This book chronicles how sixteen American industries in the manufacturing, transportation, wholesale, and retail sectors have used computers since 1950. It explores the role this technology played, how it changed the work done, and the effects on companies, industries, and the American economy. It argues that what was done within industries was fundamentally changed by the massive use of all manner of information technologies and telecommunications, creating a new digital style of working by the end of the 20th century. The book's findings are based on extensive research and it is organized by ... More

This book chronicles how sixteen American industries in the manufacturing, transportation, wholesale, and retail sectors have used computers since 1950. It explores the role this technology played, how it changed the work done, and the effects on companies, industries, and the American economy. It argues that what was done within industries was fundamentally changed by the massive use of all manner of information technologies and telecommunications, creating a new digital style of working by the end of the 20th century. The book's findings are based on extensive research and it is organized by chapters describing what happened, one industry after another. This is a business history, not a history of technology.