MIS Books - Page 3

The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom

Yochai Benkler

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

With the radical changes in information production that the Internet has introduced, we stand at an important moment of transition, says Yochai Benkler in this thought-provoking book. The phenomenon he describes as social production is reshaping markets, while at the same time offering new opportunities to enhance individual freedom, cultural diversity, political discourse, and justice. But these results are by no means inevitable: a systematic campaign to protect the entrenched industrial information economy of the last century threatens the promise of today’s emerging networked information environment.

In this comprehensive social theory of the Internet and the networked information economy, Benkler describes how patterns of information, knowledge, and cultural production are changing—and shows that the way information and knowledge are made available can either limit or enlarge the ways people can create and express themselves. He describes the range of legal and policy choices that confront us and maintains that there is much to be gained—or lost—by the decisions we make today.

Contemporary Strategy Analysis: Concepts, Techniques, Applications

Robert M. Grant

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The pre-eminent strategy text in the field on both sides of the Atlantic has been significantly updated and revised in its latest edition. Introducing students, especially MBA candidates, to the core concepts and principles of strategy, the text combines a rigorous approach to business strategy analysis with lively examples of current practice.

• Now includes thorough coverage of internet-based strategies, fresh examples of resource-based competitive advantage, additional case illustrations in every chapter, and new self-study questions
  
• Features a new two-colour design throughout with high-spec artwork
  
• Introduces students to the core concepts and principles of strategy, and offers them the tools they need to formulate and implement these
  
• Combines Grant’s renowned rigorous approach to business strategy analysis with lively examples of current practice
  
• Supported by a range of online resources, including a guide for instructors and downloadable PowerPoint slides for students, available at www.blackwellpublishing.com/grant

Pro InfoPath 2007 (Expert's Voice)

Philo Janus

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Pro InfoPath 2007 is an excellent book for developers trying to learn the scope and range of application forms that can be built with Microsoft Office InfoPath 2007. InfoPath is now in its 2nd generation and it enables the creation of rich desktop and web forms using XML technologies and allows gathering of structured, business-critical information. Together with Microsoft Windows SharePoint Server 2007, InfoPath allows built-in integration with back-end processes, databases, and work flow, and provides developers with rich tools to build enterprise-wide forms solutions.

During the development and stabilization phase of InfoPath 2007, Philo worked closely with the product team to testfeatures, provide feedback on scenarios, and to build and apply solutions for the government and public sector. He haspoured all that experience in an engaging manner into this booka great read for every developer trying to learnInfoPath.

— Kamaljit Bath, Principal Program Manager Lead, Microsoft Office InfoPath and Forms Services

InfoPath enables users to design forms and publish them for use by other users. It combines the ease of use of Access forms with the enterprise scalability of a network-based platform. Microsofts goal with InfoPath is to get form design and maintenance out of the IT shop and onto the desktop, while maintaining the power of connecting to web services or a SQL Server. Since InfoPath is wholly XML-based, it is easy to introduce it into a heterogeneous enterprise environment &emdash; via web services InfoPath can act as the interface for any back end system. InfoPath 2007, coupled with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, adds the ability to deploy InfoPath forms in a web browser with no client side application. SharePoint and Office 2007 have leveraged InfoPath in many other ways &emdash; making InfoPath forms part of the workflow engine embedded in SharePoint, and using InfoPath forms to capture and maintain arbitrary metadata in Office documents.

Pro InfoPath 2007 was written so that developers can read it as an introduction to InfoPath 2007, as well as use it as a reference for common tasks. Targeted at developers, power users should also find a lot of value in this book to learn how to design and use forms in InfoPath.

This book will show form designers how to:

• Use InfoPath to fill in electronic forms
• Design and publish forms
• Connect to data sources to read and publish data
• Design and leverage the power of InfoPath views
• Work with SharePoint form libraries to get the most out of InfoPath form data
• Import existing Word and Excel forms into InfoPath
• Create workflows with SharePoint Designer
• Work with digital signatures

In addition, developers will learn how to:

• Create an InfoPath form template based on a data connection or web service
• Publish InfoPath form templates as content types
• Create custom task panes for InfoPath forms
• Understand SharePoint information management policies
• Write .Net code behind InfoPath forms and browser forms
• Create an add-in to extend the capabilities of InfoPath
• Create a custom workflow for SharePoint, embedding InfoPath forms for gathering information
• Build a .Net web service that InfoPath can connect to
• Use Altovas XMLSpy to work with InfoPath form templates

Infotopia: How Many Minds Produce Knowledge

Cass R. Sunstein

Amazon Price: $10.85 List Price: $15.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Oxford University Press, USA Amazon Marketplace: 38 new & used starting at $9.45

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

As the dire history of planned economies highlights, small well-informed groups of people will often make far worse decisions than large numbers of people, acting independently, would make. In Infotopia, Cass Sunstein looks at the "wisdom of the many"--particularly as seen on today's Internet--illuminating many new ways of collecting and evaluating information and making effective decisions.
Sunstein shows how the on-line efforts of many people coming together help companies, schools, governments, and individuals to amass ever-growing bodies of accurate knowledge. He describes for instance how Wikipedia, through an endless flurry of self-correcting exchanges, collects information on everything from politics and business to science fiction. Open-source software--which licenses programmers to use, change, and improve the software--taps the power of large numbers of people to spur technological development. And prediction markets--such as the famous Iowa Electronic Market, where people bet real money on the outcome of local and national elections--collect information in a way that allows companies, ranging from computer makers to Hollywood studios, to make better decisions about the future. Sunstein reveals why these revolutionary new methods are so astoundingly accurate and he also shows how people can take advantage of "the wisdom of the many" without succumbing to the dangers of herd mentality.
"Sunstein, one of the biggest of America's internet big thinkers, has written an intriguing new book in which he argues that Hayek's insights about the genius of markets are equally true of the internet."
--Patti Waldmeir, Financial Times
"This extraordinary work synthesizes the latest in how we know, with the latest in what the web has become, to map more compellingly than any other book the promise and risk of the information society."
--Lawrence Lessig, author of Free Culture and The Future of Ideas
"Vivid, readable, and informativea show-me-the-money guide to what soars and what stumbles from the stable of Internet dreams."
--Jedediah Purdy, American Prospect

Capitalism at the Crossroads: The Unlimited Business Opportunities in Solving the World's Most Difficult Problems

Stuart L. Hart

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

"Capitalism at the Crossroads is built on strong theoretical underpinnings and illustrated with many practical examples. The author offers a pioneering roadmap to responsible macroeconomics and corporate growth." -Clayton Christensen, Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School and author of The Innovator's Dilemma "I hope this book will be able to influence the thought processes of corporations and motivate them to adapt to forthcoming business realities for the sake of their own long-term existence. Besides business leaders, this is a thought-provoking book for the readers who are looking for solutions to capitalism's problems." -Muhammad Yunus, Founder and Managing Director, Grameen Bank, Bangladesh and 2007 Nobel Peace Prize recipient "Capitalism at the Crossroads is a practical manifesto for business in the twenty-first century. Professor Stuart L. Hart provides a succinct framework for managers to harmonize concerns for the planet with wealth creation and unambiguously demonstrates the connection between the two. This book represents a turning point in the debate about the emerging role and responsibility of business in society." -C. K.Prahalad, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, co-author of Competing for the Future and author of The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid "Stuart Hart was there at the beginning. Years ago when the term 'sustainability' had not yet reached the business schools, Stuart Hart stood as a beacon glowing in the umbrage. It is clear commerce is the engine of change, design the first signal of human intention, and global capitalism is at the crossroads. Stuart Hart is there again; this time lighting up the intersection." -William McDonough, University of Virginia, co-author of Cradle to Cradle "Professor Hart is on the leading edge of making sustainability an understandable and useful framework for building business value. This book brings together much of his insights developed over the past decade. Through case studies and practical advice, he argues powerfully that unlimited opportunities for profitable business growth will flow to those companies that bring innovative technology and solutions to bear on some of the world's most intractable social and environmental problems."-Chad Holliday, Chairman and CEO, DuPont "Capitalism at the Crossroads clearly reveals the essence of what sustainability means to today's business world. Hart's analysis that businesses must increasingly adopt a business framework based on building sustainable value speaks to the entire sustainability movement's relevance. Sustainability is more than today's competitive edge; it is tomorrow's model for success." -Don Pether, President and CEO, Dofasco Inc. "Stuart Hart has written a book full of big insights painted with bold strokes. He may make you mad. He will certainly make you think." -Jonathan Lash, President, The World Resources Institute "A must-read for every CEO--and every MBA." -John Elkington, Chairman, SustainAbility "This book provides us with a vast array of innovative and practical ideas to accelerate the transformation to global sustainability and the role businesses and corporations will have to play therein. Stuart Hart manages to contribute in an essential way to the growing intellectual capital that addresses this topic.But, beyond that, the book will also prove to be a pioneer in the literature on corporate strategy by adding this new dimension to the current thinking." -Jan Oosterveld, Professor, IESE Business School, Barcelona, Spain Member, Group Management Committee (Ret. ), Royal Philips Electronics "Capitalism at the Crossroads captures a disturbing and descriptive picture of the global condition. Dr. Hart constructs a compelling new corporate business model that simultaneously merges the metric of profitability along with societal value and environmental integrity. He challenges the corporate sector to take the lead and to invoke this change so that the benefits of capitalism can be shared with the entire human community worldwide." -Mac Bridger, CEO of Tandus Group "Stuart L. Hart makes a very important contribution to the understanding of how enterprise can help save the world's environment. Crucial reading." -Hernando de Soto, President of The Institute for Liberty and Democracy and author of The Mystery of Capital "Stuart Hart's insights into the business sense of sustainability come through compellingly in Capitalism at the Crossroads.Any businessperson interested in the long view will find resonance with his wise reasoning." -Ray Anderson, Founder and Chairman, Interface, Inc. "This stimulating book documents the central role that business will play in humanity's efforts to develop a sustainable global economy. Professor Hart presents an attractive vision of opportunity for those corporations that develop the new technologies, new business models, and new mental frames that are essential to a sustainable future." -Jeffrey Lehman, Former President of Cornell University "The people of the world are in desperate need of new ideas if global industrial development is ever to result in something other than the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, with nature (and potentially all of us) suffering the collateral damage. Few have contributed more to meeting this need over the past decade than Stuart Hart by helping to illuminate the potential role for business and new thinking in business strategy in the journey ahead. Capitalism at the Crossroads challenges, provokes, and no doubt will stimulate many debates--which is exactly what is needed."-Peter Senge, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chairperson of the Society for Organizational Learning, and author of The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of The Learning Organization New Foreword by Al Gore Brand-New Second Edition, Completely Revised with: *Up-to-the-minute trends and lessons learned *New and updated case studies *The latest corporate responses to climate change, energy, and terrorism Global capitalism stands at a crossroads-facing terrorism, environmental destruction, and anti-globalization backlash. Today's global companies are at a crossroads, too-searching desperately for new sources of profitable growth. Stuart L. Hart's Capitalism at the Crossroads, Second Edition is about solving both of those problems at the same time. It's about igniting new growth by creating sustainable products that solve urgent societal problems. It's about using new technology to deliver profitable solutions that reduce poverty and protect the environment. It's about becoming truly indigenous to all your markets, and avoiding the pitfalls of first-generation "greening" and "sustainability" strategies.Hart has thoroughly revised this seminal book with new case studies, trends, and lessons learned-including the latest experiences of leaders like GE and Wal-Mart. You'll find new insights from the pioneering BoP Protocol initiative, in which multinationals are incubating new businesses in income-poor communities. You'll also discover creative new ways in which corporations are responding to global warming and terrorism. More than ever, this book points the way toward a capitalism that's more inclusive, more welcome, and far more successful-for both companies and communities, worldwide. *Paths to profitable sustainability: Lessons from GE and Wal-Mart *Shattering the "trade-off" myth *New commercial strategies for serving the "base of the pyramid" *What enterprises have learned about doing business in income-poor regions *Becoming indigenous-for real, for good *Codiscovering new opportunities, cocreating new businesses with the poor *Learning from leaders: 20+ new and updated case studies *Best practices from DuPont, HP, Unilever, SC Johnson, Tata, P&G, Cemex, and more About the Author xii Acknowledgments xiii Foreword: Al Gore, Former Vice President of the U.S. xxiv Foreword: Fisk Johnson, Chairman and CEO, S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. xxvii Prologue: Capitalism at the Crossroads xxxi PART ONE: MAPPING THE TERRAIN Chapter 1: From Obligation to Opportunity 3 Chapter 2: Worlds in Collision 31 Chapter 3: The Sustainable Value Portfolio 59 PART TWO: BEYOND GREENING Chapter 4: Creative Destruction and Sustainability 87 Chapter 5: The Great Leap Downward 111 Chapter 6: Reaching the Base of the Pyramid 139 PART THREE: BECOMING INDIGENOUS Chapter 7: Broadening the Corporate Bandwidth 169 Chapter 8: Developing Native Capability 193 Chapter 9: Toward a Sustainable Global Enterprise 223 Epilogue 249 Index 254

Measuring ITIL: Measuring, Reporting and Modeling - the IT Service Management Metrics That Matter Most to IT Senior Executives

Randy A. Steinberg

Amazon Price: $24.95 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 2 to 5 weeks By: Trafford Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 1 new & used starting at $22.45

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

How do you measure and report your ITIL processes? Which ITIL metrics matter the most to Senior Executives?

Finally, there is a book that shows you how! This is not a theoretical treatise, but a practical guide that shows you the operational metrics to use and how these can be calculated into Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Critical Success factors (CSFs) that resonate with Senior Management. In this book you will learn about:

Defining and building a comprehensive ITIL metrics program; Which metrics are the most important and how to calculate them; Dealing with staff resistance to a metrics program; Tips and suggestions for what to do if inadequate tools and reporting exist; Suggested work plan for how to build your metrics program step-by-step.

In addition, this book contains a helpful CD with a helpful IT Service Management modeling tool that covers all 10 ITIL processes. Simply enter your key operational metrics and the KPIs and CSFs get automatically calculated!

This is a comprehensive guide for building any ITIL metrics program with all the information you need in one place.

"Finally, someone tackled the mystery of ITIL metrics and put it all in one place!"

"No theory here…this gives us the real metrics we can easily go after…"

"A fantastic addition to our ITIL reference library and our IT Service Management solution set!"

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Unleashed

Marc J. Wolenik, Damian Sinay

Amazon Price: $37.79 List Price: $59.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Sams Amazon Marketplace: 41 new & used starting at $35.62

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Microsoft® Dynamics CRM 4.0 Unleashed presents start-to-finish guidance for planning, customizing, deploying, integrating, and managing Dynamics CRM in your unique business and technical environment. Authored by two leading Microsoft Dynamics implementers, this book systematically explains how the system works, why it works that way, and how you can leverage it to its fullest advantage.

 

The authors present clear examples, proven best practices, and pitfalls to avoid in using every significant Dynamics CRM capability. The far-reaching coverage ranges from Dynamics CRM’s sales, marketing, and customer service features to its automated workflows; from Outlook and Office integration to reporting and security. The authors offer independent insight into Dynamics CRM’s most powerful new features, from its improved interface to its new mail merge and data migration tools.

 

This book is for every IT professional who intends to work with Dynamics CRM, regardless of their experience with Dynamics or other CRM solutions. The authors provide example-rich, realistic coverage of advanced Dynamics customization, extensibility, and integration: information that is available nowhere else.

 

Detailed information on how to…

• Set up, configure, and maintain all facets of Dynamics CRM in any organization or industry
• Thoroughly understand both the on-premise and hosted versions of Dynamics CRM
• Make the most of Dynamics’ new features, including email, the Outlook client, Internet Facing Deployment (IFD), and relationships
• Manage sales leads, opportunities, accounts, contacts, marketing lists, sales collateral, campaigns, quotes, orders, and invoices
• Improve customer service by integrating schedules, cases, contacts, product/service information, and more
• Build powerful automated workflows that streamline key sales tasks and liberate salespeople for more effective selling
• Efficiently administer and secure any Dynamics CRM implementation
• Drive greater value by integrating Dynamics CRM with Microsoft Office productivity tools
• Customize and extend Dynamics CRM using Visual Studio, .NET, and custom plug-ins and add-ons

ON THE WEB:

Download all of this book’s examples and source code at informit.com/title/9780672329708

So, You Want to Start a Business?: 8 Steps to Take Before Making the Leap

Edward D. Hess, Charles F. Goetz

Amazon Price: $12.91 List Price: $18.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: FT Press Amazon Marketplace: 42 new & used starting at $6.91

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

"Hess and Goetz present a roadmap for how to avoid the things that can cause you to stumble and how to build a business the right way." --JEFF ZEIGLER, CEO, TechTurn.com, Austin, TX "When I started my graphic design business, I knew I had enough talent to impress and keep my clients, but I struggled with the day to day running of the business. So, You Want To Start A Business? is the blueprint I needed to get organized and put all the right things in place." --KORY BAILEY, Owner, Creative Counterpart Build the Successful Company You've Always Wanted to Own! *Avoid the 8 disastrous operational mistakes that kill new businesses *Walk step-by-step through the entire process of building a winning business *Master 55 amazingly simple rules of business success *For every entrepreneur and potential entrepreneur...no previous business experience necessary! *Launch the winning business you've always wanted!or make more money in the business you've already started! More than 5,000,000 new businesses are started each year!but 70% of them will fail.Now, two renowned experts on entrepreneurship identify the 8 "killer mistakes" that cause most business failures--and give you the knowledge, tools, and hands-on advice to avoid them, so you can build a business that thrives. Unlike other books on entrepreneurship, this book focuses on the crucial operational issues associated with consistent profitability. You'll learn how to identify the right opportunities and customers; design winning products and services; set the right prices; overcome customer inertia; avoid common day-to-day management mistakes; find and keep good employees; and finally, smoothly manage growth. Throughout, the authors draw on real life entrepreneurial experiences, case studies, and leading-edge research. There's nothing theoretical here: This is fast-paced, 100% practical advice you can use to make your business dreams and goals come true--starting right now. What really makes a successful entrepreneur? What they do, how they act...and how to find your best path to business success Get the 3 "Ws" right from the start What will you sell, who will buy it--and why will they buy it?55 simple, indispensable rules for success What you must know about customers, competitors, and your employees The art and science of managing people, operations, and growth Create processes, set priorities, maximize quality, measure people--and improve every day

Foundations of IT Service Management Based on ITIL® V3 (English version)

Inform-IT

Amazon Price: $57.00 List Price: $57.00 Usually ships in 7 to 13 days By: Van Haren Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 19 new & used starting at $49.45

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Foundations of IT Service Management based on ITIL has become the industry classic guide on the topic of ITIL. Over the years this authoritative itSMF guide has earned its place on the bookshelves and in the briefcases of industry experts as they implement best practices within their organizations.

This 2007 version has now been upgraded to reflect ITIL V3. Written in the same concise way and covering all the facts, readers will find that this title succinctly covers the key aspects of the ITIL V3 upgrade.

The new ITIL V3 approach covering the ITIL Lifecycle is fully covered. In addition those who are familiar with the Version 2 process approach will be delighted to discover that this new edition of Foundations of IT Service Management based on ITIL V3 has split out all the processes and describes them in detail. This means that it is easy for all readers to access and grasp the process concepts that are so pivotal to many service management day-to-day operations.

Thinking Mathematically

Robert Blitzer

List Price: $34.00 By: Prentice Hall Amazon Marketplace: 12 new & used starting at $5.99

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Subjects -> Science -> Mathematics -> Study & Teaching
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Great step by step 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I enjoyed this book, especially since I had a non-fluent English speaking professor we all looked into our books and read the complete, easy, and understanding chapters. this is one of the best math books I have ever had in my education experience.

Editorial Review:

Bob Blitzer's books are highly acclaimed for their well-conceived, relevant applications and meticulously annotated examples. This highly anticipated revision achieves the difficult balance between coverage and motivation, while helping readers develop strong problem-solving skills. This book provides readers with the skill building and practice that is so crucial as well as the applications and technology necessary to foster an appreciation of the myriad uses of mathematics. This expanded edition covers voting and apportionment and graphing theory, in addition to a wide range of topics that include set theory, logic, number theory, algebra, consumer mathematics and financial management, geometry, measurement, probability theory and statistics. For anyone interested in refreshing his/her fundamental math skills.