Business Systems Books

As someone who frequently works with CIOs, I found this book to be excellent. One can read it cover to cover, or easily pick a topic and read the appropriate chapter. Since each chapter is essentially a standalone work produced by a CIO it is easy to flip to a particular issue, and gain insight.

Topics range from some of the more mundane, technical aspects of the CIO position, and further the old "business vs. tech" stereotypes, but other chapters such as "The First 90 Days" and the more strategy-oriented chapters are quite good.

Aside from the relatively minor "'the business' is evil" stuff, the book is marred by poor production. There are several spelling and grammatical errors, and the graphics are inconsistent and some of poor quality. The great content is mildly hindered by what appears to be poor editing and a rush job by the publisher.

Patrick Gray, author of Breakthrough IT: Supercharging Organizational Value Through Technology

I only got to read a few chapters before someone else in the office wanted to read the book. But I can say that the introduction, both generally about the CIO job, and the brief overview of each CIO who contributed, was very good. And the chapters from the different CIOs are valuable for the varied individual perspectives.

If you're not in IT management, probably not a very exciting book. But if you are, it gives you guidance from the varied real experiences of a lot of CIOs--people that you probably wouldn't hear from any other way.

The seventeen articles in this compendium represents contemporary and topical subjects, each written by a seasoned CIO. I was as impressed with the selection of articles as I was with the content because each topic is foremost on the minds of CIOs and senior IT managers today.

Among the articles I especially like are:

- The First 90 Days, by Mark Egan, which contains actionable plans that will get the new CIO (or other senior IT executive) quickly moving in the right direction.

- IT Organization, by Guy de Meester, in particular the challenges of centralization vs. decentraliztion, and organizational models in general. If this area is your focus I highly recommend additional reading: "Decentralization: Fantasies, Failings, and Fundamentals" (ISBN 0964163535) and "RoadMap: How to understand, diagnose, and fix your organization" (ISBN 0964163527), both of which go into great detail and provide an exceptionally effective approach.

- Governance, by Danny Maco, which is conspicuously missing in organizations large and small - or is often done incorrectly if done at all.

- Budgeting, by Bob Denis, Maureen Vavra, John Dick ... you'd think IT has this basic function under control, but sadly not. Read this article for excellent advice.

- The Metrics of IT: Management by Measurement, by Shel Waggener and Steve Zoppi. One of my favorite topics, and this team provides outstanding advice and keen insights.

Other articles are as well written, and span topics from architecture to strategic planning. Taken as a whole, this is a sourcebook that is filled with both knowledge and experience, and should be on the desk of every CIO, seasoned and new. I also recommend visiting the site that supports this book (paste the ASIN number, B0001EHNFK, into the search box for all products on this page). The site contains additional articles, news and other books in this series that CIOs, IT managers at all levels, and subject matter experts will find useful.

Truly, this is 'CIO Wisdom' - set down by CIOs and IT managers who deal day-to-day with information technology in perhaps the most challenging environment - Silicon Valley itself. As a 42-year veteran of the IT industry, I think this is the first time I've seen so much down-to-earth, practical and useful IT guidance in one place. The chapters are clearly and well-written. The authors get right down to the meat of the subject and provide practical suggestions for improving IT delivery.

If the book has a weakness, it is that there is so much specific information here that it will likely take multiple readings to glean all of it.

I think this book should be required reading for all CIOs ... and if you really want to start something, get a copy for everyone on your IT staff!

As a CIO I though CIO Wisdom hits the nail on the head on many of the challenges and issues facing today's CIO's. Sound and practical advice from those actually performing in the job was quite refreshing to the theoretical approach found in many other books on this topic. I only wish that many of my customers (business line leaders and executives) would read this book to better understand the value of IT can bring to our organization.

My only critique is that some of the concepts discussed in the book where not fully flushed out when the author was talking about solutions. Of course there have been entire books written on some of the topics covered in CIO wisdom.

I was particularly impressed by the Communications, Governance, Marketing and the Business Intelligence chapters.

I often play with Nigerian scammers though not to the extent that the author does. Some of his responses to the scammers email are really funny. A lot like the annals of "The Porcine Princess".

There are some hilarious pages in this book, some that had me crying and unable to speak. If the author had a little more variety it would have been a great book, but it did seem to repeat its formula in the responses to the email scams after a while.

A laugh-riot from start to finish--the funniest book I've read in years.

This was one of the funniest books I have enjoyed in a long, long time. The content is fun and light and makes for an easy read. There were times I had tears in my eyes and pain in my stomach from laughing so hard. It's an excellent book for when you need a break from this mad, mad, world.

It's one of those purchases you won't regret.

Highly recommended!

The Publishers Weekly review above is on the money, in that this book is gleefully offensive.

I'm fine with that.

If you're fine with that as well, this book will make you snort with laughter at inappropriate times. Do not read while sitting in bed next to your sleeping spouse. She will eventually punch you in the chest for waking her up.

It'll be worth the bruise.

The Irresistible Growth Enterprise: Breakthrough Gains from Unstoppable Change, by Donald Mitchell and Carol Coles, is an excellent book, completely different from the other business books because it does not simply give to the reader a simple idea or practice as a recipe to apply to a company and achieve astonishing results. It goes further... The purpose of this book is to change the reader's way of thinking and to teach a way of achieving irresistible business success. It is divided into two parts; the first part contains ten chapters in which the causes of and solutions to irresistible force stalls are determined, while the second part contains eight chapters in which the authors explain irresistible force management and the 8-step process of identifying and aligning ourselves with irresistible forces to maximize our advantage. It is an excellent choice!

The authors lay out a pattern of all the ways companies choose to deal with "irrisistible forces and unstoppable events" in their businesses. As the phrase implies, these events happen in all businesses, and the authors explain how, if leveraged correctly, these can often be a catalyst to greater growth in your business.

They describe irrisistible force stalls and their causes - useful if your small business isn't performing as you'd hoped - they offer solid advice that will give you a plan of action and get you back on track.

They detail common stalls and how to deal with them - "stallbusting" they call it. The stalls they find most common (and certainly these sound like familiar "stalls" used by some of my small business marketing clients when they come to me for help) are:

The directionless stall
The wishful thinking stall
The helplessness stall
The defensiveness stall
The independence stall
The overoptimisim stall
The cover up stall
The underestimation stall

As a means to understanding what could be stopping your small business from achieving its full potential, and what actions to take - I highly recommend it. It's packed with information, so it's not a quick read, but well worth the time investment for the success of your small business.

This book, with the significant stall busting tools and theories, enabled me to understand stall busting and develop new habits. It enabled me to understand the process of irresistible force management and importance of measuring performance to achieve exponential success. It helped me to develop 2000 percent solutions for the organization's future best practice to become the world's leading company in delivering its product at low cost.

Irresistible forces are unstoppable events and forces that shape our opportunities and callenges. This remarkable resource will enable you to move rapidly ahead of competitors by utilising powerful trends to best advantage. Learning to be flexible is one of management's toughest challenges. The Irresistible Growth Enterprise shows you how to be adroit and energised by unexpected changes. Tomorrow's leaders will be those who excel at using all irresistible forces to best advantage. The Irresistible Growth Enterprise offers you the key to grasping your full potential for immediate and sustained breakthroughs. Rather than living optimistically in the vague hope that neither negative job events will happen to you, you should always be prepared to see the events for what they are - opportunities for you to flourish. The fundamwental premise of the book is that no matter how successful you and your organisation are, you are performing at a modest level compared to the potential you can unleash through adopting the irresistible growth enterprise. The barrier to irresistible growth is not unstoppable, uncontrollable external changes, but fixed and frequently unexamined ideas of how to respond to these changes. Companies that have ridden such forces well in the past have grown from start ups to billion dollar sales corporations in ever-shorter periods of time. Making quick and best use of rapid changes in powerful conditions noone can control is the key to becoming an irresistible growth enterprise. By utilising the processes presented in this book, you can learn to catch the full benefit of today's volatile and rapidly changing forces and spur your enterprise on to greater and rapid growth than ever before.The Irresistible Growth Enterprise has a serious and important purpose: to make you and your organisation much more successful by having you ask and answer new and better questions than you have been using to analyse and plan your activities. Unlike most business books the Irresistible Growth Enterprise on what new things to do rather than on how to improve existing practices. This book shows you how to harness the key lessons and other useful concepts and tools in one integrated process, that will improve your performance across a broad range of activities from creating a vision to leadership and implementation. Changes is an inevitable consequence of staying in business these days. This book leads you to an understanding of the drivers of that change and provides guidance in turning changes into sustainable competitive advantage.

The authors lay out a road map for managers that, if followed, will permit them to take advantage of forces beyond their control. The book explains and teaches how senior managers can benefit from flexibility when they confront irresistible forces and provide a set of principles for shaping vision, strategy, tactics, management process and organizational structure. You will be able to identify external factors and obsolete ways of thinking that may be limiting your progress and success.

This is a brilliant and thought-provoking book that discusses the nature of irresistible growth enterprises, that is, those able to routinely employ the momentum of unstoppable external forces, such as technology advances and shifts in markets. Such agile organizations can use these forces as sources of power or energizers for creating and implementing 2 000 percent solutions, namely ones that produce 20 times or more the benefit or speed of the average person.

What does General Douglas MacArthur know about business? How can a strategy that Napoleon employed many years ago be relevant in the corporate world? Jorge A. Vasconcellos e Sá has written a distinctive business book, though it is not an entirely easy read. His contention - which he supports with many well-informed examples - is that the detailed rules of war also can be applied to business. He maintains that understanding strategy greatly increases a leader's chances of defeating any rivals. The author concedes that no leader can control all the variables, so good fortune plays a major role in business and marketing. However, a CEO who follows the time-tested rules of battle will be in a better position to catch a lucky break. We recommend this detailed, if dense, take on the usual business and battles analogies.

This is an invaluable strategy manual.

Glenn Baker, NZ Business

This is a book no company should be without.

Sheena Rawcliffe, Algarve Resident

A stimulating technical analysis.

Bruce Lloyd, Long Range Planning

This book is an invaluable strategy manual for managers, marketers and entrepreneurs. The profusion of examples and activities makes for an engaging read.

Mark Whitley, Strategy Magazine

While their cover of Only Sixteen was all over the radio, I wonder how many folks bought the LP after hearing that song, and discovered this stoner classic? This is music to listen to with a lot of friends, with plenty of various libations on hand. A true party album.

As usual, the album contains great Shel Silverstein penned classics. Shel was at the top his game, and Dr. Hook delivers the songs with skillful wit. Interestingly enough, Dr. Hook as a band was bankrupt, and this album very well could have been their last. The success of Only Sixteen saved them, but alas, instead of more songs like The Millionaire and I Got Stoned, they went.... DISCO!!!! Bankrupt turned out to be the last, great Dr. Hook album. And what a great one it is!

Good times and good music from a long time ago.
Light one up, kick back, and enjoy.

I love this album. I saw the 'Hook' in 1974 on The Old Grey Whistle Test doing it and was blown away - I went out and bought it the following day. The Millionairre is excellent, I got stoned...... just me at the time. I've just ordered on CD from this site - delivery in April - I can't wait. I've worn out 6 copies on 33 over the past 30 years. The only other album I've done that with is Neil Young Harvest

some very funny moments on this CD. i used to listen to the LP many years ago , wore it out completely. WUPS makes me smile everytime i hear it. this was the bands last chance to make it big. Only Sixteen was the hit that made them superstars. A very hard to find CD, get it while you still can.

This album holds so many memories of my teenage years as I used to listen to this when going to Speedway with my brother. I have been searching for this to add to my collection of CD's and this is the first place I have been able to find it. As for the songs there isn't a bad one amonst them "Levitate" truly does lift me high, "Only Sixteen" reminds me of when I was ONLY SIXTEEN and "Millionaire" well listening to it will make us all feel like MILLIONAIRE'S

This is the best reference I have read about Executive Coaching - how to manage your own stuff when you coach, the best models to apply and how to create lasting shifts. A must for every coach's bookshelf.

I found several concepts very helpful, especially the Three Key Factors model for executive coaching and the description of the Client Responsibility Model. Mary Beth O'Neill also shares, with examples, how to help a client identify habitual behavioral patterns that might not be effective and a methodology to recognize those patterns and create new, more effective ones. This book is filled with insightful wisdom...a real gem.

The combination of theory and practice lends well to readers of all levels (from graduate students to seasoned professionals). The author's systems perspective focuses on the executive as part of a greater whole within the organization and the importance of understanding the influences that are impacting his/her behaviors. O'Neill also focuses on the importance of a results orientation (a topic often lost in other coaching books). She discusses the importance of thinking like an executive so that you (as a coach) can produce at a level that executives expect - increasing the likelihood of establishing rapport, a long-term relationship and, most of all, bottom-line results.

This is a well written and thorough resource which aptly combines theory with practical application of the systems theory to executive coaching as well as advice and tools to use. The book is very useful in translating the systems theory to readable and useful frameworks, pragmatic tips and case studies.

The author methodically explains the four phases of coaching process namely contracting, planning, implementation and debriefing. She explains that coaching is a complex process which involves the application of the principles and methods of psychology, leadership principles, business management and organisation development, among others, to assist the executive and the aspiring executive improve their effectiveness.

The book will assist the executive coaching practitioners, business executives and managers who need them and offers a practical guide to developing the effective communications and relationship expertise needed by business managers to run effectively their organisations in the highly competitive operating environment.

Read this book and you will have a comprehensive understanding of this emerging new field.

I highly recommend this book to new and seasoned coaches. Not only is it enjoyable to read, but the author presents a clear description of the application of systems theory to executive coaching. There are a number of coaching books that describe coaching skills, but O'Neill's book provides a solid theoretical framework for applying these skills.

Sabrina Starling Schleicher, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Executive and Life Coach

This book does an excellent job in teaching the keys of IT sales. The author has worked for Novell and other big technology companies, and he reflects that with good examples of several sales situations during the negotiation phase. You should have this if you want to achieve million dollar quotas.

There's also another book out there called "How To Sell Technology" by a guy called DiModico. It's ok for people with no experience in sales that want explanations of the basic sales processes, people types and all that stuff. Best wishes for your sales careers.

This book does an excellent job in teaching the keys of IT sales. The author has worked for Novell and other big technology companies, and he reflects that with good examples of several sales situations during the negotiation phase. You should have this if you want to achieve million dollar quotas.

There's also another book out there called "How To Sell Technology" by a guy called DiModico. It's ok for people with no experience in sales that want explanations of the basic sales processes, people types and all that stuff. Best wishes for your sales careers.

I've been in sales for 15 years. I'm a learner and I've read many of the books and been to the popular seminars on sales (Strategic Selling, Selling Solutions etc.). I just got into the IT sales field last year and highly recommend this book. This book is a solid, no-hype approach to complex selling. It gives me a blueprint to follow, it's very accurate for today's technology challanges and I found it easy to read as well! I usually don't recommend stuff but this book is a real "secret" weapon.

Recently I had the opportunity to interview for a sale position with a much respected software company. A few days before the interview I had just finished reading I.T. Sales Boot Camp. The concept and fundamental ideals of selling in an I.T. arena that were taught and express in the book enabled me to land the job. I believe that the knowledge that I gain from I.T.Sales Boot Camp made the different in my interview.

As opposed to most "hot new" sales approaches which focus on changing your personal style, this book does a great job of providing a strategic step-by-step plan from A-Z. It's void of fluff and gets right to the point of outlining the nuts and bolts of the process including pre-sales planning, performance tracking, maintaining growth, and writing proposals. It's worth reading in general and especially for those migrating into tech sales.

If I could get someone to write down everything I don't know about LotusScript and Java, it would fill a book. Well, this is that book.

Hatter and Banks aren't wordy and target this book strictly at the experienced developer looking for a reference work. That makes this incredibly useful. These days I carry this book (thankfully light despite being 700 pages) between sites all the time. The lovely posters from Lotus might list all the properties and methods, but these guys provide the details underneath it.

The remarks on each class are pertinent, yet brief (as for NotesRichTextItem, "you must call the save method of the parent Notes document to save the data to disk") They include examples not only for classes, but also occasionally for methods and properties.

Interestingly, a quick check of the index for 'Index, databases' found only a reference to the updateFTIndex method for Java Database class and not to the LotusScript NotesDatabase class, while 'Registering Users' listed the LotusScript page and not the Java one. Perhaps the editors need to work on that. Fortunately, they provide a lot of cross-references on the pages, giving you page numbers for the classes mentioned in the text, reducing the need to refer to the table of contents or the index.

The print's small, but they use fonts, abbreviations and familiar symbols to get the message across clearly.

On balance, it's well worth the (money) I paid Amazon for it - it probably saved me an hour today and none of our hours come cheap, do they?

I bought this book originally expecting a full reference to Lotus and at first was a little dissappointed that it only covered LotusScript and Java. After reading it, now it is the only reference I use for LotusScript. I too have several other books, but none give the information and detaill in an easy to read format like this book. Anything you want to know about Classes, Methods, Properties, Events, and new R5 LotusScript features are covered in this book in detail with good examples. I also like how each class has it's own contents page giving page numbers for all of the assosiated Properties, Methods, and Events for QUICK reference.

This book has minimized my LotusScript related headaches! It is a one-stop resource for methods and properties for the predefined LotusScript Classes. It is hard to believe, but ()it takes me less time to write scripts, which gives me more time to enjoy the finer things in life. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, beginner or advanced.

The authors did a great job providing examples of how the properties and methods are used. I haven't written any Java yet, but when I do this book will be right by my side!

If you are new to LotusScript do not buy this book. This is a reference book for LotusScript and Java classes and a very good one at that. The developer help files can be confusing at times and it always helps to have a reference book near you.

If you are an intermediate or experienced Notes developer this is a terrific book, I have it by my desk all the time.

If you want a book to teach you LotusScript but Practical LotusScript it's great!

Exactly what I've been looking for: A no nonsense reference manual for the LotusScript and Java class libraries. Probably the most useful book a professional Notes/Domino developer can have.

This book is clear, concise, interesting (almost like an unputdownable novel by Sidney Sheldon). I'm not joking. You can read it in one or two days, do the transcenders, print out your transcender results. Before the exam review the transcenders and walk out with a 900 like me. I must mention i have six months admin and six months support experience. Just to let you know the experience level. Good luck to all.

This book is clear, concise, interesting (almost like an unputdownable novel by Sidney Sheldon). I'm not joking. You can read it in one or two days, do the transcenders, print out your transcender results. Before the exam review the transcenders and walk out with a 900 like me. I must mention i have six months admin and six months support experience. Just to let you know the experience level. Good luck to all.

Exam 70-073 is now the 1 exam most people take in order to become MCP and this book will make a big difference in the attempt. This book covers each exam objective and gives the detailed information you need in order to pass the exam on the first try.

The book of over 600 pages gives you exam tips, study tips, hands-on exercise, case studies summaries and review questions, exam questions and practice tests all to help you obtain your certification ....................

The book sis loaded with diagrams, pictures, tables and figures to make the learning process easier. The author takes out the mystery behind the NT Workstation and uncomplicates the technical jargon thus enabling to retain more information, and remember information is the key to passing the exam.

The book includes Top Score Software exam simulation; this allows you to try the exam before you go live. Overall the book is one for the technical library even after passing the exam.

As good as it gets - do not look farther....

I have looked at few of the books on this subject - this one is make you understand the subject in plain English - you do not feel stupid reading it.

Combine with a good exam test questionary - and you will make it...

I have right know - 5 books on this subject and I just passed the test on the first try with a 866 when only a 700 is required. I believe this book is what put me over the top and gave me some error room to boot! It is very easy to read and reminded me a lot of a textbook but thats a good thing, those "other" books try to make things much harder than they have to be. This book lays it out in a GREAT format. I found no errors unlike many other books and I recommend this with 5 star! - something I rarely ever give out. Good job to the author, keep it up! Highly recommend!

Pamela Yatsko's New Shanghai is one of those "must read" books about China. Yatsko did much of the research for this book while living and working in China. She lived in Shanghai from 1995 to 1998, while serving as the Eastern Economic Review's first Shanghai correspondent and bureau chief since 1949. Following this assignment, she worked for the Economist Group as managing editor of Hong Kong's Business China--a job which allowed her to return to Shanghai frequently.

Yatsko's experiences writing about China's economy led her to explore the many facades she discovered pervading contemporary China. According to the author, while the exteriors of many facets of Shanghai look glitzy and modern, the interiors often tell a vastly different story. The book is divided into key aspects of the city's revival: real estate, the budding world of high finance, growing socio-economic disparity, the return of the multinational firms and their expats, vice, the future of state-owned businesses and their employees, and the status of the arts.

Summarizing Yatsko's conclusions would spoil a juicy read. So, suffice it to say that she uncovers the ways in which expectations for the city have often not been realistic and means by which the future lies in the ability of reality to catch up with these expectations. Considering the industrial and cultural wasteland the city became between 1949 and 1979, Shanghai truly has undergone an amazing renaissance. Will it become the New York City of Asia? Should it? The author gives us pause for many such thoughts. I lived in Shanghai from 2005-2007, and this book clarified many aspects of the "new China" for me.

The book is well-researched and sheds insights on both the city's achievements and her challenges for the future. All of the key elements making up this brave new city are helpfully placed within their historical context. New Shanghai makes essential reading for anyone who seeks to put modern Shanghai life into perspective.

Fun Fact: On the inside book jacket, you'll find a review by one of Shanghai's own literary celebrities, Lynn (Ling) Pan. She was also interviewed by the author for this book.

As a Shanghainese who is sick of the feverish optimism about China nowadays, I was deeply skeptical when I first opened this book. It turned out to be the best book on China I have seen so far. The book, especially its second chapter on the financial market, is full of coolheaded analysis and down-to-the-ground reliable facts. Sometimes, it even shames me for not knowing Shanghai as well as this foreigner does. I recommend the book as a very reliable source of information for those interested in Shanghai and as a book to keep some authentic memory of Shanghai for those overseas Shanghaineses.

Yatko's book far exceeded my expectations. Well argued, carefully thought out and with an excellent thesis. It is easy for old Shanghai residents (such as myself) to revel in an Old Shanghai nostalgia that has long ceased to exist. Yatsko highlights and illustrates many points that we overlooked, ignored or never knew in the first place. Valuable reading for anyone planning to do business in China or simply interested in this great city.

I worked in business in Shanghai during 1995-98 and continue to travel there often. I have yet to come across a more interesting or useful book about Shanghai's metamorphosis and the changes taking place in urban China in general. Although Shanghai and China are fast moving targets, the book provides a spot-on snapshot of the issues facing Shanghai at the millennium and has helped me make sense of this fascinating yet perplexing city. The author really captures the successes and failures of fin de siecle Shanghai well. Also, there's lots of anecdote to make the book a lively read-the chapter on vice is particularly fun. I recommend it for anyone who is interested in understanding what's beneath Shanghai's glittering surface.

I found "New Shanghai" not long ago as I was preparing to visit Shanghai after six years in the states, and was attracted to it immediately. Having lived in Shanghai most of my life, I have to say that the author knows about Shanghai better than I do. I'm only familiar with the life of my like, but the book has a broad coverage, from the upper class to the cultural underdogs. In particular, I liked to read Yatsko's interviews with various people, which added a sense of reality.

Yatsko has captured Shanghai's fastest socio-economic changes since it lost the luster as the most prosperous city in the Far East early last century. With her solid knowledge of economics and first-hand experience, the stories are credible and the analysis is insightful. Whereas "old Shanghai" has aroused most scholarly interest due to its relation to modernity, Yatsko's depiction of Shanghai's rebirth in the 1990s also offers a unique hindsight on its past.

Although I wish I could have read this wonderful book earlier, it's not so late in the sense that I now know more interesting places