The Authors describe the results of their empirical inquiry in a specific case of information utilization for decision-making within five Italian Universities. Four macro areas have been analyzed: Resources, Teaching, Research and Financial Management. Wide differences have been ascertained by the Authors, not only among the five Universities,
but also within each one of them for the above mentioned macro-areas. In some cases informations needed for decision-making were not available; in other cases, they were not even requested by the decision-makers. Generally speaking, the information base seems to be more narrow in those Universities whose decision-making structure is more centralized and open to negotiation. Besides, the decision-makers in those institutions tend to decide on the basis of their own strategies, and to avoid an external confrontation with other Universities, as well as with the National Government.