Microelectronics for Management in Service Industries

In the early part of the nineteenth century steam began to replace horse,-wind- and water-power. Early installations found considerable economy in scale and large steam-powered machines grew to be commonplace. This tendency for large machines to have an advantage persisted until the early years of the twentieth century when the internal combustion engine became a practical proposition for powering motor cars. Subsequently, power units have become smaller still until nowadays no one feels it to be strange for individuals to possess very high-powered machines for their personal use. Just think about the consequences of using a chariot drawn by eighty horses to go to the office in the morning! The personal mobility and freedom of choice which accompanied this development of high-powered machines, and their virtually unrestricted use by individual human beings, has much to do with the way our civilisation has developed in the twentieth century. Even allowing for the effects of relatively higher fuel costs this freedom of mobility and the ability to command vast amounts of power, by a movement of one’s fingertips, will continue to be a dominant feature for the foreseeable future.