Book Description
A rich, rousing gusher of a biography that captures the life and times of an American hero and the birth of the modern oil empire he created.Frank Phillips, founder of Phillips Petroleum, was one of the greatest self-made business tycoons of the twentieth century. Here in Oil Man, Michael Wallis, the best-selling historian of the West, present Phillips against a pageant of luminaries and outlaws that includes Will Rogers, Harry Truman, Edna Ferber, J.Paul Getty, and Pretty Boy Floyd. Spanning the finals days of America's frontier West through the Roaring Twenties and two world warn, Oil Man is a bold, colorful biography of the original American entrepreneur. A classic work that continues to gather accolades since its original publication in 1988.
Customer Reviews:
Fiction or Fact? Who knows, but it's Western Adventure.......2002-07-07
I've watched Michael Wallis grow as a writer and I wish he had written this book last instead of first. Now don't get me wrong, it's a rip-roarin' tale of a man with ambition and drive who built a gigantic company and fortune. But it's not the exhaustive, documented last work on Frank Phillips's life.
This is as near to an authorized biography as you can get. Wallis was given full access to all the recorded material on Phillips as well as to a great many people who actually knew the man and worked with him. It's a rollicking story.
Using fiction techniques of characterization Wallis shows us an eccentric, ambitious young man who evolves into a successful philanthropist -- and philanderer. Phillips gave tokens to the children of the community but overindulged and neglected his own son until he turned to alcohol. He was a man who appeared devoted to his family six months out of every year, then spent the rest of his time with his mistress in New York City.
He wasn't such a saint in business, either. He took over smaller companies to build his empire and almost fired a Vice President "Boots" Adams because he thought Adams was too ambitious for personal gain.
Legends about Phillips abound and Wallis has recorded them. There's a story, for example, of Phillips paying the mortgages of community churches and herein lies the weakness of this book. He doesn't say whether this generosity is documented or it's simply a tale told by sycophants, and he sure talked to plenty of them.
Wallis weakens his authority by neglecting to support his facts. He speculates. Without documentation it's impossible for the reader to separate fiction from fact. The writing style is that of fiction and that's all the more reason the reader needs to be able to tell what is real fact and what is speculation.
If what you want is an exciting story of the West and people who made great fortunes in the oil fields, you'll love this book. It's well written and well researched. If you want only fact, however, you'll have to write your own book.
Frank Phillips was one helluva man!.......2001-09-22
Frank Phillips, "THE OIL MAN" is a little known multi millionaire who started with nothing but ambition, and made life pay off! If you like business biography, this is one of the best you'll ever read. I enjoyed totally. I am now rereading the book for the third time!
This book is one of the best. Something for everyone........1998-10-10
This book contains something for everyone. Action, adventure, power struggles, romance, money, geology, the wild west, the roaring twenties, family feuds and best of all...it's all true! Frank Phillips grew up a farm boy in Iowa, started a career as a barber and ended up an oil tycoon. This is an easy read and it is obvious that Wallis' research was very thorough. He almost leads you through a day to day account of Frank Phillips' life. And what a life it must have been. A true gambler, Frank Phillips' started with almost nothing, made a fortune then risked everything he had just to stay in the game. I can highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading. Wallis has brought together a complex man's world and gives the reader an insight rarely seen in biographical writing. He makes the stories come to life and links them all together superbly.
Amazon.com
Baseball's longstanding imperial Pooh-Bah, Bowie Kuhn, presided over the game from 1969 to 1984 with the kind of autocratic imperiousness that endeared him to no one. If the image he projected was that of an unbending stiff, his memoir, surprisingly, is anything but. While not exactly filled with personality--nothing about Kuhn is flamboyant--it does name names and it does tell stories. If Kuhn's agenda is basically a self-defense, he's got good grounds. When he arrived on the scene, the game was in trouble; when he left, it was on a high. Yet the passage was a tortuous one. Charles O. Finley, Ted Turner, George Steinbrenner, Marvin Miller, the reserve clause, the 1981 strike, and the sanctimonious banishment of Mantle and Mays were all significant confrontations on Kuhn's watch. Kuhn didn't always handle things smoothly, and he knows that; Hardball is a solid hit because of his willingness to analyze his failures as well as his successes and his eagerness to point fingers where he thinks he should. Originally published in 1987, this reissue steps up with a new afterword that has Kuhn commenting on the state of the game 10 years later. It all makes you cry for the unfulfilled promise of Bart Giamatti. --Jeff Silverman
Book Description
When Bowie Kuhn became baseball commissioner in 1969, attendance at games was declining, labor disputes were flaring, and many teams were suffering from poor management and marketing. Fifteen years later, when Kuhn retired, the sport was flourishing. Kuhn had overseen tumultuous changes issuing from a challenge to the reserve clause, the 1981 strike, escalated salaries, free agency, and his controversial rulings on matters ranging from gambling to broadcasting.
In Hardball Kuhn reveals how the decisions were made and forthrightly challenges his detractors. The commissioner offers many colorful anecdotes and strong opinions about baseball’s greatest legends from Jackie Robinson to Howard Cosell.
Customer Reviews:
Bowie Kuhn in defense of Bowie Kuhn.......2005-09-04
Hardball: The Education of a Baseball Commissioner is, at base, a sad book about a guy who spent 15 years of his life attempting to accomplish something that had a zero percent chance of success from the start. Kuhn, you see, wanted to be Kennesaw Mountain Landis, which is fine except for the fact that nobody in baseball either wanted another Landis or was particularly crazy about the original. Bowie appears to have believed that the growing acrimony between the owners and the players in the 1970s would ultimately result in his emergence as a "court of last resort" - but it didn't happen and as a result Kuhn sat on the sidelines of most of the great debates of the time.
In essence, he was a man waiting for a train that never arrived.
The argument that Bowie didn't understand what was going on around him has a lot of validity, but I think that (as the book clearly shows) Kuhn's problem was more along the lines of seeing things the way he wanted to see than simply being oblivious to the situation. He clearly doesn't "get" people like Marvin Miller, Charlie Finley, and George Steinbrenner, and moreover he feels dismayed that they are so hell-bent to change the game that he knows and loves. Of course, Bowie Kuhn's vision of baseball has something of the smell of an 1850s plantation to it, but hey - the man is clearly as much fan as executive, so can we really blame him for his illusions?
I gave the book two stars because it is a heavy, somewhat depressing read steeped with high levels of self-delusion, but students of the era will find it interesting to review the Messersmith-McNally decision and others through the eyes of someone who was on the scene - even if his sight was a bit foggy. The book's biggest revelation is that Bowie Kuhn comes across as a very decent man: a little straightlaced, perhaps, but a solid kind of fellow who was basically for the good guys and against the black hats.
In the final analysis, a book that perhaps shouldn't have been written by a guy who probably shouldn't have been Commissioner of Baseball.
Unintentionally revealing account of Kuhn's tenure.......2000-05-17
The reader should come away from an autobiography with an understanding of the author's personality and his place in the world. By that standard, Bowie Kuhn's autobiography is a success: on nearly every page, he reveals that even in retrospect he doesn't understand what happened while he was Commissioner of Baseball.
Kuhn, who served as Commissioner from 1969 until 1984, comes across as a character out of P.G. Wodehouse -- a doddering nobleman who obliviously mouths platitudes while his world collapses around him.
Unlike predecessors Spike Eckert and Ford Frick, Kuhn actually believed the myth of the Commissioner as Majestic Neutral, lording above owners and players alike to proclaim The Best Interest of Baseball. The players were never fooled: they knew Kuhn was hired and paid by the owners, and took their cues from master negotiator Marvin Miller. Within a few years they had won the right to take their grievances to a truly impartial arbitrator, using this leverage to win free agency. Kuhn never knew what hit him.
The owners weren't fooled, either. They knew the difference between a pretentious title and actual power -- and they fumed when Kuhn's attempt to play a role in labor negotiations undercut their own bargaining position. Throughout the second half of his tenure, Kuhn spent more time battling to keep his job than actually doing it.
When Kuhn took office, the owners ran MLB as they pleased. When he left, the owners couldn't sneeze without clearing it with the Players' Association. Read this book and you'll understand how this happened.
In Defense of a Rocky Tenure.......1999-06-22
I recently read Hardball: The Education of a Baseball Commissioner with the notion that this book is a defense on Bowie Kuhn's part and not a story. He's written this book, after the fact, that the trail of dirt he left cannot not be pushed to the side and forgotten about. Though, he has agreed about some of his missed calls, he has also made it known who else was at fault in say the 1981 strike, etc., etc., etc. Mr. Kuhn made some good points in the book, however he should have used the good knowledge while commissioner.
Kuhn's self-serving account of his years as MLB Commissioner.......1997-10-30
Plainly, Mr. Kuhn would prefer that his official version of events in baseball from the late 60s into the 80s prevail, despite the popular notion that he was overdrawn at the clue bank during much of that period. His account of labor negotations during his tenure conflicts in many respects with the published accounts of Marvin Miller (the players union representative) and (more objectively) with the account set forth in LORDS OF THE REALM (written by a WSJ reporter). Mr. Kuhn's attempt to repaint his missteps as leadership is certainly understandable, and the book is interesting as a historical document, but bring your grain of salt -- or maybe the whole shaker.
Book Description
Frank CapraÂ's 1946 film ItÂ's a Wonderful Life is one of the most beloved holiday classics of our time. In it, the great Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey, a man about to give up on life until his guardian angel shows him how his town, family, and friends are all the richer for having known him. Millions of fans tune in every year to see George Bailey realize his blessings, and Clarence get his wings.Now one of the cast members of the film has compiled a beautiful keepsake book of memorable lines of dialogue and scenes from ItÂ's a Wonderful Life. Jimmy Hawkins played Tommy Bailey, the youngest of the Bailey children. Over the years he has stayed in touch with other cast and crew members and reminisced with them about their favorite moments in the film. From the first scene to the last, this marvelous collection captures the spirit of the film and preserves the favorite screen moments of its cast and crew.
Customer Reviews:
Great little book.......2004-01-08
I bought this book for my sister who is a big fan of this movie as am I, and now I have to buy a copy for myself. It is a great little book to have if you love this movie. It tells the entire story in just those familiar parts of each scene. Great stills from the movie scenes. Must have for fans of the movie.
Good stocking stuffer........2003-12-20
This is a pocket-sized book that would make an ideal Christmas "stocking stuffer." Each page contains photos from the movie, with accompanying lines from the script. It's a sweet, simple little book. If you know someone who is a fan of IAWL, I would recommend picking up a copy for them.
Amazon.com
Fans of the original E. C. Comics series of comic books may be thrown off by the photograph on the cover of this Tales from the Crypt history, thinking that it deals only with the television show. Well, you're in for a frightfully good surprise, because more than half of the book centers on the comics series itself. There are four special sections of this book, each of which is worth the price of the whole book: there are biographies of 13 artists from the E. C. stable; glossy, full-color covers for all 105 E. C. horror comics; 4 beautifully reproduced, complete tales in their original form (on creamy white paper stock); and a never-before-seen "Picto-Fiction" story from E. C.'s heyday, illustrated by Jack Davis. All of this and more has been lovingly put together by literary correspondent and columnist, Digby Diehl.
Book Description
Open the vault and relive the experience!
For forty-seven years the Crypt Keeper and Tales from the Crypt have captured the imaginations and scared the wits out of people with their ghostly stories and grisly visions. Here, finally, is the book that looks back fondly on all glorious gore, the ultimate coffin table book that includes:
-the official biography of the Crypt Keeper and the history of EC Horror Comics
-a previously unpublished picto-fiction horror story drawn by Jack Davis
-all 105 Ec Horror Comic covers reproduced in "living" color
-a pictorial "filmography" of the award-winning HBO and Fox Television series featuring credits, synopses, and at least one "terrorific" picture from every episode
-four original (and complete) stories by Jack Davis, Al Feldstein, Graham Ingels, and Jack Kamen reprinted from the actual art and reproduced in color in their original size
-brief biographies and portfolios of the key EC artists
-collectible section highlighting the coolest and most valuable Crypt merchandise
And much more, of corpse, of corpse!
Customer Reviews:
definitive history of this cultural media phenomenon.......2006-04-23
A mere comic book in 1950, today Tales From the Crypt and its Crypt Keeper are trademarks whose value exceeds their initial medium, much as Disney's Mickey Mouse surpasses the value of his cartoons. And if Mickey means amiable family entertainment, the Crypt Keeper signifies a particular kind of horror tale: one combining brevity, gore, black humor, and moral irony.
Tales From the Crypt is also a multimedia property. Digby Diehl touches most bases along its history, beginning with the origin of comics books, a marriage between newspaper comic strips and pulp fiction. In 1896, Richard F. Outcault created The Yellow Kid, a comedic strip of cartoons about ... a yellow kid (allowing its publisher to showcase a newly invented, bright yellow ink, a favorite practice of tabloid yellow journalists). Until the late 1920s all cartoon strips were comedic, hence, a comic strip.
In 1933, Max Gaines conceived of reprinting comic strips into pulp books, making him the Father of the Comic Book. In 1945, his partners at Action Comics bought him out and he founded Educational Comics, publishing titles such as Picture Stories From the Bible and Bouncy Bunny in the Friendly Forest. He died in a 1947 boating accident, saving a child's life while perhaps sacrificing his own.
Bill Gaines grew up hating and avoiding comics because they had represented Max, a critical and demanding father. Now Bill's mother insisted that he run EC. He did, changing EC from Educational to Entertaining Comics, and hiring Al Feldstein to draw an Archie clone, Going Steady With Peggy. But Bill soon dropped the idea of cloning successful trends, a standard publishing practice then (and now?), and created what he called his New Trend titles.
The history of EC's New Trend horror and crime comics (Tales From the Crypt, Vault of Horror, Haunt of Fear, Crime SuspenStories, Shock SuspenStories) informs much of Diehl's book, but there is much else. We read of Weird Science and Weird Fantasy, Bill's sci-fi comics tolerated out of love since they never achieved the success of their horror siblings; the GhouLunatics (Crypt Keeper, Vault Keeper, Old Witch); Harvey Kurtzman's distaste for horror, his meticulous attention to military detail in his beloved EC war comics (Two-Fisted Tales, Frontline Combat), and his creation of, and defection from, MAD; EC's plagiarism of Ray Bradbury's "What The Dog Dragged In," leading to a long, congenial working relationship with Bradbury (but who later requested that his name not be put on covers, as he worried that being adapted by the comics hurt his authorial reputation); and the cloning of the New Trend, so that by 1953 about 150 competing horror titles were being published, today mostly forgotten.
Sections on each EC artist includes bios and samples of his unique style. Al Feldstein, who wrote and edited most of the New Trend, demanded that each artist have his own signature style. Bill Gaines encouraged it by instituting an "Artist Of The Issue" kudos page, a respect rarely accorded by other publishers.
EC's five horror and crime titles all folded in 1954, due to public outcry against comic book sex and violence. Psychiatrist Dr. Fredric Wertham of the New York Department Of Hospitals and Harlem's Lafargue Clinic led the fight. Powerful enemies against EC included gossip columnist Walter Winchell, waging a vendetta against EC business manager Lyle Stuart (whose book had revealed the "seamier side of Winchell's private life"); Senator Estes Kefauver (D-Tenn) of the Senate Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency and a presidential hopeful; and EC's competitors, particularly Archie Comics's John Goldwater and DC's Jack Liebowitz. As President and Veep of the Comics Magazine Association of America (CMAA), Goldwater and Liebowitz prohibited the words "horror, terror, crime, and weird" for a comic book to earn the CMAA's new seal of approval, required by distributors. EC's strength was its horror and crime titles, unlike its competitors. Ironically, Bill Gaines had called the meeting at which the CMAA was formed.
Wertham recruited support from "women's groups and religious organizations," vilifying horror and crime comics for their "detailed descriptions of all kinds of felonies, torture, sadism, attempted rape, flagellation" and portraying women "in a smutty, unwholesome way, with emphasis on half-bare and exaggerated sex characteristics." He decried all horror and crime comics, but EC had the most to lose. Ironically, EC was rare among publishers in diluting its horror with humor. The GhouLunatics' wry commentaries distanced readers from the suffering characters.
One rare political hero was New York Governor Thomas Dewey, who vetoed "numerous bills outlawing horror comics." But though attempts at state censorship failed, bad press, public pressure, and boycotts discouraged distributors and retailers from carrying EC. Bill Gaines summarized, "Magazines that do not get onto the newsstand do not sell."
Gaines requested permission to testify before Kefauver. In his statement (reprinted by Diehl) Gaines says, "I do not believe that anything that has ever been written can make a child hostile, over-aggressive, or delinquent." Here he was disingenuous, or at least contradictory. Gaines believed in comics' power to influence youth, periodically publishing what he called preachies (tales condemning racism, anti-Semitism, drugs, etc.), usually in Shock SuspenStories. And if art can influence for good, it follows that it can influence for ill.
The question should not have been: are violent comics potentially harmful? Tobacco, marijuana, airplanes, cars, guns -- and yes, art and ideas -- are all potentially harmful. To users, to third parties, to children. The proper question is: Do we chose to live and raise children in a society that assumes the risks of liberty, or do we wish a society cocooned, safe, and inoffensive, hypersensitive to the sensibilities of all?
Although Diehl makes no connection, Wertham began his campaign in 1948 and Bradbury began Fahrenheit 451 in 1950. One wonders what influence the psychiatrist had on the author. For the society in Fahrenheit 451 is a democracy, one in which whatever book offends any group is banned, until none are left. Unlike 1984's obvious state totalitarian target, Fahrenheit 451 reveals that people can discard their freedom by choice.
Yet as EC so often demonstrated in its pages, you can't keep the dead down. The Crypt Keeper lived on. In fanzines, in Russ Cochran's hardcover reprints (published in black & white so as to display the artists' meticulous ink lines), in the Amicus films, in the HBO series (Diehl includes a 93-episode guide covering the first seven seasons), in the more recent films, in the Tales From the Cryptkeeper cartoon. All covered, if only a page. There are a few errors (remarkably, Boris Karloff is referred to as William Henry Platt). Thankfully, there's an index, albeit incomplete. No reference to Karloff under any name.
Not covered are the Amicus film novelizations by Jack Oleck. Although pictured in the collectibles section, there's no information on its making. I miss it because it was both my introduction to Tales From the Crypt (being underage for the Amicus film) and my first "adult" book. To boomers, Tales From the Crypt is a comic book. To Xers, an HBO series. To those born in between, the Crypt Keeper is Ralph Richardson, seen on the back of Oleck's novelization.
Diehl's book reprints four "classic" stories and all 105 EC horror and crime covers (nine per page). Extensively researched, generously illustrated. If you have a serious interest in Tales From the Crypt, you'll want this book.
if you like tales from the crypt.......2003-02-10
this book is for you... it is full of great pictures and information... it is awesome
BETTER THAN FEAR ITSELF.......2000-12-29
While I was never a big fan of the HBO cable series - I always felt it was more a star vehicle than a scare vehicle - I did always enjoy the comics it was based on, and with this, the offical history of EC and all their creations, you too will become a fan all over again. This book comes fully equipped and packed with features. It spotlights the history of EC and beyond, background profiles on artists, writers and producers, as well a comprehensive listings of episodes from the HBO series, plus four reprinted classics from the original run (LOWER BERTH/THE THING FROM THE GRAVE/HORROR WE? HOW'S BAYOU? and THE OCTOBER GAME - adapted from a story by Ray Bradbury... who has an interesting history with EC), plus a cover gallery running the gambit of all the EC horror series. This is a must for any fan of the series or collector of comics in general. Very fun, very nice package and very well done. My only complaint is that on occasion the material can read a bit light, but it never bores you... and you learn a thing or two, like: Just who owns all the original art work from MAD #1? To find out - buy and and read inside.
A graphic and grisly archive of the legacy of E.C. Comics.......1998-07-19
Digby Diehl has dug up enough ghastly art and story lines from the old E.C. vaults to chill even the most die-hard Crypt fans! This book captures the horror and fascination many of us experienced as kids, encountering our first Tales from the Crypt comic. This archive presents a rich visual history of the development of the horror genre in comics, its rise to horrific success, and the devastating blows it was dealt in the 1950s, as comics came under tighter censorship scutiny. It is worth having this book for the collection of cover art alone, but also worth noting is the section on its spinoff into the television series. Anyone who has ever seen the comics, or the shows, will undoubtedly enjoy poring over this collection into the wee hours of the night...
Book Description
Problem solving is a pleasure—when you can get rid of those mental blocks. That’s just what this collection of puzzles helps you do, even as it offers hours of entertainment. There’s advice on working through the tough spots and exercising those creative mental muscles. Start with a classic about The Man with No Eyes. He’s gone to the woods to view the skies. He sees a tree with apples on it: he takes none off, yet leaves none on. How can this be? Or try the numerical St. Ives Riddle, from a rhyme first published in 1202. Decipher mystery signs, make Symmetry Folds, and do the Twenty-Five Point Connect.
Customer Reviews:
"Science answers the question WHY,and Art thequestion WHY NOT".......2005-08-08
This is the second book in a series of 4 in the Mastermind Collection by one of the best Puzzlemakers. Once again,Ivan has put together some old and new types of puzzles to amuse us .Along with the best friend puzzle lovers ever had,Sterling Publishing, they have put out an excellently constructed book.The paper,color and overall quality is nothing short of outstanding and appreciated.
In addition to the puzzles, Moscovich scatters little mathematical tidbits throughout the book.There is so much variety in his stuff,when you finish one puzzle ,it is a real treat to flip the page and face another interesting one. I tend to say to myself;"That was a good one,Ivan,what have you got for me now?".
I not only do puzzles,I also collect them and in my library have over 500 Puzzle books.Which brings me to one positive criticism.Several puzzles require one to cut up the book.To me that is a total "NO-NO".It would be so much more appreciated if those few pages that require removal were duplicated at the back,and could be removed,leaving the book in tact.
I am not going to describe the various types of puzzles,or even pick my favorites,because there are so many types and I enjoyed them all.If interested,you'll find the Customer Review I wrote on "The Hinged Square & Other Puzzles" on April 26,2005,among my reviews and which I also rated 5 Stars.
By the way,my title was taken from the book,see if you can find where.
Knotty problems to solve.......2004-12-06
Did you know that for a shoe with seven pairs of eyelets, there are about 400 million different ways to lace it? So says Ivan Moscovich, the designer of these puzzles and games which provide a learning experience that he calls "recreational mathematics." If laces must alternate between eyelets on the left and right side, which is the shortest and the longest way to lace the shoe? This puzzle, a special case of the classic traveling salesman problem, is one of dozens of fascinating problems in this collection. While tackling these problems, you will learn about projective and descriptive geometry, averages, percentages, iterations, and triangulation.
Interspersed among the puzzles in this collection are fascinating facts about such things as the invention of matchsticks, and Hans, the horse who could seemingly do arithmetic problems. The answer pages provide not only solutions, but also explanations for the answers that clarify simple principles of mathematics. These puzzles are not just challenging and educational, but they are a visual treat as well, since each puzzle has one or more colorful and eye-catching illustrations. Some of these puzzles are quite tough, but that makes discovering the solution all the more rewarding. Happy solving!
Eileen Rieback
Book Description
From Business Strategy to IT Action gives companies of all sizes the tools to effectively link IT to business strategy and produce effective, actionable strategies for bottom-line results. The authors present CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, and IT managers with a powerful and accessible resource packed with such useful material as:
* The Strategy-to-Bottom-Line Value Chain, which integrates the management practices relating to planning, prioritization, alignment, and assessing a company's entire IT budget
* Methods for using IT Impact Management to establish IT culture and performance models for the business/IT connection
* The IT Improvement Zone, which quickly identifies where a company can focus its energies for maximum results
* And much more
Download Description
From Business Strategy to IT Action gives companies of all sizes the tools to effectively link IT to business strategy and produce effective, actionable strategies for bottom-line results. The authors present CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, and IT managers with a powerful and accessible resource packed with such useful material as:
* The Strategy-to-Bottom-Line Value Chain, which integrates the management practices relating to planning, prioritization, alignment, and assessing a company's entire IT budget
* Methods for using IT Impact Management to establish IT culture and performance models for the business/IT connection
* The IT Improvement Zone, which quickly identifies where a company can focus its energies for maximum results
* And much more
Customer Reviews:
Great book!.......2005-09-30
Only few words to say that this book was very useful to let me introduce a clear project portfolio framework in the enterprise in which I work (bank, IT department).
"Concrete", "Best practices" are the most "plus" of this book.
A very good book!
From Business Stratey to IT Action.......2004-04-10
Drawing from a wealth of success in balancing business requirements with IT solutions, the authors of "From Business Strategy to IT Action" have identified the elements required to keep IT budgets in-line with the overall goals of the business. As many IT managers know it is easy to get caught up in the swirl surrounding keeping the "lights on" and lose focus about using technology to bring value to the organization in ways that help achieve the goals necessary to move the organization forward. I particularly liked the chapter devoted to discussing the culture of an organization. As they point out, losing sight of the bottom-line is easy when organizations get hung up on the culture of the institution and continue to do things the old way rather than routinely evaluating the goals of the organization with an eye toward improvement. To quote them, "New Information Economics (NIE) is a set of practices and principles for moving from business strategy to IT action to bottom-line impact". To me this means staying focused on the business of the organization and not getting caught up in thinking that IT is in business for itself.
Bottom Line --> Results.......2004-03-17
This book provides solid, rational, and most importantly, actionable guidance for managers and executives faced with the challenge of identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing their IT spend. The authors provide a concise, structured framework which leads the reader through a step-by-step process to make reasoned decisions about both steady state ("lights on") expenditures and new project investments. The writing style is clear, fluid, and easily digestible. Each chapter includes fact-filled charts and diagrams to make the concepts come alive, along with a chapter summary, targeted questions, plus additional reading references. From defining goals, asking the penetrating "right questions," through charting a path to implementation, this truly is a guidebook to learning how to control spending while concurrently maximizing the impact on your bottom line. This book should be required reading before the beginning of your next planning cycle. Whether you've been in the IT business for a year, a decade or longer, you will undoubtedly benefit from the multiple layers of insight contained within this book. Note: I also recommend sales personnel absorb the concepts in this book -- if you understand how your customers are evaluating IT investment decisions, you can communicate the value your offerings will deliver in a manner which will better resonate with the decision maker.
One of the best books on the subject!.......2004-03-17
I've read a stack of books related to this subject, and this is one of two books that I think hit the bullseye and that I recommend to peers and clients (the other is Value-Driven IT Management, ISBN 0750659254).
What I most like about this book is the highly focused, clearly defined approach to transforming strategy into action. In fact, 'action' is the main characteristic of this book, both in writing pace and in the results you can achieve if you follow the map the authors provide. Chapter 1 leads you through defining your goals that links the strategy to your bottom line. This establishes the methodology that you'll follow through the rest of the book.
Each subsequent chapter is a milestone in the process of transforming strategy into action. What I like is the consistent format, which starts with "Ask the Right Questions", then listing steps, ending with a summary. More importantly, the bottom line remains the focus of this book from start to finish. This keeps the reader's attention on the goals, business issues and costs.
The topics covered in each step represent best practices that should be present in any organization that is mature enough to undertake a business-IT alignment. For example, portfolio management, prioritization techniques, and aligning to a value chain are addressed, In addition, the challenges faced by both business and IT are uncovered, with advice on how to meet them during the process. Finally, the book sets forth the transformation process in a well ordered sequence that will get you from inception to meeting all objectives if followed. The chapters on scoring and measurement are invaluable.
One topic that makes this book exceptionally valuable is the introduction of the Business Value Maturity Model™. This model, in my opinion, is the missing link in the quest for Business-IT alignment initiatives, and one that I hope gets wider dissemination than in this book. Other aspects of the book that I especially like include the excellent use of graphs and diagrams, and the absence of empty claims and theory. The material is clear, actionable and realistic. Think of this book as both a compass and blueprint. I cannot recommend this book strongly enough, particularly to organizations that are struggling with business-IT alignment.
Books:
- Old Books, Rare Friends: Two Literary Sleuths and Their Shared Passion
- On Money and Markets: A Wall Street Memoir
- Out on the Deep Blue: True Stories of Daring, Persistence, and Survival from the Nation's Most Dangerous Profession
- Out on the Deep Blue: Women, Men, and the Oceans They Fish
- Pierre S. Du Pont and the making of the modern corporation,
- Pilot Your Life: Comedian Turned CEO Helps You Star in Your Career
- Pride Before the Fall: The Trials of Bill Gates and the End of the Microsoft Era
- Progress in Activity-Based Analysis
- Reclaiming My Soul From The Lost and Found
- Root Beer Lady: The Dorothy Molter Story
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Dragonwell Dead: A Tea Shop Mystery
- Betty Crocker's Diabetes Cookbook: Everyday Meals, Easy as 1-2-3
- Amor Causa
- Black Athena: The Afroasiatic Roots of Classical Civilization
- Art of Technique, The: An Aesthetic Approach to Film and Video Production
- Boundary-Layer Theory
- At the Mercy of the River: An Exploration of the Last African Wilderness
- 5 Magic Paths to Making a Fortune in Real Estate
- Beyond the Looking Glass: Overcoming the Seductive Culture of Corporate Narcissism
- A Flora of Tropical Florida: A Manual of the Seed Plants and Ferns of Southern Peninsular Florida
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Life and Death of an Oilman: The Career of E.W. Marland
The Greatest Gamblers: The Epic of American Oil Exploration
The Real Wild West : The 101 Ranch and the Creation of the American West
Beyond the Hills: The Journey of Waite Phillips (Oklahoma Trackmaker Series)
Phillips 66 1945-1954 Photo Archive: Photographs from the Phillips Petroleum Company Corporate Archives (Photo Archive Series)
