Book Description
A unique title which covers all the component parts of the core ITIL set, and by complementing more complex publications, acts as an efficient entry level to the ITIL literature.
Customer Reviews:
It's an excellent reference.......2007-09-06
"If you are not familiar with ITIL this truly is a must have. I purchased the book because I wanted to learn more about ITIL and I was amazed at how much useful information I found within a 242 page book. If you are a seasoned ITIL person this may be a little too basic but if you are new to the subject matter you should grab this. It's an excellent reference."
[...]
This *is* the book.......2007-02-24
The Service Support and Service Delivery books on ITIL offers an extensive and very detailed guide about each process. This introductory book about ALL ITIL, not just only Service Support and Delivery, offers an exact balance of knowledge for each ITIL discipline. It covers also (in a condensed way) ICT IM, Security, Application Management, Planning to Implement and The Business Perspective. The added value is that you have a better picture of all the ITIL processes. For instance, it explains the relationship between Change and Configuration Management with Application Management. It also explains how Security is related to Service Level Management, ICT IM related to Release,etc. Just to talk about a few examples.
Without the knowledge exposed in this book, some people could just think about ITIL as a methodology that only improves technical support or help desk. If you are beginner with ITIL I strongly suggest to consider this title instead of buying the two ITIL core books. It gives you the right information and what is better it provides you with valuable and concise information about the other disciplines. Of course, if you are considering implementing the methodology, the two ITIL core books (support and delivery) offer a very, very detailed approach.
Book Description
For more than twenty-five years, An Introduction to General Systems Thinking has been hailed as an innovative introduction to systems theory, with applications in computer science and beyond. Used in university courses and professional seminars all over the world, the text has proven its ability to open minds and sharpen thinking.
Originally published in 1975 and reprinted more than twenty times over a quarter century -- and now available for the first time from Dorset House Publishing -- the text uses clear writing and basic algebraic principles to explore new approaches to projects, products, organizations, and virtually any kind of system.
Scientists, engineers, organization leaders, managers, doctors, students, and thinkers of all disciplines can use this book to dispel the mental fog that clouds problem-solving. As author Gerald M. Weinberg writes in the new preface to the Silver Anniversary Edition, "I haven't changed my conviction that most people don't think nearly as well as they could had they been taught some principles of thinking.”
Now an award-winning author of nearly forty books spanning the entire software development life cycle, Weinberg had already acquired extensive experience as a programmer, manager, university professor, and consultant when this book was originally published.
With helpful illustrations, numerous end-of-chapter exercises, and an appendix on a mathematical notation used in problem-solving, An Introduction to General Systems Thinking may be your most powerful tool in working with problems, systems, and solutions.
Customer Reviews:
Weinberg's Introduction to Systems Thinking.......2007-01-04
Weinberg's book will not teach you how to be a systems thinker. It will, however, provide a stimulating discussion and thoughtful examination of an alternative approach to problem analysis and solution. The book is not so much about how the systems approach works or how it can be applied to complex problems as it is an invitation to his readers to explore their perceptions of what they think they know versus what they really do know. Throughout the book, Weinberg follows the strategy of leading the reader through a series of logical discussions designed to bring them face to face with their biases and misconceptions about systems vs. reductionist thinking. In doing so, Weinberg exposes the shortcomings of the reductionist approach to problem solving by demonstrating to his readers that the real solutions to some familiar and apparently simple problems are very complex.
Through his examples, Weinberg shows that by viewing a system holistically within its environment, we may be able to discern patterns of behavior/actions and recognize interactions, interrelationships, and interdependencies among the components that will be missed in a reductionist approach. From that view, we can better understand the system and, perhaps, better predict how it will evolve over time. The success of his approach is demonstrated by the fact that people are still reading and quoting his book 25+ years after it was written.
One facet of this book which I found beneficial may be a drawback for some readers. Weinberg wrote from the viewpoint of a computer programmer and a scientist. A person not versed in either field might have difficulty understanding his examples.
Outstanding book.......2006-02-17
This book is excellent. I first read this book in graduate school in 1976, and I continue to find Weinberg's ideas useful. It was outstanding then, and it has held up with time.
not quite an alternative to 'Systems Thinking'.......2005-09-17
I was searching for an alternative to the out-of-print book 'Quality Software Management, vol.1: Systems Thinking', written by the same Author.
Having read few Sofware Management series books from the same Author, which I rate at the very top of my list, I was biased on very high expectations. Surprisingly, I have found it being quite verbose and in the end, I couldn't get too much inspiration out of it.
An excellent introduction..........2002-06-05
Weinberg distills the essence from von Bertalanffy's classic and manages to present it in a very accessible fashion. The book has been out of print for quite a while so it is great to see a new edition. The message and information contained in here, although originally published in 1975, is now more relevant than ever.
Weinberg covers many aspects of systems theory beginning with the main stumbling block with the present scientific paradigm: the idea that the universe is mechanistic. His treatment is much more general than Robert Rosen's in "Life Itself" but still conveys why the mechanistic notion is flawed.
He then outlines the general systems theory approach before leading into the idea that a system is simply a way of looking at the world. He then outlines the principle of indifference. This leads straight into two sections outlining various aspects of making observations. Finally he discusses behaviour and then some general systems questions.
Throughout the book he uses many examples from disparate fields in conjunction with questions for further research. It is great to see someone who doesn't preach systems but actually uses the ideas.
Definitely a must-read as we decided how to solve the myriad of issues before us.
A true classic in how humans set and solve problems.......2001-03-23
In computing, a timeless classic is anything that is worth reading for any reason other than to obtain a historical context after five years. If that still holds true after twenty five years, then it is truly an extraordinary piece of work. That label applies to this book. It is not about computing per se, but about how humans think about things and how "facts" are relative to time, our personal experience and environmental context.
Human thinking is a complex operation and that is the point of this book. The problems and examples presented are not those in computing, but problems in how we think about the world and how that world can be different from person to person. In many ways, Weinberg anticipates the development of the science of chaos, where small changes lead to disproportionate large changes. His example of the "small" change of a single character is a classic. A man was considering the purchase of a piece of real estate, but when told the cost was fourteen million dollars, sent the response by telegram, "No, price too high." However, somehow a character was dropped, so the agent received the message, "No price too high", purchased the property and so a classic error was invented.
Weinberg uses science and mathematics as the genesis point for most of his examples. The laws of thermodynamics, chance and simulations in state spaces are used to demonstrate the points. As someone with a wide background in science, I found his examples of how scientific thought gives us an anchor but yet alters over time excellent learning material. Thought problems are included at the end of each chapter and they cover many different areas. Some involve mathematics, others science and many could be the point of a vigorous philosophical debate. Together they form the best collection of thought experiments and points of contention that I have ever seen gathered together in one location.
This is a book that is a true classic, not in computing but in the broad area of scholarship. It is partly about the philosophy and mechanisms of science; partly about designing things so they work but mostly it is about how humans view the world and create things that match that view. This book will still be worth reading for a long time to come and it is on my list of top ten computing books of the year.
Book Description
The financial technology environment is a dynamic, high-pressured, fast-paced world in which developing fast and efficient buy-and-sell order processing systems and order executing (clearing and settling) systems is of primary importance. The orders involved come from an ever-changing network of people (traders, brokers, market makers) and technology. To prepare people to succeed in this environment, seasoned financial technology veteran Roy Freedman presents both the technology and the finance side in this comprehensive overview of this dynamic area. He covers the broad range of topics involved in this industry--including auction theory, databases, networked computer clusters, back-office operations, derivative securities, regulation, compliance, bootstrap statistics, optimization, and risk management-in order to present an in-depth treatment of the current state-of-the-art in financial technology.
Each chapter concludes with a list of exercises; a list of references; a list of websites for further information; and case studies. A Powerpoint presentation that outlines each chapter's main points is available in a companion instructor's website, and an online instructors manual is available.
*With amazing clarity, Freedman explains both the technology side and the finance side of financial technology
*Accessible to both finance professionals needing to upgrade their technology knowledge and technology specialists needing to upgrade their finance knowledge
*PowerPoint slides for each chapter available on the Elsevier textbooks website
Book Description
Olson's Introduction to Project Management, 2/e is a project management text that focuses on "systems" issues. The primary focus is to examine the many issues facing MIS project managers. The revision also now incorporates the Project Management Institute's Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), better preparing users for the PMI certification exam. Olson focuses on traditional project management topics such as project adoption, planning, scheduling, and implementation while encouraging students to view the projects holistically and analytically. Utilizing the most current software and project management tools, he provides students with the most effective strategies for today's IT project managers.
Book Description
The Economics of Information Technology is a concise and accessible review of important economic factors affecting information technology industries. These industries are characterized by high fixed costs and low marginal costs of production, large switching costs for users, and strong network effects. Hal Varian outlines the basic economics of these industries while Joseph Farrell and Carl Shapiro describe the impact of these factors on competition policy. The volume is an ideal introduction for undergraduate and graduate students in economics, business strategy, law and related areas.
Customer Reviews:
A fair introduction.......2005-12-22
The rise of the Internet and its resulting commercialization have caused many to wonder whether the economics of the information age is governed by a different set of rules than can be found in "classical" economic treatises. If information technology is indeed different in this regard, this would be of great interest to those businesses whose goal it is to generate profits by its use. This very short book, composed of only two articles, gives a fairly good introduction to the economic issues that arise in the use of information technology. The authors in the book certainly motivate the subject well, but the length of the articles, along with the relative paucity of references, entails that the reader will have to do a lot of outside research in order to obtain a more in-depth understanding of the issues.
The author of the first article clearly believes that high-technology industries face the same market forces as any other industry, but that there are some that are of particular concern to them. Fixed costs for example are very high for information goods, but the marginal costs are very small. In addition, intellectual property is very important to the high-tech industry.
The Internet "boom" has become the paradigmatic example of the economics of information technology due to the speed in which the Internet took hold in business all around the world and in the "wild" speculation that took place in dot.com companies in the late nineteen-nineties. The author claims that the large increase in the NASDAQ during this time is evidence of the efficacy of competition, but he does not offer detailed evidence for this claim. When discussing the reasons behind the Internet financial "bubble" he also annoys the reader somewhat by referring to the differences between "rational" investors and "real people". It would be difficult he believes to cause a financial bubble with the former class but relatively easy with the latter. There is however no evidence for this view, from either historical data or from simulation studies. This reviewer knows of no study that is able to distinguish between a `rational investor' and a `real person' in terms of their ability to cause a financial bubble. It would be difficult in and of itself to arrive at criteria that would distinguish the two classes. It would be even more difficult to collect historical data to indeed show their behavior is different in the financial markets.
The author interprets the Internet boom as an example of what he calls "combinatorial innovation." This characterizes an historical period where a collection of technologies emerges whose components can be combined to form new products. Innovators cause a technology boom by working through all the possibilities in these components. This would seem to be a plausible explanation of the Internet boom, but it is one that would need to be examined with more care. The designation of a product as being innovative or an idea as being creative is difficult, as patent officials will attest to wholeheartedly. In addition, innovation must also be correlated with utility, in that products must be useful to the individuals or businesses that are using them. And arriving at a sound notion of creativity and innovation is also very important to those who want to automate these processes. If information technology can itself be trained (or "programmed") to create useful products, this would be very significant economically (possibly resulting in another technological "boom"), and would have major ramifications for employment and productivity.
The second article of the book is concerned with the economics of intellectual property in information technology, with particular emphasis on the role that it plays in the competitive strategies of IT firms. Legal issues are discussed in various places in the article, giving some insight into their complexity. The authors discuss the current schism between the `incentives' school, which emphasizes the ability of innovators to claim financial awards for their creations, and the `openness' school, which emphasizes the role of open (and essentially free) development in the public domain. There have been few empirical studies done on resolving which one of these approaches is optimal in terms of the creation of wealth or the creation of social benefit.
In discussing the issue of whether the patent system can provide any incentives for a private firm to make a commitment to innovation and research, the authors outline a simple mathematical (static) model to illustrate the tradeoffs that are involved. The results of this model indicate that the patent system will not offer sufficient incentives for investors. The authors point out however that this model is too simplistic to model the real issues involved in the economics of the patent system, and that a dynamic model would reveal that patent holders are able to obtain rewards that are much greater than the social contributions they make. They do not discuss this model at any length, nor give references to the "large literature" they claim exists on patent system economics. One would like to know for example what the dependence of the incentive is on the lifetime of the patent; whether a patent system can be optimized with respect to all industries, i.e. whether it can ensure optimal incentives regardless of the products offered; the degree to which patents have to be original or "creative" in order for incentives to be optimal; whether empirical studies have been done that indicate vulnerabilities to patent issuing; and whether a company can exist solely by innovation and the resulting licensing of patents.
Good enough to make it a required text.......2005-08-21
This is a great concise treatment of the topic with footnotes sufficient to allow the interested reader to perform further research. I am seldom disappointed by Varian's work, and no exception here. This is good enough that it is now part of the required reading for my course "Economics of Technology" in the Masters of Information Management program at Washington University in St. L. - Prof. Steve Parsons
Really worth reading!.......2005-02-19
As a graduate student in Economics having an undergraduate degree in Information Management, I pay much attention toward those "new economy" issues. The Economics of Information Technology illustrates the application of economic knowledge on information technology in an easy and clear way. As Professor Varian argues, "Many of the effects that drive the new information economy were there in the old industrial economy-you just have to know where to look." (p. 12), the authors demonstrate how to use the models we learned in microeconomics to discuss the development of information technology as well as the rationales behind intellectual property. The economics used throughout this book is pretty straightforward; anyone who has the most essential microeconomic knowledge can understand the whole book. Besides, the authors also review the most recent issues in intellectual properties and patents and then propose ideas about the reform of the patent system. This book is undoubtedly a very good introduction; furthermore, it exemplify some further applications and research directions, which would also benefit those who want to take a step further into this field.
Average customer rating:
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Introduction To Digital Microelectronic Circuits
K. Gopal Gopalan
Manufacturer: Irwin Professional Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Introduction to PSpice Using OrCAD for Circuits and Electronics, Third Edition
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Electromagnetic Fields and Waves
ASIN: 0256120897 |
Book Description
Of all the new technologies that have evolved recently, integrated circuit technology is the one that continues to experience phenomenal growth. The vast amount of material arising from innovative circuit designs and newer device technologies requires that the circuit analysis aspects of digital electronics be covered in a first course, separate from device design and chip layout. Consequently, Introduction to Digital Microelectronic Circuits emphasizes the analysis and performance comparison of different gate-level logic circuits and presents design examples based on logic-level requirements. It provides an introduction to the analysis of digital electronic circuits using discrete and integrated circuits.
Book Description
Today’s Human Resources function is being transformed by the Web. Web-Based Human Resources shows HR professionals how to use online technologies to offer more services to more employees at a lower cost. It offers concrete tips on which approaches are most effective in small, medium, and large organizations; provides a framework for transforming HR from a support function to one centered on organization-wide productivity and learning; and explains all the key web technologies and trends that are changing the HR function—for the better!
Customer Reviews:
Good HRIS structure.......2003-01-30
This book comprehensive introduction and focuses largely on what web-based HR looks like in practice,and what this technology brings to HR's most critical functions.
Was this review helpful to you?
Highly Recommended!.......2001-08-07
Editor Alfred J. Walker briefly introduces the new Web-based technologies that are enabling human resource (HR) managers to operate more effectively. He then offers a series of 17 articles by different authors covering these new approaches. The topics covered include Web-based employee self-service, delivering employee benefits over the Web, creating an HR service center, outsourcing and using the Web for a variety of services, including recruiting, staffing, compensation planning, employee development and knowledge management. This specialized book will primarily interest HR professionals, top executives and information technology professionals involved in setting up HR information systems. Since HR professionals are attuned to human failings, we [...] trust they will forgive the book's occasional information overlaps - hard to avoid with a collection of articles by different authors - and frequently return to this solid and specifically useful book.
Book Description
In the quest to remove supply channel costs, streamline channel communications, and link customers to the value-added resources found along the supply chain continuum, Supply Chain Management (SCM) has emerged as a tactical operations tool. The first book to completely define the architecture of the merger of SCM and the Internet, Introduction to e-Supply Chain Management: Engaging Technology to Build Market-Winning Business Partnerships shows you how to exploit this merger and gain an unbeatable competitive advantage. The tightening of the economy and heavier restrictions and security measures placed on channel flows have rendered access to real-time, accurate supply chain information more critical than ever. Connectivity, messaging, and collaboration have become today's foremost buzzwords, as companies compete for survival in an environment where cycle times and permissable margins of error continue to shrink. Introduction to e-Supply Chain Management explores the concepts, techniques, and vocabulary of the convergence of SCM and the Internet so that companies can move beyond merely surviving and thrive in today's competitive marketplace.
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Introduction to IT Project Management
Cynthia Snyder , and
Frank Parth
Manufacturer: Management Concepts
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1567261787
Release Date: 2006-10-01 |
Product Description
Easy-to-understand guidance for everyone in the IT project management environment! Introduction to IT Project Management provides IT project managers the practical tools needed to maintain daily operations while managing multiple projects. This valuable reference helps IT project managers, CIOs, and project sponsors understand the IT project environment so that projects can be managed much more efficiently and successfully. Topics include: How projects assist an organization in meeting its strategic objectives The discipline of project management and its role in organizations Initiating and planning projects Estimating project cost and time requirements Determining availability of resources Analyzing relevant risks Developing a realistic, final schedule or budget Selecting a competent project team Identifying stakeholders and defining their quality parameters and communication needs Monitoring and controlling projects Change management Project audit and closure PLUS You ll follow a case study and IT examples throughout the text that demonstrate how key concepts are applied in practice. Also included are suggested forms and techniques for using software.
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Ethical Decision Making & Information Technology: An Introduction with Cases
John P Grillo , and
Ernest A. Kallman
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Manager's Guides to Computing
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A Gift of Fire
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Artificial Intelligence: Structures and Strategies for Complex Problem Solving (5th Edition)
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Ethics in Information Technology,
ASIN: 0070340900 |
Book Description
This streamlined discussion of ethical issues in the decision-making process supports and supplements any introduction to CIS or MIS textbook. Chapter One defines ethics. Chapter Two relates ethics to the use of technology. Chapter Three applies a four-step analysis process to an ethical dilemma, illustrating how to reach a defensible decision. The remaining chapters of 18 cases challenge the student to apply the knowledge gained in Chapters 1-3 to recognize, evaluate, and react responsibly to an ethical dilemma. The class-test cases are based on real business situations Case worksheets guide students in the case analysis. This edition offers new and expanded coverage of the Internet, privacy, and the ACM code. The Instructor's Manual contains case objectives, key ethical issues, discussion ideas, guidelines assigning and evaluating cases, strategies for managing classroom discussion, and lessons to be learned.
Books:
- Introductory Econometrics: A Modern Approach (with Economic Applications Online, Econometrics Data Sets with Solutions Manual Web Site Printed Access Card)
- Investing In Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (Frank J. Fabozzi Series)
- Leadership: Enhancing the Lessons of Experience
- Lectures on Macroeconomics
- Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
- Marketing Management (12th Edition) (Marketing Management)
- Marketing: The Core (Mcgraw-Hill/Irwin Series in Marketing)
- Mathematics for Finance: An Introduction to Financial Engineering (Springer Undergraduate Mathematics Series)
- No Limit Hold 'em: Theory and Practice
- Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations (Student Text)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything
- Rain of Gold
- Integrated Risk Management: Techniques and Strategies for Managing Corporate Risk
- Listening
- MCPD Self-Paced Training Kit
- The Condition of Postmodernity: An Enquiry into the Origins of Cultural Change
- Spanish by Association
- Professional's Guide to Retirement Financial Management: 2001
- Nonprofit Nation: A New Look at the Third America
- The Far Side of Nowhere
ITIL Service Support and Service Delivery Process Model
Service Support (It Infrastructure Library Series)
The Visible Ops Handbook: Implementing ITIL in 4 Practical and Auditable Steps
Foundations of IT Service Management: based on ITIL (English version)
Service Delivery (It Infrastructure Library Series)
