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Updated Edition: Thomas L. Friedman is not so much a futurist, which he is sometimes called, as a presentist. His aim in The World Is Flat, as in his earlier, influential Lexus and the Olive Tree, is not to give you a speculative preview of the wonders that are sure to come in your lifetime, but rather to get you caught up on the wonders that are already here. The world isn't going to be flat, it is flat, which gives Friedman's breathless narrative much of its urgency, and which also saves it from the Epcot-style polyester sheen that futurists--the optimistic ones at least--are inevitably prey to.
What Friedman means by "flat" is "connected": the lowering of trade and political barriers and the exponential technical advances of the digital revolution that have made it possible to do business, or almost anything else, instantaneously with billions of other people across the planet. This in itself should not be news to anyone. But the news that Friedman has to deliver is that just when we stopped paying attention to these developments--when the dot-com bust turned interest away from the business and technology pages and when 9/11 and the Iraq War turned all eyes toward the Middle East--is when they actually began to accelerate. Globalization 3.0, as he calls it, is driven not by major corporations or giant trade organizations like the World Bank, but by individuals: desktop freelancers and innovative startups all over the world (but especially in India and China) who can compete--and win--not just for low-wage manufacturing and information labor but, increasingly, for the highest-end research and design work as well. (He doesn't forget the "mutant supply chains" like Al-Qaeda that let the small act big in more destructive ways.)
Friedman has embraced this flat world in his own work, continuing to report on his story after his book's release and releasing an unprecedented hardcover update of the book a year later with 100 pages of revised and expanded material. What's changed in a year? Some of the sections that opened eyes in the first edition--on China and India, for example, and the global supply chain--are largely unaltered. Instead, Friedman has more to say about what he now calls "uploading," the direct-from-the-bottom creation of culture, knowledge, and innovation through blogging, podcasts, and open-source software. And in response to the pleas of many of his readers about how to survive the new flat world, he makes specific recommendations about the technical and creative training he thinks will be required to compete in the "New Middle" class. As before, Friedman tells his story with the catchy slogans and globe-hopping anecdotes that readers of his earlier books and his New York Times columns know well, and he holds to a stern sort of optimism. He wants to tell you how exciting this new world is, but he also wants you to know you're going to be trampled if you don't keep up with it. A year later, one can sense his rising impatience that our popular culture, and our political leaders, are not helping us keep pace. --Tom Nissley
Where Were You When the World Went Flat?
Thomas L. Friedman's reporter's curiosity and his ability to recognize the patterns behind the most complex global developments have made him one of the most entertaining and authoritative sources for information about the wider world we live in, both as the foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times and as the author of landmark books like From Beirut to Jerusalem and The Lexus and the Olive Tree. They also make him an endlessly fascinating conversation partner, and we've now had the chance to talk to him about The World Is Flat twice. Read our original interview with him following the publication of the first edition of The World Is Flat to learn why there's almost no one from Washington, D.C., listed in the index of a book about the global economy, and what his one-plank platform for president would be. (Hint: his bumper stickers would say, "Can You Hear Me Now?")
And now you can listen to our second interview, in which he talks about the updates he's made in "The World Is Flat 2.0," including his response to parents who said to him, "Great, Mr. Friedman, I'm glad you told us the world is flat. Now what do I tell my kids?"
The Essential Tom Friedman
From Beirut to Jerusalem |
The Lexus and the Olive Tree |
Longitudes and Attitudes |
More on Globalization and Development
China, Inc. by Ted Fishman |
Three Billion New Capitalists by Clyde Prestowitz |
The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs |
Globalization and Its Discontents by Joseph Stiglitz |
The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy by Pietra Rivoli |
The Mystery of Capital by Hernando de Soto |
Book Description
The World Is Flat is Thomas L. Friedman’s account of the great changes taking place in our time, as lightning-swift advances in technology and communications put people all over the globe in touch as never before—creating an explosion of wealth in India and China, and challenging the rest of us to run even faster just to stay in place. This updated and expanded edition features more than a hundred pages of fresh reporting and commentary, drawn from Friedman’s travels around the world and across the American heartland—from anyplace where the flattening of the world is being felt.
In The World Is Flat, Friedman at once shows “how and why globalization has now shifted into warp drive” (Robert Wright, Slate) and brilliantly demystifies the new flat world for readers, allowing them to make sense of the often bewildering scene unfolding before their eyes. With his inimitable ability to translate complex foreign policy and economic issues, he explains how the flattening of the world happened at the dawn of the twenty-first century; what it means to countries, companies, communities, and individuals; how governments and societies can, and must, adapt; and why terrorists want to stand in the way. More than ever, The World Is Flat is an essential update on globalization, its successes and discontents, powerfully illuminated by one of our most respected journalists.
Download Description
The Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist gives a bold, timely, and surprising picture of the state of globalization in the twenty-first century
Customer Reviews:
The World is Flat.......2007-10-23
Had to return the book. I wanted the 3.0 version but only the 2.0 was available. Too bad!!!
An important look into the development of the world, for the common person.......2007-10-23
I am a common person. I am not a computer-geek, or a technology junkie, or even an avid reader of Times or other such publications of the world as we know it. I am too busy, and so this was a lovely book to help bring to my awareness the situation of our world's commerce, trade and technological developments as they are today.
Covering a wide range of subjects, from political to environmental, to health-care and education, our author provides a good, clear look into the world of outsourcing, "in-sourcing", technological advances, and the political arena in which everything comes together. He provides a mostly objective report on such subjects, so widly influencing the world.
For anyone interested in the future of our nation and of the world, business, trade, politics, or life in general, this is a great resource. Of course, it certainly is a lot of heavy reading, and the author tends to get wordy from time to time. But overall, this book is well researched and well written.
My main complaint is that he steps into the political side of things a bit more than I believe this book warrants. He gives his opinion on what certain individuals should do to solve the problems, and uses the book as a platform for his area of interest. I support his research and expertise on the subjects at hand, but do not feel that the "call to action" was either appropriately executed or even thorough enough given the subjects covered, for it to be a valid part of the book. Other than that, great job!
...and so is this book.......2007-10-10
Though it has become an immensely popular book, Friedman's work is fairly shallow and simplistic. It is important to remember that this is a world analysis written by a journalist, not by a political economist or any type of economist or political scientist. His views are oversimplified and his support relies heavily on anecdote, making his 600-pager about 400 pages too long. We read it for a poli sci class and proceeded to tear it apart intellectually.
Ranks up there with Common Sense, Uncle Toms Cabin, The Femine Mystique.......2007-10-10
One of the greatest books ever written. Everyone in America should read this book. Every teacher in America should read and teach Frieman's lessons. Every parent should read and help prepare their children for the world that is coming. Every student should read and begin to prepare for the world they are going to face. This is the most important book of our times, bar none.
Embracing Business Globalization's Irreversibility.......2007-10-10
This is easily the most relevant book written on the new realities of business globalization, its irreversibility, and the practical consequences to our future. Friedman does an excellent job describing the numerous factors that led up to our current global economy including the ongoing fall of communism, the advent of the personal computer, and the ubiquity of the Internet. His historical review and assessment is fascinating and it sets up the reader to understand the context for his theories and practical applications. Friedman delves into numerous industries, businesses, personalities, case studies, technologies, psychological factors, and sociological factors. Although he covers numerous business, technological, and economic concepts, his writing style is very engaging and entertaining, using many personal examples and narratives, thereby holding the reader's interest. Rather than bemoaning some of the common perceived negative consequences of a global economy (such as US auto workers losing jobs to overseas cheaper labor) Friedman helps the reader to understand business globalization's irreversibility. In so doing, he describes many personal, practical, and business strategies for thriving in this new environment. Friedman is realistic and compassionate concerning the changes and the challenges. He states, "the great challenge for our time will be to absorb these changes in ways that do not overwhelm people but also do not leave them behind. None of this will be easy. But this is our task. It is inevitable and unavoidable" (pp. 46-47). As Friedman unfolds his strategies, he gives the reader a broader, global perspective that is filled with hope and excitement. Whether as a CEO, a business student, or a brand new professional embarking upon a career, this book is insightful, practical, and essential reading.
Book Description
You have more information at hand about your business environment than ever before. But are you using it to “out-think” your rivals? If not, you may be missing out on a potent competitive tool.
In Competing on Analytics: The New Science of Winning , Thomas H. Davenport and Jeanne G. Harris argue that the frontier for using data to make decisions has shifted dramatically. Certain high-performing enterprises are now building their competitive strategies around data-driven insights that in turn generate impressive business results. Their secret weapon? Analytics: sophisticated quantitative and statistical analysis and predictive modeling.
Exemplars of analytics are using new tools to identify their most profitable customers and offer them the right price, to accelerate product innovation, to optimize supply chains, and to identify the true drivers of financial performance. A wealth of examples—from organizations as diverse as Amazon, Barclay’s, Capital One, Harrah’s, Procter & Gamble, Wachovia, and the Boston Red Sox—illuminate how to leverage the power of analytics.
Customer Reviews:
A Masterful Overview of Analytical Business.......2007-10-25
This book is incredibly useful, and some of the hard-core propellerheads who have criticized it for not being rigorous enough are missing the point. It is not intended to be a highly analytical proof of the value of any particular analytical technique. It's a clear, persuasive discussion of how to establish a broad analytical capability within a company, and some of the benefits that might accrue from having that capability. It shows that there is a correlation (no causation is argued) between being analytical, and being successful from a financial standpoint. I have used it to convince other managers in my company that we need to take a more analytical perspective on our business and industry. They have found it just as compelling as I did. The stories about the Red Sox (who seem to be doing pretty well again this year--surely in part because of their analytical orientation) and other sports teams only add to its appeal.
Inspiration for Business People .......2007-10-25
The best thing about this book is the inspiration it can provide business leaders who are still skeptical about the value of analytics and business intelligence. In working with customers trying to implement these solutions, far too many cite lack of executive level interest and understanding as a cause for failure. Competing on Analytics gives case after case of how businesses have differentiated themselves on their use of data, delivering better customer service and improved financial performance. The cases range from the innovators like Netflix to traditional such as BankCo and airlines (here, the authors highlight both the successes and the analytic failures). This book should be on the must read list for business people looking for ways to perform better and for analytic and BI experts charged with supporting the business in leveraging these capabilities.
Good primer and sales piece.......2007-10-12
This book is a good introduction to the applications and benefits of business analytics. It focuses on benefits and has minimal coverage of analysis methods.
I am somewhat put off by the subtitle "The New Science of Winning" which probably helps sell the book, and which reflects the extreme culture of winners and losers that dominates business culture these days. History shows that any culture without a better balance of competition with cooperation and ethics will be eclipsed.
Covers the basics of both the what-is and the how-to of fact-based decision making.......2007-10-04
Mark Twain once said something to the effect that it isn't what you don't know that gets you into trouble, it's what you know for certain that isn't so that will get you. Too many businesses are run on assumptions, guesses, and inertia. What we are doing now worked in the past so lets keep doing it. Shareholders lose a lot of money when their businesses are run with that kind of thinking.
This book is about fact-based decision making. It is really more of an introduction to the subject than a detailed text, but it is still quite useful for those wanting to learn the basics of the subject. The first five chapters discuss what analytics are, how you compete using them, and the growth path from wondering what an analytic competitor is through the fives steps to becoming one. They also discuss what it means when using internal data that you completely control, and what it means when you do it using data you control and supplier or customer data that you do not control.
The last four chapters take on the practical side of implementing a road map to becoming an analytic competitor. I particularly enjoyed the chapter emphasizing that all your plans will fail if you don't have the right people. Systems alone won't do it. The next chapter discusses the kinds of systems you need. The last chapter discusses the future of analytics.
For the right audience, this is a fascinating book. The stories about businesses succeeding by using analytics or getting themselves into serious trouble by ignoring them are all good and entertaining. Be careful, though. Some of the stories talk about instances (such as the Red Sox losing the World Series by letting the pitcher go beyond his statistical maximum pitching range) rather than trends and large numbers of events. Statistics don't work on instances. That is, at any given moment a coin might come up heads or tails. Just because there have been ten heads flips in a row does not mean you should take less than 50-50 odds on the next flip. It is still 50-50. That pitcher might have won, might have lost that game and it would have become part of the statistical information. However, for the stats to become powerful, you would have to be able to make a strong prediction over a series of games that he pitched. That is, if he goes beyond X pitches in 10 games he will lose about 8 of them. That means he still wins two (or one or three) and you don't know when in the series the wins will come.
The idea that very small observations can be exploited for big advantage is very important in today's ever more competitive business climate. For example Harrah's learned that moving the odds on slot machines one-tenth of one percent in their favor did not affect customer play at all, but netted them at extra $80 million (company wide). Marriott's hotel management system improves hotel performance by a couple percent. Remember that these improvements incur little cost, so most of the improvement flows quickly to the bottom line.
I thought that might get your attention. Read it so you can learn and profit from it.
Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI
A limited introduction to business analytics.......2007-09-21
MY RATING SYSTEM:
* - if you have to chose between torture and reading this book, then you might want to consider reading the book - although it depends on just how severe the torture would be.
** - if you've lost your job and have quite a bit of free time on your hands, and don't have anything else better to do, then you might want to consider reading this book; don't expect to learn much or really be entertained. It will however, help you pass the time until your death.
*** - meh...I'm indifferent. Reading this book will not alter your life in any significant way, yet it is not so horrendously dreadful that your taking the time to read it will be a complete waste of time.
**** - Good book to great book zone here. You should probably read this book if you have some spare time. This book could be interesting, entertaining, or informative.
***** - Outstanding book! Make time to read this book - you'll learn or be entertained or intrigued. The book might even be good enough to provide original or helpful insights into the world that we live in.
REVIEW:
Competing on Analytics serves as an interesting, albeit limited, introduction to the concept of using complex data collection, management, and analysis techniques to gain a competitive edge in business.
For me, the book served as a useful introduction, but fell far short of satisfying the objectives I had in mind when I first came across it. What I was expecting was a book that provide a detailed guide to developing and implementing an analytical approach to business decision making. While early on the authors acknowledge the limitations of the book, I found what followed to be less than satisfying.
The book contained a variety of examples of companies that were using analytical techniques to improve the quality of business decision making, and discussed a variety of business areas in which companies might want to adopt such analytical techniques but failed to present comprehensive case studies that would provide real guidance to readers. I would have liked to have been led through a few cases, from a diverse set of industries, where the authors describe what information was collected and why, how the information was manipulated, analyzed and presented, and how the entire analytics process was influenced by and/or influenced the company's strategy and performance. Instead, the book left me with the impression that I need to go out an hire a consulting firm to lead me through the development of an analytics program.
One of the most ironic components of the book was that while it touted the use of analytical techniques and objective analysis to motivate business decision making, it's argument was largely based on anecdotal evidence of a handful of companies that have adopted analytical approaches.
Book Description
Thorough and up-to-date, this book supports any of the most popular approaches to AIS: focus on transaction cycles and controls; focus on systems life cycle; focus on databases and data modeling; or focus on computer-based controls, fraud and auditing.
The book begins with an overview and conceptual foundations then goes on to discuss control and audit of accounting information systems, accounting information systems applications, and the systems development process.
For CPAs and corporate accountants.
Customer Reviews:
Yawning Hell.......2006-05-31
Is this the world's most boring book ? Technically competent but painfully dry. A gift too insomniacs. Good luck on getting past page 1 !
Only Buy if Required for a Class.......2005-05-09
Very boring reading. Chapters tend to repeat themselves. The class I had for this book was one of the most boring classes I ever had. Instructor lectured from power point slides. I could have taken this class homestudy and done just fine, than to sit in class.
Caution: Will Cause Drowsiness........2004-04-03
This book is simply horrible. It takes the stereotypical accountant and shoves him into the pages. It is so lethargic and monotonous that all the valuable information within the book just stops making sense. This book should be read by anyone who has doubts about becoming an accountant. They'll drop everything and go into premed. Horrible!
Agreed. Boring as dirt........2003-05-10
Everything you need is in here, but the book truly is boring as dirt. If you need it for a class, fine. But do not buy it if you just want something to read.
Comprehensive but boring.......1999-09-12
This is a very comprehensive textbook of the subject. It deals with just about every aspect of the AIS realm. It is, however, a very dull book. There isn't much illustrating, no color, and absolutely no life beyond the black and white wasteland of its pages.
Book Description
Contemporary and well written, this book serves as a good desk reference for business professionals who need to know about information systems. Chapter topics include database management, telecommunications, electronic commerce, information system ethics, security, and more. For systems analysts or general business professionals who need to know about information systems.
Book Description
Of all the tech tigers in India, Wipro is one of a handful that stands out from the pack. In the past five years, it has become one of the most accomplished tech services providers in the world, delivering business value through a combination of process excellence, quality frameworks, and service delivery innovation. Totally dedicated to customer satisfaction, Wipro is known to go above and beyond to make customers happy. It’s a move that’s paid off handsomely, with a 24 percent operating profit in its tech services division—more than twice the industry average.
Bangalore Tiger is the story of Wipro’s transformation and its impact on the tech services industry and the rules of global competition. BusinessWeek senior writer Steve Hamm takes you inside the halls of this transnational phenomenon to reveal the true secrets of Wipro’s superior business: its people, principles, and core competencies.
From Wipro’s triumphs to its missteps, Hamm mines a treasure of business lessons, explaining how and, more important, why it is necessary to:
- Expand quickly without stumbling
- Follow the new rules for outsourcers
- Innovate every day—or else
- Be obsessive about customers
- Motivate employees the Wipro way
- Plan three years ahead to prepare for rapid growth
Hamm also gives you a rare glimpse into the mind of Wipro’s charismatic chairman and thought leader, Azim Premji. Guiding Wipro’s growth every step of the way, Premji was one of the first business leaders in India to decree that his company would not pay bribes. You’ll see how his adoption of world-class business processes helped Wipro thrive—and how Wipro is helping to fulfill his dream of a better educated, more prosperous India. Removing the shroud of secrecy around Indian management principles, Hamm provides a real-world blueprint for operating a successful transnational organization, as viewed through the eye of the Bangalore Tiger.
Customer Reviews:
When your labor force only costs you 20 cents an hour instead of a dollar, then it is not all that difficult to compete!.......2007-09-14
This was a very good book. It is clearly written and easy to follow. It explains the 40-year history of one of India's most successful companies at present - Wipro. What started out as a peanut oil company owned by the current Chairman's father has morphed into a huge outsourcing company serving many of America's largest corporations. It has also become an adept mergers and acquistions company to help fuel its growth.
Since the book is a good read and it candidly explains how Wipro has grown over the past 40 years to become a multibillion-dollar company, I certainly recommend entrepreneurs, businessmen, and corporate executives take a look at it. However, the business principles cited are nothing new. And when the US economy tanks, then so will this company. Basically this company stands out because it is leaching off the US's elevated standard of living that cannot continue to exist if companies like Wipro continue to grow.
Two mornings ago I was reading a newspaper article about a lake in California that has been infested by Canadian Northern Pike. The Pike have no predators and they are killing the lake since they exist at the top of the food chain. I bring this up because Wipro is kind of like the Pike, and the US is kind of like the lake.
This book has five parts:
1. Taking on the West
2. People principles to lead by
3. Build on core principles
4. Success stories
5. How to inject the tiger in your own company
I'd give this book a 5 star rating if it had stopped at Part IV. But when it added Part V and tried to tout that Wipro was something for US companies to aspire to, I had to cut back a bit on my rating. If you were to drop Wipro into the US and force it to use US labor, then it would go belly-up. And that being the case, it certainly is not a poster child for US companies to examine.
What readers of this book should get from it is that the US is a lake and Wipro and other companies providing outsourcing services are a Pike. And if the US continues to let India, China, and Mexico provide cheap labor for US companies TO THE DETRIMENT OF US WORKERS, then the US is going to fail and at the same time the revenue source for these "pike " is going to fail. Not a good picture. 4 stars!
Excellent study of a high-tech trendsetter.......2007-08-24
From humble beginnings as a manufacturer of vegetable oil in India, Wipro reinvented itself, with stunning speed, as one of the world's leading providers of high-tech and business-process outsourcing (BPO) services to clients around the globe. Early in this decade, Wipro's annual revenues were $500 million. B the end of the first quarter of 2007, Wipro revenues had risen to $3.47 billion - a 41% increase over the same period in 2006. The firm is an acclaimed high-tech trendsetter. It received the accolade most prized by true business cognoscenti: becoming the subject of a Harvard Business School case study. The school examined how Wipro applied the principles of Toyota's "Lean" production system to its operations. So who is Wipro, what does the company do, and how did it become so successful so fast? We recommend that executives and managers read this book to discover the answers. Learn how your company can adopt the Wipro Way to turbocharge its operations.
A title with a much broader message!.......2007-07-09
Steve Hamm's Bangalore Tiger is a very readable book for anyone interested in understanding how Indian companies (Wipro is what he has showcased here) operate, or should operate, in today's global climate. As a journalist, Steve leverages both his observation skills and writing mastery, and, as a Westerner, looks at Wipro (and outsourcing) through an expert lens. His message is quite universal for anyone or for any company trying to succeed in today's world. Although the first four parts are Wipro specific, the subtext of his message in those parts is actually much broader in its implication. His final and the fifth part is the most useful for anyone who wants to emulate the success Wipro has achieved. All in all, it is a must read for anyone who is trying to understand how to work in India today. In fact, as their career coach, to many of my clients, who are transitioning back to India, I recomend them this title to round out their returning plans.
Indian outsourcers are now where the Japanese automotive companues were in 1969 - huge changes are coming.......2007-02-19
Steve Hamm has given us a useful book about an important company. The emergence of the big Indian outsourcers is one of the most promising developments of the past decade and is every bit as important as the rise of Toyota, Honda and the rest of the Japanese automotive industry. Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, HCL, NIIT (a smaller player, but important in learning and as an enabler) and of course Wipro are redefining the world of software services, and in all likelihood we are just at the beginning of the transformation that this will catalyze.
In Bangalore Tiger the story of the rise of Wipro from a small Mumbai food-oil company to a multi-billion dollar information services and business process outsourcer is well told. The discipline and vision of its management, led by Azim Premji, comes across clearly, as does the culture of efficiency, innovation, and customer service that he and his team have created. Extremely important for those of us who collaborate and compete with the Indian tigers is the way they have adopted and then transformed key management tools. The Indian tigers have shown true leadership in implementing CMM (the Software Engineering Institute's Capability Maturity Model), making rigorous use of techniques such as UML (something Hamm misses in his book), ISO standards and even Six Sigma. Wipro's application of Toyota's lean production system to software and business services is an important development and one worthy of much more attention. The Deming is to Toyota as SEI CMM is to Wipro analogy works for me. And then to bring this full circle by applying the Toyota way to software is a lovely development.
So why only four stars? Part of this is a response to Hamm's irritating comments on US companies, which often seem to be poorly informed. In fact, people in Western services business work every bit as hard as those at Wipro, at least the ones I work with, and are as open and aggressive about applying new methodologies. The book also suffers from the occasional technical errors (I suppose his editors should have caught these). In order to get a fuller view of the rise of the Indian IT and business process outsourcers one must read much more widely on the overall structure of Indian business (the role of Indian generic drug manufacturers for example), understand the strengths and weaknesses of the Indian educational system, and put this in context of the emerging competitive partnership with China.
But read the book. I know Wipro reasonably well, have visited Indian companies in India, and try to keep current in the area, and I learned a great deal.
More Valuable When Generalized!.......2007-01-11
"Bangalore Tiger's" purpose is to provide insight and praise for Wipro, a large and growing outsourcing company in India. (Market capitalization 2/06 of $20 billion, vs. $13 billion for EDS - the original outsourcer.) However, the book's real value is to document outsourcing trends in the software and business process re-engineering areas. (Also remember that libraries are full of analyses of successful companies at the height of their impact, only to flame-out 2-3 years later.)
Hamm asserts that '03 profit margins at the top six Indian software etc. technology firms averaged 21.7%, vs. 4.3% for the top Western firms (eg. IBM, EDS, HP, etc.). While the Indian share was only 3% in '06, it had grown 33% in just the last year, and was projected to hit 10% by '08. Meanwhile, it is also expanding to legal, market research, online education, and medical areas. Experts believe India's economy will be the world's 3rd largest by 2050, behind China and the U.S.
Addition insight into the power of the Indian challenge is provided by returning to Wipro data: 1.2 million apply/year, but only 20,000 are hired. Wipro operates about 40 Centers of Excellence at any one time - these focus on integrating emerging technologies into business process.
Finally, as to the credibility of the Wipro (think India) threat - Hamm reminds us how people laughed at Toyota when it first sent cars to the U.S.
Large business managers and politicians need to read "Bangalore Tiger," as well as other books summarizing the China and illegal Mexican immigrant threats to the U.S. One may be OK - all three provide serious challenge.
Book Description
Dealing with the management of information technology (IT) as it is being practiced in organizations today, the emphasis of this book is on the current material that information systems executives find important; its organization is around a framework that readers new to the information can understand. In this 7
th edition, discussions include the rising societal risks of IT, new sections on digital convergence, messaging, and instant messaging, and a revised discussion on wireless technology. The topics of outsourcing and and information security have been updated and enhanced. Information Systems Management in Practice continues to merge theory with practice through real-world case examples.
Topics include leadership issues, the CIO’s responsibilities, uses of IT, information systems planning, essential technologies, managing operations, systems development, decision-making, collaboration, and knowledge work.
An excellent reference resource for anyone employed in the information technology sector of business, especially managers of and executives in those departments.
Customer Reviews:
Review by Grad Student.......2007-07-19
This was my textbook for a graduate class in Information Systems and I enjoyed the book very much. The first chapter is a great introduction to show where the world of IT is and how we got there. Also the case studies are worth the price alone since they take real world corporations and offer insight into the improvements/mistakes they have made. Up to date also b/c it covers modern topics such as SOA and ESB.
IS Myths Revealed.......2007-01-05
Until I studied this book as part my BEng(Hons) curriculam, I was considering that the Innformation Systems as a dumb subject and often relating MIS to the IS. After reading this book there is shift in my paradigm. Barbara starts this with brief history on IS and its strategic importance and goes on explaining the concept of group support and decision support systems. Its a valuable asset for any IS practitioner or a studying professional. I felt certain chapters like networking and database should not part of this book as the IS is more of a concept rather than implementation. However I rate this as highest since this is the best book I have ever seen in the IS engineering.
From a network administrator's perspective.......2004-05-18
I read this book as part of my first course in a Ph.D.-MIS program. I thought it was a great overview and history of MIS, and provided insight into alternative IS management styles and strategies. The case studies were relevent, current, well written and interesting. I recommend this book for all network and systems administrators. It gives insight into what thought processes should be occurring at the CIO and IS manager levels.
Great paperweight, good consolidation of other people's work.......2002-10-20
This book provides various sources of information but no analysis by the book's authors. It is a patch work of case studies, excerpts, and paraphrasing of other texts to which I hope the original authors are getting paid royalties for.
Some of the diagrams are simplistic, others are useless. More than half of them are from other sources.
The book seems to formulate points of interest (e.g. traditional, evolving, and present-day IT roles) without providing analysis of why and how this affects future trends in IS management.
I had to write a review after reading nebulous fluff like, "Being a manufacturer, LifeScan has instituted quality processes." (which successful company doesn't) or "Way back in 1964,..." (not just back, but WAY back). When you do read something of slight interest it is almost always followed by something like, "so says Mr. so-and-so, in this-paper-that-he-wrote." (e.g. pp. 126-127 whenever "Rayport and Sviokla" is mentioned - 4 times in about 1 page of text and in every paragraph - the authors are paraphrasing a point Rayport and Sviokla made)
I'm truly amazed this book is this bad after five revisions. The authors seem to have the right information, but they really need to provide their own insights and analysis. And also have my high school english teacher review it to cut the fluff out.
Ideal for learning about IS management.......2002-08-18
I bought this book for my MSc in Analysis, Design and Management of Information Systems and I consider that it was extremely helpful. The chapter about the perspectives of IS and the role of the CIO are very interesting. In the chapter about Information Systems Planning, they included lots of concepts related to strategy, linking IS Planning with six different approaches/techniques: Stages of Growth, Critical Success Factors, Competitive Forces Model, Value Chain Analysis, Internet Value Matrix and Linkage Analysis Planning. The chapters about managing systems development are really instructive also. I strongly recommend the book for those IT practitioners whom are seeking a managerial position. It is very useful to managers and strategists as well.
Amazon.com
Bestselling author Nassim Nicholas Taleb continues his exploration of randomness in his fascinating new book, The Black Swan, in which he examines the influence of highly improbable and unpredictable events that have massive impact. Engaging and enlightening, The Black Swan is a book that may change the way you think about the world, a book that Chris Anderson calls, "a delightful romp through history, economics, and the frailties of human nature." See Anderson's entire guest review below.
Guest Reviewer: Chris Anderson
Chris Anderson is editor-in-chief of Wired magazine and the author of The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More.
Four hundred years ago, Francis Bacon warned that our minds are wired to deceive us. "Beware the fallacies into which undisciplined thinkers most easily fall--they are the real distorting prisms of human nature." Chief among them: "Assuming more order than exists in chaotic nature." Now consider the typical stock market report: "Today investors bid shares down out of concern over Iranian oil production." Sigh. We're still doing it.
Our brains are wired for narrative, not statistical uncertainty. And so we tell ourselves simple stories to explain complex thing we don't--and, most importantly, can't--know. The truth is that we have no idea why stock markets go up or down on any given day, and whatever reason we give is sure to be grossly simplified, if not flat out wrong.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb first made this argument in Fooled by Randomness, an engaging look at the history and reasons for our predilection for self-deception when it comes to statistics. Now, in The Black Swan: the Impact of the Highly Improbable, he focuses on that most dismal of sciences, predicting the future. Forecasting is not just at the heart of Wall Street, but it's something each of us does every time we make an insurance payment or strap on a seat belt.
The problem, Nassim explains, is that we place too much weight on the odds that past events will repeat (diligently trying to follow the path of the "millionaire next door," when unrepeatable chance is a better explanation). Instead, the really important events are rare and unpredictable. He calls them Black Swans, which is a reference to a 17th century philosophical thought experiment. In Europe all anyone had ever seen were white swans; indeed, "all swans are white" had long been used as the standard example of a scientific truth. So what was the chance of seeing a black one? Impossible to calculate, or at least they were until 1697, when explorers found Cygnus atratus in Australia.
Nassim argues that most of the really big events in our world are rare and unpredictable, and thus trying to extract generalizable stories to explain them may be emotionally satisfying, but it's practically useless. September 11th is one such example, and stock market crashes are another. Or, as he puts it, "History does not crawl, it jumps." Our assumptions grow out of the bell-curve predictability of what he calls "Mediocristan," while our world is really shaped by the wild powerlaw swings of "Extremistan."
In full disclosure, I'm a long admirer of Taleb's work and a few of my comments on drafts found their way into the book. I, too, look at the world through the powerlaw lens, and I too find that it reveals how many of our assumptions are wrong. But Taleb takes this to a new level with a delightful romp through history, economics, and the frailties of human nature. --Chris Anderson
Book Description
A black swan is a highly improbable event with three principal characteristics: It is unpredictable; it carries a massive impact; and, after the fact, we concoct an explanation that makes it appear less random, and more predictable, than it was. The astonishing success of Google was a black swan; so was 9/11. For Nassim Nicholas Taleb, black swans underlie almost everything about our world, from the rise of religions to events in our own personal lives.
Why do we not acknowledge the phenomenon of black swans until after they occur? Part of the answer, according to Taleb, is that humans are hardwired to learn specifics when they should be focused on generalities. We concentrate on things we already know and time and time again fail to take into consideration what we don’t know. We are, therefore, unable to truly estimate opportunities, too vulnerable to the impulse to simplify, narrate, and categorize, and not open enough to rewarding those who can imagine the “impossible.”
For years, Taleb has studied how we fool ourselves into thinking we know more than we actually do. We restrict our thinking to the irrelevant and inconsequential, while large events continue to surprise us and shape our world. Now, in this revelatory book, Taleb explains everything we know about what we don’t know. He offers surprisingly simple tricks for dealing with black swans and benefiting from them.
Elegant, startling, and universal in its applications The Black Swan will change the way you look at the world. Taleb is a vastly entertaining writer, with wit, irreverence, and unusual stories to tell. He has a polymathic command of subjects ranging from cognitive science to business to probability theory. The Black Swan is a landmark book–itself a black swan.
Customer Reviews:
Diverse.......2007-10-25
Nassim Taleb uses information from many diverse fields to prove that life is more random and less predictable than people want to believe. Botony, history, sales, economics, finance, logic, psychology, anatomy, physiology, mathamatics, gambling, technology and philosophy are discussed. Taleb's writing is choppy at times and his intellectual snobbery is obvious. However, "The Black Swan" is well worth reading because of the connections drawn to a wide variety of fields.
Mildly of Interest.......2007-10-24
Mr. Taleb makes some interesting statements but I'm glad I didn't buy the book. What comes across in a most repetitively annoying way is an enormous axe to grind instead of an argument to make. "Only I know" seems to be what shouts from every page and after a while it masks the important contributions his book could have made if he sounded a little less like a know-it all adolescent.
Mr. Taleb seems to be caught up in other people's past evolutions. Another reviewer points out correctly that the Gaussian models have lasted so long simply because we lacked the computing power to develop more accurate models. Other models certainly exist now and we should play with them, but making blistering rebuttals against people whose contributions were limited by the physical and mental technology of the time seems to me like calling Edison an imbecile because he didn't go straight to the development of the MP3.
I'm not a computer whiz, mathematical modeler, or Nobel prize winner. I'm just a speculator who has made a living at being right in the markets for over 30 years, all of it the result of self education through observation. Maybe I would have made more money over the years by being more mathematical. But I've found that it isn't the mathematics of the market that is as important as the psychology....what people think of their models of the market. If people want to believe in Black Swans, Myron Scholes, or Ed Thorp I really don't care. What I make money on, what every speculator makes money on, is the fact that I know what model is predominant in the minds of most other traders regardless of any connection to any so called objective reality. What speculators make money off of isn't models but other people's belief in them. Which explains why despite waiting for the next unforseen event....which by definition can't be predicited...we mere mortals watch the EIA reports, and employment numbers, etc. because other people are making decisions based on them. Are they right? I don't know nor care...I only know that I ignore their beliefs at my peril.
Speculators understand that our knowledge of the markets is imperfect. We know that our failings aren't the result so much of failing to see answers but failing to forsee relevant questions. We are all at some time blinded by our model/map of what is there...the quest for exact knowledge blinds us to systematic wisdom. We all tend to over estimate what we know, or can know and so overestimate the permanence of our current trends or models upon which they are built. A speculator like me may not know the mathematics of dynamic hedging and how it should fit in with chaos therory but I know that my judgments of necessity must be "fuzzy" enough to allow for the possiblity of the "unplanned" model that is or maybe unfolding in the market. In this sense I agree with Mr. Taleb's apparent goal to expand and evolve new models. It's just that he could have done it with a little more grace and with a simple respect for the ideas upon which he will inevitably build his own models.
Black Swan CEOs.......2007-10-23
This book really helped me to understand why some companies and some CEOs are not only outliers, but SPECIAL CAUSE outliers. It explains Google, Warren Buffett, and other superperforming phenomenon. Black Swan CEOs are rare, have tremendous impact, and their astonishingly successful companies always seem predictable when you look back. Makes a great case for change if you are stuck in "Mediocristan"
also read Superperformance
Expect the Unexpected..........2007-10-23
Taleb takes aim at those (especially in the financial markets) who predict the likely outcome and how we in society rarely examine the unpredicted. He argues that knowing the future is unknowable. He has covered this topic before in his 2001 best-seller, "Fooled by Randomness." Overall an interesting book.
I also highly recommend the book Understanding: Train of Thought; you won't be disappointed.
The Black Swan - An Epistemic Fowl.......2007-10-22
The Black Swan - The Impact of the Highly Improbable could have been titled The Black Swan - An Epistemic Fowl, but this might have impaired sales. Nassim Nicholas Taleb arrives at his erudite but not arrogant story after a childhood in war torn Lebanon, obtaining a Wharton MBA and years trading on Wall Street. He makes abundant use of these experiences as he weaves a complex story about the importance of these inadequately appreciated rare events to our increasingly quantified and specialized world.
His journey takes us from Plato to Popper, from Gauss to Mandelbrot and from errors of induction to errors of confirmation. An appreciation of epistemology (the philosophy of knowledge) is not required but will make the journey more enjoyable. He sets up a straw horse by showing the inadequacy of the Gaussian distribution to account for events which are several standard deviations from the mean and, therefore, are the events in which we have the least confidence. He offers some hope by using a fractal (power series) model which allows him to transform some of his black swan intractable problems to tractable gray swan problems. However, his analysis is non exhaustive and he does not consider non Gaussian models or discontinuous distributions.
We are left with an adequate argument against Gaussian quantitative models but with no replacement except the traditional qualitative narrative of boom and bust, creation and destruction which has been part of human culture for thousands of years.
Average customer rating:
- perfectly organized for bedtime
- Great content, awful format
- Interesting Read
- As Good as Everyone is Saying...Just Buy It!
- Better than the 7 Harry Potter books together
|
Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days
Jessica Livingston
Manufacturer: Apress
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ASIN: 1590597141 |
Book Description
For would-be entrepreneurs, innovation managers or just anyone fascinated by the special chemistry and drive that created some of the best technology companies in the world, this book offers both wisdom and engaging insights—straight from the source.
— Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine, and author of The Long Tail
"All the best things that I did at Apple came from (a) not having money and (b) not having done it before, ever." —Steve Wozniak, Apple
Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days is a collection of interviews with founders of famous technology companies about what happened in the very earliest days. These people are celebrities now. What was it like when they were just a couple friends with an idea? Founders like Steve Wozniak (Apple), Caterina Fake (Flickr), Mitch Kapor (Lotus), Max Levchin (PayPal), and Sabeer Bhatia (Hotmail) tell you in their own words about their surprising and often very funny discoveries as they learned how to build a company.
Where did they get the ideas that made them rich? How did they convince investors to back them? What went wrong, and how did they recover?
Nearly all technical people have thought of one day starting or working for a startup. For them, this book is the closest you can come to being a fly on the wall at a successful startup, to learn how it's done.
But ultimately these interviews are required reading for anyone who wants to understand business, because startups are business reduced to its essence. The reason their founders become rich is that startups do what businessesdo—create value—more intensively than almost any other part of the economy. How? What are the secrets that make successful startups so insanely productive? Read this book, and let the founders themselves tell you.
Customer Reviews:
perfectly organized for bedtime.......2007-10-20
i open it up before bed, and one section is just enough to read by the time I am tired enough to sleep. I am not saying this book puts me to sleep - it's really good, but I like that you can read it in little chunks.
Great content, awful format.......2007-09-20
There's plenty of great information here, as all the other reviews said. But this interview format is really excruciating to read. Casual speech is very hard to transcribe in such a way that it becomes readable. This is why journalists and other writers are trained in how to reduce a long, tangential speech into something meaningful and clear. These interviews tend to run on and on and on, with the subjects jumping around, sometimes contradicting themselves, or misspeaking; all the stuff we do when talking, but which doesn't really matter in conversation, where other cues like body language make up for it. It really takes a lot of work to read this stuff, you're constantly having to hear the subject "out loud" in your head for it to make sense.
This book's easily twice as long as it could be if these interviews were edited down to a few really useful pages each. Or better: rewritten as short essays.
Interesting Read.......2007-09-19
Founders at Work is a fairly interesting read but lacks some depth. I'm the founder of a startup at the moment and am always keen to learn more about other founder's stories. The structure of this book is more like an interview with the interviewer rarely delving into the deeper human emotions, problems, issues, feelings etc of the founders. This really gives a basic "guided story" approach about each of the founders without any "pearls of wisdom" or "lessons learned".
Good for a single read or the average person who has an interest in technology startups from a founder's perspective, not worth being made into a hardcover.
As Good as Everyone is Saying...Just Buy It!.......2007-09-16
Loved this book. The interviewer asked a similar set of questions for all participants yet improvised when needed to follow an interesting train of thought to it's natural conclusion. All of the participants were refreshingly candid. Almost as if they were unloading on a therapist. Each interview is just long enough to feel complete but not so long as to feel redundant. On another note, I'm pretty anal when it comes to the physical presentation of a book and this one passes all my criteria: Decent margins, pleasant type face, good line space and font sizes, flexible spine stays open easily without trying to close itself, and easy to browse logical organization. If you're an entrepreneur working on tech start up this is one of the few "must read" books.
Better than the 7 Harry Potter books together.......2007-08-12
Better than the 7 Harry Potter books together (wich is a bad comparison as I didn't like them that much). The book is a collection of interviews with founders of famous technology companies about what happened in the very earliest days and later. Within each interviews, you'll catch dozen of interesting infos. Believe me , when you start it, you'll finish it within the week.
Customer Reviews:
a great overview.......2007-09-21
This book gives a wide range of information in different area in information system.
the good thing is that it include example from life where the person can understand the topic.
may some time include extra information that the begginner doesn't need, but overall the book is great.
I recommend it for people who do'n't have any backgroud in IT
Gotta agree with the first reviewer.......2007-03-21
This book leaves me hanging. The book repeatedly talks about leaders needing to be transformational and devise a IS strategy for their organizations -- okay that's great; how about providing some insight. It's one thing to say MIS is a strategic discipline (which this books does) and it's another thing to go out and do it (which this book doesn't describe and hasn't a clue).
The books if full of manager's jargon but and is light on the details. After reading, you'll be able to sound like a manager and probably be able to do little else.
This books blows.......2006-12-22
This book really sucks. Don't get it unless you have to.
Good Introductory.......2006-04-04
This isn't a bad text for an introduction to management in IT. It's not technical and certainly places emphasis on managing IT infrastructures. If you're moving up from being a follower to directing and managing employees and departments, then this book may help to get you a glimpse into it.
Excellent General Overview of the IT Industry as of 1/06........2006-01-18
I have never left a review on Amazon before (I've been a customer since 1997) and had no intention of doing so, when I initially searched this book description for some unrelated information.
However, after reading the previous two reviews related to this book I now feel compelled to give my review. Neither of the previous reviews had anything even remotely substantive regarding the actual material in the book. The only pertinent information the previous two reviewers touched upon concerned a typo. I challenge anyone to show me a 700+ page textbook that doesn't contain at least one typo.
The rest of the review pertains to the reviewer trying to grind an axe with regard to US programmers (which I am not). Maybe if he actually read the book, he would've left a different review. The other review is concerning a vendor/shipping issue.
I give this book 5 stars because I feel it is a good general overview source concerning the Information Technology industry at the time of this posting (1/06).
This book is well written and laid out in a very systematical and logical format, which allows the reader to reference the book "ala carte" style. If I want a refresher on networking or databases relating to the corporate world from a managerial perspective, this is a great source.
If you are looking to learn the latest version of Oracle or become certified in Linux, then I suggest looking elsewhere.
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.
Books:
- Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry (2nd edition) (Thin Book Series)
- Tough Choices or Tough Times: The Report of the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce
- Understanding Business
- Value-at-Risk: Theory and Practice
- Vinyl Leaves: Walt Disney World and America (Institutional Structures of Feeling)
- Wealth and Poverty (Ics Series in Self-Governance)
- When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management
- Workforce Crisis: How to Beat the Coming Shortage of Skills And Talent
- A Game as Old as Empire: The Secret World of Economic Hit Men and the Web of Global Corruption (BK Currents)
- Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette
Books Index
Books Home
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- Got What It Takes
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Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
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Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
