Average customer rating:
- A Good Book for Finance/IT majors
- Great book, and includes @RISK
- Good practical text
- Decision analysis
- Good book , worth to read
|
Spreadsheet Modeling and Decision Analysis (with CD-ROM and Microsoft Project 2003 120 day version)
Cliff Ragsdale
Manufacturer: South-Western College Pub
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ASIN: 0324312563 |
Book Description
Valuable software, realistic examples, and fascinating topics . . . everything you need to master the most widely used management science techniques using Microsoft® Excel™ is right here! Learning to make decisions in today's business world takes training and experience. Cliff Ragsdale--the respected innovator in the field of management science--is an outstanding guide to help you learn the skills you need, use Microsoft Excel for Windows to implement those skills, and gain the confidence to apply what you learn to real business situations. SPREADSHEET MODELING AND DECISION ANALYSIS gives you step-by-step instructions and annotated screen shots to make examples easy to follow. Plus, interesting sections called The World of Management Science show you how each topic has been applied in a real company.
Customer Reviews:
A Good Book for Finance/IT majors.......2007-09-17
This book does what it sets out to do: teach spreadsheet modeling. I'm only on the third chapter, but the author does a good job including step by step instructions on how to create winning models. The author is also very easy to understand. So if you're going to be doing optimization and modeling in your work, I highly recommend this book.
Great book, and includes @RISK.......2007-08-06
Ragsdale really makes spreadsheet modeling accessible to real-world business situations. It was a great asset to my MBA coursework. As a student, it came with a free student version of @RISK risk analysis software as well.
Good practical text.......2006-11-12
A good book for those studying decision making techniques or as a reference for managers looking to upgrade their skills
Decision analysis.......2006-11-02
Excellent book; I am considering it as a textbook for a Managerial Sciences course. The examples are clear and real increasing the interest of the students.
Good book , worth to read.......2006-02-17
This book is designated as the textbook for our master's level management modeling class. The author concerntrated on the application of Microsoft Solver to solve various of optimazation problems that we freqently faced in the real business opreations. Overall, this is good book for entry-level management modeling study.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book.......2004-06-25
This book is definitely very advanced and is very clearly written. The approach will:
- state (and explain) business problems
- explain the rational in choosing the computer tool (despite the title, the book is not entirely focused on Excel).
- walk you step by step through the modeling process
The CD contains some valuable tools for advances topics (monte carlo and discrete event simulation). Frontline Systems were alo kind enough to send free of charge an updated version of the premium solver for education (the version on CD is not compatible with Excel 2003).
I consider the book a great value and recommend it to anyone who is willing to invest the time to learn from it.
Fasten your seatbelts..........2004-01-28
I'll make two separate sets of comments - one for professors and one for students.
Students first... This will be a difficult course no matter which textbook you use. Having said that, I would say that the text is about average in terms of readability in comparison to other texts on the subject. There are plenty of realistic cases to illustrate basic decision/ management science concepts, as well as a very useful CD, with which I recommend that you become well-acquainted as the course moves forward. Not much has changed since the last edition, so you may be able to get by with a previous edition if the textbook (authored by Eppen). Be advised, however, that some of the chapter materials have been re-arranged, including the exercises at the end of each chapter.
For professors... You are probably already aware that this course can be challenging for the professor as well as the student, esp. with respect to how math-intensive you wish the course to be. I think Moore & Weatherford is an excellent text, but it is written as an advanced graduate text. I have been able to "tone it down" for undergraduates by accompanying it with a nice, soft, theory-oriented text on decision/ management science (featuring the teachings of Herbert Simon and some of the early decision science theorists). The text is accompanied with ample instructor resources including a very useful CD with solutions, decision science software. I would engage the students w/ the CD as early as possible. I have also found that the best exams for this course are take-home exams - give the students some moderately challenging decision models to formulate and solve, and focus your evaluation primarily on how well they are able to interpret the results and propose recommendations for decision makers, and secondarily on whether they were able to get the software to spit out the right answers.
Confusing and Poorly Written.......2004-01-22
Had to buy this book for my class. On the surface it looked OK -- plenty to screenshots and examples, but the problems arise when you try to read the long paragraphs. Language could have been clearer.
Book assumes solid knowledge of Excel, which should be expected of students, but still, some things should not be taken for granted :)
Another classic problem -- chapter 4 refers to examples mentioned in chapter 2. I hate this kind of cross-referencing !
Don't buy it if you can live without it.
...
Unnecessarily difficult to understand.......2003-11-08
This book is makes a difficult subject even more difficult. It assumes that you already know alot of the concepts in it. It kin of leaves you stumbling around in the dark. I hate this book and the person who wrote it with a passion. A good author should be able to explain concepts in clear organized language, I do not care how difficult.
Not for the uninitiated.......2003-02-18
I had to buy this book for class. Even the professor stated that the book was heavy going and has to be reread over and over again to understand it. There are examples but they really don't go over them in enough detail. This book is really for someone who already has a good user knowledge of excel and somewhat familiar with solver. Many of my classmates have expressed dissatisfaction with the contents and how it was written. My main complaint is that there are not enough examples to illustrate the many new concepts found in this book. This is a difficult subject and the book doesn't make it easier.
Book Description
Comprehensive Classroom Management presents practical methods for creating a positive learning environment, working with behavior problems, and other challenges in the classroom.
This text uses real-life examples to help pre-service and in-service teachers understand and apply the principles of classroom management in their own classroom situations. Through numerous case studies, examples, and descriptions of specific strategies based on solid research and classroom experience, Comprehensive Classroom Management features classrooms ranging from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The book's approach is to focus on creating positive learning environments, and it provides extensive, practical materials on both problem-solving and building individual behavior change plans for students with behavioral problems.
For pre-service and in-service teachers of elementary or secondary education, curriculum & instruction, educational psychology, or special education.
Customer Reviews:
Comprehensive Classroom Management.......2006-02-26
I had to buy and read this book for a classroom management class. It is a great book for comparing the most recent research available. However, you usually need to read five to ten pages of what could have been stated in a paragraph. I do feel that I really understand the material by the time I finish reading the book. I have also used many of the ideas in my classroom to try and improve my classroom management in my student teaching experience.
required class reading.......2005-02-22
I was required to purchase this book for a class I am currently taking. While the content of the book could be useful, the manner in which it is written is laden with ridiculous run-on ideas that could be communicated much more clearly. Here is an example from page 28:
"Regardless of the extent to which teachers decide to adapt to the norms and parenting styles of their student's culture or systematically assists students in learning to adapt while maintaining their cultural values, the point is that as educators we are willing to examine our own beliefs and way of working with students in light of the contextual variables existing in the classroom, school and community."
To students who may be required to read this text: Good luck. Perhaps you can change classes before it is too late.
To professors who may add this book to their required reading list: Please, please, please pass on this text and choose something more relevant and tangible for your students.
To educators who may choose this book to answer questions or add to their professional library: choose something else. This book is useless. My advice is your time will be better spent going to talk to teachers who have been in the field rather than reading this book.
Average customer rating:
- Unclear and wordy
- Time is valuable. This book is not worth a developers time.
- Fundamental Olap principles
- Good OLAP Methodology
- A must read for anybody involved in Olap design
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OLAP Solutions: Building Multidimensional Information Systems
Erik Thomsen
Manufacturer: Wiley
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ASIN: 0471400300 |
Book Description
OLAP enables users to access information from multidimensional data warehouses almost instantly, to view information in any way they like, and to cleanly specify and carry out sophisticated calculations. Although many commercial OLAP tools and products are now available, OLAP is still a difficult and complex technology to master.
- Substantially updated with expanded coverage of implementation methods for data storage, access, and calculation; also, new chapters added to combine OLAP with data warehouse, mining, and decision support tools
- Teaches the best practices for building OLAP models that improve business and organizational decision-making, completely independent of commercial tools, using revised case studies
- Companion Web site provides updates on OLAP standards and tools, code examples, and links to valuable resources
Customer Reviews:
Unclear and wordy.......2007-06-04
I had high hopes for this book since I am a data miner who senses the need for alternatives to the slow tools commonly used to assemble large data sets for analysis. Unfortunately, I found this book to be overlong and I did not emerge with a clear picture of what distinguished OLAP tools from the alternatives.....
Time is valuable. This book is not worth a developers time........2006-11-01
I have never written a book review, but I felt compelled to write about this book because there are not many good books on OLAP - and this one really misses the mark from a developer's perspective. If you want a book with good examples to get you going with Microsoft's Analysis Service I can highly recommend "MDX Solutions".
I can only give the book two stars because
a.) I don't want to seem schrill.
b.) There may be people out there willing to devote a large amount of time reading a defensively written tome about generic concepts that don't translate into real world products - which in 2006 are way ahead of this book.
Fundamental Olap principles.......2003-03-31
I was impressed by the quality of this book; this is probably the most complete book on OLAP theory and is a fundamental reading for professionals involved in the design of olap systems. In most cases it gives all the details and information needed to master this technology. It also contains some practical examples that are very useful to see how the theory can be applied in the real world.
I didn't read the first edition, but the second edition contains new sections and many updates, like a description of SQL-99 OLAP extensions.
The author chose to be vendor-independent, so all practical examples are based on a multidimensional language that he created, called Located Contents (LC). However, when I read it I had already used a couple of OLAP tools (Microsoft Analysis Services and Microstrategy), and I think that this helped me understand many of the concepts contained in the book.
Good OLAP Methodology.......2002-12-02
OLAP is a somewhat arcane corner of the IT universe and this book is a good guide to it for information and business professionals. It covers the basics well and provides decent exaples to get you going.
Of course, the hardest part of OLAP is making the conceptual leap from relational databases and transactional processing to the world of analytical processing, but finance experts and accountants will appreciate OLAP and its ability to summarize data in a way that is hard to do in most ERP and legacy systems.
A must read for anybody involved in Olap design.......2002-09-05
A book which gives you a comprehensive theoretical foundation together with useful, pratical techniques to design Olap solutions.
In the first half of the book the author explains you all you need to think clearly in N dimensions, in the second half he guides you through the design of a rather complex application, stepping into the purchasing process, the material inventory analysis, sales & marketing, and activity-based management. He teaches you using maieutics, Socrates' way of teaching, via a dialogue between two designers. This way, a lot of questions that usually arise during real-life development are examined and solved.
Whilst the examples in the first edition of this book were based on TM1, in this second edition they are written using a vendor-independent language, called LC (Located contents), which provides you with a solid, logically based foundation to multidimensional design.
The vendor languages, like those used by Microsoft Analysis Services (MDX), Applix TM1, Oracle Express and Hyperion Essbase, are kind of Plato's shadows in the cavern of this ideal language (which is sort of a tautology for MS Plato...), so if you start thinking in LC, you'll be able to work with all of these products.
Ideal complements to this book, if you use Microsoft Analysis Server, are "MDX Solutions" by George Spofford, and "Microsoft Olap Solutions", by Thomsen (again!), Spofford and Chase.
Customer Reviews:
Great reference.......2007-09-05
I've never found these type of books all that useful (certainly not something you read cover to cover), but this one does have great organization and an emphasis on the project management aspect (not just some techie jibber jabber which is out of date in a year).
I use it mostly to help me clarify with sr. management why our BI department is doing what it's doing, expected benefits and risks. It helps explain why it is important to do all the ground work. Even if we aren't given time and resources to do it, it helps me keep my eye on the ball, not lose sight of objectives, and work in good best practices whenever possible.
I would definitely recommend this book to someone who is entrenched in BI projects on a regular basis.
Excellent book - for beginners..........2007-07-18
The author has well organized the contents, and provided a clear explanation of each of the topics (each topic is a step/phase in the overall BI implementation methodology).... Has a project plan template also...
Good book for beginners in Data warehousing / BI.
Great for a PM.......2007-05-11
Am currently in the process of executing a DW/BI project, my background is JAVA application Project management. This book has been great in getting me upto speed on the basic architecture and lingo of BI/DW.
Book lays out step by step the different parts to a DW. The front office, the back office, meta data repository. Highlights how DW/BI phases are different from other application dev phases. It doesn't go into how to do data modelling - for this get the lifecycle toolkit. But it gives a great overview of planning a BI/DW initiative. Much better than the pure Project Management books.
To get a complete picture I'd use this book along with the Toolkit book.
Good organized document.......2007-01-11
I like this book, its easy to read it...
Good document
Good Practical advice.......2007-01-09
The book offers good practical advice that can be used in the development of a Business Intelligence (BI) project / initiative. The over all road map provides a check list of issues to consider and offers a place to start in planning your own initiative. It is a good reference for individuals starting a BI project for the first time.
Book Description
Based on the authors' consulting experience with numerous Fortune 500 companies, this resource will help you capture the synergies of your next merger or acquisition more quickly and effectively. Augmenting their step-by-step advice with helpful templates, checklists, graphs and tools; Galpin and Herndon provide sound guidance for successfully integrating different processes, organizations, and cultures. The authors also address pre-deal dos and don'ts, people dynamics, common mistakes, communications strategies, and specific actions you can take to create measurable positive results throughout the integration process.
Customer Reviews:
Great review of prior experiences.......2006-03-18
This is a very nice review of M&A's taking place in the late 90's good to get an overview of the M&A keys to success.
Post-Merger Process Tools for Big Companies.......2001-09-20
Having been a manager at a large company, I can see how this book would be beneficial for managers at large companies that are doing acquisitions. But from the perspective of a manager at a smaller company that is being acquired, this book was not particularly helpful.
Packed With Knowledge!.......2001-03-16
This thorough, detailed book focuses on the misunderstood aspects of merger and acquisition management. Timothy J. Galpin and Mark Herndon clearly have vast experience and draw on case studies to illustrate their suggestions. They provide sample surveys and integration flow charts to guide hands-on planning, and offer practical advice that you can apply in real-world situations. Not all of these ideas are new, nor do the authors claim them to be. Instead, they apply the most relevant ideas from management and psychology to M&A. The authors hammer home an extremely consistent message: You must communicate. They present their ideas clearly, even though the book is often wordy and uses a lot of passive voice (alas, business prose). Nonetheless, this is actually a very dense book and the authors are careful not to waste the reader's time. This is essential reading for virgin M&A managers, and we at getAbstract think that even experienced acquirers may find much to learn.
About as "Complete" as Possible.......2000-07-15
There is already an abundance of resources on the subject of M&A, especially those available on the WWW. If you are looking for a single-volume source, this is probably one of the best. The authors devote 14 chapters to virtually all aspects of M&A. In process, with clarity and eloquence, they explain the "Watson Wyatt Deal Flow Model" which, after appropriate modifications, can be applied to almost any organization involved in M&A negotiations, either as a buyer or as a seller. The final chapter, all by itself, is well worth the cost of the book. In it, the authors suggest various "keys" to M&A success. They then provide:
Resource A: Sample Task Force Charter
Resource B: Integration Planning Template
Resource C: Executive Summary of Watson Wyatt Worldwide's 1998-1999 Mergers and Acquisitions Survey
What we have here is a single-volume in which two experts on the subject of M&A seem to share everything they know about the subject. Even if your company is not currently a buyer or seller, its senior-level executives should read this book. Why? Because you just never know. Perhaps sooner than now anticipated, your company will be courted by another...or it will be attracted to another company as a prospective acquisition. In either situation, this book (and the "Watson Wyatt Deal Flow Model" it discusses) will be invaluable.
Supplement to Wall Street M&A deals.......2000-05-17
The book is a great supplement to the subject of Valuation models and talks about in depth analysis that goes into the art of valuing a company. It actually goes in to informing the reader about the pre-merger and post-merger outcomes.....very informative and analytical!
Book Description
Widely hailed for its contemporary, cutting-edge perspective, this comprehensive, reader-friendly text covers the latest decision support theories and practices used by managers and organizations. Current examples and cases are drawn from actual organizations and firms. Decision Making, Systems, Modeling, and Support. Data Warehousing, Access, Analysis, Mining, and Visualization. Modeling and Analysis. Decision Support System Development. Collaborative Computing Technologies: Group Support Systems. Enterprise Decision Support Systems. Knowledge Management. Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems. Knowledge Acquisition and Validation. Knowledge Representation. Inference Techniques. Intelligent Systems Development. Neural Computing Applications, and Advanced Artificial Intelligent Systems and Applications. Intelligent Software Agents and Creativity. Implementing and Integrating Management Support Systems. Organizational and Societal Impacts of Management Support Systems. For managers interested in Decision Support Systems, Computerized Decision Making, and Management Support Systems.
Customer Reviews:
Solid publication for DSS & IT Theory--Great research tool!.......2005-10-25
Not everyone will find this book as extremely useful as I did. The information contained within can be intimidating because of the sheer volume packed into its over 900 pages, but for someone wanting a foundation of Decision-support theory, this book should fulfill your need.
Each chapter provides an overview and a list of learning objectives that are adequately covered in greater detail. While theory lessons provide a necessary base for most students, this book successfully ties a "real-world" example to each chapter lesson that is not only relevant, but also includes associated links should the reader require more detail.
The book layout is fairly consistent with the more recent IT textbook publications that provide information with a short shelf-life (technological improvements being what they are today), but the illustrated concepts should be useful until the next revision is published.
The authors provide a wealth of references that are extremely useful for anyone interested in expanding their knowledge on any particular section or detail in the book. This provides a necessary trail for any research project.
The companion website (publisher) provides power point presentations that outline each chapter that were found useful for classroom utilization, however, a few details such as adding notes pages would have been greatly appreciated. Essentially, the material covered by these presentations proved more than adequate, although sometimes requiring a little digging in the textbook to provide enough detail (which I believe was the intent).
All in all this was an excellent book and a great research tool for anyone pursuing an education in IT.
Rambling book.......2005-10-18
This book could get away with about 2/3 the volume of content still be interesting. There really does not seem to be any structure to the way a chapter flows. Its easy to skim, but difficult to read.
Good case studies;
The connection with the web is a little over-emphasized and sometimes unclear. I'd prefer a dense read, with some concise messages.
This is a good course text, not a favorite though.
Purpose of the book: separate you from your money???.......2005-09-21
As far as I can tell the prupose of this book is to separate you from a great deal of your money!
It has a great deal to say about nothing. There is very little substantive detail on anything! Which, given it's size, really is quite amazing! This book will not teach you how to concretely implement any decision support system. It waffles on at a very distant level about such systems but never gets down in the trenches, if you know what I mean. It's basically why (though only just) rather than how! And for me, that makes this book a very pricey door jam.
Seriously, I was really underwhelmed and disappointed by the book. I ended up buying Statistics, Data Analysis and Decision Modeling by Evens and Olson (isbn: 0130783838) to find the information and practice that I need (decision modeling rather than decision support systems per se). It also comes with phstat software which is a VERY useful excel statistical add-in.
For example, from this book, p681-685 is genetic algorithms -> in 5 Pages!!!!! with nothing substantive about recombination, crossover, mutation, fitness or anythign like that (the terms are mentioned but not explained)...all it does is refer you sompleace else! Fuzzy logic gets 4 pages...with no implementation details. That is seriously ordinary!
So I suggest you save your money and look at something else. SOmehow I don't see this book giving anybody too much joy. It amazes me it has lasted through 7 edition. If the 7th is this bad...I'd hate to see the first edition!!! So, as I said before, more a book about why and where to go to get knowledge of how to do rather than giving you the know-how. SO look for a book on how! This is a book for discovering that terms like knowledge discovery in databases (KDD) actually exist...and maybe what it means (like say webopedia) but certainly not how to do it...
Excellent reference, thick college text.......2005-02-07
This is a textbook appropriate for a college-level course at the upper division or graduate level. It gives very thorough coverage of the entire field in one book, and most students really like the book in satisfaction questionnaires, but some feel overwhelmed until after the material is covered in class. I focus on specific chapters or sections of chapters for a single-semester course.
It is an excellent reference for key elements of DSS and related systems. I've followed it through several editions, and when new chapters are introduced, they may be verbose--but they are more focused in later editions. The authors do a good job of describing how computer-based systems support structured, semi-structured, and unstructured decisions and the design, intelligence, and choice framework. The book also has several good general chapters that provide an overview and describe different types of decision support systems. It includes sections on object-oriented systems and knowledge management (KM) systems. It is pretty theoretical and covers a lot of material, yet it's my favorite text for its purpose.
throw it into the trash.......2004-07-19
Used it for school, found it dry, boring, ugly. I got frustrated every time I picked up the book. Really want to throw it into the trash if not for the resell value.
Book Description
MAKING HARD DECISIONS WITH DECISIONTOOLS« is a special version of Bob Clemen's best-selling text, MAKING HARD DECISIONS. This straight-forward book teaches the fundamental ideas of decision analysis, without an overly technical explanation of the mathematics used in management science. This new version incorporates and implements the powerful DecisionTools« by Palisade Corporation, the world's leading toolkit for risk and decision analysis. At the end of each chapter, topics are illustrated with step-by-step instructions for DecisionTools«. This new version makes the text more useful and relevant to students to business and engineering.
Customer Reviews:
Update on the Decison Tools Suite.......2004-02-22
Dr Clemen has provided an excellent text for Decision Analysis instruction. I have continuously surveyed the field and have yet to find a text that comes up to the standard that Dr Clemen set with his first publication "Making Hard Decisions"
I have used "Making Hard Decisions with Decision Tools Suite" as well as the predecessor text "Making Hard Decisions."
Richard D Hofler
Hard Decisions Basics.......2004-01-25
Used this book in a "Making Decisions under Uncertainty" graduate class at the Business School of the University of São Paulo. This book brings all the basics for decision making theory, specifically quantitative aspects of it and comes along with the Decision Tools software that has some bugs but works ok. Using the book together with the software you will get a very good basic idea of what decision making is all about. If decision theory is important for your studies buy this book!!! I also recommend Max Bazerman's "Judgment in managerial decision making" as a complement to it because this one focuses more on the subjective piece of decision making (decision biases, uncertainty, etc, etc) which is not really covered well by Clemen & Reilly. With both, you have a very good toolset for starting to study Decision Making Theory.
Book is OK. Spend extra $20 if you buy used book........2003-03-12
There is a software with the book, which has to be used for working on the problems.(The book has no use without the software).
You can register the software only once.
If you buy a used book, you have to pay another $20 to get a new serial # to use the software.
My seller mburns1000 didn't mention about this when I bought the book and I ended up spending another $20.
The authors know how to write a textbook!.......2002-10-08
This exceptional book is worth reading regardless of readers' specialization. A big surprise for those who don't like probability and statistics! This book could be a good introduction to Probability and Statistics with Bayesian approach. Although I cannot point out bad sections, here are some of the topics that could be improved.
Influence Diagram examples are much fewer than Decision Tree diagrams. I'd love to see more complex and elaborate decision model examples for practitioners implementing their own models.
In probability chapter, the authors implicitly assume that Pr(A,B) means Pr(AB) or Pr(A and B) where Pr() is "probability of" and A and B are some events. This is never mentioned in the book (as far as I recall), so it should be fixed for clarity. Also in the same chapter, chain rules and marginalization are not covered explicitly, yet a reader needs to use these general rules in exercises and in some of main contents. These rules are very important in manipulating probability and conditional probability terms.
Although there are few selected answers for exercises, most of the answers are not too hard and they are self-explanatory. So self-study readers shouldn't worry too much.
A curious person who might wonder what decision science and analysis is about, I recommend reading "Smart Choice" by John Hammond, et al. Less math and more compact exposition.
For further study in Influence Diagrams and Bayesian Belief Nets (BBN), a good introduction is "Bayesian Networks and Decision Graphs" by Finn Jensen, et al. There are numerous good sites for BBN on web so search them online. For probability and statistics, "Probability and Statistics" by Degroot, et al. or Feller's Volume 1 are good, which are mentioned in the textbook.
Note: I recommend this blue cover version rather than green one as the former comes with Palisade Decision Tools Suite and is published later.
Understanding Hard Decisions.......2000-10-20
Understanding Hard Decisions
So that you know where I am coming from: I found this book while selecting a new text for my senior "Decision & Risk Analysis" course. There are numerous books on this subject, but none are perfect: either the presentation of the subject is hard, talking way above the heads of the audience, or too theoretical, or requiring a high level of math skills, or the presentation is at a too low level, or too narrow in focus, or not covering the whole spectrum of Decision Analysis. I chose this book for various advantages it has. The technical level of math that it requires is low, yet the analysis is high. It is written in a very easy way to read, follow and understand manner. It can be used both as a textbook for a course as well as a reference. It makes use of the most common generic tool for calculating and solving problems, the Excel spreadsheet for the suite of software that comes with the book (Palisades Decision tools) are integrated with it. The book offers a rather complete presentation of decision analysis concepts and techniques: there is a whole chapter on the important topic of sensitivity analysis, another chapter on simulation; and risk and forecasting are also presented.
I find the reference section in each chapter excellent, for it helps the reader tie the literature to the concepts presented. The last chapter which gives an annotated decision analysis reading list is also very helpful. All textbooks need to have these two ingredients. It is true that numerous of the references given in the book are fairly old, but the topic is not in the fast changing computer science field, and many of the original articles and books in the decision analysis area are classics and need to be looked at carefully. (Maybe there is a lesson to learn here for those who give a minus when "old" references are included in a scholarly work.)
The book is very modern for the concepts it presents (influence diagrams - a relatively newcomer in decision analysis, issues of recent interest, such as assessment, ecology and AIDS) and because it also ties with the web. The reader is directed to the web page of the Decision Analysis Society of INFORMS and this gives an important tool for keeping the knowledge presented in the book constantly updateable and broadening the spectrum of the interested reader. Another advantage: the book emphasizes structuring decision problems rather the more traditional approach to stress modeling of uncertainty and preference.
I like both the structure of the book (that follows the decision analysis process) and that of each chapter which consist of an introduction, presentation of concepts and techniques, a summary section, challenging case studies accompanied by questions referring to the concepts just presented, references, and an epilogue.
Best qualities of the book: clarity, good structure, interesting real or realistic fictitious case studies - extremely important to keep the student interested in a topic which other books present in a dry way and with just "toy" problems.
Yes, the book is rather expensive, but do not disregard the fact that it comes with a set of software tools which although a student version (with limited-size problems and expiring after a while) it can be time-unlocked for a cost. Most importantly the software does not represent a separate school-only tool, for there exist commercial standard and professional versions that the student will be able to use on real-life problems without the need to go through an additional learning curve, if willing to pay the larger, but non-prohibitive cost. Clear instructions for how to use the software is given in the appropriate sections of the book.
What I would add? A glossary of decision analysis terms, either for each chapter or, with preference, a global one at the end of the book.
A special touch: most chapters end with an epilogue. Each epilogue has a different flavor (a game, a comment on a debated case, etc.) The epilogue does not directly summarize the main "action" of the chapter. It is more like the conclusion section of a musical composition - it brings some additional intriguing element that will keep the interest of the student aroused. This is as artistic in nature as decision science must be!
Review by Ileana Costea, Ph.D. Professor of Engineering, California State University, Northridge Email: icostea@csun.edu
October 18, 2000 Los Angeles
Book Description
Packed with essential information, this valuable volume helps future business management professionals learn to make and support managerial decisions, providing a thorough understanding of the support aspect of DSS. Written from a cognitive processes and decision-making perspective, it concentrates on issues that emphasize managerial applications and the implication of decision support technology on those issues. The volume examines data warehouses, intelligent software agents and DSS system development, as well as an introduction to decision support systems, decision in the organization, modeling decision processes, group decision support and groupware technologies, executive information systems, expert systems and artificial intelligence, knowledge engineering and acquisition, and data mining and data visualization. For Data Warehouse Administrators, CIO and Directors of Information Systems.
Book Description
Create systems that run every aspect of your business-so you don't have to.
You didn't start your business just to become a slave to it, but how do you get things done the way you want when you're not there? Self-made millionaire and entrepreneurial expert Brad Sugars shows you how. Brad walks you step-by-step through the entire process of systemizing your business. Discover how to:
- Recognize the ways systems can dramatically increase productivity and profits
- Identify the four key areas in your business to systemize
- Put your systems in place without causing mass panic at work
- Improve processes at every level of your business and stop wasting time and money
Get real results right now when you discover all that Instant Success has to offer!
Instant Advertising * Instant Cashflow * Instant Leads * Instant Profit * Instant Promotions * Instant Referrals * Instant Repeat Business * Instant Sales * Instant Team Building * The Business Coach * The Real Estate Coach * Successful Franchising * Billionaire in Training
Customer Reviews:
The Next Business Book You Must Read.......2007-05-22
Instant Systems takes the business owner through the 9 steps necessary to systemize ANY business. Each step is methodically explained and follows a logical sequence. I have put the ideas to use in my own business and now I understand that I am destined to repeat every task until I write it down. With every system I create, I realize that I am that much closer to "fool-proofing" the way my business works. This book has been one of the most useful tools I have ever put to work in my business and I recommend it highly to all my friends and colleagues.
Brad Writes His Own Reviews.......2006-11-16
Check out the other reviews each reviewer has made, and you will find that they are mostly for Brad's other books. Hey, this is a great marketing ploy. Write exactly what you want others to think of your work, give it 5 stars and attribute it to paying customers. However, this abuses the trust we place in customer reviews. Most of his other books have been review by him as well.
So, who really knows if any of his work is any good?
Instant Systems.......2006-10-18
Excellent book. A must for any Business which wants to improve their efficency and effectiveness. Systems are simple, but need to put into place. Once you have a system in place, you dont need to rely such much on the employee. The sytsem runs the Business. Systems can then be easily updated and improved. REad the book and improve your systems which will in turn improve your Business.
Great book about documenting processes from a small business coach.......2006-07-24
I highly recommend this book. It stresses the importance of systematizing your business so you, the owner, can treat it as an asset producing income streams rather than as a mere job. It will help you create systems that run every aspect of your business. This books has great content, but it comes across a bit as a marketing tool for the author's consulting business regarding small business coaching. If you are a small business owner, then this book will help you get your business out of your head onto paper.
I love the following quote from the book: "Very few people ever make a fortune running their businesses, but a lot of people make a fortune selling them." You'll only be able to sell your business if you systematize it.
The 4 key areas that can be systematized are:
1. Strategic Planning (budget, measure, evaluate, and take action)
2. Team Building (your people and education)
3. Delivery of Services or Distribution of Product
4. Using Technology (computers, machines, and equipment)
I would have liked the book better if it had been organized by "chapters" rather than "parts." And I think "Part III" should have been broken into the following 4 chapters:
Chapter 4: People and Education
Chapter 5: Delivery and Distribution
Chapter 6: Testing and Measuring
Chapter 7: Systems and Technology
All in all, a great little book to read and study. 5 stars!
Instant Systems.......2006-05-09
Instant Sytems will definitely help you fast track your business to success.
From reading this book I learnt how to identify the areas in my business that needed systemizing. I also learnt how to develop, write and implement these effective systems into my business without causing massive panic for my team.
If you don't want to be a slave to your business I highly recommend you read Instant Systems by Bradley J Sugars.
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- The Knowledge-Creating Company: How Japanese Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation
- The Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI): Self Participant's Workbook with Self Insert (Package), One 120 page Participant's Workbook plus a 4 page Self Insert (The Leadership Practices Inventory)
- The Medicaid Planning Handbook: A Guide to Protecting Your Family's Assets from Catastrophic Nursing Home Costs
- The Next Global Stage: The Challenges and Opportunities in Our Borderless World
- The PMP Exam: How to Pass On Your First Try (Test Prep series)
- The RealAge Makeover: Take Years Off Your Looks and Add Them to Your Life
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