5 stars (Excellent service) - It was incredible. I ordered it on wednesday night, it was shipped on friday and I got it during the weekend. Besides the book was new in perfect conditions! Thank you. 2 stars (A textbook for college business majors (only?)) - If you want a general IT book then don't even think about buying this one, despite its title. This is a textbook for college business majors, and looks at things from the business angle. The book is less suitable for non-student readers. It is geared for use by a lecturer who can draw attention to the important concepts underlying the field of IT, and can steer students to useful supplementary material. The book races across the surface of the whole field of IT. The authors have packed in a lot of material, but at a cost. The explanations may be good enough for students to answer a quiz about the various buzzwords, but there is not enough space here to cover anything in depth. The students, and you, may be left without a clear idea of what the words really mean. At the other end of the scale, the book struggles to make plain the broad sweep of IT concepts. Although the authors try hard, ideas tend to get lost amidst the large number of factoids. One book is never going to be enough to cover all of IT. Your choices are to be more selective about which area you want to learn about, to pick a book which is more clearly aimed at being a simple overview, or to buy this book and work really hard at following up its leads to other material to fill in the gaps. ... Wiley :: Computers & Information Technology :: Applications of Computing :: Telecommunications :: Technology :: Science&Mathematics :: Management information systems :: Ma :: Introduction to Information Technology
3 stars (Decent introduction to MIS, but misses on some issues) - I used this book in a graduate level course on MIS. It was a decent introduction to the subject, but I would really expect the book to be used more at an undergraduate level; as others have noted, it does not delve too deeply into any areas. My biggest complaint about this book is that it simply misses the point on a couple of issues, both technical and business. Its discussion of internet technologies contains many of the "newbie" mistakes one would expect from someone just learning about HTML, HTTP, XML, and web programming, especially Java. It also has a section in one chapter that goes into marketing and in my opinion misinterprets some of the foundational concepts. Two things I do like about the book are 1. It covers ethical issues within MIS, which is a developing topic and one that deserves attention. Every chapter has anectdotal stories highlighting ethical delimas. 2. Each of the 5 Parts of the book starts with a case introduction, and each chapter starts with an expansion or continuation of that case. The case exemplifies some of the issues that will be discussed on subsequent pages, and brings a level of reality to the subject that I enjoyed. Not a bad book, but by the same token requires an instructor who really knows the subject well to separate the good parts from the bad for the students. 5 stars (The second edition is great!) - The 2nd edition of this book (whose cover is NOT shown here) is great 3 stars (It's Pretty neat.) - This book has a great cover, however I was thrown a little by the pages. and, oh yea it's a little outdated. cheers ... Course Technology :: Computers & Management Information Systems :: Management Information Systems :: Information Technology :: Entrepreneurship :: Computers :: Computer Books- Gener :: Management Information Systems- Fourth Edition
5 stars (Wonderful resource!) - I was thrilled when I heard that a book was being published on Business Objects! After getting a copy of Cindi Howson's book, I was even more pleased! It is truly a very comprehensive guide on how to use Business Objects. It does a good job of explaining the concepts behind business intelligence as well the the different Business Objects products. I think every person who uses Business Objects would benefit from owning this book! I recommend it through our local user group and to all of my clients! 4 stars (Business Objects: The Complete Reference) - As a reference guide, the book is extremely valuable. I have seen other books on this subject that are essentially a copy of the help guide. Not to mention that the pricing is 2 to 3 times what a normal book would cost. The examples are good and the index is pretty complete. A test for a good reference book is that you can readily find the solution to a particular problem. Ms. Howson's book certainly fits the bill. It would have been nice to have more how to descriptions and practical solutions to common business problems. 5 stars (More than BO!) - Based on the first section alone, Getting Ready for Business Objects, I would recommend this book to anyone just starting out in the Business Intelligence space! Finally someone has come out with a workable model for BI implementation. It is obvious Ms. Howson actually operates in the real world and understands that sometimes you have to OLTP before you STAR and OLAP. In addition to this lagniappe, there are solid explanations of Universe Design and Report Creation principles. I actually prefer the WROX line of books, but this compares nicely in terms of technical depth. The book provides perspective from both the IT professional and the end user. However, it provides no explanation of how to install or tune Business Objects servers. Basically, it assumes that Business Objects is up and running. I would say that the book is prima... McGraw-Hill :: Programming - Object Oriented Programming :: Mathematical & Statistical Software :: Management Information Systems :: Computers-Programming - Object Oriente :: Business Objects- The Complete Reference
3 stars (Nice consise intro - more useful for clients than consultants) - The scope of this book is so huge there's just no way it could be anything other than a consise intro to the major functionality of each of the modules. For me (as an Apps Consultant) it's a decorative paperweight. I never refer to it myself however this is the book I always toss to the clients when there is no budget for any training whatsoever and some poor accountant has to switch to Oracle from another ERP - it's certainly easier to understand than the help screens ;) Overall I liked it - I think the guys from BOSS did a nice job summarising the financial applications. Of course, it's getting a bit out of date now but for an accountant it's worthwhile. 4 stars (Excellent Reference for Oracle 11i ERP implementation team) - This book gives an excellent overview of the non-CRM modules in Oracle 11i suite - Financials, HRMS, Manufacturing, Projects. What is refreshing about this book is in addition to information on 11i, this book also provides thoughtful discussions on Project Management and on consulting. The authors have indeed succeeded in packaging these exhaustive material within one volume. This book is a "must have" as a reference for anyone who is involved in ERP implementation project. Hopefully we will soon have a similar book on CRM modules that includes inter-relationship between different ERP-CRM modules. 2 stars (Not for most developers) - This book does not provide the level of detail that would help most Apps developers. This book is designed more for functional analysts responsible for setups, than for developers who need to understand the underlying architecture and functionalities. Most of the content of this book can easily be gathered from Oracle User Guides. This book also tries to cover too many modules, but fails to provide much detail in any areas. ... Que-Sams :: Management Information Systems :: Management - General :: Database Management - Oracle :: Computers-Management Information Systems :: Computers-Database Manag :: Special Edition Using Oracle 11i
5 stars (A Must Read for Internet Entrepreneurs) - Although this book was written in 1998, it is just as relevant if not more so today. The book discusses how Internet entrepreneurs should price their goods/services; how they can create lock-in effects to instill customer loyalty; and perhaps most importantly, how they can create network effects so as to exponentially increase their client base and barriers to entry. A brilliant book written by two leading authorities on economics. 3 stars (Approaches management problems from an economic standpoint) - The authors say that the circumstances of one era may be unique, but the underlying principles that govern the exchange of goods in a free-market economy are the same. The book is about the economy rather than managing information itself. 2 stars (Really?) - The book starts by proclaiming that neo-classical economics is adequate for explaining the information economy. This claim is not backed up in the book. First, textbook neo-clasical equilibrium theory contains neither money nor 'information'. Second, the book merely discusses qualitatively and nonsystematically ideas like positive feedback and increasing returns that were better presented by Brian Arthur. Third, even asymmetric information is not discussed (Ackerlof and Stiglitz are not even mentioned). Fourth (or zeroth), there is not a single empirical graph in the entire book, and nothing of modern ideas of network theory. So I would say that the book is more or less on the same level as Kelly's (pre-bubble-bust) "New Rules for the New Economy". All of these books implicitly hype the unregulated free market, in the face of both qualitative and empirical evidence that unregulated markets are not only unstable but are detrimental to human health and well-being. ... Harvard Business School Press :: Management Information Systems :: Information Management :: Economics - General :: Computers-Management Information Systems :: Computers :: Business & Economics :: Information Rules- A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy