Abstract
The purpose of this study was to critically assess the impact of the introduction of microcomputer based catering information systems into the very bureaucratic hierarchical environment of Army catering. This work traces and analyses the development of the CATPAC (Catering Planning Accounting and Control) project, and considers the impact of its introduction on the catering work group. This is supported by a critical discussion on the wider implications of the introduction of this new management technology into essentially a craft based activity, where management attitudes have been towards the" traditional" virtues of craft skills rather than to the development of new management skills incorporating the benefits of the adoption of new technologies. The focus of the work will relate the CATPAC project findings to the major areas of impact on the role of information technology in relation to decision making. The effects of the introduction of this technology on the overall organisation and to the unit catering work group. The changes in roles within the organisation as the result of greater access to information and whether or not the technology has changed the way people make decisions.