Information Technology in the Service Society -- Copyright -- Preface -- Contents -- Summary and Overview -- THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PARADOX -- ANALYZING THE IMPACTS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY -- Macroeconomic Analysis -- Industry level Analysis -- Enterprise level Analysis -- Activity level Analysis -- KEY FINDINGS -- MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS -- POLICY CONCERNS -- Diffusing the Benefits of IT in Services -- Coping with the Impact of IT on Employment Patterns -- Obtaining Improved Data and Conducting Research on Structural Changes -- Reassessing the Effectiveness of Traditional Policy Measures -- NOTE -- 1 Introduction and Impact of Information Technology at the Macroeconomic Level -- THIS STUDY-APPROACH, SCOPE, AND TERMS -- CURRENT DATA AND MEASURES OF PRODUCTIVITY -- National Income and Product Accounts Prepared by the Bureau of Economic Analysis -- Productivity from the NIPA Data: What do the Numbers Show? -- Problems with the Data from the NIPA -- Industry-specific Measures of Productivity Developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics -- What Do the BLS Data on Selected Industries Show? -- Gaps in BLS Data and Measures of Productivity -- Conclusions on Productivity Measures Developed from BLS Data -- ALTERNATIVE MEASURES OF PRODUCTIVITY AND PERFORMANCE -- OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS -- Many Factors Influence Productivity: It Affects Many Aspects of Performance -- ORGANIZATION AND SCOPE OF THIS REPORT -- NOTES AND REFERENCES -- BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR CHAPTER 1 -- 2 Impacts of Information Technology at the Industry Level -- AIR TRANSPORT -- TELECOMMUNICATIONS -- RETAIL AND WHOLESALE TRADE -- HEALTH CARE -- BANKING -- INSURANCE -- OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS -- NOTES AND REFERENCES -- 3 Impacts of Information Technology at the Enterprise Level -- WHY FIRMS INVEST IN IT -- HOW COMPANIES USE AND INVEST IN IT -- Types of Applications.

Basic Infrastructure for Communications and Data Handling -- Mandated Systems -- Cost Reduction -- Specific New Products or Opportunities -- Improvements in Quality -- Major Strategic Innovations -- Decision Making About Investing in IT and the Rigor of Program Evaluation -- CROSS-CUTTING OBSERVATIONS REGARDING ALL USES OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY -- Controlling the Costs of IT -- Enhancing Technological Sophistication and Developing Standards -- Problems in Assessing Enterprise Performance -- Pass-Through of Benefits -- Time Lags and the Need for Higher Skills -- Shifts in the Basic Nature of the Business -- SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS -- NOTES AND REFERENCES -- 4 Impacts of Information Technology at the Activity Level -- INTRODUCTION -- WHAT IS AN ACTIVITY -- SOME OBSERVATIONS ABOUT SERVICE ACTIVITIES -- Service Activities Are Everywhere -- Service Activities Are Increasingly Important -- Service Activities Are Generic and Elemental -- ROLES FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN THE EVOLUTION OF ACTIVITIES -- New Tools and Tasks -- New Linkages and Transformations in Firms -- Outsourcing and Industry Transformation -- CONSEQUENCES FOR EMPLOYEES -- CONCLUSIONS -- NOTES AND REFERENCES -- 5 Improving Decision Making About Information Technology -- COMMON PROBLEM AREAS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY -- Lack of Competition -- Inadequate Planning and Follow-up -- Resistance and Inefficiencies in Work Practices -- Excessive Project Scope -- Technology-driven Investments in IT -- Difficulties in Software Development -- CRITICAL ISSUES IN THE MANAGEMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY -- Information and IT Strategy Seeking Competitive Advantage -- Cross-Functional Reengineering and Reorganization -- Continuous User and Customer Involvement -- Customer-driven Measures of Quality -- Compressing Project Scope and Payback Time -- Postproject Audits.

Benchmarking Against Specialized Outside Providers -- Customer- and Knowledge-driven Performance Evaluation and Reward Systems -- SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS -- NOTES AND REFERENCES -- 6 Information Technology In Services: Implications for Public Policy -- IMPLICATIONS FOR MACROECONOMIC AND FISCAL POLICY -- BACKGROUND ON EMPLOYMENT ISSUES RAISED BY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGYIN SERVICES -- THE NEED FOR POLICY INTERVENTION TO EASE EMPLOYMENT TRANSITIONS -- THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL RESEARCH TO GUIDE POLICY MAKING -- Improving Federal Macroeconomic Data Gathering and Analysis -- Improving Data and Accounting Principles Related to Investments in Information Technology -- Increasing Awareness of and Investments in Research Related to Information Technology in Services an ... -- OTHER POLICY ISSUES IDENTIFIED BY THIS STUDY -- NOTES AND REFERENCES -- Appendixes -- Appendix A Selected Research on Economic and Strategic Impacts of Information Technology -- REFERENCES -- Appendix B Methods for Deriving Bureau of Economic Analysis Measures of Output -- NOTE -- Appendix C Procedures for Deriving Bureau of Labor Statistics Measures of Productivity for Service... -- INDUSTRY LEVEL MEASUREMENT OF OUTPUT -- Transportation -- Communications -- Electric, Gas, and Sanitary Services -- Retail Trade -- Wholesale Trade -- Finance -- Business and Personal Services -- Government -- Hospitals -- MEASURES OF LABOR INPUT -- NOTES -- Appendix D How the Committee Conducted Its Study -- USE OF INTERVIEWS-APPROACH AND LIMITATIONS -- NOTE -- Appendix E List of Executives Interviewed.