Systems Books

With a foreword by none other than Drs Kaplan and Norton you can be sure that software is not central to this book's message. Drive Business Performance is part of Wiley's Microsoft Executive Leadership Series, however the only time "Microsoft" is mentioned is when referencing quotes from Steve Ballmer or Chris Liddell. The intended audience is a business one not technical, although technical people would do well to get their hands on a copy nonetheless.

Fitts and Aziza provide a comprehensive look at what Performance Management (PM) is and just how successful organisations can be when they succeed in creating a "Culture of Intelligent Execution". Central to the book's philosophy are what the authors have dubbed the "Six Stages of Performance Management Value". Targeted lists of questions at the end of each section enable readers to assess their organisation's current PM capabilities.

For mine the book's greatest strength are the anecdotes and quotes peppered throughout to underscore each topic. It is obvious the authors went to a great deal of effort to interview high-ranking members of companies who spearheaded some very successful PM implementations. The information gathered in these interviews coupled with well-chosen quotes from the likes of Winston Churchill, Henry Ford and many others serve as evidence to support Fitts and Aziza's Six Stages and the culture of performance management in general.

PM is not just something that can be thrown together in a few weeks by a couple of interns, it is an organisation-wide paradigm shift that takes time, effort and dedication to bear fruit. As recounted many times within the book, the rewards to organisations who implement an effective PM initiative can be very substantial.

This is a great book to hand to anyone who is considering implementing any form of PM. It details plenty of good "See! They did it, why can't we?" case studies as well as providing practical guidance describing how to do it within your own organisation. Highly recommended reading.

At first I was skeptical, but then by the time I finished it, I had something I could actually use. The book goes where few management books dare to go - to actually talk about how to change a business culture. Wow!

There are precise examples of how change is made, with company stories, that allow for organizations to understand that change is possible. This book is now on my must reads list, and I will give it to every executive I work with.

I'd put this book before the Kaplan Balanced Scorecard books and even before Competing on Analytics. The style is concise, the case studies are relevant and the roadmap guidance to changing an organization is approachable.

I just finished reading "Drive Business Performance - Enabling a Culture of Intelligent Execution" by Bruno Aziza and Joey Fitts. Wow, what a fantastic book! It is one of the best I have read on the subject of Performance Management. It finds the right balance of not being too theoretical or too techie. I love the fact that it offers a broad education on the concepts and terminology associated with Performance Management but, at the same time, is highly actionable. It serves a diverse audience. I would recommend it not just to a CEO but for an organization's entire executive team. It offers the potential for some great post-reading dialog.

My favorite part is their defined "Six Stages of Performance Management Value". For those who know me, it aligns nicely with my "crawl, walk, run" approach to business application development. The "money picture" is how they show the six stages, listed below, in concentric circles; illustrating the evolution and associated benefits of a commitment to Performance Management.

This is actually a book that you can read cover to cover and feel like you get value from every chapter. Read it then buy a copy for your boss... then find a way to get to the sixth stage!

I manage a consulting firm and the #1 issue I see my business customers deal with is the perceived complexity of Performance Management. My customers struggle to determine the people, processes and technologies to turn their high-level strategy into a successful execution plan and results.

In this book, I have found a pragmatic guide that helps business managers and IT get together, assess where they are and start the discussions required to succeed in Performance Management. Sure - the book doesn't solve everything on its own, but it at least gives an easy and effective model to follow.

Finally, I enjoyed how the book reads. The authors give plenty of company success stories and have extracted some great best practice examples that help me remember them. Very sticky. I've also had success using the methodology, which appears well adopted given all the companies in the book saying they're "moving to a Culture of Performance". The Six Stages & 3 Capabilities (MAP) framework help me to assess what stage my clients are at today & explain the steps they need to take to garner greater competitive advantage.

All in all, a good & very useful read!

"Drive Business Performance: Enabling a Culture of Intelligent Execution" by Bruno Aziza and Joey Fitts represents much more than a demystification of performance management terminology. The book is neither a re-telling of the benefits of performance management, nor a veiled attempt to shape a business case for PerformancePoint. Instead, the authors introduce novel ideas backed by case study research, culminating in a pervasive and flexible model for business transformation within the scope of performance improvement.

The Culture of Performance (CoP) Model presented by the authors bridges a gap between the establishment of a performance measurement framework (e.g., Balanced Scorecard, TQM, Lean, etc.), and the tools and methods brought to bear in executing performance measurement (read: Business Intelligence). CoP is a comprehensive model for evolving organisations into the strategy-focused enterprises that Drs. Kaplan and Norton envisioned years earlier. To be certain, we all stand on the shoulders of giants.

That the authors chose to include "culture" in the name of their model cannot be understated: it directly addresses organisation-wide cultural transformation as it relates to the adoption of performance management (through the model's six phases). The authors demonstrate, with compelling evidence, that a company is more likely to achieve its desired outcomes when all its members adopt a performance-oriented mindset. Here, case studies on Expedia, Energizer and The Veterans' Health Administration (U.S.) each strike a chord on the sometimes painful transformation to a culture of performance. Aziza and Fitts make these findings practical, encouraging incubation through scored questionnaires, supporting capability models (MAP) and guiding principles. The final chapter of the book provides an excellent summary that aligns said scores to an entry point into the CoP model; this provides a reasonable indication of where an organisation may begin to improve business performance.

This excellent book warrants careful review and consideration-- it represents fresh and illuminating thinking from two of the most prominent figures in the field of performance management. For executives, directors and managers looking to improve business performance (as well as consultants specialising in performance management) consider this book essential reading.

This book is well-organized, gives a useful set of analyses to help you understand your deficiencies, and gives a methodical process for improving your listening, note-taking, and study skills. I often recommend it to my high school students. Those who have taken it seriously and applied the skills found rapid improvement in their grades within the semester.
As one kid wrote to me "I now have 5 A's and 1 B thanks to ESS". That B was from me. Maybe the insights offered into effective studying aren't so new or compelling, but it is a system simple to apply with the right attitude.

Going back to study in my 30's I was concerned if I would be able to achieve results and balance other work and family commitments. ESS helped me to do all three.

This is a logical, easy to apply system for study. It takes commitment and work but - come exam time - to have an entire subject outlined and then condensed onto a handful of cards a week before the exam was great.

I recommend this to anyone looking for skills for higher education.

I used this book and system in college. I made staight A's.
I am buying this book for each of my kids. To be effective you must use the entire system. It works!!!

I found this book when I was a high school science teacher and passed the title along to my students. When I went to medical school, I was concerned about making the grade. Using the skills taught in this book, I was able to study efficiently and make excellent grades. I definitely recommend this book.

When I found myself taking a break from school, with a C+ average, I pretty much had no direction. I didn't really have much passion for school or anything else. I got this book on a whim, and just the first part which dealt with motivation and goal setting was an eye-opener to say the least. It made me seriously reexamine my life and my direction.
The study skills portion and the skills in school (picking a teacher, staying organized, etc) were both very beneficial as well. I still have to wait until the fall semester to get back into school, but I'm confident that I'll finally have the tools that I'll need to get where I need to go.
I would definetely recommend this book to any one else who finds themselves just floating through life.

This book is extremely comprehensive and user friendly. The book, though used, is in perfect condition. I have several books on natural healing and none compare to this text. Thanks for the timely delivery and one-of-a-kind text.

this book has a lot of information, Just need to really spend your time to read, Otherwise it is useless. Overall, it is a very widely and well written book.

An excellent book on Natural Healing.

It is precise yet easy to understand (very user friendly).
The remedies range form nutrition, herbal remedies, homeopathy, tissue salts and external/physical therapies.

This is truely a wonderful book, and is well worth the price. Anyone interested in natural healing, should own this book.

I've had this book for MONTHS and I still discover chapters I haven't seen before! *LOL* I swear, this little baby has so much information packed into it I would find it exceptionally hard to NOT something great about it. And it IS great, you can find just about anything in here and the recommendations are GOOD.

The book has hundreds of pages, and the pages are printed very thin. Normally this would be a two or three volume boook set if were printed with the usual type of paper. It is well worth the money - no doubts about that! But do make sure your bookshelf is strong, too. Because this book is *heavy!* :)

I am a Clinical Nutritionist and have just about every great book written.. Recently I purchased this fantastic book and feel as though I can sell all of my other books on Health and Nutrition. This is the most thorough and jam packed book ever written. Filled with fun pictures and loads of incredibly helpful information for both the Clinician and the average person wanting to learn more about Health, Healing and more.
A true life long investment!

This new book, Engines of Prosperity, can best be described in one word -- PHENOMENAL!!!

Charles W. Olsen, President and CEO, ARCS International, Inc.

Engines of Prosperity provides a provocative view of how the global business landscaping is changing. This terrain, once the purview of U.S. enterprises, is rapidly evolving in new directions that involve unfamiliar operation structures and principals.

This work highlights how successful businesses in the next century MUST be different and how knowledge can become their lifeblood.

Marvin L. Patterson, President, Innovation Resultants International, Los Altos, CA

I like this book a lot. It is truly a breakthrough work.

Not only does it show how to build prosperous businesses, it also provides guidance for improving the quality of personal life and even society.

Dr. Ronald F. Ennis, President, Pathways, Portland, OR

Engines of Prosperity is an unusual business book. What's it about?

It's about life!

Timothy P. Teich President Advanced Input Devices Coeur d'Alene, ID

"Engines of Prosperity" is a startling book. With a few punchy, key themes, it paints a whole new paradigm. Suddenly, making money in the Information Age makes sense.

The book gives a new perspective that sees the forest made from the trees. Beginning with the title, it challenges the reader to ponder first the right questions, and then look for his particular answers.

The given broad answers are a context for the particular answers. The actions of modern technology leaders are then analyzed, and the successes and failures seem self evident.

Most satisfying is the uninterrupted transition from theory (economics), to policy (e.g. patent laws), to practice (business). The reader is engaged in a lively, readable journey across disciplines without missing a step.

As a data warehouse practitioner for over 12 years, I was recently challenged at my current employer to help assemble a global data quality team and process. Having done much of the work before on a piecemeal basis, we made steady progress.

When I received my copy of "Enterprise Knowledge Management," I found two important things:
1. We were definitely on the right track, and
2. There were some things we had missed.

David Loshin has put together an excellent field guide to all aspects of data quality. It is very easy to understand, and contains practical, effective suggestions. Most importantly, it is a true "soup to nuts" guide to data quality. There is very little that you might need to improve your company's "knowledge quotient" that you will not find here.

I have heartily recommended this book to a number of people when asked about data warehousing and data quality. You'll not find a better handbook anywhere.

David has written an excellent data quality book. He focuses on a real works around data quality. He presents a practical approaches how to solve a different types of quality defects and also pointed out main quality principles. But reader must think how to apply mentioned principles and approaches in reader's organization.

Simply, good reading with application on a real cases.

At the time the book was published I worked as a data quality manager at the New Zealand Ministry of Health focusing on the implementation of the Data Quality Strategy for National Health Databases. It was a great help for us. We've implemented many of David Loshin's principles. Most importantly it helped us to understand that the majority of our DQ problems were not due to the poor data management processes, but because of the inadequate system's design or poor data model, which was either conceptually or contextually incorrect, incomplete or inaccurate.

Most of the literature on Data Quality focuses on the challenges of creating and maintaining a data warehouse. Thankfully, for those of us trying to improve the integrity of the information in our OLTP databases, this book presents a methodology which is not specific to any one data environment.

This book is packed with lists of cases to consider for each step of the methodology. Each case is nicely documented. Actually, much of the book is taken filled with the documentation for each case, which may cause a person to lose sight of the methodology that is being presented.

I am person who prefers to learn concepts. I am not as interested in memorizing details. Hence, I would read this book, skipping most of the documentation in the lists, instead focusing on understanding the methodology. Thereafter, I would use this book as a reference when needing information on a particular step of the methodology.

While I am not a technical person, this booked helped me enormously to understand the management issues that surround data quality. In today's world, I am shocked that more companies are not using this approach to save massive sums of money. This book has given me the tools to do so within my company. I highly recommend it!

This is a very informative book. I would recommend to both freinds and family members of Epilepsy patients.

I found this book very beneficial and loaded with many important facts and information for lay people to comprehend.

Great for patients/families with a new diagnosis of epilepsy or someone that has had epilepsy for many years.
Excellent handbook to have available.

This book offers a great overview of epilepsy. I found it up to date and informative. I would highly recommend it for anyone who is newly diagnosed or who has a family member diagnosed with epilepsy.

This book is what it claims to be, a good intelligible guide to epilepsy for non-medics. BUT there is far too little (less than one page) on Sudden Unexplained Death, Epilepsy (SUDEP), which can devastate families and friends. While the mortality rate associated with epilepsy may be small, the effect of sudden death is enormous. Like almost everything else I have read on the subject, this book inadequately recognizes the risks of death. The words "death" and "mortality" are not even in Devinsky's index (though SUDEP is). So -- a good book, with a crucial omission.

I'm a big fan of the Dummies series and never thought I'd find anything to compete with it except for the Idiot's Guides. I was wrong. I found this book covers the topic much better than the Dummies and Idiot's guides. The author writes in my kind of language - plain and simple so the average guy can understand. And the indepth coverage of the industry is a bonus. I really like the author's down to earth style of writing. This is a buy.

I am currently working in Silicon Valley and found this book to be extremely helpful for me to understand networking and communicate with my clients here in the Valley. Mr. Keogh clearly explains the fundamentals of networking so that the reader can follow the how networking works and have confidence in discussing networking with others. I look forward to reading more of Mr. Keogh's books.

I'm a college instructor. During the summer I was asked to teach a basic network course for the fall term designed for students who are beginning their networking studies. Books I used for my other networking courses were MCSE books that were too detailed for my students. Then I came across this book, which is perfect for my class. The material is detailed enough so students come away with a good understanding of the concepts, yet not too detailed to overwhlem them. This is a perfect blend - and the companion website to this book offers slides and test questions free. I highly recommend this book to any instructor - or any student.

Keogh keeps an excellent balance between material for "complete idiots" and material for engineers. He uses simple metaphors (lots of highway traffic comparisons) to explain the "why" and "how" of networks, and anticipates reader's questions fairly well. The book is up to date, and covers just about any subject you need to be familiar with if you want to talk to engineers using their vernacular. The industry overview, covering major players, was particularly useful. There is one flaw, whose importance depends on your own reading habits: the writing style is atrocious, and it looks as if the book never went through an editor at Prentice Hall. While the conversational style makes the material easier to absorb, there is a good number of spots that would be marked in red all over if this was an English 101 paper. Still worth it, though.

I always found computer networking mystifying in the way it can transport my words around the world in a fraction of a second. I've read a lot of books on the subject, but this is the only one I found that clearly explains this process. The book is full of networking jargon, but that shouldn't scare you because each is explained in a way anyone can understand. He uses the highway metaphor, so if you understand how cars travel the highway then you'll easily relate to how words and pictures travel on a network. I recommend this book hands down.

An excellent book for anyone interested in using solar power. It's especially useful for anyone planning to build a new house. But anyone wanting the basics of solar (passive) heating and solar electricity will benefit.

Paul gives an honest step-by-step account of his own building experiences, including the mistakes and what it took to correct them. I found the entire story very worthwhile and useful.

If you want a solid overview of how to prep any house for alternative electrical power, you should read this book. If you're looking for practical info in the best use of passive solar heating, you can't beat this book.

Jim, Montana
[...]

This fun book taught me how to think in terms of independent living. One of the best on my shelf.

As a Biologist, I have been looking for a book that would give a clear and concise introduction to solar energy and photovoltaics. Paul Fowler's book does just that. It is written for the person who has an interest in solar power, but who does not have the technical background to immediately delve into more detailed texts. It's story format is engaging, yet also very informative. I highly recommend this book.

Found this book very interesting and easy to read. The book shows the 'human' side of this technology and the enduring spirit of a man who wanted to live independant of the utilities. A man who dared to live the simplier life and enjoyed the hard work to get there.

If only there were 240+ million more like him.

In my quest to utilize this techology, I was delighted to encounter a volume that felt like it emerged from personal experience and not simply a rote tech survey. While I am not a particularly technical person, I found the information and presentation clear and direct. There is an undercurrent of personal charm I found engaging and added to my a sence of confidence in being able to do this. My wife and I are delighted with the results of what we learned and applied based on Mr Fowlers' book. Our second home in the woods was enhanced for it.

I was so thrilled to see a collection of experiences from other people, similar to mine. My Dad suffered from Alzheimers and I felt like a freak for having reflected on the illness with a smile. For me, this horrific disease showed me a man that I never knew growing up. All of his barriers were broken down and I got to know, not only who my Dad was, but who I was. I have such a joy from knowing this that it is hard for me to be bitter about that which stole my father, for at the same time, it allowed me to know the father I never knew before.

It is stories like this that the author has compiled here. Many humorous, many touching, all showing a connection where many think none could be found. Yes, there is a time when the people we know and love so dearly are robbed from us by this devastating disease, but through the process there are many joyous times to be had.

Read this book and you'll understand

Witnessing my mother?s abilities and personality whither away from Alzheimer?s has been difficult. Comfort and advice from friends, family and the medical community has helped, and so has reading Brenda Avadian?s brilliantly conceived and constructed book, Finding the Joy in Alzheimer?s. Discovering what others have experienced and learned in similar circumstances-?particularly the heartfelt reflections of joy?-has enabled me to see my mother and her disease in a new, brighter light. Highly recommended.

Finding The Joy In Alzheimer's: Caregivers Share The Joyful Times by Brenda Avadian is a comforting, spiritually healing book filled with touches of wry humor and a serious understanding of the difficulties of Alzheimer's, and how important it is to find and treasure wondrous moments when caring for someone afflicted with this debilitating neurological disease. Finding The Joy In Alzheimer's is not intended to be a source of advice about the legal, physical, or medical difficulties of Alzheimer's disease; rather it was written to bolster the souls and spirits of those charged with caregiving responsibilities for loved ones suffering from the ravages of Alzheimers. As such, it emphatically succeeds in its mission and intention.

(...) The stories and poems are so sweet and heartwarming. When you get so deeply involved in this disease, you tend to become isolated; you think you are the only one who is going through this. Ms. Avadian's selection of stories gives the reader a lighthearted look into the trials and tribulations of caregiving, all the while letting the readers see what they are experiencing is no different from what they are reading. From the poem "CareGiver," to the stories of "I've got rocks in my head," or "Do you take...in sickness and in health...I do," or "Ice cream never tasted so good," and yes even "Family of Friends," the reader immediately feels love and support. With all the technical/clinical books that are available on Alzheimer's, it is absolutely refreshingly wonderful to have humor to help heal the caregiver's heart!

I'm an older (born 12/12/1952) Internet user, so--in spite of all of those reassuring, little, gold padlocks shown at the bottom of ordering pages at online stores--I still wasn't ready to put my main credit card or checking account information out in Cyberspace. So, I came up with a doable solution, creating an account for just this very purpose.

If purchasing this book wasn't actually my FIRST venture into the unfamiliar territory of online shopping (and I'm almost 100% sure that it was), it came pretty close.

Venturing out into this unfamiliar territory has had more positives than negatives for me--but there's that unfamiliar territory that is among the worst nightmares of both patients and caregivers: dealing with Alzheimer's Disease.

I had been reading the online letters that Debbie Center had been writing to a mother who would never again have the comprehension to read them--so, these letters were more for Debbie than her mother. And more for helping others who might read those letters to cope should something like this happen in their families.

One day, in an IM conversation, Debbie shared her sadness with me that her mother was rapidly going downhill, and she felt helpless to stop it from happening--yet, she also had the great news that she would have a part in this book.

And that's the thread running through this book: the moments of joy found within the Alzheimer's experience.

The people who have contributed to this book are people who mourn the slipping away of those people--generally, parents and spouses--who were once so vibrant and alert.

Yet, these same people have learned to find joy and comfort in some of the simple things of life, such as unexpected smiles, words, and laughter from their loved ones.

In one case, a family--who had gotten out of contact due to distance and schedules--began a tradition of having annual family reunions due to wanting to get everybody together while the matriarch of the family could still recognize and enjoy them.

Open this book and share the lives of those in this difficult and unfamiliar territory--and share those special moments of joy that make it all worthwhile!!!

I enjoyed the book "Flounder Fundamentals" very much. My son and I learned a new facts concerning flounder fishing that we did not know.

The book was written in a easy to read style! Good luck to the author and hope he writes a few more fishing books.

Ive been young and now I'm old. This was the best book I have ever read. I hope Mr. Moore can write for many years to come. There is no doubt in my mind, thousands of people young and old that enjoy flounder fishing will learn from this book. Buy this book if you love fishing.

I ordered the book after reading about it on a message board somewhere on the web. I really loved the artifiical lure chapter because the author goes into great detail about lure selection for different times of the year. I'm not a big reader, but found this easy to digest and the information was easy to retain. I reccommend it.

Chester knows his flounder! If you want to catch more of this elusive and selective fish you need to buy this book. It is very well written and you will learn the little things that make a huge difference catching more flatfish.

Excellent reading! The book is informative, entertaining and easily readable. I enjoyed the author's style. He gives you a feeling that he not only knows a lot about flounder fishing, but that he really enjoys what he does!