ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book is based on experience with a range of applications of computing and information technologies. It argues that the new challenges facing managers arise not only from technical developments but also from how the new systems are applied. The book illustrates the various computer-aided information systems installed in the hotel which they studied provided managers with comprehensive and up-to-date information on all aspects of the hotel’s business. It shows that the mere availability of ‘high tech’ solutions to the information needed for manufacturing does not mean that managers have to choose this route. The book traces the way computing was organised at different times in that period, and also shows how this matched the overall innovative nature of the enterprise. It examines structural decisions, in the form of the role of supervisors.
