182,445 research outputs found

    Office automation

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    Bibliography: p. 100-104.Office automation systems have become an essential tool for the operation of the modern office. With the emphasis of a modern office being placed on efficiency and ease of communication, office automation systems have become the backbone of successful businesses. COSNET is a prototype office automation system designed and implemented at the Department of the University of Cape Town and runs on Personal Computers that are linked to a NCR UNIX TOWER, which acts as the host. This dissertation investigates the different facilities supported by some of the office automation systems compared in this thesis, and describes the COSNET features. This prototype office automation system supports many of the facilities that are supported by large office automation systems. COSNET allows the user to define any MS-DOS based editor or word processor, and uses a simple editor for the creation of mail. The electronic filing facility allows documents to be created, filed, retrieved and deleted, and thus provides the users with the necessary features for document exchange. A user may set access permissions to each of his documents and may grant other users either read or write access to a specific document. The mail facility lets the user read, file, forward, delete and print a message, and supports classification of mail. A calendar facility is used as an electronic diary and stores all the user's schedules. These schedules may be viewed in either daily, weekly and monthly display modes. Read and write access to the calendar can be set by the user, in order to allow other users to manipulate his schedules. Any MS-DOS based application software can be added to COSNET. This facility allows the COSNET user to configure the office automation system to simulate the office environment. COSNET thus supports most of the necessary features required by an office automation system

    An Approach to Office Automation

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    In recent years, the increasing scale of production and degree of specialization within firms has led to a significant growth in the amount of information needed for their successful management. As a result, the use of computer systems (office automation) has become increasingly common. However, no manuals or set automation procedures exist to help organizations design and implement an efficient and effective office automation system. The goals of this paper are to outline some important factors which should be considered when developing a common approach to office automation; to detail some of the problems and pitfalls which may be encountered; and to present one possible framework for the optimal method of designing and implementing an office automation system. It is important to note that throughout this paper, the term "office" does not only refer to a single location, but to an organization as a whole, be it a single office or several offices organized into a firm, company, or corporation. Four major areas are discussed in the decision to automate. These are the matching of computer functions and office functions, the impacts of office automation on office productivity, the effects of office automation on office structure, and economic considerations. A decision on office automation should be made only after an organization has explored each of these questions, as well as other impacts of automation which are unique to that organization. The approach to office automation presented in this paper is based on past experiences of office automation projects, as well as consideration of the human aspects involved in implementing such systems

    The administrative window into the integrated DBMS

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    A good office automation system manned by a team of facilitators seeking opportunities to serve end users could go a long way toward defining a DBMS that serves management. The problems of DBMS organization, alternative approaches to solving some of the major problems, problems that may have no solution, and how office automation fits into the development of the manager's management information system are discussed

    Proposal of a three level complexity model for office automation

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    Office automation is one of the fields where the complexity related with technologies and working environments can be best shown. This is the starting point we have chosen to build up a theoretical model that shows us a scene quite different from the one traditionally considered. Through the development of the model, the levels of complexity associated with office automation and office environments have been identified, establishing a relationship between them. Thus, the model allows to state a general principle for sociotechnical design of office automation systems, comprising the ontological distinctions needed to properly evaluate each particular technology and its virtual contribution to office automation. From this fact comes the model's taxonomic ability to draw a global perspective of the state-of-art in office automation technologies

    Towards an Ideal Database Server for Office Automation Environments

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    Office automation systems are growing but continue both in use and complexity. The evelopment of a database management system for the office automation environment ecomes a high priority, inorder to provide an efficient and reliable way to engage the information needs of the office. Therefore, the specification of an 'ideal' database server for the office automation environment becomes a key area of concern. inaddition to providing traditional support, the ideal database server must also provide new database support, in order to meet the unique and nyneedsofofficeautomationenvironments. In this paper, we focus on the characterization and specification of an ideal database server, for the office automation environment. We also consider how such an ideal database server can effectively Integrated into the office automation environment. Further, we ne an experimental database system, known as the multi-backend database system (NSDS), as a candidate for the ideal database server in the office automation environment.Chief of Naval Researc

    The Transition Process in Office Automation and Its Impact on Clerical Workers: A Case Study

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    The purpose of this research was to study the transition process of office automation and its impact on clerical workers. The objective was to provide computer-naive managers with recommendations on factors to consider when managing the office automation change process. The topic was investigated using a case study approach. The setting was a large, multi-function, research-oriented, urban university on the west coast. Data were gathered through interviews, observations and examination of documents. Twenty-five clerical workers (representing different segments of the campus and having experience using different types of computer-assisted office equipment), who had experienced the transition process of office automation, were interviewed in depth. Ten of those subjects were additionally interviewed in group settings. Administrative personnel who had responsibility for managing computing resources were interviewed for background data. Information was gathered from the subjects concerning their experiences with and perceptions of the automation change process, and the impact of automation on their jobs. The data were analyzed by the following categories: (a) factors affecting the transition process, (b) factors impacting on efficient use of computer-assisted equipment, (c) job changes resulting from office automation, and (d) factors associated with the use of different types of computer-assisted equipment. Key findings were that (a) the prospect of office automation can be anxiety-producing for potential users, (b) most users did not receive adequate training, (c) lack of training may result in underutilization of computer-assisted equipment, (d) there was no indication that automation diminished communication among users, and (e) most of the subjects reported high job satisfaction after automation. It was the researcher\u27s conclusion that the significant issue of office automation is how the automation change process is managed, not the automation per se. It is recommended that managers include users in office automation decision-making in order to minimize problems associated with user anxiety, training, job design and efficient use of the equipment

    The Impact of Office Automation on the Organization: Some Implications for Research and Practice

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    Computer technology has recently been applied to the automation of office tasks and procedures. Much of the technology is aimed not at improving the efficiency of current office procedures, but at altering the nature of office work altogether. The development of automated office systems raises a number of issues for the organization. How will this technology be received by organization members? How will it affect the definition of traditional office work? What will be its impact on individuals, work groups, and the structure of the organization? This paper presents a descriptive model and propositions concerning the potential impacts of office automation on the organization and it stresses the need, when implementing automated office systems, to take a broad perspective of their potential positive and negative effects on the organization. The need for further research examining the potential effects of office automation is emphasized.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

    Strategy for office automation.

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    Advancing automation and robotics technology for the Space Station Freedom and for the US economy

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    The progress made by levels 1, 2, and 3 of the Office of Space Station in developing and applying advanced automation and robotics technology is described. Emphasis is placed upon the Space Station Freedom Program responses to specific recommendations made in the Advanced Technology Advisory Committee (ATAC) progress report 10, the flight telerobotic servicer, and the Advanced Development Program. Assessments are presented for these and other areas as they apply to the advancement of automation and robotics technology for the Space Station Freedom
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