Business Systems Books

This is a careful and thoughtful analysis of the changes brought about by the introduction of "information systems'" into cartography. Place as well as the discipline are transformed with wider implications for the "map" of social realities. C

This book is the one I recommend to anyone who wants to understand why it's so hard to make reliable software, and to any developer who thinks the problems are easy to solve.

The chapters are filled with specific examples of software failures, the judgement mistakes that caused them, and the difficulty of predicting the impact of modifcations to complex software systems. Well written throughout, solid examples, enjoyable probing analysis. Will make you think more about the software you're creating, or using.

I had not had the need to learn D9 until recently. After I learned D8 with the help of your previous book, it was a natural fit. You guys didn't disappoint! Well done.

I think Fishman's book is one of the best introduction to Monte Carlo methods, simulation and pseudo-random number generation. It is also a great reference. However if one is interested in the history of Monte Carlo including its early development in particle physics I recommen the old monograph by Hammersley and Handscomb which also does a great job at introducing the various variance reduction techniques. This is an aspect of the Monte Carlo method that Fishman does not address. It was more important in the days when computers were slow but it still has applications with certain intensive modern computing problems such as Markov Chain Monte Carlo.

Client/server and distributed computing is of critical importance to any organisations effective us of Information Technology. This importance has only been heightened by the explosive growth of the Internet. This book very clearly introduces the main concepts and issues with distributed computing and it then presents an architectural approach for addressing those issues. The architecture presented covers both new and legacy systems and also the range of distribution approaches from request/reply, through messaging to object-oriented. The major conclusion of the book is the importance of federated architectures and the issues and opportunities available through implementing such an approach. As someone who has worked in this area for many years I found the book very useful, informative, and immediately applicable to current problems I am working on. The material is well illustrated with many practical examples and realistic case studies, including a chapter describing a similar approach independently implemented by a large bank. The book also includes an appendix listing major vendors and products that are relevant to distributed computing architectures. For any organisations looking to implement, exploit, or extend their distributed computing systems this book is a very important study of the area and offers a real-life solution for many of the issues. For anyone just wanting to learn about distributed computing I would also recommend this book to them.

"The Place of Face-to-Face Communication in Distributed Work"
Bonnie A. Nardi, Agilent Technologies; Steve Whittaker, AT&T Labs-Research

This chapter is significant. There is a wealth of knowledge and understanding that can be brought to on-line business collaboration from fields like anthropology. This is particularly important given the notable failure of many on-line collaboration efforts.

What intrigues me about the work are the larger questions that emerge - what does this mean for the meaning and quality of business life, the effectiveness of on-line work, work/life balance, alienation/mental health, etc. For example, what will the quality of our ideas be like is we work more and more on-line? If we work in isolated, on-line environments how does this impact our need to "be" as social beings and learn informally with others around the coffee pot? What if the on-line "coffee pot" can never be as rich as the real thing?

One of the leading experts in the field, Professor Richard Whitley of the University of Manchester discusses six types of business systems or capitalism extant in the world today. He suggests that the forms will continue to outlast the current idea that all nations should adopt the Anglo-American model of capitalism. A thought provoking book!

I'm in a Good Manufacturing Practices environment and my manager, the head of Manufacturing Quality Assurance, kept mentioning this book and referencing it in her Standard Operating Procedure documents. It's expensive, but it is a textbook and a reference book. This book has been the gold standard for 20 years or so. You'll want to read through it completely. Then, after that, it is good reading to keep in your car or work desk for those times when you have a few minutes to spare. Keep reviewing the information to stay fresh. This is a recent edition with update for Quality standards.

Don't talk about it over pizza and beer with your friends on Friday night though. It probably won't help you get a date!!

If you want to know the answer to this question, Doing Business in 2004 is your book.

Various eminent scholars have put forth theories as to why the rich countries get richer and the poor stay poor, including theories about culture, religion, geography, climate, trade openness, political regimes, and even accidents of history. Doing Business puts forth a compelling, and much simpler, story. Poor countries stay poor because their governments intervene excessively in business activity, driving entrepreneurs into informality. Growth is retarded, as is democracy, since many people are left in the fringes of economic and social life.

Lots of statistics on starting a business, hiring and firing workers, getting credit, and the like. Makes you appreciate how easy we have it here!

It's a guide book that helps you step by step in selling to the Goverment. You will become knowledgeable of the Electronic Commerce Information process, and will be informed on how to register with the Government as an EC/EDI "Trading Partner".