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The article highlights ways to retain and attract human resource (HR) recruiters. Topics discussed include quality and effectiveness of talent acquisition (TA) technology used by recruiters, challenges in TA technology such system integration, data management and vendor support, advantages of automation or artificial intelligence (AI) in terms of removing administrative tasks and engaging job candidates, and importance of AI matching or prioritizing candidates against hiring requirements.

The article suggests five solutions to staffing problems brought by the changing economy. These include automation of operations, cross training if employees, hiring outsourced fractional experienced or skilled persons or services, job sharing, and uptraining or providing additional education to employees. The importance of being creative and flexible when finding people to fill a role in a company is discussed.

The article looks into misperceptions about artificial intelligence (AI)-power automation of employee recruitment. Topics discussed are efficiency of recruiting automation and significance of AI solutions to improving outcomes of hiring operations, accuracy of AI in terms of job matching and getting response from candidates, and difficulty of recognizing AI-driven or automated recruiting e-mails.

The article focuses on the evolution of paperless office as an inevitable result of technology advances. The introduction of new technologies has often stimulated dynamic interactions between old and new. New technologies are commonly misperceived as total replacements for old ones, when in fact the introduction of a new technology can stimulate a synergy between old and new. Electronic media and printed media complement, and in some ways even reinforce each other. Today, paper remains the most popular document medium because of its credibility, tangibility, and ease of use, portability and compatibility with all imaging devices, such as facsimile units, copiers, printers, and scanners. Despite the enormous popularity of computers and personal digital assistants, along with the improvements in screen technology, mobile computing technology and navigational and input tools, paper usage in the U.S. continues to increase. While paper will not become obsolete any time soon, a shift is occurring in how it is being used.

Presents a descriptive model of the impacts of office automation on the organization. Components of automated office systems; Effects of the automation on traditional office work; Emphasis on the need for further research on the effects of office automation.

The article focuses on issues of interest to the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) members. The ACM chapters, which will host the ACM 1981 Annual Conference from November 9 to 11, 1981 in Los Angeles, California, will sponsor a professional development seminar after the conference. A call has been issued for participation in the Office Automation Conference to be held from April 5 to 7, 1982 in San Francisco, California. The 9th Annual Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, to be held from July 26 to 30, 1982 in Boston, Massachusetts, has issued a call for papers.

The article presents a list of open computer science meetings that are held on a not-for-profit basis. Some of the events included in the list are: "National Conference on Computer Related Crime," "Conference and Workshop on Model Acceptance," "Fifth Conference on Local Computer Networks," "1980 Annual Meeting and Conference of the Museum Computer Network," "Texas Association for Educational Data Systems 1980 Annual Convention," "Federal Office Automation Conference," "Computer Related Crime: Training Workshop for Prevention, Detection, Investigation, and Prosecution," "International Congress on Logic, Informatics, Law," "Twelfth Annual Pittsburgh Conference on Modeling and Simulation," "Seventh Conference of the Canadian Man-Computer Communications Society," "Conference on Human Aided Optimization," "4th Symposium on Computational Statistics," "National Artificial Intelligence Conference," "National Meeting of American Chemical Society," and "Data Processing in Chemistry."

The article focuses on the automation of office work for improved productivity and services. In several offices, machines based on digital computers are being used to gather, store, manipulate and communicate information. The mechanization of offices began in the second half of the 19th century. The first half of the 20th century witnessed the advent of many new technologies including teletypewriter, ticker tape, duplicating machines and copiers, and calculators.

The death of the corporate mainframe has been greatly exaggerated. After a period in which many companies experimented with decentralizing their information systems (IS) organization, the pendulum is swinging back once again. Companies are consolidating data centers, beefing up the authority of their central IS staffs, and establishing company-wide standards and procedures. But recentralization does not mean a return to the unresponsive IS bureaucracies of the past. Instead, a hybrid organizational model is emerging, one that promises to transcend the traditional trade-off between centralization and decentralization once and for all. If a solid line symbolizes reporting relationships in the traditional centralized IS organization and a dotted line those of the decentralized alternative, then this new model requires what we call "striped line" reporting with genuine power sharing between IS managers and users. A central IS organization is responsible for the company's technological infrastructure and for selecting and developing technical staff. But the development of new computer applications is handled in a decentralized fashion, following priorities and budgets set by the users. Striped-line IS organizations are a response to the shortcomings of previous organizational models. In the early days of corporate computing, companies centralized the IS functions to promote cost efficiencies--but that the cost of a bureaucracy unresponsive to user needs. Decentralization was an attempt to solve that problem. It ensured closer connections to users--but too often with the result of creating a rudderless IS staff. A striped-line organization delivers the best of both worlds--the cost savings control of centralization with the user-responsiveness and flexibility of decentralization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The office seems to be the last outpost of resistance to automation, if one can judge by the small amount of money companies are now spending on it. Yet more than a trillion dollars will go for salaries and support of white-collar workers in 1982. Booz, Allen & Hamilton Inc., the management and technology consulting firm, studied so-called knowledge workers to determine how they spend their work day and whether the enhancements of the office of the future could make them more productive. Harvey Poppel discusses the results and points out that many of the frustrating, unproductive activities that the study revealed could be reduced by the appropriate mix of new office systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Senior executives of large corporations have customarily relied on functional staff for the information on which to base key decisions. The task of gathering data and preparing analyses has been simply too time consuming, too cumbersome to be left to the executives themselves. Today, however, improved computer technology, coupled with a heightened analytic orientation among top managers, is beginning to change the pattern by which a company funnels information to the apex of its organizational pyramid. In fact, in some companies the responsibility for using such data-based support has moved into the executive office itself and, perhaps more important, the top managers of these companies have become active participants in the process, not just final consumers of its output. Though still few in number, these companies offer an intriguing glimpse of tomorrow's executive information systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The letters to the editor refer to articles in previous issues of "Harvard Business Review." "A Small Business Is Not a Little Big Business" is written by John A. Welsh and Jerry F. White and is in the July-August 1981 issue. "Using Export Specialists to Develop Overseas Sales" is by John J. Brasch and appears in the May-June 1981 issue. "Mexican Workers North of the Border" is from Mariah E. deForest. Topics in the letters include Japanese manufacturing, sexual harassment, financial statements, union campaigns, and office automation.

Using existing technology, Continental Illinois Bank, seventh largest U.S. bank, has made the "office of the future" a reality. Building on a network of interactive small-scale computers and a large central processing unit, Continental developed a central library containing the bank's vast data base. So that bank managers could have a link to the office at home, at the airport, or in a hotel room, remote telephone dictating facilities were linked to the bank's word processing machines. An electronic mail system now allows managers to communicate without paper memorandums, and the messages are stored in an electronic filing cabinet. The author points out that continental executives now have an office wherever there is a telephone, and he discusses some of the present and possible future effects of this flexible arrangement. INSET: The Analytical Engine. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As organizations begin to harness the full power of information technology, the framework for analyzing information systems requires broadening. To make any sense of further computerization, all labor costs surrounding the computer--at both the input and the output end--must be accounted for. By means of nine steps toward total management of information resources for greater productivity, the author offers help to information managers seeking trade-offs among office automation, office labor, and office performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do not let it bother you that the only reports of embezzlement schemes you have heard about have ended in the thieves being caught. Do not be discouraged by the fact that the takes reported in the press are so small. The really big, successful embezzlement schemes are still out there working, and working well. Most of the people who have been caught owe their capture not to the lack of their computer skills but to bad luck and mismanagement. You can be smarter. The author of this quick guide provides you with a rich sampling of embezzlement schemes that will work, and does a good job of laying some old fears about the difficulties of taking your company for a ride. His message is to take heart, learn from others' mistakes, and be clever. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Americans have long abhorred the specter of a faceless, bureaucratic Big Brother. As computerized personal data systems have grown more and more sophisticated, many people have become concerned about the threat these systems pose to the privacy of individual data subjects. Recently some regulations were passed to counter that threat, and, the authors say, the passage of laws to eliminate it throughout the country is imminent. But the cost of complying with them will be high. After looking at the probable shape of these laws, the authors discuss what the laws' impact will be on five actual personal data systems--consumer credit, health, personnel, insurance, and law enforcement. Finally, they suggest that organizations using or contemplating the use of such systems take four steps in adjusting to the new environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensing that few executives have a clear picture of each of the generations of computerization and of the ways in which these generations succeed each other over the long term, the author here outlines the life cycle of the EDP function, from simplest automation of clerical systems within the financial area to all-embracing data-base applications for general management and personalized information systems for individual managers throughout the organization. The virtue of such an overview is that it permits rational long-range EDP planning; management can plan for each generation with a clear idea of the goals it ought to be able to achieve with a given level of hardware, software, and systems expertise, and with a clear idea of how to prepare for transition to the next generation, if that is in the cards for its particular business and operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses key issues concerning office automation and its gradual emergence as a key component of the way corporations manage information in the U.S. in 1984. It includes information on the key features and benefits of office automation, as well as new technologies that are fast pushing office automation atop managerial priorities in corporations. INSETS: AN INFORMATION GURU IN FMC'S EXECUTIVE SUITE;BEEFING UP ON ELECTRONICS MAKES HERCULES LEANER.

The article examines the impact of the proliferation of personal computers (PCs) in corporate offices despite the fact that these PCs are great help in business operations. It states that companies fear that they will lose the security and accuracy of valuable corporate data files. It also notes that the proliferation is forcing many corporate customers to rethink their plans to install office automation.

The article focuses on office automation. Indeed, the primary focus of office automation in 1988 can be distilled into just one word, integration. Office automation began some ten or 12 years ago with the first word processor, which was followed a few years later by the personal computer. The minicomputer-, supermicro-, or mainframe-level multi-user office computer systems allow users to access and manipulate a variety of information types. Equipment that handles information processing and relieves paper handling are critical to solving office automation problems.

The article presents Japan's post-industrial vision which is turning away from steel and automobile manufacturing into knowledge-based industries such as computers, telecommunications, and biotechnology. It looks at computer companies, factory automation, and the diminished power of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. Topics discussed include mainframe computers, supercomputers, and software. Also included are tables on office automation market and personal computer forecasts.

The article looks at the integration of computer and communication systems as a means of enhancing effectiveness of office work in the U.S. as of September 1982, with information provided about its technical aspects, costs, and impact on time distribution and data processing. Reviewed are innovations related to office integration introduced by electronics and machinery manufacturers such as Wang Laboratories, International Business Machines (IBM), and Xerox.

The article discusses the effects of the industrial revolutions on the business offices in the U.S. As mentioned, industrial revolution has created a boom in the office equipment industry and is making big business more workable. As stated, the size of the U.S. industrialization made its economy incredibly complex which affected office mechanization. As stated, the increased mechanized production brought an ever-increasing amount of detail and paper work to its managers.

The article discusses ways in which companies can create legal protections for their proprietary computer programs. It is essential to protect these technologies, which are the result of considerable expenditures of time and energy. The article discusses the types of programs that need to be protested, how to determine whether a program can qualify as a trade secret, and how to determine what sort of legal protection is available to each program. The article discusses how well employee agreements, patent and copyright protection and legal actions work in protecting technologies.

The article asserts that computers are not being used effectively by many companies in providing management with the best information available for decision making. To this end, the author suggests an approach to systems organization which will help business to take advantage of future developments in modern data-processing equipment and techniques. He says that a more useful approach is to break down the systems and data-processing activities both horizontally and vertically. Horizontally, the systems activities can be classified by the type of work performed; vertically, the systems can be classified by the kind of information handled. Examining the classifications, he offers suggestions on how management can use them in organizing a company's systems and data processing activities.

The article discusses the potential impact of the automatic data processing (ADP) systems on business management. The author addresses several changes in management since the introduction of ENIAC and Mark I in 1945. Several factors that prevent businessmen from realizing the full potential of computers are addressed, including inadequate planning, reliance on old approaches, and staffing errors. The author suggests that managers should find a place for ADP in their business enterprise's organization structure. The applications of ADP in the 1960s are discussed.

The article discusses the risks associated with electronic data processing. By 1962 the processing of electronic data had become complex enough for the author to warn executives about some of the problems surrounding the use and development of computers in business. He examines the question of why there is a lack of data processing knowledge at the managerial level. A number of reasons are given showing why electronic data processing is poorly used and inefficient, including poor procurement practices, a general unfamiliarity with business systems and resistance to computers among middle managers.

The letters to the editor refer to articles published in previous issues of "Harvard Business Review." Readers comment on "When the Computer Takes Over the Office," by Ida Russakoff Hoos, which is in the July-August 1960 issue, and the impact of electronic data processing on job loss. Theodore Levitt, author of "Marketing Myopia," was criticized for three errors in his article. "Debate at Wickersham Mills" was written by Abram T. Collier and is in the May-June issue. "Can Capitalism Win the Intellectuals?," by Calvin B. Hoover, is in the September-October 1959 issue.

The letters to the editor refer to articles published in previous issues of "Harvard Business Review." Readers and editors comment on "Debate at Wickersham Mills," by Adam T. Collier, which is in the May-June 1960 issue. "Private Business & Public Education in the South," by Helen Hill Miller, is in the July-August issue, as well as "Marketing Myopia," by Theodore Levitt, "When the Computer Takes Over the Office," by Ida Russakoff Hoos, and "Problems in Review: Putting Executives to the Test," by Lewis B. Ward.

The article reports on electronic data processing (EDP) and the outlook for office automation in the United States. An EDP study in the San Francisco Bay Area found that the introduction of computers in organizations affects all job categories quantitatively and qualitatively. Statistics show that only one job is created for the five jobs eliminated by office automation. Topics include the salaries of programmers, the trend toward recentralization, short-term displacement effects from EDP, growth in the position of key-punch operators, stagnation at the middle management level, and changes in organizational structure and communication channels.

The automatic office trails the automatic factory by several steps, both in actual development and in wordage in popular magazines. But the months ahead will see an increasing amount of public attention and management interest devoted to its problems and possibilities, as more companies introduce high-speed computers into their clerical operations. The danger is that we shall not think ahead far enough. The effect on the organization only begins when the computer is installed and put into operation; the extent of changes that will follow--or should follow--is far greater than is generally recognized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article states that computer systems take many man-years to design and focuses on planning business computer systems for data processing in the United States. General-purpose computers include the large-scale models such as Sperry-Rand Corporation's Univac II, International Business Machines Corporation's IBM 705, and Radio Corporation of America's Bizmac. With the trend in decentralization, companies are using two types of medium-scale computers, which are classified as magnetic tape input/output and storage or punched cards. Four examples illustrate why companies buy electronic data-processing equipment, including cost savings and faster information processing. Topics are integrated processing, handling paper work and source documents, and rental prices for computers.

This article is based on wide experience in the application of high-speed automatic computers to the solution of scientific, engineering, and operations research problems, and on extensive consideration of the use of computers in business and industry. It should be stressed, however, that many of the applications discussed in this article do not belong to the category of examples which have already been worked through to completion. Thus the conclusions set forth here represent extrapolations from a broad base of experience into the future. The author--who is Chief, Computing Services Section, Raytheon Manufacturing Company--would have preferred to wait three to five years and then draw conclusions from accomplished facts, but there has been substantial demand for a more specific prediction of fields and methods of application and detailed requirements of personnel and cost. It is hoped that these objectives are met in this article, even though there is risk of oversimplification and consequent misinterpretation. For example, the reader may be startled at the magnitude of effort required to realize the full potential of the automatic computer. He is urged therefore to observe how large this potential is and to bear in mind that a modest expenditure will suffice to get started on a paying basis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article focuses on the use of electronics in offices in the United States to manage the large volume of clerical operations. Clerical costs have increased, along with the amount of paperwork required by business and industry, to the point that they are out of proportion in ratio to factory costs. The solution is mechanization--since office machines have evolved in terms of speed and efficiency. Topics include making a feasibility study and setting up an electronic office. Examples of an implemented electronic system or redesigned clerical system are given.

This article reports on trends in postwar United States and the mechanization of paper work and clerical operations from a management perspective. Social security legislation in 1937--which required business to keep payroll records for state and federal government and employers to provide wage and deduction statements to employees--added to companies' clerical burden. Reasons for automating office operations also include: management's need for statistical controls for decision making and record-keeping summaries of tax data; changes in accounting theory and shift in accounting methods; and higher wages and shorter workweeks for office clerks. Topics are cost and savings factors in automation and the objectives in a feasibility study.