ABSTRACT
This chapter reports certain of the results of a recent survey carried out in South Wales into the decision making processes employed by a sample of twenty seven engineering firms. The survey casts considerable doubt on the hypothesis that modern firms utilise sophisticated systems of information collection, processing and retrieval for decision making purposes. A Management Information System (MIS) uses existing data to provide information which should assist policy "formulation and decision-making"'. The distinction between data collection and decision use can be regarded as a credibility gap, in that the theory of information systems was perceived as irrelevant to the management needs of the firms under study. The tendency to develop satisficing rules of thumb can only be avoided by 'Softening' the system to allow for the creative interpretation of information outputs. At the same time the proponents of the information system approach could benefit from exposure to the realities and pressures of business practice.
