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Software systems are set to provide the new business battleground The cover picture we have used to highlight our article on process control this month offers an illustration of how [...]

'... Naturally interested in technology but also savvy about exploitation.' The ever-increasing pace of invention and innovation. That's the key and central phrase of the modern manufacturing company. A few [...]

A look at the Year 2000 technologies that are ready to use. Okay, I know you're sick of hearing about it, and probably more sick of dealing with it: the [...]

A study investigated the manner in which companies and their technology portfolios are performing in terms of technological and manufacturing characteristics. Specifically, it aimed to determine if the adoption of particular kinds of advanced manufacturing technology portfolios resulted in improvements in productivity. Findings suggest that the majority of users of all technology portfolio defined in this analysis are achieving some improvements in production.

Equations are presented that relate countries' total factor productivity to own and to foreign R&D efforts. They are estimated on a panel of annual time series concerning a set of [...]

IT'S ONE THING FOR A COMPANY to prove a return on investment for spending on information technology. But how about for the manufacturing industry as a whole or the nation […]

Technological innovations may have done more harm than good in the sense that the personal human touch has been sacrificed in favor of the impersonal answering machine or computer-aided widgets. Such high-technology products have only been detrimental to business because customers generally prefer communicating with humans. Collecting dues have also been made more difficult because customers have also resorted to delaying techniques such as caller ID and beepers., The Revenge Effect Efficiency reduces our ability to collect. Oh sure, because of computerization, we can chum out invoices and statements in a heartbeat. We can call up customer histories [...]

In an attempt to get the worldwide ban on British beef lifted, the authorities have decided to introduce a cattle database. Every bovine animal born will have their details entered [...]

Public and private organizations have become concerned about productivity improvement due to persistent economic crises and increasing competition in the global market. Technology that has become a principal instrument in addressing this concern is also becoming highly developed. However, the success of enhancing productivity through technologies depends on how technology is incorporated in an organization's management system., Improvement in productivity is due not only to technology, but also to how it's integrated into the organization. Repeated economic crises and steadily increasing competition, brought about in particular by [...]

It's clear that the 21st century has already begun, at least in an economic sense. In fact, the 'new' economy first began to take shape in the early 1980s with [...]

To work in the information age, companies must reorganize. Using the industrial economic model of business organization, the pyramid hierarchy, only 30 percent of companies grew more than 10 percent [...]

There is concern that technological innovations are dominating the workplace and eliminating jobs. However, this need not be the case. Because the march of computer technology is unstoppable, it would be wise to simply identify the opportunities offered by machines. Unfortunately, the potential of technological changes has not been exploited to the fullest because the human element is either overlooked or addressed only when projects go awry. Many organizations have not stopped to consider the impact of technology on employee skills. This issue is being investigated by the professional policy committee of the Institute of Personnel and Development. Those with opinions regarding this issue may submit their comments to the organization.

High tech's impact on workers is expected to be profound PITTSBURGH - Technology has already changed the face of manufacturing - making it quicker, better and more productive. But some [...]

Businesses should plan their technology strategy as they would plan for other aspects of their operations. Technology is crucial to a business, since a wrong decision on a purchase can significantly affect productivity and efficiency. A strategic technology plan should have a mission statement or objective, an evaluation of the existing state of technology, specific plans for software and hardware and provisions for disaster planning.

The US government's Advanced Technology Program (ATP), intended to encourage the development of new technology in industries, only aids in creating an unhealthy competition between big and small industries. The ATP funds do not help economic growth and cannot cure the unemployment problem. The simplest way to invite R and D growth is to provide tax incentives by reviving a modified form of the R and D tax credit.

Research and development (R&D) will play a critical role in the growth of US industry in the 21st century. R&D managers should evaluate current practices and initiate the necessary changes that will improve productivity, efficiency and effectiveness. This will entail finding new sources of ideas, products and technology, improving cycle time and minimizing costs to enhance the significance of R&D and meet corporate goals.

Productivity for the service industries seems stagnant since the most widely accepted measures of output are unapplicable for the sector. During the 1980s, the service sector invested hundreds of billions on information technology and software to increase productivity. However, government statistics indicate that productivity for the sector increased at a disappointing rate of 0.7% annually. In order to solve this productivity paradox, improvements in the service sector that information technologies have provided must also be considered.

We've been busy over the last ten years, reinventing ourselves, changing the basic way we're organized, changing our strategy, and changing our products to meet the changing needs of our […]

Our wise men at the highest levels of government and industry debate the wisdom of a national industrial policy. I would ask, however, how might such a policy return us […]

Don't wait until your customers force changes upon you. What characteristic is shared by most successful business people? They usually anticipate change and act upon it before being forced to [...]

Pluralistic ignorance? America has lost its technological edge. That statement rolls off the tongue so easily anymore that it has almost come to be considered a truism. Our reader survey [...]

People behind the technology One thing is for sure. There will be no shortage of new manufacturing technology in Chicago next month as the International Manufacturing Technology Show opens Sept [...]

Will you be a winner or a loser? Will US manufacturers be ready to take on the challenge of surviving in a world market? Study after study has been done [...]

First, The Right Environment Starting new technology applications toward fruitful productivity is similar to the farmer planting crops. Both tasks must begin in the right environment. For the farmer, it [...]