Information Orientation: The Link to Business

Book Description

In today's fast-moving, e-commerce economy information is power. For years companies have been investing in IT, expecting to develop their ability to exploit the power of information and achieve better business performance. Frequently, a company's investment has been a cost with no clear payback; a competitive necessity rather than a strategic advantage. The authors have developed a clear and effective framework for evaluating IT strategies: Information Orientation. Information Orientation does this by determining the degree to which a company implements and realizes the synergies across three information capabilities: information behaviors and values; information management practices; and information technology practices. The book provides a thorough description of the dimensions of each of the capabilities, along with the analytical basis which validates the research finding that a company must integrate all three information capabilities as a precondition for achieving superior business performance. The book presents the Information Orientation Dashboard as a diagnostic tool to measure and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a company's information capabilities. The book also identifies a new trend in the way in which senior managers think about achieving strategic priorities and future indsutry leadership with information. The book contributes to a new area of management thinking by offering empirically-tested and statistically-validated theories, which will not only be of interest to academics, but will also carry great significance for the practitioner. For academic readers, this book presents a theory with supporting evidence and arguments for changing the way management, and in particular IT researchers, examine the roles of people, information, and IT in decision making and strategy implementation. For company managers, this book provides a new framework and business metric that challenges current mindsets and practices concerning how people, information, and IT can be managed to achieve business results.

Customer Reviews:

Good guidelines for IT/Business Alignment.......2001-09-22

There is nothing especially profound in this book, which is a collection of nine essays more than a cohesive book with chapters that segue from one to the next. However, it does represent consistently good practices and valuable guidelines for every facet of IT-to-business alignment.

Among the strongest chapters, in my opinion, are: 3-How Senior Managers Assess IT Practices and Business Maturity, 6-Discovering the Link between the Information Orientation of Senior Managers and Business Performance, and 8: Information Orientation: A New Business Metric: Effective Information Use in Companies. These three chapters capture the essence of IT-to-business alignment and provide insights on challenges and barriers, and how to overcome them.

Each of the other chapters were well written and each contained additional insights. This book should be on the professional reading list of all IT managers, regardless of their technical domain. It is especially applicable to CIOs and director-level IT managers. The importance of this book to those audience is the fact that achieving alignment is something that is much talked about, but rarely accomplished. This book places the key issues in context and provides some sound advice.

Average customer rating:
Information Orientation : The Link to Business Performance
Donald A. Marchand
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OL3AG6

Average customer rating:
Information Orientation: The Link to Business
et al Donald A. Marchand
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OL48PI

Book Description

Biometrics - the physiological and/or behavioural characteristics that can be used to verify the identity of an individual - are no longer just being used in high security locations; they are now in use in major, mainstream government and commercial applications. Since September 11, the heightened awareness of security issues is driving forward the adoption of biometrics within numerous application environments. Coupled with a dramatic decrease in the price of such systems and the formulation of comprehensive industry standards, the market looks set for rapid growth over the next 5 years. The second edition of The Biometric Industry Report - Forecasts and Analysis to 2006 examines the current use and future growth of biometrics. It analyses the trends in markets, technologies and industry structure and profiles the major players. The report provides key market statistics and forecasts essential for companies to plot their future growth strategies.

For a PDF version of the report please call Sarah Proom on +44 (0) 1865 843181 for price details.

Book Description

Insects and other pests cause major economic damage on fruit crops in the tropics. However, some insects are beneficial and have a role in pollinating flowers and thus enabling a fruit set. This book, written by leading authors from around the world, reviews the injurious and beneficial organisms and how they might be controlled to enhance fruit production and quality.

Customer Reviews:

The Natural Classroom.......2006-03-30

From a short course on volcanic geology at Yellowstone National Park to a seminar on coral reef ecology in the Bahamas, this directory lists nearly 200 institutions throught the United States and the world, offering courses, expeditions, ecotours, or workshops in the natural sciences.

Descriptions enmphasize information on the institutions themselves, a sample listing of specific courses offered, as well as estimates, supplies needed, whether financial aid is offered, housing accomidations, and the amount of credit granted. Information on independent and travel study programs is also included. This unique directory is an ideal purchase for teachers and students who want to have fun while they learn and who are interested in nature study, biology, ecology, enviromental science, and conservation.
--- from book's back cover

Average customer rating:

Good Overview of Adam Hsu-- Not Much Depth

Another must have!

Excellent read

Lone Sword Against a Cold Cold Sky

Lone Sword Against the Cold Cold Sky
Adam Hsu
Manufacturer: Plum Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Sword Polisher's Record: The Way of Kung-Fu (Tuttle Martial Arts)

The Whirling Circles of Ba Gua Zhang: The Art and Legends of the Eight Trigram Palm

The Power of Internal Martial Arts and Chi: Combat and Energy Secrets of Ba Gua, Tai Chi and Hsing-I

T'ai Chi Boxing Chronicle

Taiji Notebook for Martial Artists

ASIN: 097901591X

Product Description

An intriguing and thoughtful series of essays on Chinese Martial Arts (Kung Fu) by one of the world's top writers on the subject. Major topics include Tai Chi, Shaolin, Ba Gua, fighting principles, Chinese culture, and what it means to pursue "true kung fu". Profusely illustrated and beautifully written.

Customer Reviews:

Good Overview of Adam Hsu-- Not Much Depth.......2007-10-12

This is what it's advertised-- a collection of previous articles done by Adam Hsu. It covers the gamut of his martial arts tradition, including his lineage, his quest for the origins of some of the more unusual styles he has trained in (e.g. "Thunder"-style Chen Tai Chi), and a log of his various trips to China in search of said origins. Some nice anecdotes here, interesting historical references, and good stories. But his claim with respect to these-- that he hopes it will help others planning trips to China for similar purposes-- seems far-fetched. I doubt that high-ranking officials from the national wu shu academy and its equivalents would come greet me at the airport and bend over backwards to take me to obscure locations at a whim.

Master Hsu also covers some training methods, and training insights into the various forms he studies, particularly Ba Gua, Chang Quan, and Baji Quan-- and given the rarity of such training articles in these particular arts, these are quite valuable and to be savored. However, again, the article format left me feeling that depth was lacking. More exploration was expected out of a "book".

There were more than a few articles that could have been reduced to one paragraph, rather than 3-4 pages, as well. I get it-- magazine articles, but still...

Some of the article on basic training and really discerning authentic kung fu I think would be extremely useful for the beginner, or for the person seeking out a school/teacher who has no kung fu background (and I distinctly mean kung fu-- it's a different animal from the arts from other cultures). I appreciate Master Hsu's efforts to systematize his training regimen to make it more uniform and understandable for his students. It certainly makes me want to visit his school, if only to watch. But again, there is no in-depth, really. Generalities and some examples.

Sifu Hsu goes in-depth on basic stances and some basic postures, and explains his reasons why. Invaluable, since fundamentals are really the key, but again, there was little on other structural/alignment issues beyond this.

In summary, a nice overview of Adam Hsu, an admirable man, and his perspective on kung fu. But this does not plumb the depths of his knowledge or experience, merely gives one a shallow overview of what must be a much deeper man.

Another must have!.......2007-04-20

It's very rare to find decent books on the Chinese martial arts. Here, however, is a really great book on traditional wushu (kung fu).

This is not a how-to book, though you will find ideas for your own practice if you look and consider. As the other reviewers mention, this is a collection of essays on traditional Chinese martial arts. These essays range from short, topical op-ed pieces to full length articles and historical travelogues. There are general reflections on martial arts training, as well as three sections devoted specifically to articles on the styles of Long Fist, Taiji Quan (Tai Chi), and Bagua Zhang. Other styles such as Baji Quan, Pigua Zhang and Praying Mantis are represented too, however!

For me, the real gems of this collection of essays are the chapters in which Mr. Hsu talks about his research trips in mainland China. His mission to search for the roots of his Taiji Quan reads almost like an historical thriller, and the reader can't wait to find out 'who done it'.

The articles in this collection will give any practitioner or enthusiast of Chinese martial arts much to think about -- whether or not you agree. That is already quite an accomplishment. Beyond that, this edition by Plum Publications is one of the nicest volumes on martial arts that I own. The layout, the clarity of photographs, and the quality of paper and cover are all first rate. In short, I can only hope to read more from Mr. Hsu, while hoping that Plum publishes it.

Excellent read.......2007-03-30

Adam Hsu is a well known Chinese martial arts Master. He is "old school", concerned about how martial arts are a cultural treasure under attack in the modern world. He writes to illuminate, to provoke, to remind us of essentials of martial arts.
This book is a collection of essays, many of which have been published before. But, just like The Sword Polisher's Record, his other book, his collected thoughts reveal a consistent approach to the practice, teaching and thinking about martial arts. Gathered together the essays build and reinforce each other. For me he is an author that requires a reader to stop and really reflect on this points. Besides general essays on martial arts he also has specific ones on taiji and bagua. Also, Plum publishing did an excellent job with the book.
For serious martial artists and those interested in martial arts as cultural treasures, this is a must buy.

Lone Sword Against a Cold Cold Sky.......2007-03-08

Here is a book of essays by one of the most famous Kung Fu teachers.
I had read many of these articles before but this is the first time they've been collected in one place. This is nothing like most Kung Fu books which are instruction manuals like step here and do this. Adam Hsu
goes into what it means to really care about Kung Fu and practice it.
Sometimes what he says is daunting but most of the time his really
great sense of humor and high intelligence makes the whole story
fascinating. Even if you don't agree with him, there's someone
thinking here. Also beautifully written. The kind of thing you'll
return to over and over.

Taiji Sword, Classical Yang Style: The Complete Form, Qigong & Applications (Martial Arts-Internal)

Average customer rating:

The book and video provide a complete teaching of Taiji Jian
Reference, not instructional
Very good book about Yang Sword

Taiji Sword, Classical Yang Style: The Complete Form, Qigong & Applications (Martial Arts-Internal)
Yang Jwing-Ming
Manufacturer: YMAA Publication Center
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Fencing | Individual Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books

Tai Chi & Qi Gong | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1886969744

Book Description

One of the most notable Taiji teachers demonstrating the most popular of the many Taiji Weapons in this long-awaited, comprehensive guide.

Customer Reviews:

The book and video provide a complete teaching of Taiji Jian.......2007-07-10

This book is an excellent tool to teach the Taiji Jian and along with the video, you'll be able to capture the flavor and nature of energy patterns that are detailed in the book. I disagree with the previous reviewer in that he states that you need an instructor adjunct to this book. If the instructor has a different methodology, this book would circumvent the instructor and you'd end up creating your own methodology between the two. Why not simply learn from Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming, his clear and concise instruction is replete with all the necessary information that anyone could want with regards to Taiji Jian principle, exercise and practice. I highly recommend both the book and DVD for a complete practice.

Reference, not instructional.......2003-05-07

If you are getting ready to learn the Yang style Taiji sword, then this book should be on your shelf. If you are trying to learn on your own- go out and get a real teacher.

There are several things in this book that help suplement the instruction you can find in many Taiji schools that teach the sword. But this book is a supplement, not a replacement for that instruction.

Many schools only teach the form, not the reality behind it. They will give you a sword and say, "do it like this." Going through the motions does not mean that you understand what is going on. This book can help fill in the gaps.

A typical experience of someone learning the taiji sword is to come home after a long session and then find he/she can not even remember the sequence that the form is supposed to be in. This book can help jog your memory and help you in the sessions between training. But, again, if there are no training session with a teacher, you should just leave this book aside for now.

I should point out that this book is for the traditional form and not the 32 sequence form that seems so common now.

Very good book about Yang Sword.......2000-04-26

The book is a great source for the Yang tai-chi sword, easy to follow and filled with exercises and some applications, but, you also need the video, because always is good to see other people doing the form.

Average customer rating:

Worthwhile to have
a charming history
Don't waste your money
Great historical writing on the tai chi sword form
Taiji Sword

Taiji Sword
Chen Wei-Ming
Manufacturer: North Atlantic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Fencing | Individual Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Sports | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1556433336
Release Date: 2000-06-26

Book Description

A longtime student of the taiji grand master Yang Cheng-Fu, Chen Wei-Ming became famous himself as a scholar, martial artist, and proponent of the Yang style of t'ai chi. In the 1920s, he wrote a number of influential books on taiji, among them Taiji Sword (1927), which detailed a rare method of fencing. Translated here for the first time, this book serves as both a historical document and a training manual for an increasingly popular sport.

Customer Reviews:

Worthwhile to have.......2007-10-16

This is a very interesting book and very worthwhile to have if you are interested in Tai Chi Sword. Other reviewers have pointed out the limitation of detail in movement descriptions and grainy pictures. However, much more important is that it is a glimpse into the deeper moral and spiritual value that these great practioners held for the sword and how closely they were connected to the inner meanings of Taoist philosophy. It won't be a great resource for learning the form, but reading the words of these dedicated practioners from the past has a great and lasting value for anyone trying to gleen the meaning and value of Tai Chi Sword.

a charming history.......2006-07-26

I wish the pictures weren't so scratchy, but this is a facinating read for anyone studying Taichi sword.

Don't waste your money.......2004-07-09

I bought this book along with a video on T'ai Chi sword. I bought the book for some stories not for instruction. There are a few stories which were fun to read but there is no reason to own this book. The only redeeming quality of this book is the old time T'ai Chi pictures which are cool! But not worth spending any money on.

Great historical writing on the tai chi sword form.......2001-08-15

This book is a very interesting account of the Yang Style Tai Chi sword form. It is a translation of a classical account from the 1920's, and includes pictures of each of the postures of the form. The text is clear, and an interesting account of the form by an old master. As with most classical Tai Chi writings, it is more useful as a source of ideas for someone who already practices the form than as a beginner's teaching text. The translation is scholarly, and Ms. Davis has added a lot to this book with her footnotes and commentary. A very enjoyable read.

Taiji Sword.......2001-04-19

The beginning prefaces are informative. The stories of great Taijiquan masters are fascinating. The descriptions of the various postures are fairly clear. Unfortunately, the black and white photos accompanying the descriptions are faded and grainy. The hands, sword and body often disappear into the background leaving one guessing as to the correct form of the posture.

Customer Reviews:

A Primer.......1999-12-01

An excellent pre-cursor to Nick's better book: The Excellent Investment Advisor. Nick will tell you himself that Serious Money is outdated, but it is a good starter for Nick's unique approach on financial services sales.

A broker is a salesman.......1999-02-24

Thank you Nick! If you want to be successful as a broker, it doesn't matter if you know a lot about the markets, what matters is your capability of gathering assets. Gather,gather and gather assets is what Nick teaches you. Small things like talking over the phone and how to get appointments can really make a diference. Nick as a computer illiterate really knows the importance of selling mutual funds because of all the advantages they have. Mutual funds aren't a thing of the future, they are a thing of today. But again, you don't gaing much if you don't know how to market a product. That's what Nick teaches you.

Serious Money The Art of Marketing Mutual Funds

Average customer rating:

Serious Money The Art of Marketing Mutual Funds
Murray Nick
Manufacturer: Robert A. Stranger & Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UDR6AO

Average customer rating:

Not just a pretty book

Hero, Hawk

An Eye-Opening, Mind-Expanding Treasure

Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand: American Indian Art of the Ancient Midwest and South

Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Native American | Regional | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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Sun Circles and Human Hands : The Southeastern Indians Art and Industries

Casas Grandes and the Ceramic Art of the Ancient Southwest (Published in Association with The Art Institute of Chicago)

ASIN: 0300106017

Book Description

Along the Ohio, Tennessee, and Mississippi Rivers, the archaeological remains of earthen pyramids, plazas, large communities, and works of art and artifacts testify to Native American civilizations that thrived there between 3000 B.C. and A.D. 1500. This fascinating book presents exciting new information on the art and cultures of these ancient peoples and features hundreds of gorgeous photographs of important artworks, artifacts, and ritual objects excavated from Amerindian archaeological sites.

Drawing on excavation findings and extensive research, the contributors to the book document a succession of distinct ancient populations in the pre-Columbian world of the American Midwest and Southeast. A team of interdisciplinary scholars examines the connections between archaeological remains of different regions and the themes, forms, and rituals that continue in specific tribes of today. The book also includes the personal reflections of contemporary Native Americans who discuss their perspectives on the significance of the fascinating and beautiful prehistoric artifacts as well as their own cultural practices today.

Customer Reviews:

Not just a pretty book .......2005-03-19

This is a spectacularly beautiful book. Hundreds of exquisite photographs of Indian pottery and other pre-historic artifacts, plus maps, drawings, and paintings illustrate the text.

The illustrations accompany about 20 essays on the Indians of southern and midwestern United States from archaic times until contact with Europeans. The essays vary in quality and interest, but most are well written in scholarly but accessible prose. The contributors include anthropologists, art historians, folklorists, and members of several Indian tribes. Footnotes and a substantial bibliography round out a scholarly and artistic book of real merit.

Throughout the book the continuity of ancient Indian cultures with those known to the Europeans is emphasized. One of the most interesting essays concerns the people of Cahokia, the largest Northamerican archaelogical site dating from about 1200 AD, in which the author speculates about the identity of the inhabitants, relating them to present day Indian tribes. Other essays concern the Bread Dance of the Shawnee Indians -- written by a Shawnee -- and the cultural continuity from pre-historic to present day Caddo Indians. Hopewell, Poverty Point, Moundville, and other important pre-historic Indian cultures are also given meticulous attention.

Smallchief

Hero, Hawk.......2005-02-18

I saw the show in Chicago!!! Amazingly, the book, due to the excellent phothgraphy and printing comes close to the gallery experience. The text is insightful. A definite buy. I bought the book at the museum shop($60) and immediately purchased two copies for friends from my favorite bookseller - Mother Amazon!

An Eye-Opening, Mind-Expanding Treasure.......2004-11-09

The sheer number of gorgeous images in this book is breathtaking. But for many readers I suspect the most astonishing image might be a fairly simple one on page 17: a rendering of a orderly semicircle of structures facing a river, it is a city in Louisiana----in 1500 B.C. This book reveals Native American civilizations rivaling what we know of the Maya and Inca, but in the heartland of North America.

In the south and Midwest a series of sophisticated cultures left behind artifacts and even structures that we are just now beginning to study and understand. For example, the Hopewell site in Ohio, where "the most dramatic" sacred structures were "geometric in form and combined circular, oval, square, octagonal, or other elements in compositions covering hundreds of acres."

The artistry of the artifacts presented here is amazing, and this book has a generous selection of large, excellent photographs. But the prose is equally good: intelligent but intelligible, often with an interesting narrative. Even the occasional semiotic language is used as vocabulary rather than jargon. Not only does this book explore so much about these next-to-unknown cultures, but it provides an exemplary context of explaining a worldview shared by many Native cultures and peoples. Although this is a scholarly presentation based on a traveling art exhibit, it is pretty graceful about integrating contemporary Native views and information. It's only in recent years that scholars have taken the testimony of contemporary Native Americans about their own culture as seriously as they take their own theories about old artifacts that survived.

For all of these reasons I count this book as instantly one of my most treasured.

Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand : American Indian Art of the Ancient Midwest and South

Average customer rating:

Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand : American Indian Art of the Ancient Midwest and South
Richard F Townsend
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OS8WS0

Average customer rating:

Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand: American Indian Art of the Ancient Midwest and South
Ruthe Blalock Jones
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OS1GOC

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