Since the 1980s, an increasing number of companies have pursued the benefit of increased profit by using computers to give superior information, leading to strategic advantage. To this end, there has been an increase in the use of computers and computer models in the planning process in companies and, in particular, in the use of micro computers and software packages. A study seeks to explore the trends taking place in the use of micro computers by senior managers in large UK and Irish commercial organizations, including banking, financial services, buildings societies, the oil industry, general manufacturing, and recently privatized companies. The findings indicate that since 1987 there has been a large increase in the numbers of micro computers in use and, in particular, in the networking of these machines. The dominance of IBM as the hardware supplier and LOTUS 1-2-3 as the most popular software package indicates that, in combination, these 2 products have a very strong market position. It is imperative that corporate/financial planners and those responsible for their training and development, take appropriate action to ensure that they have the necessary knowledge and skills in computer usage to perform effectively within their companies.