New technology in context : the selection, introduction and the use of computer numerically controlled machine tools

Since the late 1970s, there has been an increasing flood of books, articles, specialist magazines and radio and television programmes all devoted to "New Technology". Some writers believe that "we are in the midst of a revolution" (Rumelt, 1981, pl). Others believe that the changes which the new technologies will bring about are likely to be "evolutionary rather than revolutionary" (Bessant, 1983, p16). However, no-one seems to doubt that, whatever the pace of the change, new technology will have "a major societal impact" (Hedberg and Mehlmann, 1981, pl).

The purpose of this book is to examine the impact of new technology on one key area of people's lives: how it will affect the organisation of work and the design of jobs. However, firstly, it is useful to look at the development of new technology and the growth of government and public awareness of its potential.

Whilst the term "new technology" tends to be used to cover almost all scientific advances over the last 20 years, the development to which this title is most commonly applied and which it is said will have the main impact is the micro-processor the computer on a silicon chip. The computer has a long antecedence. In 1642, Pascal designed and built a mechanical calculator to aid trade and navigation (Albury and Schwartz, 1982). In the 19th century, Babbage designed a mechanical computer with data banks and the ability to repeat routines. However, due to the limitations of engineering at that time, it could not be built (Council for Science and Society, 1981). A number of develop ments in the late 19th and early 20th centuries led to the building of the first digital computer by Konrad Zuse in Germany in 1939.