, and think about things;
4) separate	d. knowledge or skills that you gain from doing the job or activity;
5) experience	e. something that you decide after considering all the information you have;
6) concept	f. help or support;
7) expert	g. the situations, people, equipment etc. that influence the way people live;
8) assistance	h. an idea of how something is, or how something should be done;
9) intelligence	i. to divide or split something into two or more parts.

Ex. IV. Insert the necessary prepositions:

1. An expert system depends …… the knowledge of human experts.

2. The inference engine applies the rules …… the knowledge base …… the data provided …… the user.

3. …… the acceptance …… computers and communication technology, the whole concept …… office work and the business workplace changed …… the 1980s.

4. A business often needs to create duplicates …… documents …… distribution …… users who require that information.

5. Office information systems are extremely important …… the efficient management …… information …… today’s business world.

Ex. V. Open the brackets using the present or past participles:

1. MYCIN is an expert system (using/used) to diagnose infectious diseases and suggest possible treatments.

2. The system was (developing/developed) by the scientists of Stanford University.

3. It was a knowledge base (containing/contained) expert knowledge about diagnoses.

4. Each rule has a probability figure (associating/associated) with it to indicate its level of certainty.

5. MYCIN’s performance is almost as good as that of physicians which is (indicating/indicated) that this technology has practical business application.

6. EMYCIN is an expert system shell and is (marketing/marketed) as a shell to be used with other knowledge bases.

Ex. VI. Answer the following questions:

1. What is an expert system?

2. What are the two major components of an expert system?

3. What does a knowledge base contain?

4. What is the inference engine used for?

5. What is an expert system shell?

6. What is the purpose of office information systems?

7. What kind of technologies do they incorporate?