Abstract :
The article is about the direction and management of research and development in information technology. Information technology (IT) is defined as any aspect of science and technology which concerns the storage, manipulation, communication and use of information. IT concerns the development and use of semiconductor circuits, microprocessor computers, software, display and printing devices and so on. As such IT permeates every aspect of our lives: at home in our domestic appliances and home control systems, at leisure in our cars and electronic games, at work in our office systems, management systems and design systems. A user of IT is anyone who uses any aspect of IT for any purpose. A user may himself be an IT professional, a member of the lay public, or a business person with a difficult problem to solve. The whole economy of nations, particularly developed nations, depends on the effective use of IT. There is more benefit to be derived from the effective use of the latest technology than any other single influence. It is essential that we now plan for research and development programmes to provide effective use alongside the development of the technology of IT itself. In making these plans we must overcome past reservations and get used to `users´ being involved in research and development, in deriving `specifications´ as the output of programmes, without the fear that we are getting `near market´
Keywords :
research and development management; research initiatives; IT R&D; IT professional; business person; cars; design systems; display; domestic appliances; electronic games; home control systems; information technology; lay public; management; management systems; microprocessor computers; office systems; printing devices; research and development programmes; semiconductor circuits; software;
