Appropriate computer education for industrial growth in developing countries

Abstract

The major industrial application of computers is in ‘Computer-Aided Design/Manufacture’ (CAD/CAM) and ‘Computer-Aided Production Management’ (CAPM). The industrialization policies of developing countries have failed largely due to the negligence of appropriate production management. Considering the type of industries in developing countries, their technological and capital limitations, it is doubtful whether developing countries can benefit from CAD/CAM, whereas the application of CAPM can improve the efficiency of production management functions. Therefore, computer education in developing countries should move away from emphasizing the importance of theoretical and technical areas and concentrate on improving the capability of developing CAPM systems.