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1、中 北 大 学 信 息 商 务 学 院毕业论文外文文献原文及译文学生姓名： 林慧萍 学号： 08060341X08 系 别： 电子与计算机科学系 专 业： 计算机科学与技术 指导教师： 郭铁成 2012 年 5 月Old and New Models for Office AutomationElliot ColeThe emerging generation of office automation systems combines new and existing software and procedures. While managers may be able to select f
2、rom a broad array of software tools, they may also be required to use certain others. This article discusses organization design as the context for office automation; mature computer based systems as one application of organization design variables; and emerging office automation systems as another
3、application of those variables. The article concludes that Management Information System models developed for mature systems may be helpful where the use of software application is required for the individual worker; diffusion of innovation models recently developed for computing systems may be help
4、ful where the type of software is optional for the individual worker. The emerging generation of office automation systems combines new concepts and components with existing ones. While there may be a combination of first-time applications for some organizational activities, there may be replacement
5、 applications for others. Our ability to understand and plan for office automation depends on the availability and adequacy of our models. This article examines some of the assumptions underlying office automation, and then evaluates the adequacy of current models applied to the analysis and impleme
6、ntation of both the first-time and replacement applications. The article begins with a discussion of office automations context factors in organization design. Next is a discussion of mature computer-based information systems, particularly Management Information Systems (MIS), followed by their simi
7、larities and different from emerging information systems. The final section examines the use of diffusion of innovation models and their relevance to office automation studies within the scope of Information Science.Organization Design Organization design is concerned with the structure and function
8、 of organizations, and consequently occupies a central role in office automation activities. Such design involves two basic elements, the types of positions in organizations and control over task structure. Office automation systems assume the presence of both these elements.Types of Personnel Compu
9、ters have been assisting humans for nearly 40 years. What makes the earlier user communities different from the emerging communities is the level of positions that are affected. Now managers are becoming end-users. In the past, white collar workers have been classified as professional, managerial, a
10、nd clerical, based on the horizontal (breadth) and vertical (depth) specialization of their tasks. Professional positions have great vertical specialization, i.e., they require great depth of knowledge in a narrow area. In contrast, management positions require great horizontal specialization, i.e.,
11、 they require great breadth of knowledge but with narrow depth. Managers are considered generalists rather than specialists. Clerical positions are narrow in breadth and depth. The first computer users were professionals (scientists) who applied information technology to extend the capabilities of t
12、heir work teams. These value-added applications, to use Landau, Bair, and Shalom terminology, included solving complex mathematical problems. Todays computer users routinely include a broad spectrum of professionals who use these tools in pure research, applied research, and professional practice. N
13、ext, clerical personnel became users. Computers appeared in functional areas of organizations with large clerical staffs, what man calls the first office automation revolution. In these areas, applications included transaction processing, for example, payroll, inventory, and order-entry. Automation
14、was introduced principally for what Landau, Bair, and Shalom call cost displacement applications, saving labor costs by substituting capital for labor. Currently, the user community is expanding to include management staff. Few managers in organizations of any size have been untouched by computer se
15、rvices and systems. At a minimum, they have received computer printout reports. At most, they may have used systems through some intermediary. In the emerging generation of office automation, as Martin has described, managers are expected to become hands-on users of an array of software. An objectiv
16、e of this generation of office automation is to remove certain tasks from managerial and professional positions by reallocation to a combination of clerical positions and information processing hardware and software. Open systems models of organizations, discussed by Daniel in this issue of Perspectives, provides an unders
