Business Systems Books

A very interesting book - discusses Information Technology in a commercial context - doesn't bore - full of interesting anecdotes - easy to read - useful !

James Hunt, Analyst/Programmer

Rather a nice book. Is'nt pompous. Lots of little stories.

Carol Regency, Dublin, Ireland

Nick has done a nice job of summarizing the current new, new technologies and matching them to business issues. Solid read for managers and technologists alike.

The best business books develop a core concept or respond to a question of compelling importance. Nicholas Evans does so in this volume, responding to two separate but related questions:

1. Which emerging and disruptive technologies will not only be the next differentiators and sources of competitive advantage but also be the next sources of solid business value for enterprise operations?

2. How to identify and exploit these technologies to design more competitive and agile companies and markets?

Evans organizes his material within nine chapters. In the first, he explains the need for enterprise innovation; in the last, be examines the current stage of the evolution of information technology and suggests what the impact of developments during the next several years may have on businesses. In between, he covers "the strategy, process, and technology aspects behind some of today's most promising emerging technologies with a focus on how to achieve real-world results that benefit the top and bottom line for an organization. One of the goals of this book is to help executives maximize their value from these technologies, to reshape their business, not just their business processes."

Readers will especially appreciate Evans' provision of a Summary and an "Extending the Radar Lessons" section at the end of Chapter 1, and then at the conclusion of each of the next eight chapters (Chapters 2- 9), provision of an "Extending the Radar Lessons" section followed by an "Extending the Radar Considerations" section. These and other reader-friendly devices offer three substantial value-added benefits: they specify key points within the given chapter and context, they suggest correlations between and among them, and they facilitate, indeed accelerate frequent review of those key points later.

I was especially interested in what Nicholas has to say about business process management in Chapter 5. He begins with an especially apt observation by W. Edwards Demming: "If you can't describe what you are doing as a process, you don't know what you're doing." Presumably Deming would agree that what cannot be measured cannot be managed. (He may have been the first to make that assertion. To date, I have been unable to locate its source.) I agree with Nicholas that businesses considering integration of applications within their enterprise, or integration of applications with those of their partners, "should consider business process management as a key emerging technology, alongside Web services, which can help to deliver new forms of enterprise agility and reduction of cost and complexity." This is a key point, one which Nicholas explores with depth and precision. Readers will then welcome the "Extending the Radar Lessons" and "Extending the Radar Considerations" sections which follow.

When concluding his book, Nicholas suggests that the "first wave" of applications (i.e. essentially a force fit on top of a powerful but vulnerable framework) is now giving way to an era of combinations, one during which "killer applications are built from combinations of killer technologies, where computers can start to serve their uses rather than command their users, where information and transaction are able to move seamlessly across logical boundaries, device boundaries, and physical and virtual boundaries." Whether creating and/or responding to others' "killer applications, organizations must have a "radar" system to guide and inform their initiatives to generate revenue, reduce costs, and improve performance. The question he poses to his reader -- "How prepared is your radar?" -- serves as a challenge to all decision-makers who must understand "new rules" if their organizations are to prevail in what is undeniably a "new game."

The subject is introduced and explained very systematically and with very relevant examples. I wish it came with relevant software.

The STRIM (Systematic Technique for Role & Interaction Modelling) approach provided in this book is a straightforward method for capturing and modeling business processes. The book completely and thoroughly covers how to model and analyze business processes, starting with a well-written overview of concepts, then introducing STRIM and its application in various modeling scenarios.

As a modeling approach, STRIM and its role activity diagrams, are not mainstream. However, they are an effective tool in the advanced practitioner's toolbox. I especially like the way RAD (role activity diagrams) clearly and cleanly deal with parallel tasks, and the way they can be clearly depicted as concurrent execution threads even with decision points are involved. In addition, this methodology captures interaction between and among roles. Therein lies the power.

If you are new to business processing modeling it's probably safer to stick to a more established methodology, such as IDEF0 or force fit UML as your modeling approach. A caveat about using UML is it is better suited for modeling software. However, STRIM can be used in conjunction with UML if you want a business process modeling and analysis approach and have not standardized on any other method.

Another aspect of this book I like is the scope of coverage - the author addresses process patterns, large processes, and even managing the modeling process itself.

One final point in favor of this book and its approach is the author provides no cost downloads of Process Architecture Diagrams and Role Activity Diagrams in Visio 5 format. Those artifacts will help jumpstart any project based on the STRIM methodology.

The content of the book was a great resource for me in developing advanced strategies as a Business Systems Analysis. It provides clear cut details that can be applied effectively and economically.

Time and cost are important factors in each project in order to get beyond the feasibility report, and the outlined process helps in creating this most important document.

If you use the SDLC and TQM methodology in your business practice, then this manual is a priceless asset.

"Business Systems Engineering" is an excellent resource for anyone interested in creating a world class organization. The tools of business systems engineering allows you to transform a company into a learning organization capable of strategic change and excellence. The emphasis on "adult learning theory" and its role in reengineering the work process is particularly refreshing. Because strategic change and leadership begins with learning, the emphasis on the work performed by cross-functional teams of employees is essential to creating a learning organization that can successfully respond to challenges in the marketplace. Case studies emphasize organizational learning and looking outside the box, and demonstrate the use of benchmarking to identify the best business practices and applying them to creating a competetive advantage. Watson's holistic view of business systems as open systems that are capable of improvement, easily promotes the integration of TQM principles and the use of information technology. The result of this synthesis is the business system engineering model. The model allows you to transform your organization without sacrificing your focus on quality or the customer, and is adaptable to any business. It also helps you to realize the value of employee training to support change initiatives for profit. If a change in your organization's culture is the prescription, then Business Systems Engineering is the treatment.

This is the definitive book on "knowledge capital" (his trademarked term) and how to calculate shareholder value in the New Economy. In general, one should buy this book to be persuaded of Paul's brilliance, and then hire him to implement the ideas as a strategic consultant. Not for the weak-minded CEO or CIO, as it impales most corporate oxes and concludes that in general, there has been either a negative return on investment, or no discernible contribution to corporate profit, from steadily increasing information technology budgets.

Popular belief is that increased use of computers correlates with superior business performance. But the evidence I had seen has been at best anecdotal. I couldn't find anything that looked like solid scientific evidence - statistically meaningful sample sizes, random choice, proper statistical methods. Then I bumped into this book. Strassmann shows that there is NO correlation. Then he proceeds to show what DOES correlate with superior business performance. Briefly, if you divide a firm's total budget into 'sharp end' (the folks in the workshop) and 'blunt end' (management and the folks in the back office), the bigger the blunt end the worse shape they will tend to be in. If you then again split the computer related budget into 'in support of sharp end' eg ATMs, and 'in support of blunt end' eg management information systems, the sharp end systems tend to pay off and the blunt end ones tend not to. And the two tend to cancel out.

I had always suspected this, but it still shook me to my roots.

I think his 'Return on Management' measure is flawed - it looks just like 'profit' to me - but otherwise reading this was an epiphany.

Looking for useful measures of the payoff of information systems is a real challenge, and Strassmann goes far into it.

He also explodes the theory that profit is a good measure - how do we measure how well run the business is if it is a welfare society, or a public transport system?

A wonderful book.

This compilation documents the disturbing trend of so-called "Corporatization" in US Higher Education...includes articles & commentary by Ronnie Dugger of "The Texas Observer" and by Ralph Nader, as well as by student activists themselves, documenting their successes and failures in combating "Corporatization" and struggling to make universities more deomcratic. If you liked David F. Noble's _Digital Diploma Mills_, you'll love this book. If you buy this book and have never heard of David Noble, read up on him also! Likewise, this book makes a nice companion piece to any number of books by Stanley Aronowitz on Higher Ed, especially his books _The Knowledge Factory_ and _The Last Good Job In America_.
Essential reading for exploited graduate students, academic librarians, part-time adjuncts, and all members of academia's proletarians.

Thanks to Geoffry White for putting together this book.

This book discusses the contempory and historical economies of Mexico, Chile, and Argentina. It is an easy read, with little technical jargon. In addition, it lucidly discusses the elementary probelms of development economics, notably rent-seeking, and details the benefits and benevolence of free market economies. The book focuses on the insitutions and environments that have encouraged unproductive and impoverishing political policies. Furthermore, they discuss the effects of these institutions and policies. The authors are not shy in their dislike for socialism, but they support their case very well with theoretical discussion and empirical evidence.

This is an excellent introdution to Latin American Economies, Development Economics, or Foreign Affairs. Highly Recommended!

This is an important book for future generations. The revolutionary work done by Pinochet and his advisors, copied not only in Latin America but the world at large.

It is also important that this book calls Pinochet by his real name, a Capitalist. These days anybody that doesn't agree with marxists-liberals is a fascist.

I'm still waiting to see how fascists implement free-market reforms like Pinochet did.

In summary: Pinochet is a Capitalist, fundamentalist if you will, who allied with the U-S during the Cold War, which was the fight between Capitalism and Communism. For a Latin American fascist look at Peron.

Wether you are in favor or against Pinochet it is important to get your facts straight.

The book provides excellent analysis of several Chinese industries. As a CTO of a software development company I found the sections regarding Chinese e-Commerce and web sites trends insightful. The author covers the dot com effects on Chinese computer consumption and its impact on US markets. I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking to gain a well researched (and well written) perspective on Chinese businesses and behavior.

The book provides excellent analysis of several Chinese industries. As a CTO of a software development company I found the sections regarding Chinese e-Commerce and web sites trends insightful. The author covers the dot com effects on Chinese computer consumption and its impact on US markets. I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking to gain a well researched (and well written) perspective on Chinese businesses and behavior.

The book is a product of a very logical mind , written with remarkable pedagogical talent.
(Or remarkable pedagogical training...).
A worthy reading for anybody who makes a living in IT .
A compulsory reading for anybody who's in Infrastructure Support (LAN/WAN) because it gives you a very clear overview on what "the others" are doing or dealing with...
I wish this book was available years ago; would have made me a better professional.
I wouldn't be surprised if it'll be embraced as Academic Material by some Universities.

Cisco is a leader in the internet infrastructure, Cisco is also a proven leader in knowing how to integrate the WWW with business and provide a solution for their customers. Now they produce the study guide for the CISS exam and become a proven leader their as well.

In over 750 pages the author starts the certification journey with business application models, followed quickly with discussions for design and application requirements, after that you move to learning about Internet business solutions including 4 scenarios.

There are also several other scenarios in the book as well as 5 CISS case studies ranging from e-business to security. There is also 2 practice exams included, 1 for the CISS Applications and 1 for the CISS Solutions exams.

Overall I found the book a very good read and very well documented, the author has certainly given you a first class effort with this one.

I have been doing SQA and related engineering for almost twenty years and have not seen many books that actually get into the "nuts and bolts" of software testing as well as this one does. Mosley takes great pains to insure that whether you are a newcomer to SQA or a seasoned pro, something is here for you. I recently moved from a strictly software testing environment to a Client-Server environment and used this book extensively to "get up to speed" with the new internet testing concepts presented in this publication. Very practical examples, clear explanations and a thorough knowledge of the topic. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is new to the field and any one needs ideas on how to put a test environment together that really produces immediate results. I have worked on many software engineering projects over the past twenty years and wished many times for a book like this, now its here.

Of all the sofware testing books I've read, Mosley's stands out as the easiest to read, and contains real-world tangible examples that can be put to use immediatley. His Test Plan outlines are excellent and are built from IEEE standards. Lots of useful information and minimum test philosophy. Like many client-server books, the focus is primarily e-commerce, but the test approaches can be applied to any multi-user GUI application.