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P A R T II
People also benefit as the consumers of the goods and services provided by
computer-using organisations. Here are some examples:
• Greater efficiency. Because businesses have avoided waste of time and have
improved efficiency through the use of computers, the prices we now pay are less than
they would otherwise have been. Computer uses can improve productivity - the amount
of goods and services that people and machines can produce from a given amount of input.
• Higher-quality products. Computers may also help improve the quality of the
products and services we receive. Computer-aided design (CAD) means the use of
computers and graphics-oriented software for the purpose of automating the design and
drafting process. An engineer at a CAD site - often called an engineering workstation -
can design a three-dimensional machined part, analyse its characteristics, and then subject
it to different stresses. If the part fails a stress test, its specifications can be changed. All
these steps occur as the engineer works with the CAD hardware and software. Computer-
aided manufacturing (CAM) means the use of computers in the production process. The
CAM process picks up where CAD leaves off. During this production phase, robots
(devices programmed to physically manipulate their surroundings) and other computer-
controlled devices are used to produce higher-quality products.
• Better service. People may now receive better service from government agencies. In
contrast to the bureaucratic runaround that often accompanies a call to city hall, computer
system allows citizens to dial a single number, get the right city department, and be
guaranteed a response. The service benefits people receive from business computers
include (1) shorter waiting lines at banks, airline ticket offices, and hotel and car rental
desks, (2) faster and more accurate answers to the inquiries of people served by the
businesses, and 3) more efficient customer service. And the service benefits people receive
from companies in health care include (1) faster and more thorough testing to detect and
identify disease, (2) more accurate methods of physiological monitoring, and (3) better
control of lab test results and the dispensing of drugs.
• Entertainment and educational benefits. Some businesses are using computers
only to amuse and entertain us. Personal computer game programmes are being prepared
by hundreds of producers. Computer animation firms are writing programmes that give the
illusion of movement to inanimate objects. The results of this animation are now seen
regularly in movies and on TV. And the potential for computers in education has barely
been tapped.
• Improved safety. Computer usage contributes to improving quality as well as
personal safety in many ways. For example, microcomputers installed in motor cars now
provide a more efficient means of controlling the engine’s fuel mixture, ignition timing,
and exhaust emissions. Computer-controlled antilock braking systems in aircraft and cars
help prevent dangerous skids and produce optimum stopping distance in all weather
conditions. Wheel-speed sensors detect if a wheel is stopping too quickly. A
microcomputer then automatically reduces hydraulic brake pressure at the wheel until the
danger has passed. And computers permit gas utility companies to do a better job of
managing and controlling the pipeline leaks that can seriously damage the environment.
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