Although labor unions and inadequate technology play minor roles, the principal barrier to factory automation is "fear of change." Related problems include long-term benefits, nontechnical executives, and uncertainty of factory cost accounting. Industry support for university programs is helping to educate engineers to design, implement, and…

Flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) are systems that can be programed to alter their procedures to suit varying production requirements. Use of and trends related to these systems in the United States and foreign countries are discussed. A detailed diagram of a hypothetical FMS is provided. (JN)

Discusses organization design as context for office automation; mature computer-based systems as one application of organization design variables; and emerging office automation systems (organizational information management, personal information management) as another application of these variables. Management information systems models and…

Reviews computer applications in judicial, legal, and legislative information activities being used to support litigation and court administration, assist in searching for legislation and laws, aid criminal justice information systems, and provide appropriate bibliographic and reference assistance. Management issues in automating systems are…

Describes changes in the design of products and in planning, managing, and coordinating their manufacture. Focuses on discrete-products manufacturing industries, encompassing the fabrication and assembly of automobiles, aircraft, computers and microelectric components of computers, furniture, appliances, foods, clothing, building materials, and…

This pamphlet contains information and examples intended to show how the University of Toronto C.A.M.P.U.S. model operates. C.A.M.P.U.S. (Comprehensive Analytical Method for Planning in the University Sphere) is a computer model which processes projected enrollment statistics and other necessary information in such a way as to yield time-based…

There is a large gap between the computer's potential to solve problems in a hurry and the American manager's knowledge of how to use it to do that. The concept is best captured by two frequently heard words: computer literacy. (SSH)

A project sought to produce adequate data on high technology training needs in New Jersey's Middlesex County College's service area. Of 168 individuals at high technology companies who were sent surveys, 52 returned usable surveys. Respondents supplied information on the impact of high technology on the company over the next five years, the…

Summarizes recent articles and research reports on electronic publishing and identifies key researchers, issues, and trends. Predictions about rate of technological change and likely impact on libraries are explored, and related concerns about technological change and copyright, newspaper production, and the publishing industry are discussed.…

Focusing on F. W. Lancaster's prediction that paperless communication systems are inevitable for science and technology, this article presents an analysis of role of editorial processing centers (EPC) in the development of electronic journals. The traditional scientific journal, the EPC, and the EPC and electronic journal are discussed. (60…

Analyzes socioeconomic environment of libraries for the next 10 to 20 years and indicates how forecasts are likely to change traditional professional activities. A review of librarianship and information science literature on future of information profession is included and main trends of thought are identified. Twenty-two references are listed.…

The mechanization of the finance industry, transportation, distribution of goods, and telecommunications is discussed in relation to government's role, interactions among dependent parties, and nature of electronic and non-electronic technologies influencing the industries/institutions. Topics include checking, moving containers, universal product…

Discusses how technology is changing the nature of office work by introducing new information-processing machines, programs for operating them, and communications systems for interconnecting them. Includes diagrams of preindustrial, industrial, and information-age offices. (Author/JN)

Reviews selected facets of office automation, including office systems, the technical base, software, services, system growth, and effects on office personnel. (JN)

Examines the impact of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) on employment, work organization, working conditions, job content, training, and industrial relations in several countries. Finds little evidence of negative employment effects since productivity gains are offset by various compensatory factors. (Author/CH)