The articles in this collection reflect the present maturity and expansion of management use of computer-based systems. They also point to growing awareness of the strategic and market importance of electronic-based information as well as the more traditional production and financial uses of computer data. Further, this selections emphasize that most large organizations now operate with an understanding of the value of information as a corporate resource.

The articles were grouped according to three main topics: one on the management of system evolution to improve managerial productivity, a second on cost control, which os becoming more people intensive rather than hardware intensive, and, finally, a small section on relevant innovations that will aid the chief executive.

The articles in each main topics are:

Improving managerial productivity:

* Chief executives define their own data needs (John F. Rockart)

* The new back office focuses on customer service (Richard J. Matteis)

* Undersstanding distributed data processing ( Jack R. Buchanan and Richard G. Linowes)

* Making distributed data processing work ( Jack R. Buchanan and Richard G. Linowes)

* Doing your office over-electronically (Louis H. Mertes)

* Coping with computer proliferation (Frederic G. Withington)

Cost control in information services:

* Managing the costs of information (Paul A. Strassmann)

* Controling the costs of data services (Richard L. Nolan)

* Costs and benefits of a data base system ( Fred R. McFadden and James D. Suver)

* Managing the crises in data processing ( Richard L. Nolan)

New services for management

* The growth of databank sharing (Joel W. Darrow and James R. Belilove)

* New promise of computer graphics (Hirotaka Takeuchi and Allan h. Schmidt).