Read and translate the text. Over the last several decades the management of information and, thus, of computers and information systems has become increasingly more important to the

Over the last several decades the management of information and, thus, of computers and information systems has become increasingly more important to the attainment of an organization‘s goals. Information is the life-blood of an organization. Most activities performed by managers in an organization – such as problem identification and solution, control, and decision-making – are based on information. Managers need to receive accurate and timely information to accomplish these activities effectively. Computers and information system permit information to be acquired, processed, and distributed efficiently. They enable businesses to gain a competitive edge because accurate, timely, and more complete information allows better decisions to be made.

Most organizations change as a result of both internal and external influences. Computers and information systems provide the means to gather and manage the appropriate information to keep pace with change. Changes in the marketplace, availability of resources, economic factors, and a host of other considerations force managers to reevaluate their goals and objectives. Computers and information systems help them gather and manage the information required to do this quickly and easily.

The integrated circuit, a combination of miniature transistors and circuits on a tiny silicon chips, has been important in developing the rapid growth of information systems technology. This industry can be divided into three major segments: communications, data processing and office automation (See Fig. 3).

Fig. 3 The Broad Scope of Information Systems Technology

One useful way to represent how an organization can employ information systems technology is to think in terms of three basic kinds of information systems: transaction processing, management information, and decision support systems. The data for these systems are organized into well-defined collections of data called files or databases.