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Append Can Standards Help Industry in the United States to Remain Competitive in the International Marketplace? Irwin Dorros WEIY ARE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY STANI)ARI)S IMPORTANT FOR U.S. COMPETITIVENESS? The creation, transport, and use of information are fundamentally important activities in the emerging service economy. This aspect of the economic future has led many to call the coming era the information age. It is remarkable that only 17 percent of U.S. workers are currently engaged in the manufacturing sector, and the agricultural sector employs just 3 percent. The vast and growing services sector, employing 67 percent of U.S. workers, is home to the emerging "knowledge workers" who are key in providing the services upon which the world economy increasingly depends. These knowledge workers assimilate and manipulate complex data through sophisticated workstations that are networked with other knowledge workers and data banks worldwide. The tools of the knowledge workers in the coming information age will be the ever improving computers and telecommunications devices, the evolution of which results from our increasing use of the technologies of integrated circuits, fiber optics, and software engineering. Those businesses that provide their knowledge workers with the best tools can expect to benefit from the resulting competitive advantage. Twin Dorros. Exective Vice President, Technical Services, Bell Communications Research, Liv- ingston, NJ. 33
