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Information management pp 1–27Cite as

Introduction: of capital importance

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Abstract

Information Technology (IT) — here used as a generic term for the convergence of computers, telecommunications, and electronics and the resulting technologies — is now, in many senses, of capital importance. There is the sheer size of the IT industry, and of expenditure on IT, in the developed and developing economies. Comparing figures from studies by Electronic Industries Association of Japan, IDATE and Texas Instruments, the worldwide revenues from telecommunications services and equipment, electronics, IT products and semiconductors exceeded $840 billion in 1985, $1490 billion in 1990, and are predicted to exceed $2100 billion in 1995. In North America in 1991 the revenues of the largest IT companies exceeded those of the oil business and oil refining and processing sectors; by 1993 the computer and electronics sector may well constitute the largest single US industry. On some predictions, by the year 2000 the whole IT industry will account for some 10% of world economic activity — a doubling of the 1990 figure (Cane, 1992; Heath and Swinden, 1992).

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© 1994 Leslie Willcocks

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Willcocks, L. (1994). Introduction: of capital importance. In: Information management. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3208-2_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3208-2_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-412-41540-1

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