ABSTRACT
The computer manufacturer recommended the firm to select its programming staff from within the organisation, arguing that it would take much longer for programmers to learn the firm's system of work than for existing staff to learn how to programme. The computer manufacturer provided some assistance with programming but not the amount that Carters thought was needed. Responsibility for the computer installation was given to the accountant, but day to day supervision was handed over to the manager of the Hollerith installation. The Hollerith manager believed that special training in punching was unnecessary as the girls would adapt to computer requirements quite easily. The computer arrived in March 1961, and it was then handed over to the engineers for several months of testing while the some programmers continued designing programs. The computer staff became irritated by the apparently contemptuous attitude of the manufacturer's representatives.
