When you need a crystal ball - Nation's Business publishes article forecasting the technological future - Editorial - Brief Article

Nation's Business, Dec, 1996 by Mary Y. McElveen

Technological change is occurring at such a rapid pace today that making decisions to purchase equipment or adjust business operations based on where we think technology is headed can be especially challenging. It's hard to know, for example, whether a decision to buy a computer today might best be delayed until tomorrow, when a better tool could be available at a lower cost.

With that in mind, we aimed in this month's cover story to offer insight on where computer, software, and telecommunications developments are headed. Our goal was to help readers anticipate how their companies might operate in the future.

Senior Writer Tim McCollum; shown here with one of the earliest computers, on display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., tapped the minds of several well-known authorities in the field. Their perspectives are reflected in his story, beginning on Page 16.

We hope this article will help you in making decisions today and in envisioning the possibilities for your company tomorrow.

If you play golf or have contemplated taking it up, don't miss our story called "The Greening Of Deal Making." It examines the benefits of doing business on the golf course, even if you're a novice, and the services that golf resorts can offer business practitioners.

We also provide the latest tips on business-related golf etiquette and a look at how a person's style and actions on the course may provide a telling glimpse of how they do business. The article begins on Page 32.

Mary Y. McElveen

Editor