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Companies adopting agile talent practices are giving a lot of thought to how employees experience the workplace—in some cases, treating them like customers. In this interview Diane Gherson, IBM’s chief human resources officer, discusses how that’s playing out as the iconic tech firm revamps its business model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginni Rometty has spent 36 years at IBM, where she now serves as president, CEO, and chair of the board. She is on a protracted mission to reinvent the company as a cloud-based “solutions” business. That transformation involves moving into areas that have higher value and shedding ones that don’t. IBM’s new businesses around cloud, data, and security account for almost $34 billion in revenue. They’re growing by more than 13% a year and constitute 42% of the company. In this interview Rometty says that IBM is trying to “unlock” the 80% of data behind the firewalls of client companies so that those organizations can use it to make better decisions, adding, “There’s a $2 trillion market around better decision making.” She talks about why IBM’s earnings have declined for 20 consecutive quarters, what kinds of employees the company’s new course demands, gender-related challenges in her career, and more. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many people with neurological conditions such as autism spectrum disorder and dyslexia have extraordinary skills, including in pattern recognition, memory, and mathematics. Yet they often struggle to fit the profiles sought by employers. A growing number of companies, including SAP, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and Microsoft, have reformed their HR processes in order to access neurodiverse talent—and are seeing productivity gains, quality improvement, boosts in innovative capabilities, and increased employee engagement as a result. The programs vary but have seven major elements in common. Companies should: • Team with governments or nonprofits experienced in working with people with disabilities • Use noninterview assessment processes • Train other workers and managers in what to expect • Set up a support system • Tailor methods for managing careers • Scale the program • Mainstream the program The work for managers will be harder, but the payoff to companies will be considerable: access to more of their employees’ talents, along with diverse perspectives that will help them compete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the managers' coaching of their employees, including in assisting employees' developing of job skills and and its impact on employees' job performance. It offers a brief interview with corporate director Jason Trujillo of International Business Machines (IBM) on employee coaching, including in regard to managers acting as what is referred to as connectors. INSET: JASON TRUJILLO "A MANAGER CAN'T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS".

The article discusses truthfulness and falsehood in relation to U.S. Republican Party (GOP) presidential candidate Carly Fiorina and her belief that she can be elected as America's president in 2016. Fiorina's personality is addressed, along with some of her critics who claim that Fiorina has been spreading falsehoods during her presidential campaign. Fiorina's former role as the chief executive officer at the Hewlett-Packard Co. computer firm is examined, along with her political proposals.

The article discusses computer company Apple Inc.'s development of the Apple Watch smart watch wearable device, focusing on Apple Inc.'s chief executive officer Tim Cook, technological progress, and the evolution of wrist watches since the 1920s. Several other wearable device products are addressed including the Fuelband fitness tracker from manufacturer Nike and the Google Glass device from Internet company Google Inc. The Apple Watch's Internet-related functions are also examined.

The article reports on the problem of discrimination against Dalits in the computer industry. It mentions the quotas for Dalits' admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology, the discrimination lawsuits filed by Dalit computer industry employees, and the question of harassment that both Dalit students and employees face.

The article presents a profile of computer company Apple Inc.'s chief executive officer Tim Cook who was a runner-up for "Time" Magazine's Person of the Year award in 2012, including information on Cook's role as a technological innovator and his transition into power following the death of Apple Inc.'s co-founder Steve Jobs in 2011. The multi-billion dollar valuation of Apple Inc. is addressed, along with an examination of Cook's work ethic. Cook's education at Auburn University is mentioned, along with his prior employment at computer companies such as IBM and Compaq.

The article presents a profile of computer company Hewlett-Packard, focusing on the company's downward spiral under the leadership of former chief executive officer (CEO) Léo Apotheker, and also provides a chart which depicts several of the company's CEOs, directors, and other executives between 1999 and 2012, including former CEOs Carly Fiorina and Mark Hurd, and board director Joel Hyatt. A 2007 lawsuit filed against the company by technology company Oracle is mentioned, along with businesswoman Meg Whitman's replacement of Apotheker as CEO.

In this article the author comments on the importance of visionary executives to American business enterprises. The central focus of the article is on the fact that Steve Jobs, a founder of Apple Inc., a computer and electronics firm, is taking a medical leave, and that at Google, an Internet search engine company, Larry Page, a founder, is becoming chief executive officer. INSET: What They Left Behind.

The article focuses on Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft Corp., the computer technology company. It discusses the failure of the Vista operating system, plans to introduce the Windows 7 operating system, and Bellmer's hopes the this version of Windows will be successful. Topics include Microsoft's reaction to the recession of 2008, plans for product development, and Ballmer's attributes and leadership skills.

During a recession, when many companies face declining revenues and earnings, executives often conclude that innovation isn't so important after all. According to the authors, that's because it isn't integral to the workings of most organizations, so the creativity that leads to game-changing ideas is missing or stifled. Rigby, Gruver, and Allen, all partners at Bain & Company, point to the fashion industry as a model. Every season, successful fashion companies must reinvent their product lines -- and thus their brands -- or face certain death. They manage this constant challenge by creating unusual partnerships at the top that consist of an imaginative, right-brain creative director and a commercially minded, left-brain brand CEO. The authors call these alliances "both-brain" teams. Some famous examples exist outside the fashion industry: Steve Jobs and his COO at Apple, Tim Cook; the creative Bill Hewlett and the savvy David Packard; Bill Bowerman, the former track coach who developed Nike running shoes, and his business partner, Phil Knight. But fashion has gone the furthest to incorporate both-brain partnerships in its organizational model. Gucci Group and others have learned to establish and maintain effective partnerships between creative people and numbers-oriented people; to structure the business so that the partners can run it effectively and are clear about which decisions they own; and to foster left-brain--right-brain collaboration at every level in order to continue attracting talent. What makes these partnerships work? The authors have identified seven characteristics of successful partners: They are aware of their own strengths and weaknesses, have complementary cognitive skills, trust each other, possess raw intelligence, bring relevant knowledge to the team, speak to each other frequently and directly, and are highly committed to the business and each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses ICT (information and communication technologies) service management, a subtopic of services science. ITSM (Information Technology Service Management) focuses on IT (Information Technology) operations that involve service delivery and service support. ITSM also aligns activities related to IT operations with business customer processes. Topics of discussion include the concepts ITSM shares with other process improvement movements including Six Sigma and TQM (Total Quality Management) and IT providers that need to focus on customer relationships.

This article profiles the work of Tom Cook, the chief operating officer of Apple Inc. Rumors about the ill health of current chief executive officer (CEO) Steve Jobs are considered as a sign that someone such as Cook will eventually need to fill in as CEO. Cook's personality is presented as a stern contrast with Jobs' charismatic approach to management.

Information about a symposium sponsored by the "Communications of the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery)" on virtualization technology is presented. Topics include information technology (IT) managers who invest in virtualization technologies, such technology that is too leading-edge and too risky for near-term deployment, and navigating the virtualization landscape. Participants include chief technology officers (CTOs) Mache Creeger, Tom Bishop, and Simon Crosby.

The article discusses the life and death of Jim Gray, a noted computer scientist. He was lost at sea on January 28, 2007. He was awarded the 1998 ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) A.M. Turing Award for contributions to the understanding of transactions and their implementation, the article states. Topics of conversation include his membership in the European Academy of Science, a tribute dinner held for Gray at the University of California, Berkeley, and the ways he was a friend and mentor to many people.

The article discusses the trend of falling enrollment in computer science (CS) courses in Canada's higher education system, examining what university educators can do to invigorate, rejuvenate, and renew the CS discipline in the country. Anticipated retirement rates between 2013 through 2018 in the industry cause some to be concerned that Canada will be able to maintain the competitive nature of its information and communication technology sector (ICT). Also discussed is the renewal of the ICT work force in Canada and interviews with university CS department chairs and senior university officials.

The article discusses Vivek Gupta, a salesperson for IBM (International Business Machine) Corp. Gupta, the article indicates, sells IBM's products related to the telecommunications industry, specializing in emerging markets. Other topics discussed in the article include the importance of the sales force to IBM's success and Gupta's sales strategies. INSETS: The IBM Sales Force, Then and Now;Gupta's Trade Secrets.

The article discusses computer software and code reviews, describing the advanced tools that allow software-development teams that are located around the world to collaborate on projects. The author indicates that such a team format turned out to be beneficial. Topics include communication threads occurring in parallel, emphasis on the written dialogue over verbal discussion, and completing much of the review before the meeting itself. Also discussed are 'code inspections,' finding programming flaws, and uncovering deficiencies.

The article reports on the trend of employees leaving the computer company Google. An example is provided of computer engineers, Sean Knapp, Bismarck Lepe and Belsasar Lepe, who left Google to start their own firm Ooyala. The article reviews reasons why talented employees are leaving, the challenges Google faces with keeping employees, and companies to which employees are going.

The article focuses on Mark V. Hurd, the CEO of Hewlett-Packard who replaced the company's former CEO, Carly Fiorina, who resigned after a scandal and investigation. Hurd's previous work history at NCR is discussed, as are the challenges he faces in attempting to control the damage Hewlett-Packard sustained from the scandal. INSETS: HP: The Carly Years, Recovery , and Scandal;Four Keys to a Turnaround.

The article looks at how Hewlett-Packard (HP) has changed since chief executive officer (CEO) Carly Fiorina was fired and succeeded by Mark Hurd in February 2005. One of Hurd's first acts as CEO was the decentralization of HP's 17,000-strong sales force from a companywide organization into the business units whose products they are selling. The article compares the management of Fiorina and Hurd and discusses Hurd's vision for HP. INSET: THE HURD WAY IN THREE EASY STEPS.

This article discusses Apple Computer Inc. CEO Steve Jobs' sale of Pixar Animation Studios to Disney, making him the largest shareholder at Disney. Jobs, who co-founded Apple in the 1970s, returned to the company when Apple acquired his company NeXT Software Inc. Disney CEO Robert A. Iger succeeded longtime Disney chief Michael D. Eisner on October 1st, 2005 and quickly began working with Jobs during the launch of Apple's new video iPod.

Offers a discussion about personnel losses at Microsoft Corporation. Report that computer scientist Kai-Fu Lee left Microsoft for Google Incorporated; Criticism of Microsoft's corporate culture by current and former employees; Discussion of Microsoft's attrition rate; List of creative managers, marketers and software developers who have left Microsoft for other companies, including Lenn Pryor and Stephen Walli; Complaints of employees regarding cuts in compensation and benefits, disappointments with the stock price, frustration with bureaucracy, and a lack of creativity; Comments made by Chief Executive Steven A. Ballmer. INSET: What Ails Microsoft?.

The article discusses the success of Apple Computer and the role of Steve Jobs. Apple has broken out of its box as a boutique computer maker and emerged as a force to be reckoned with in consumer electronics, music, and who knows what else. Its stock price, which languished during and after the dot-com crash, suddenly more than tripled last year. In January, Jobs crowed that Apple had posted the highest revenues and profits in its 28-year history for its fiscal first quarter ending Christmas Day. Propelled by sales of 4.6 million iPod portable digital music players, revenues zoomed by 74%, to $3.5 billion for the quarter, putting the company on track, by analysts' estimates, for a $13 billion 2005. Meanwhile profits more than tripled. Today the company's ever-expanding products encompass multimedia applications for creative professionals and consumers, the thriving .Mac (pronounced dot-mac) Internet subscription service, and a popular line of easy-to-use wireless networking gizmos to link computers and stereos and other devices in the home and office. And, of course, the iPod. The company has even become a player in retail with its 100 Apple Stores: chic glass and anodized aluminum temples that fuse fashion, technology, and reverence for personal creativity into something Jobs likes to call the "Apple user experience." Under Jobs, Apple has become a font of innovative programs, including its state-of-the-art operating system OS X, an array of multimedia consumer apps, a matching set of software for professionals, and online services. INSETS: 'Our DNA Hasn't Changed';Apple's Rising Tide of Software Marvels.

This article presents views of various executives related to the computer industry, on the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). Kevin M. Schofield, general manager at Microsoft Research, states that ACM is now embarking on its second 50 years of existence, and is facing the imperative of remaking itself for the 21st century. It has begun this process by embracing the move to put its information assets online through the Digital Library. ACM needs to decide whether it is primarily a membership-based professional society or a public advocacy organization. David S. Wise, professor at the Computer Science Department of the Indiana University, remarked that ACM serves primarily as a publishing cooperative. Colleagues world-wide seek ACM list for its excellent collection of journal and conference productions in print, on line, and in person. But, as a scientific and educational organization, ACM also serves laypeople and governments internationally, representing what information technology is and what it can be. Both as a society and as a publisher with a large database, ACM is uniquely positioned to restrain international intellectual property law via local policy groups.

Interviews chairman Michael Dell and his chief executive officer Kevin Rollins about Dell Computer Corporation.

Focuses on the successful transformation of IBM, crediting the leadership of chief executive officer Lou Gerstner. Questions surrounding the future of the company as Gerstner retires and Sam Palmisano replaces him; Success of Gerstner in increasing the percent of IBM's revenue from services; Comparison of IBM's sales with other tech companies; Ability of IBM to survive despite the technology downturn; Backgrounds on Gerstner and Palmisano; Challenges Palmisano faces.

Discusses health hazards in the workplace. Health dangers of asbestos; Health problems encountered by workers in the computer industry; Diseases developed by workers in the polyvinyl chloride industry. INSETS: Self-help and information organizations;Re-energising: natural contacts.

Profiles Carleton S. `Carly' Fiorina, chief executive of Hewlett-Packard Co. Her aggressive management makeover of the computer company; Decline in HP's stock price; Outline of her radical strategies; Competition in the technology business; The benefits and risks of her restructuring plans; Challenges she faces.

Profiles Lynn Conway. Her work on the Advanced Computer System project at International Business Machines Corp. (IBM); Development of techniques for integrated circuit designs; Her struggle as a transgender woman.

Presents a speech by Reinaldo Zinn, a general manager of International Business Machines (IBM) Corp., given at the Bankers Association for Foreign Trade Conference entitled 'Across America--Miami: Trade and Export in Latin America,' dealing with the issue of electronic business and technology.

Presents a speech by Tim Leisman of Compaq, given before the Outsourcing Institute's 1999 Outsourcing Vendor Summit: Meeting the Service Challenge, dealing with the issue of outsourcing in the 21st century.

Reports on the Burning Man festival in Reno, Nevada. How the festival is composed of computer industry workers from Silicon Valley; Details of the festival; Attendees; How most attractions at the festival do not accept money.

Focuses on Rick Belluzzo who became the chief executive officer of Silicon Graphics' (SGI) in January 1998. His previous job at Hewlett-Packard; How Belluzzo is overhauling almost every aspect of SGI; Biographical information.

Reports on entrepreneurs who have made fortunes in the computer industry. History of the development of the computer; Instrumental players, including Thomas Watson, Jr., chief executive officer of IBM; How IBM decision to contract out for computer components allowed growth for companies like Intel and Microsoft; Roles of Bill Gates, Andy Grove, Steve Case, and Michael Dell; Outlook. INSET: Please Reboot.

Discusses Compaq's decision to fire chief executive officer (CEO) Eckhard Pfeiffer. Ben Rosen, who sits as chairman of the board for Compaq; Why Pfeiffer was fired, including loss in profits; Details of his time as CEO; Achievements; Mention of executives who left as a result of Pfeiffer, including chief strategist Robert Stearns; Pfeiffer's suggestion that aggressive pricing by IBM caused Compaq's woes; Comparison to other personal computer (PC) companies. INSET: Andy Grove: The PC Industry Won't Be the PC Industry.

This article focuses on the draft of the Association for Computing Machinery's (ACM) code of ethics and professionals conduct. As per the preamble of the draft commitment to professional conduct is expected of every member (voting members, associate members, and student members) of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). This Code identifies several issues professionals are likely to face, and provides guidelines for dealing with them. Section 1 presents fundamental ethical considerations, while Section 2 addresses additional considerations of professional conduct. Statements in Section 3 pertain more specifically to individuals who have a leadership role, whether in the workplace or in a professional organization such as ACM. Guidelines for encouraging compliance with this Code are given in Section 4. The guidelines of the draft have been prepared to help clarify the Code of Ethics in terms of contemporary issues and professional practice. However, they are not intended to be comprehensive.

Part IV. Presents the fourth report issued by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Committee on Scientific Freedom and Human Rights, focused on computer professionals whose human rights have been violated in any area of the world. Scientific freedom and human rights in 1989; List of countries in which computer professionals have had their rights violated; Abuses made against computer professionals.

Profiles chairman, co-founder, and chief executive officer of Microsoft Corp., William Henry (Bill) Gates III. Gates being revered as the person who understands computer technology best; Gates' book, `The Road Ahead,' explaining how the Information Highway will change lives; Gates' ideas on how the Internet will offer new opportunities; Microsoft's role in the future.

Reports on the perceived computer programmer shortage in the United States and age discrimination among other questionable hiring practices of the software industry. Comments from Norman Matloff of the University of California-Davis on ageism and the growing reliance on foreign workers; Age discrimination seen as difficult to prove; Companies missing out on real-world abilities of more experienced workers. INSET: Year 2000 bug a boon to seniors.

Focuses on Louis Gerstner Jr., chairman of International Business Machines (IBM). His efforts to rebuild the world's largest information company; Creation of a hard-driving corporate culture at IBM; Business strategies; How he is leveraging IBM's skills; Challenges; Education; Career highlights. INSETS: IBM's Lotus position;IBM sets its sites on the web.

Reports on the management strategy of Michael H. Spindler, new CEO of Apple Computer Inc. Success in the near-term; Problem of getting enough market share to ensure that Apple does not become a marginal player in the personal computer (PC) market; Share of the world and United States (US) markets; Search for the innovative edge; Spindler's passion and vision for the company.

Profiles the demise of Apple Computer, considered to be the founder of the personal computer (PC) industry, as an independent enterprise. Possible merger with Sun Microsystems; Erratic financial performance; Management realignments and difficulties with succession; Current management; Business practices; Problematic strategies; Michael Splindler; Steve Jobs; A.C. Markkula Jr.; Satjiv Chahil; David Nagel; Bill Gates; More.

Asserts that many companies are dawdling when it comes to issues of ethnic or gender diversity, but those who are forward-looking are betting that a diversified workforce will be useful in the 21st century. Emerging trends at Xerox, Avon, AT&T, and IBM.

Michael Dell started his computer company in 1984 with a simple business insight. He could bypass the dealer channel through which personal computers were then being sold and sell directly to customers, building products to order. Dell's direct model eliminated the dealer's markup and the risks associated with carrying large inventories of finished goods. In this interview, Michael Dell provides a detailed description of how his company is pushing that business model one step further, toward what he calls virtual integration. Dell is using technology and information to blur the traditional boundaries in the value chain between suppliers, manufacturers, and customers. The individual pieces of Dell's strategy--customer focus, supplier partnerships, mass customization, just-in-time manufacturing--may all be familiar. But Michael Dell's business insight into how to combine them is highly innovative. Direct relationships with customers create valuable information, which in turn allows the company to coordinate its entire value chain back through manufacturing to product design. Dell describes how his company has come to achieve this tight coordination without the "drag effect" of ownership. Dell reaps the advantages of being vertically integrated without incurring the costs, all the while achieving the focus, agility, and speed of a virtual organization. As envisioned by Michael Dell, virtual integration may well become a new organizational model for the information age. INSET: USING INFORMATION TO SPEED EXECUTION. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at business and employment opportunities in the U.S. computer sector as of May 1983. The author discusses professions that have appeared with the technology development including home computers salesperson, computer psychologist, and computer camp counselor. Also analyzed are jobs such as computer lawyer, computer sales trainer, and software club director.

The article presents information about the wage and hour laws specified for computer center employees in the U.S. Government regulation of the computer industry moved up another notch on December 2, 1971, when the U.S. Department of Labor decided on which data processing employees outside of government fall under national wage and hour laws. The Department's Wage and Hour Division ruled that tape librarians, keypunch operators, computer operators, junior programmers, and programmer trainees are covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act and therefore must be paid time-and-a-half wages for overtime work. Although Labor decided that supervisory programmers and systems analysts are exempt from the Act, it left to the interpretation of individual cases whether high level, nonsupervisory programmers and analysts are exempt because they exercise discretion and independent judgment in their work. Programmers and analysts could likewise have been exempted from wage and hour laws if they were found to be part of a true profession, but Labor ruled that there is too much variation in employment standards and academic requirements to make such a conclusion.