The Business Book

314

TECHNOLOGY IS THE

GREAT GROWLING

ENGINE OF CHANGE

THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY

N

o business today can

survive without some form

of computer system, but

continual investment in new IT

(information technology) can

enhance a company in previously

unimagined ways. IT can be used

to boost productivity or increase

reliability, or to decrease the risk

of human error. Air India set out

to improve efficiency in 2013

with a new computerized Crew

Management System (CMS) that

was designed to deploy pilots and

cabin crew more effectively than a

manual system. Under the previous

system, some crew worked longer

hours than others for the same

salary, which created friction

between crew members. CMS has

enabled management to monitor

crew deployment more closely. The

hope is that by ensuring that staff

are employed more equitably and

With clear objectives

and a shared vision...

...new IT systems can

increase revenue, improve

safety, and boost morale.

Technology is the

great growling engine

of change.

IN CONTEXT

FOCUS

Managing change

KEY DATES

1822 English mathematician

Charles Babbage designs

“the difference engine”—the

world’s first mechanical,

programmable, computer.

1951 The British food

manufacturer J. Lyons & Co

starts using LEO (Lyons

Electronic Office), the first

computer designed specifically

for a business use—in this

case, to track sales figures.

1981 US software company

Microsoft develops the

MS-DOS operating system.

1998 Banks and hedge funds

in the US design computer

programs to buy and sell

shares, bonds derivatives,

and other financial assets.

This is the origin of high-

frequency trading.