Reviews (10)

disappointing
A collection of tons of information!Too bad it is put together in such a poor organizational fashion.Difficult to follow from start to finish.
Very Resourceful...
This book is very resourcefull. It shows you various web scripting languages, provides examples and sample questions. If you are not familiar with scripting language this can be a starting point for you.
skips needed information
The book wastes your time talking about what is on the Internet (and what the Internet is - hello, the year is 2005!) instead of teaching you how to program for it.It is not a programming book but an extensive advertisement for off-the-shelf programs and various websites.The CD does not contain the information indicated in the book, nor does the website.I attempted to contact them about this, but received no answer.I have enjoyed other Dietel books, but this one really falls short of their standard.You better know VBscript or JavaScript before attempting to use this text. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer - Internet    2. Computer Bks - Internet    3. Computer Books: General    4. Computers    5. Electronic Commerce    6. Internet - Web Site Design    7. Programming - General    8. Business & Management    9. Computer Programming    10. Computers / Electronic Commerce    11. Distributive industries    12. Internet   

Reviews (2)

Interesting but out of date and very repetitive
The book has some interesting insights, for example it says that in many cases insourcing can be just as efficient as outsourcing, but overall however the book is very out of date. Almost all the case studies involve possible outsourcing of datacenters running main frames.It discusses cost cutting measures involving automating tape loading and batch printing of reports!It only once mentions in passing today's style of outsourcing which is to countries like India and China.I also found very annoying the constant repetitions of the same arguments and quotes from people the authors had interviewed.

A practical review of the insourcing decision.
Lacity and Hirschheim are the leading lights in looking at the outsourcing phenomenom.Unlike many who blindly push a point of view, they balance their advice through rigorous research and real case studies.This bookdemonstrates their immense understanding of the issues involved with theinsourcing / outsourcing decision and gives page after page of practicaladvice on how to approach such a decision.The advice is easy to apply andworks.I recommend this to information system managers and researchers whowish to review an exemplary approach to honest case studies. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business Data Processing    2. Computer Bks - General Information    3. Computer Books: General    4. Contracting out    5. Electronic data processing departments    6. Information resources management    7. International - General    8. Organization Development    9. Reference    10. Business information systems    11. Management & management techniques   

Editorial Review

Recall the old saying about all work and no play making Jack a dull boy? World-class companies today need play--serious play--if they want to make truly innovative products, argues Michael Schrage, an MIT Media Lab fellow and Read more

Reviews (18)

Readable User-Friendly Book on Innovation
I am enjoying this book. I like the title "Serious Play", but I dislike the sub-title "How the World's Best Companies Simulate to Innovate".Companies don't innovate people do is my thought.I think the author could have taken this concept one step further.That is tie in the concepts of how innovation relates to chaos theory and fractals and larger concepts.The author's ideas are not that new to me because I am a project manager in a software engineering environment where prototyping and iterations is the name of the game.We have at most 3 months to make a difference, to deliver and then we are swept into the ocean of change.You have a small window of opportunity before both the game and the players change.
Three years on, still a great book
Here's the best review I can give Michael Schrage's "Serious Play": Three years on, it's consistently the first book I pull out of my bookshelf when I'm looking for ideas for presentations, thoughts on introducing new products or services, etc.His commentary on "mean-time-to-payback" is something that will stick with you for years.It's brilliant stuff, written in clear, concise terms.And, surprisingly, very little of it is dated.Unlike many books from that era, there's no .com or Enron fixation for the author to be embarrassed about.Schrage's examples are pulled from health care technology, animation, theater...in short, an eye-opening spectrum of ideas.I consider "Serious Play" one of my best purchases ever.

Preaching to the choir
This is a good book for someone to read if they are skeptical of the benefits of prototypes. However, since I already know the value of interactive prototypes I became quickly tired with the book.Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Business/Economics    3. Corporate & Business History - Strategies    4. Corporate Planning    5. Decision Making & Problem Solving    6. Management    7. Models and model making    8. Nanotechnology    9. Simulation methods    10. Strategic Planning    11. Technological Innovations    12. Technology    13. Business strategy    14. Computer modelling & simulation    15. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Reviews (17)

Wasted my time on this book
I'been doing software architecture for over 9 years now. Started enterprise architecture work several years ago and wanted to learn more about the Zachman Framework. I'm sorry to say all of this since I do feel authors have put a lot of work into this, but this book did not have any more details than a picture of the Framework itself. If you want to read hundreds of pages about Egyptian pyramids, Boing 777 construction, Napoleon's failure in Russia, and all kids of things that have nothing to do with architecture - you may like this book. To me this book had no value. I agree with other reviewers (see "I want my weekend back", etc.). Not even sure if this 715 pages book has enough content for a journal article...

Verbose introduction to subject but lacks depth
I have been a business systems analyst for many years and used some elements of the Zachman framework succesfully in fairly cutting edge projects. I was hoping to gain a deeper perspective across the whole framework (all 36 cells) to round out my understanding and to provide additional techniques and methods I could use. Innovative and Helpful
Assigned as reading in an MIS class, this book is an interesting read and helps define enterprise architecture and describes how EA contributes to corporate value. This book illustrates how to develop a broader perspective of architecture potential and also gives plenty of examples. Chapter 4 includes a number of practical examples of how to work with people who affect decisions on EA implementation. Enterprise architecture is rarely discussed in university management programs and yet there are many opportunities available to those capable of aligning technology and business requirements. Chapter 7 gives a detailed explanation of the Zachman Framework and includes definitions pertinent to a greater understanding of enterprise architecture. The book explains that all the cells of the framework do not have to be completed to make a difference for your organization, and shows how to begin an EA effort one step at a time. The articles on the cd included in the back of the book supplement the comprehensive topics covered in the book itself. I strongly recommend getting this book along with John Zachman's eBook if you want to increase your own personal influence and effectiveness at helping others in your organization understand EA concepts and begin to implement. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Architecture - General    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computers    4. Computers - General Information    5. General    6. Business information systems    7. Computers / Management Information Systems    8. Databases & data structures   

Reviews (33)

IT is about Distinctiveness
You gain an advantage over your competitors by having or doings something that they can't have or do. This means that in the end business profits are based on you ability to differentiate yourself.
verbose
This is just an article from Harvard Business Review blown up into a book. Get the article reprint and save yourself time and money.

Putting a lid on IT's "irrational exuberance"
Carr provides a stirring indictment to the belief that IT brings with it the promise of competitive advantage. Instead, he posits that IT is merely a cost of doing business, cut in the same cloth as other innovations that once held a lot of promise like electricity and the railway system. Though no company can ever hope to operate much less compete without the above, its homogeneity and prevalence has somehow blunted its value.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Decision Making & Problem Solving    5. Information technology    6. Structural Adjustment    7. Technological innovations    8. Business & Management    9. Computing and Information Technology    10. Technology   

Reviews (5)

Useful reference for IT Professionals
"All things being equal, any manager would prefer to manage a co-located team rather than a distributed team," how true. Authors Erran Carmel and Paul Tija believe that IT managers need to feel as comfortable with managing distributed teams as they are with co-located teams. They intend their book, Offshoring Information Technology, to act as a primer for IT professionals, students and teachers in business and technology programs as well as policy makers and analysts in and around governments. That is a lot of end parties to satisfy, so does this book hit the mark.
Valuable Strategic Perspective
This book does an excellent job of linking offshoring to a company's business strategy.Many companies are pursuing offshoring to take advantage of lower wages in other countries.Chapter 5 shows how cost reduction can be strategic, and the other potential non-cost-based advantages of offshoring.Its treatment is also balanced, showing the downsides, costs, and risks of offshoring as well as the benefits.And it talks about choices companies have in implementing an offshore strategy.
Useful and comprehensive
This is a rather comprehensive look of why software
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Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Engineering - General    3. Industries - Computer Industry    4. Management - General    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Technology    7. Engineering: general    8. Technology / General   

Reviews (2)

Best Book on Training for ALL readers
I'm a sales manager who needs to do some training not an HR guy. If I had a dime for every book I have ordered, read or borrowed and then thrown out, I'd be rich!
Finally, some fresh air and fresh ideas!
Most elearning books, training books for that matter, seem to reiterate the same stale advice. The guidance is very useful the first few times you hear it. Once its repeated with slight modification the 15th time it just makes me wonder why anyone pays to hear it.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Computer-assisted instruction    5. Design    6. Employees    7. Human Resources & Personnel Management    8. Information Technology    9. Instructional systems    10. Internet in education    11. Training    12. Training of    13. Business & Economics / Training    14. Business & Management   

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Career/Job    3. Human Resources & Personnel Management    4. Computers / General    5. Industrial or vocational training   

Subjects:  1. Business enterprises    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer networks    4. Computers    5. Electronic commerce    6. Leadership    7. Networking - General    8. Security measures    9. Technology & Industrial Arts    10. Telecommunications    11. Trust    12. Business & Management    13. Technology / Telecommunications   

Reviews (7)

Proven Portals Review
The content is very good, but it would be better if the book includes pictures, samples and draws with color.

An explanation of portals at the level ofmanagers
A portal is a way to electronically access the fundamental information concerning your business, most commonly over the Internet. Therefore, an enterprise portal is one that can be used to access all public business operations. Since it is designed to perform all business functions, it is much more than a set of hyperlinked web pages. To start with, there must be some overlying consistency to the display of the pages, independent of what operations they provide the user. The links between the pages must also make sense, in that while there is a sequence of pages to follow, a way to jump to key initial pages in logical sequences is available.
Vendor independent portal information
This book presents practical portal design principles in a vendor independent manner, emphasizing business process, ease of use, and deep integration of applications. Deploying a portal so "users check their email from the web or read the latest company press release" is not enough! The common goal is enterprise wide integration. The chapter on Return of Investment (ROI) presents how to make the ROI calculation and more importantly emphasizes business justification of the portal. This book uses a three-tier architecture of presentation, application server, and enterprise information service.The case studies presented and associated best practices were all useful but perhaps I would have enjoyed some examples of failures.. there must be a lot out there! Read more

Subjects:  1. Business enterprises    2. Computer Books: General    3. Computer networks    4. Computers    5. Computers - General Information    6. Design    7. Electronic Commerce    8. General    9. Information Storage & Retrieval    10. Internet - Web Site Design    11. Management Information Systems    12. Web portals    13. Web site development    14. Applications of Computing    15. Computers / Management Information Systems    16. Information technology industries    17. Publishing on the Internet   

Reviews (5)

Become E-mail Suave
In Managing Your E-Mail: Thinking Outside the Inbox, Cavanagh offers several suggestions to increase your e-mail suaveness. She begins by explaining the significance of the problem: mismanaged e-mail can cost millions in lost productivity. She also points out how e-mail can cause certain legal problems. She then answers these problems by suggesting solutions for e-mail policy development, inbox management, and better e-mail drafting.
Increased Business Productivity
I enjoyed this book because it helped me increase my business productivity by redefining my e-mail habits. Highly Recommended!
This excellent short guide to the promise and peril of e-mail reveals some surprising and little-noted facts. Far from creating a paperless office, for example, e-mail has multiplied the paper businesses consume. Along with making communication more convenient, immediate and spontaneous, e-mail has raised false expectations and increased the probability of hard feelings and misunderstandings. If those were the only problems this book spotlights, it would be worthwhile to take it seriously. But author Christina A. Cavanagh additionally offers some frightening examples about the invisible cost of e-mail, measured in terms of employee time and legal risk. The book has a tendency to repetitiveness and prolixity, and many of the recommendations for managing e-mail are familiar. However, Weparticularly recommends her strong examples, which may convince managers to implement the best practices they may already understand but often ignore. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Business Communication - General    3. Computer Books: Internet General    4. Computers    5. Data Transmission Systems - Electronic Mail    6. Electronic Mail    7. Electronic mail messages    8. Management    9. Business & Economics / Business Communication    10. Business information systems    11. Electronic mail (email)    12. Management & management techniques   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Information Management    5. Information Technology    6. Office Automation    7. Computers / Information Technology    8. Systems analysis & design   

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Employees    3. Executive ability    4. Human Resources & Personnel Management    5. Management - General    6. Training    7. Training of    8. Computers / General   

Reviews (4)

I love my book and I am not willing to share it....
This book has been a saving grace for me in my Consulting Project Management engagement at my client site. I swear that my client is to the letter one of the case studies that the book highlights.
Setting Standards For Performance
Structuring effective systems and processes will help eliminate inefficiencies and roadblocks.It will also help clarify work procedures, set up appropriate communication channels, and standardize work processes.The book "IT Production Services" really nails down the tools an IT organization would need in order to perform well.Standardizing an IT organization on production acceptance concepts will not allow an IT group to have to "reinvent the wheel" for each new project or for different kinds of situations.I feel the authors of this book truly have a grasp of the IT industry.By reading and thoroughly understanding the concepts I have been able to implement many of these concepts within my own consulting practice.In this day and age I still find it amazing just how many IT organizations do not use these concepts.Overall I found the book to be refreshing, informative, and easy to extrapolate the information when needed.
Excellent addition to the IT bookshelf
This book succeeds in many ways, and to follow up to another reviewer who asks if the authors have not heard of ITIL, I contend that this book goes well beyond what you get from ITIL publications. Those are almost exclusively theory, and there almost nothing actionable or a single example to be found. That being said, I am a huge proponent of ITIL as well, and am ITIL certified. Nothing in this volume that I can find is anything but complementary to and builds upon the tenets that ITIL documents.Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Industrial Technology    3. Information Management    4. Information Technology (Engineering)    5. Information technology    6. Management    7. Management Information Systems    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Technology    10. Business & Economics / Project Management    11. General Theory of Computing    12. Systems management   

Reviews (24)

Still Cool
This is a great book. It's making my life a lot easier. It presents sound methodology if you are going to develop and build a commercial Web site. I am using it in school right now. It really defines terms in such a way that they are not just words that you toss around. By defining, describing and giving examples the terms become second nature and you actually understand in a logical fashion the integrated elements of designing and maintaining a commercial Web site.

Boring, not up to date, and impossible to pick up...
The Web Design department of the career college I am an instructor and program coordinator at have used this text for several years now as the primary text for a web project management class. The problem with this book is that it sets the bar too high from the beginning and only applies if one finds themseleves a project manager handling huge corporate website accounts. It is impossible to scale the tone of the book down to explain the process when dealing with individuals and small businesses when the book has you only "wearing one hat" when sometimes you have to wear them all. It's also terribly boring to read, which makes it impossible to gain any understanding from it.This is an old book, in great need of an update. There are much more current and interesting books out there now that handle the same topic, and do it well. This may have been the first book of its kind, but it's certainly not the greatest.

REALLY short on specifics
Talks WAY too much in generalities and jargon, with almost no specifics. The website for the book says they can't give more specifics about, for example, project specification documents, because of confidentiality. That's a really lame excuse for not coming up with a sample, detailed project spec. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: Web Programming    2. Computer Networks    3. Computers    4. Computers - Communications / Networking    5. Desktop Publishing    6. Electronic Commerce    7. Internet - Web Site Design    8. Internet - World Wide Web    9. Management    10. Management Information Systems    11. Web sites    12. Business & Management    13. Computers / Networking / General    14. Internet    15. Project management   

Reviews (6)

A good attempt at explaining a difficult topic
As noted below, DRM consists of legal, technical and business issues and anyone trying to provide an overview of all three has their work cut out for them. Particularly in the early chapters of the book, these authors give it a good try. Still waiting for DRM to be explained.
The problem with the several texts available on digital copyright or Digital Rights Management is that the topic demands a treatment from at least three different perspectives: namely legal, technical and business. There are several books that try to tackle the topic of digital copyright from a legal viewpoint, and this one is clearly coming from a technical perspective. Legal issues are covered, but rather superficially. More surprisingly the crucial business issues and models that are driving interest in DRM are barely mentioned and there is no dicussion of the business models that are working and those that are not. Disappointingly many of the technical issues are also fudged in a way that will leave non-technical audiences confused, and those who are following technical developments frustrated. The fact is that, technically at least, DRM is an area whereapproaches, technologies and standards are all in rapid development and the industry has failed to converge on any single direction. This book's effort to offer a comprehensive reviewof available products means that it risked redundancy before it was published, as many of the companies and technologies have ceased to be relevant. What the world still needs is a book on DRM that reviews the law, discusses the business models (and consumer needs) that are driving developments, and describes fundamental approaches in a way that will remain relevant whatever product Microsoft may impose on us all next year. Unfortunately this bookintrigues enough to encourage one to want to know more about DRM, but never really provides the answers.

Very good market overview
This book combines a business strategist's view of the DRM space with a sound explanation of the underlying technology, and also explains how both have evolved over the past decade. It's rare to find both views in any book, particularly one about an emerging software market. Usually, insights into markets like this book provides require purchasing research reports and speaking one-on-one to industry insiders. So, save yourself $10,000 and three weeks of work ... buy the book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Communications    3. Computer & Internet    4. Computer Books: General    5. Computer Center Management    6. Copyright Law    7. Copyright and electronic data    8. Copyright and electronic data processing    9. Information Management    10. Intellectual Property - Copyright    11. Intellectual Property - General    12. Internet    13. Internet industry    14. Law    15. Law and legislation    16. Management    17. United States    18. Computers / Internet / Web Site Design    19. English law: copyright    20. Web Development   

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Computer-assisted instruction    5. Design    6. Employees    7. Human Resources & Personnel Management    8. Training    9. Training of    10. Business & Economics / Training    11. Computer-aided learning (CAL)   

Reviews (3)

Sage advice for managing the security programme
This is a well-written practical guide to building and delivering an information security improvement programme. Presenting sage advice in a consistent manner, the book is a helpful primer for the person tasked by management with `fixing information security'.
Extremely valuable security reference
The CISO Handbook: A Practical Guide to Securing Your Company lives up to its title as being a practical guide to security. The book is antithetical approach to the products equal security approach, and takes a pragmatic approach to security.