The electronic imperative: Process information intelligently or Perish

Today's typical nontechnical writers and editors in business and industry must process information more intelligently to survive the impact of the computer word-processor. Retooling is difficult because their nontechnical backgrounds and predisposition toward language per se constrict their view of how they can operate most effectively; their linguistic abilities render them textually bound; they sometimes view word processors as computer devices best used by technical typists and clericals; management traditionally takes a narrow view of their job skills and aptitudes; and increasingly sophisticated software enables hard-working clericals to use word processors effectively. To survive, today's writers and editors must open their eyes, master the word processor and use it effectively, grasp the “big picture” of document and information processing, and, at all levels, perform as information processing managers, not as word-smiths only.