Flexible pricing: an approach to the allocation of computer resources

The past twenty years have seen the rapid development of an extremely powerful new tool---namely the electronic digital computer. The technology associated with these machines has advanced rapidly, permitting the development of capabilities which only a few short years ago would have staggered the imagination. Man has been equally progressive with respect to the application of this tool in his endeavors. In particular, the area of business management has built rapidly upon the advantages offered by computer processing. Although the computer only served as a glorified bookkeeping machine in the earliest applications, its usage quickly developed.