Research and Advances

Price/performance patterns of U. S. computer systems

Econometric models of the U.S. computer market have been developed to study the relationships between system price and hardware performance. Single measures of price/performance such as “Grosch's Law” are shown to be so oversimplified as to be meaningless. Multiple-regression models predicting system cost as a function of several hardware characteristics do, however, reveal a market dichotomy. On one hand there exists a stable, price predictable market for larger, general purpose computer systems. The other market is the developing one for small business computer systems, a market which is relatively unstable with low price predictability.

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Research and Advances

The state of computer oriented curricula in business schools 1970

The ACM Committee on Computer Education for Management, supported by a National Science Foundation Grant, is established to appraise the state of the art and to develop a series of recommendations for improving computer education for management. To provide the Committee with material for its study of curricular needs, five regional meetings in the United States were held in 1970, at each of which a broad cross section of invited academicians and practitioners considered the state of curricula in business schools. Three topics were covered: curricula for the general manager; computer-related material in required and functional courses; and curricula for students concentrating on computer-based information systems. An analysis of the minutes of the meetings revealed a common set of experiences which raised similar pedagogic and economic issues. This presentation gives a summary of the discussions; a condensation of the pedagogic and substantive concerns raised; and consideration of the resource allocation issues involved. Preliminary to the Committee's recommendations for improving computer education for management, this report has been prepared to provide the participants and the administrators of their institutions with background information for the ongoing task of course development. Chairman of the ten-man Committee is Daniel Teichroew (The University of Michigan).

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