Manage IT as a Business: How to Achieve Alignment and Add Value to the Company

Book Description

Many IT projects fail to deliver the benefits to the business that were promised. Yet IT managers and staff work hard to meet the needs of the business: Systems are put in place; network operations are reliable and stable. The cause is usually a misalignment of IT with the business. In this book, Bennet Lientz and Lee Larssen present over 200 specific, practical guidelines and steps that show how to: align IT and the business, develop methods that make IT more proactive in helping the business, more effectively manage vendors, avoid negative surprises, ensure that more projects are completed on time and within budget, among other things. The techniques in this book have been implemented in over 60 organizations around the world and in over 20 different industries, and the authors include several examples in each chapter to illustrate their points. Follow these proven recommendations to manage IT as a business that adds value to the company.

* Techniques in the book have been implemented in over 60 organizations in over 20 countries
* Guidelines show how to align IT and the business and make IT more proactive in helping the business
* The authors present concrete method to manage IT as a business that adds value to the company

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Book Description

In every organization there are barriers that prevent people from contributing to the full and these often result in individuals feeling marginalized. This book argues that there is an inner warrior in every person that needs courage to change and express themselves and perform to full potential. The author uses a powerful model of the six C's--Concepts, Collaborate, Compassion, Consensus, Conflict, and Courage--to show how organizations and individuals can achieve this.

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

The Department's Story: A History of the Department of Agriculture (Administrative History Series)

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The Department's Story: A History of the Department of Agriculture (Administrative History Series)
D Hoctor
Manufacturer: Institute of Public Administration
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006D89PE

Book Description

The California coast is one of the world's richest, most diverse habitats for intertidal marine life. It is also the site of one the world's greatest population concentrations and tourist destinations. Until now, the many millions of people living on and visiting California's coastline have gone without a guide to aid in exploring the abundant seashore life right under their noses. The Beachcomber's Guide to Seashore Life of California changes everything.

In a book that is as visually stunning as it is informative, Duane Sept dedicates full-colour photographs and thorough descriptions to each of the most common plants and animals to be found along the saltwater shores of California. Each entry includes the most useful common names for the species along with the scientific or Latin name; a description of its distinguishing physical features or behaviour; and information on its size, habitat and range. There are also sections on understanding tides and intertidal habitats, lists of the best beachcombing sites in California and tips on how to observe seashore life in an ecologically friendly manner.

Scientifically accurate, yet simple and straightforward in approach, The Beachcomber's Guide to Seashore Life of California is the perfect companion for every interested observer - the family or the school group, the Sunday beach-walker or the career naturalist.

Customer Reviews:

Good beachcomber resource.......2007-01-11

The photos in this book are incredible. I can't wait to take this to California on my next beachcombing experience. I like J. Duane's Sept's field guides. This is a good resource.

Beachcomber's Guide to California Marine Life (Beachcomber's Guide)

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a must have!

Beachcomber's Guide to California Marine Life (Beachcomber's Guide)
Thomas M. Neisen , and David I. Wood
Manufacturer: Gulf Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Natural History | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0884150755

Book Description

This delightful guide divides the entire coast of California into specific marine habitats--sandy beaches, estuaries, bays, lagoons, and rocky intertidal zones. It then examines the unique features of each habitat, and identifies and describes the most common, conspicuous organisms that you are likely to find.

Customer Reviews:

a must have!.......2006-01-06

This is the best book for learning about the Central California coast and the animals that are found here.
It is easy to read and full of great information, drawings and photos.
Everytime I go beach combing and wonder what something is, I can find it with lots of great information about it in this book.

A Field Guide to the Tracks and Signs of Southern and East African Wildlife
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A Field Guide to the Tracks and Signs of Southern and East African Wildlife
Chris Stuart , and Tilde Stuart
Manufacturer: Struik Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Animals | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
Shooting | Hunting & Fishing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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The Behavior Guide to African Mammals: Including Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, Primates

Birds of Southern Africa (Princeton Field Guides)

The Safari Companion: A Guide to Watching African Mammals Including Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, and Primates

The Wildlife of Southern Africa: A Field Guide to the Animal and Plants of the Region

National Audubon Society Field Guide to African Wildlife

ASIN: 1868725588

Book Description

In Reclaiming the Game, William Bowen and Sarah Levin disentangle the admissions and academic experiences of recruited athletes, walk-on athletes, and other students. In a field overwhelmed by reliance on anecdotes, the factual findings are striking--and sobering. Anyone seriously concerned about higher education will find it hard to wish away the evidence that athletic recruitment is problematic even at those schools that do not offer athletic scholarships.

Thanks to an expansion of the College and Beyond database that resulted in the highly influential studies The Shape of the River and The Game of Life, the authors are able to analyze in great detail the backgrounds, academic qualifications, and college outcomes of athletes and their classmates at thirty-three academically selective colleges and universities that do not offer athletic scholarships. They show that recruited athletes at these schools are as much as four times more likely to gain admission than are other applicants with similar academic credentials. The data also demonstrate that the typical recruit is substantially more likely to end up in the bottom third of the college class than is either the typical walk-on or the student who does not play college sports. Even more troubling is the dramatic evidence that recruited athletes "underperform:" they do even less well academically than predicted by their test scores and high school grades.

Over the last four decades, the athletic-academic divide on elite campuses has widened substantially. This book examines the forces that have been driving this process and presents concrete proposals for reform. At its core, Reclaiming the Game is an argument for re-establishing athletics as a means of fulfilling--instead of undermining--the educational missions of our colleges and universities.

Customer Reviews:

Convincing.......2004-06-21

A measure of the tortured relationship between higher education and sports is the fact that this is the second substantial book by William Bowen on this topic. The former President of Princeton and the present head of the Mellon Foundation, Bowen deployed the considerable resources of the Mellon Foundation to address this topic. The prior book, The Game of Life, was controversial because of conclusions that athletics have had a distorting effect on admissions and academic life at institutions thought to be free of the gross distortions seen at American Universities with scholarship driven athletic programs. After studying prestigious and very selective schools like the Ivy League universities and smaller schools like Amherst, Williams, and Wesleyan, Bowen and his co-author concluded that athletes enjoyed substantial and unmerited advantages in admissions, tended to relatively underperform academically, and actually had a negative effect on campus life. There conclusions were assailed, sometimes with some force, on the basis of limited data samples and reliance on anecdotal information.
In the present book, Bowen returns with a considerably expanded dataset and a number of new analyses. The effect is to overwhelmingly confirm the prior conclusions. While one could probably find defects in some of the individual analyses, Bowen and Levin have done so many evaluations reaching the same conclusions that it is inescapable to conclude that they are correct. For example, they analyze data from 3 groups of schools with differing admissions policies towards recruited athletes and find a strong correlation between the relative advantage enjoyed by recruited athletes and academic underperformance. This kind of dose-effect relationship is very strong data. In addition, the conclusions drawn from their dataset are consonant with qualitative impressions and with the conclusions of independent studies done at individual schools in their dataset. Bowen and Levin have successfully overcome the challenges of their critics. A corollary point is that their critics have never offered any substantial data to back the implied claim that athletics produce unique benefits.
Bowen and Levin conclude with a series of recommendations for reform which are quite sensible. It has to be mentioned that one of the goals of their reform program is actually to broaden participation in college athletics. These suggestions should be pursued.
Bowen and Levin have a nice discussion of how this unfortunate state of affairs developed. The problems with athletics at these schools mirror and to some extent are driven by parallel changes in larger society. As these colleges have come to overvalue athletics, so has youth sports become semi-professionalized. This has created a typical vicious circle; parents, knowing that good colleges highly value athletics, drive their children down the road of early specialization in a sport and year round competition. In turn, the strong interest of these types of students in sports at a relatively high level is a partial driver of the overemphasis of college athletics. Bowen and Levin suggest that restoring balance to college sports would help to break this cycle. This may be correct and is certainly worth trying.
It is worth mentioning in this context that attempting to reverse the overemphasis on college and youth sports has implications beyond education. Bowen and Levin are particularly concerned with the effects of athletics on education, which is entirely proper. But, it is very likely that the semi-professionalization of youth sports is a contributing factor to the general decline in fitness occuring in younger Americans. By the end of elementary school, competitive sports increasingly become the province of a relatively select group of talented children. Coupled with the declining emphasis on physical education in schools and other relevant phenomena, the result is a large pool of increasingly inactive children. The long term consequences are likely to be a significant increase in cardiovascular disease and other significant medical problems.

Telling it like it is.......2004-02-19

The authors have collected an enormous amount of data and presented it lucidly and tellingly. That alone is worth the price of the book. However one feels about elite institutions using different admission standards for recruited athletes,the authors should be given credit for illuminating the facts.

Most of the criticism I have seen has been of the "Kill the Messenger" variety, from people who clearly have "an axe to grind." To those whose minds are not already made up, I suggest reading the book.

Intellectually Dishonest.......2003-12-12

When he was president of Princeton, William Bowen was responsible for the "problem" he now criticizes. As president of the Mellon Foundation, he is responsible for millions of dollars of grants to Ivy and similar universities, and thus wields enormous power with them as he picks and chooses recipients of the largess he controls. Coincidentally, the "co-author" of this volume is the daughter of one of those recipients--the president of Yale. Just look at the list of people who "helped" him with drafts of the book.
People are entitled to write biased books; the problem here is that Bowen pretends he is not biased, and he obviously is(although more subtly than in his prior effort, Game of Life).
The data (which may represent a federal privacy violation by the colleges that revealed them) are manipulated into statistics to suit the biases and are fundamentally flawed. Data contrary to the biases is avoided or explained away, sometimes in the most Machiavellian manner. For a good rebuttal check out [website]

Reclaiming the Game: College Sports and Educational Values.(Book Review): An article from: Journal of Higher Education

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Reclaiming the Game: College Sports and Educational Values.(Book Review): An article from: Journal of Higher Education
John R. Thelin
Manufacturer: Ohio State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Sports | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Journal of Higher Education, published by Ohio State University Press on January 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1641 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Reclaiming the Game: College Sports and Educational Values.(Book Review)
Author: John R. Thelin
Publication: Journal of Higher Education (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2005
Publisher: Ohio State University Press
Volume: 76 Issue: 1 Page: 107(4)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

RECLAIMING THE GAME: COLLEGE SPORTS AND EDUCATIONAL VALUES

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RECLAIMING THE GAME: COLLEGE SPORTS AND EDUCATIONAL VALUES

Manufacturer: Princeton University Press Princeton, NJ, and Oxford
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IAFS0E

Book Description

A new edition of this popular dictionary. The content has been thoroughly updated and expanded, and is now presented in a clear double-column layout. The rendering of each word and phrase in the familiar roman alphabet has been completely revised, and tones are clearly indicated throughout. Thai script is also shown in a font that can be read without difficulty both by learners and by Thai natives.

Customer Reviews:

mixed feelings.......2006-11-10

The dictionary is more comprehensive than some of the beginning dictionaries I've seen, but there are a lot of tone mistakes. That's my biggest gripe.

Not for Study.......2002-08-08

I'm a student of the Thai language and under any circumstances do not use this dictionary as a spelling reference! Many of the words are spelt incorrectly in Thai script (thus rendering it useless to me) and there is very little cross-referencing. Having said that, it was fine for wanting to know how to say a word in Thai. However, if you want more vocabulary for the same price, I would suggest So Sethaputra's dictionaries - they're fantastic.

I like it........2000-11-06

I like it. I've been to Thailand a couple of times for 3 weeks each. Last time I took language classes with the AUA in Chiang Mai. This book was great for general conversation with people that were helping me learn Thai. If you have a basic conversational skills in Thai, you'll start to run accross words that this book doesn't have. If you're a beginner to Thai and traveling there, I think it's great. It's easy to read, they have a simple romanization scheme for helping you pronounce the thai words, and it has the words in thai writing (great for when you're using the book talking to a Thai-only speaker.) Don't expect this dictionary to be that useful for your deeper studies though. Oh yea, best of all, they don't use that stupid rominization that puts "r"'s everywhere. (korthort krap, nee narng-suu nung lem sawng rowy bart ru?)

Useful only for basic level learners.......2000-05-27

During my first military exercise with the Thai army in 1993 I made the mistake of bringing this book to the jungle as my sole Eng-Thai resource. It was issued by my unit and it was compact enough. However, mere hours into the job it became painfully obvious that the amount of vocabulary listed was so limited as to not be of much use as a reliable resource for advanced-level translating/interpreting. I do recall, however, that the people who spoke Thai at the basic/beginner level seemed quite happy with the dictionary's content. Therefore, I would only recommend this dictionary for someone who intends to visit Thailand briefly and does not intend to pursue Thai language study beyond the beginner level. I would even submit that if one can wait until one arrives in-country, there are many similarly priced pocket dictionaries in bookstores all over Thailand that are much more comprehensive in content.

Not worth the space - and it is a tiny dictionary!.......2000-04-20

This is perhaps the worst example of a dictionary I have seen. It is almost unuseable and it is not clear at all what it sets out to achieve. There are dozens of small useful Thai dictionaries. Not recommended for anybody - it is useless to anybody learning Thai because it has absolutely no help on usage and the transliteration is appalling. Perhaps the only person who might find a use for it would be the tourist of the "point and grunt" variety.

Robertson's Practical English Thai Dictionary

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Robertson's Practical English Thai Dictionary

Manufacturer: Charles E. Tuttle Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

English (All) | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books

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Robertson's Practical Thai dictionary,
Richard G Robertson
Manufacturer: Professional Services Publishers and Translators
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

English (All) | Dictionaries & Thesauruses | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Words & Language | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007J7N6I

Book Description

User-friendly instructions from an expert on recreating the 4 major medieval styles — early medieval Roman rustic, early Uncial, Carolingian, and late medieval Gothic textura — come to life with profiles of a figure from each era — Julius Caesar, King Arthur, Charlemagne, Robin Hood. Expert advice on spacing, paragraphing, punctuation, more.

Customer Reviews:

Calligraphy of the Middle Ages and how to do it.......2006-11-08

This is a book I wished had been around when I was a kid. A fun, step-by-step book for older kids showing how calligraphy developed during the Middle Ages. With each script, he introduces you to a person living during that time period, and a little history about what was going on in the world. All of the scripts have very clear pictures and instructions, plus photos of real medieval pages so you can see how the script looked. I'm an adult, but I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot.

Modestly priced introduction to historical writing.......2000-08-20

This is the Dover reprint of "Yours Truly, King Arthur."

In this book, Mr. Drogin provides history and instruction for 4 hands used in the Middle Ages.

Like many books on this subject, the hands are generally simplified, generic versions. There are, however, a number of pictures of actual, historical writings that allow you to see the real thing and compare that to Mr. Drogin's writing.

Each hand is placed into its historic context by presenting the hand in relation to a particular historic persona, giving both a short lesson on the man and the hand he might have written.

All in all, it's a nice book; seems slanted towards the youth market, but is nonetheless an excellent book for adults beginning a study of historic hands, as well.

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