The Digital Hand: How Computers Changed the Work of American Manufacturing, Transportation, and Retail Industries
- 15h 12m
- James W. Cortada
- Oxford University Press (US)
- 2004
In The Digital Hand, James W. Cortada combines detailed analysis with narrative history to provide a broad overview of computing's role in sixteen industries, accounting for nearly half of the U.S. economy. Beginning in 1950, when commercial applications of digital technology began to appear, Cortada examines the ways different industries adopted new technologies, as well as the ways their innovative applications influenced other industries and the U.S economy. In addition, to this account of computers' impact on industry, Cortada also demonstrates how industries themselves influenced the nature of digital technology. Managers, economists, and anyone interested in the history of modern business will appreciate this historical analysis of digital technology's many roles and its future possibilities in a wide array of industries. A detailed picture of what the infrastructure of the Information Age really looks like and how we got there, The Digital Hand is a sweeping survey of how computers transformed the American economy.
About the Author
James W. Cortada is a Senior Consultant at IBM Consulting Group and the author of nearly two dozen books on information technology, business transformation, and knowledge management.
In this Book
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Arrival of Digital Technologies and their Applications
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Digitizing the American Economy
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Presence and Role of Manufacturing Industries in the American Economy
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Business Patterns and Digital Applications in the Transformation of Manufacturing Industries
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Patterns and Practices in Three Traditional Manufacturing Industries: Automotive, Steel, and Aerospace
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Patterns and Practices in Three Process Industries: Petroleum, Chemical, and Pharmaceuticals
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Manufacturing Practices in Information Technology Industries: Semiconductors, Hard Disk Drives, and Software
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Business Practices and Digital Applications in the Transformation of Transportation Industries: Trains and Trucks
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Presence of Wholesale and Retail Industries in the American Economy
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Business Patterns and Digital Applications in the Transformation of the Wholesale and Retail Industries
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Patterns and Practices in Three Retail Industries: Grocery, Apparel, and E-tailing
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Conclusion: How Computers Changed the American Economy
