The Digital Hand : How Computers Changed the Work of American Manufacturing, Transportation, and Retail Industries

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. Arrival of digital technologies and their applications Digitizing the American economy Presence and role of manufacturing industries in the American economy Business patterns and digital applications in the transformation of manufacturing industries Patterns and practices in three traditional manufacturing industries : automotive, steel and aerospace Patterns and practices in three process industries : petroleum, chemical, and pharmaceuticals Business practices and digital applications in information technology industries : semiconductors, hard drives, and software Business practices and digital applications in the transformation of transportation industries : trains and trucks Presence of wholesale and retail industries in the American economy Business patterns and digital applications in the transformation of wholesale and retail industries Patterns and practices in three retail industries : grocery, apparel, e-tailing. Preface 1. Arrival of Digital Technologies and Their Applications2. Digitizing the American Economy3. Presence and Role of Manufacturing Industries in the American Economy4. Business Patterns and Digital Applications in the Transformation of Manufacturing Industries5. Patterns and Practices in Three Traditional Manufacturing Industries: Automotive, Steel and Aerospace6. Patterns and Practices in Three Process Industries: Petroleum, Chemical, and Pharmaceuticals7. Business Practices and Digital Applications in Information Age Manufacturing Industries: Semiconductors, Hard Drives, and Software8. Business Practices and Digital Applications in the Transformation of Transportation Industries: Trains and Trucks9. Presence of Wholesale and Retail Industries in the American Economy... "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."--BOOK JACKET. This text provides a historical perspective on how some of the most important American industries used computing over the past half century, describing their experience, their best practices, and the role of industries and technologies in changing the nature of American work Americans injected digital technology into their national economy in massive quantities during the second half of the twentieth century.