The document discusses data, information, knowledge and knowledge management. It defines data as raw facts, information as suitable facts for decision making, and knowledge as a blend of information, experience and insights. Knowledge management is creating an accessible organizational memory called intellectual capital. The document also discusses demands on data and information like relevance, availability, accuracy and affordability. It defines global information systems and decision support systems, and their roles in providing organized information to managers. Key components of decision support systems are databases to store raw data, and software for complex data operations and analysis to provide information to decision makers.