22 Management, administration, legal services, and government

A variety of technologies support the activities of management, which include planning, organizing, staffing, directing, informing, and controlling. Computers, of course, have become a central tool, with applications ranging from project management software to spreadsheets for accounting and financial projections to all sorts of presentation software. Beyond this, how would physics play a role? One aspect that we’ve seen in earlier categories is the capacity of physics and its conceptual constructs to model dynamic processes: the term “factory physics” was coined to describe this application of physics to management, particularly in the realm of production. Now the “internet of things” provides managers with extraordinary new tools to collect and assimilate data about real-world processes, support field technicians and sales staff, and even be aware of customer activities and preferences. Presently the internet of things has focused on sensing systems. New avenues for using physics lie in the arena of internet-coupled actuator technologies; these allow an entire closed-cycle, coupled to management oversight, to acquire data, make decisions, implement changes, and verify outcomes…in real time. All of this, of course, translates into the domain of government and public services. A key additional role for physicists in government is to provide scientific and technical advice to legislators and executive authorities. This has become especially important in decision making with long-term consequences, such as measures to deal with climate change. Physicists similarly advise legal counsels, acting as expert witnesses and providing technical advice for contracts dealing with advanced technologies. Finally, all of these areas are supported by administrative staff who in turn use a variety of office equipment. A physicist invented the photocopier machine and there certainly must be many opportunities to invent and develop new technologies to support office functions.