Books

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Enterprise Ontology: Theory and Methodology

If one thing catches the eye in almost all literature about (re)designing or (re)engineering of enterprises, it is the lack of a well-founded theory about their construction and operation. Often even the most basic notions like action or process are not precisely defined. Next, in order to master the diversity and the complexity of contemporary enterprises, theories are needed that separate the stable essence of an enterprise from the variable way in which it is realized and implemented. Such a theory and a matching methodology, which has passed the test of practical experience, constitute the contents of this book. The enterprise ontology, as developed by Dietz, is the starting point for profoundly understanding the organization of an enterprise and subsequently for analyzing, (re)designing, and (re)engineering it. The approach covers numerous issues in an integrated way: business processes, in- and outsourcing, information systems, management control, staffing etc. Researchers and students in enterprise engineering or related fields will discover in this book a revolutionary new way of thinking about business and organization. In addition, it provides managers, business analysts, and enterprise information system designers for the first time with a solid and integrated insight into their daily work.

Balanced Scorecard StepbyStep for Government and Nonprofit Agencies

The Balanced Scorecard is the leading methodology for implementing performance management systems and improving efficiency. Focusing directly on the public and not-for-profit sectors, this book helps these organizations overcome the unique challenges they face when implementing a Balanced Scorecard.

The Craftsman

Defining craftsmanship far more broadly than “skilled manual labor,” Richard Sennett maintains that the computer programmer, the doctor, the artist, and even the parent and citizen engage in a craftsman’s work. Craftsmanship names the basic human impulse to do a job well for its own sake, says the author, and good craftsmanship involves developing skills and focusing on the work rather than ourselves. In this thought-provoking book, one of our most distinguished public intellectuals explores the work of craftsmen past and present, identifies deep connections between material consciousness and ethical values, and challenges received ideas about what constitutes good work in today’s world. The Craftsman engages the many dimensions of skill—from the technical demands to the obsessive energy required to do good work. Craftsmanship leads Sennett across time and space, from ancient Roman brickmakers to Renaissance goldsmiths to the printing presses of Enlightenment Paris and the factories of industrial London; in the modern world he explores what experiences of good work are shared by computer programmers, nurses and doctors, musicians, glassblowers, and cooks. Unique in the scope of his thinking, Sennett expands previous notions of crafts and craftsmen and apprises us of the surprising extent to which we can learn about ourselves through the labor of making physical things.

Rules for Revolutionaries

Guy Kawasaki, former chief evangelist at Apple Computer and an iconoclastic corporate tactician who now works with high-tech startups in Silicon Valley, is back in print with his seventh book: Rules for Revolutionaries: The Capitalist Manifesto for Creating and Marketing New Products and Services. Entertainingly written in collaboration with previous co-author Michele Moreno, it lays out Kawasaki’s decidedly audacious (but personally experienced) strategies for beating the competition and triumphing in today’s hyper-charged business environment. The book is divided into three sections, whose titles alone epitomise its thrust and tone. The first, Create Like a God, discusses the way that radical new products and services must really be developed. The second, Command Like a King, explains why take- charge leaders are truly necessary in order for such developments to succeed. And the third, “Work Like a Slave,” focuses on the commitment that is actually required to beat the odds and change the world. A concluding section is filled with entertaining and inspirational quotes on topics like technology, transportation, politics, entertainment, and medicine that show how even some of our era’s most successful ideas and people–the telephone, Louis Pasteur, and Yahoo! among them–have prevailed despite the scoffing of naysayers. –Howard Rothman, Amazon.com

Lost In Translation

Do you speak business or IT? Perhaps you speak a little of both. In today’s connected world, where business and IT are fused, chances are that if you’re a business or IT executive, or someone working to transform a business, you speak a little of both. But what if there was a third language? A common language that was natural for both business and IT, straightforward enough to use, yet sophisticated enough to work in today’s connected world? What if such a language only comprised a handful of words? With such a language, the loss in translation between the business and IT would happen less, because both would be using the same language. With such a language, business outcomes and transformations would become much more achievable. This handbook describes what this language is – the language of Information Systems for the 21st century.

Governance of the Extended Enterprise: Bridging Business and IT Strategies

IT is no longer an enabler of corporate strategy, it is now the key element of corporate strategy. Governance of the Extended Enterprise explores how some of the world’s most successful enterprises have integrated information technology with business strategies, culture, and ethics to optimize information value, attain business objectives, and capitalize on technologies in highly competitive environments. Providing a process for change and a governance model, Governance of the Extended Enterprise encompasses the latest emerging practices from major information and knowledge businesses, providing a major new knowledge resource for enterprises. It also opens up new avenues of practice in strategy setting, enterprise management, control assessment, and risk management. From sales-force automation to workgroup collaboration, forms processing to knowledge management systems, customer service to technical support, Governance of the Extended Enterprise will help readers improve IT governance in all facets of their organization.