Engineering-economic systems: a new profession

Technological advances in computers and automation over the last 20 years have far outstripped our ability to use them effectively. Profound changes in industry, government, and business will emerge as the new technology unfolds. As an example: the whole concept of a ``big´´ operation or company will have to be reshaped in terms of our new ability to organize and operate a system efficiently. To exploit the possibilities of this new technology rationally, broad interties between the academic and practical worlds are indispensable. The academic world contributes a philosophical structure providing vital breadth and flexibility, while the real world offers a simplifying practicality that insures workability and early realization. In the initial stages, planning for the use of the new technology must be done as a joint research and development effort between both worlds. As this joint effort grows, a more complete and integrated structure will undoubtedly evolve. A prototype form of the engineering¿economic systems profession is being evolved in a program at Stanford University.