Personal information tools (personal computers): the changing environment and its management.

The potential of the personal computer as a universal information tool for professional and managerial work is explained and illustrated. Forms of implementation, as desktop computer systems (hardware and software) and as virtual personal computers in the context of online mainframe systems, are differentiated. Reasons are given why personal computers are becoming essential for various major types of information work. The need for planned and coordinated introduction of personal computers to prevent the negative effects of uncoordinated applications without attention to compatibility and redundancy is stressed.