One of the most important investments in an organization is its information technology (IT) infrastructure. Yet many managers are ill-prepared to make sound IT investment decisions. Drawing upon rigorous research with over 100 businesses in 75 firms in nine countries, the authors here present a wide range of IT possibilities, enabling managers to take control of decisions that many have relegated to technical staff or vendors.
Seventy percent of all IT projects fail - and scores of books have attempted to help firms measure and manage IT systems and processes better in order to turn this figure around. In this book, IT experts Peter D. Weill and Jeanne W. Ross argue that the real reason IT fails to deliver value is that companies have no formal system in place for guiding and monitoring IT decisions. Their research shows that firms with explicit IT governance systems have twice the profit of firms with poor governance, given the same strategic objectives. Just as corporate governance systems aim to ensure quality decisions about corporate assets, the authors show, companies need IT governance systems to ensure that IT investments are made wisely and effectively. Based on a study of 250 enterprises worldwide, IT Governance shows how to design and implement a customized system of decision rights that will ensure that all employees invest in and use IT only in manners that achieve the company's strategic and financial goals. Practical and proven in practice, this book will help firms transform IT from an expense to a profitable investment.
Place to Space is the essential e-business playbook that will give leaders the insight and confidence they need to operate successfully in both place and space. The book explains how traditional companies can adapt their bricks-and-mortar legacies to complement and bolster their online ventures. Based on extensive research into dozens of e-business initiatives, this book provides the first systematic, practical analysis of eight viable e-business models; an adaptable hybrid model for competing against online pure plays; and revolutionary schematic tools for analyzing current business models and evaluating promising new web initiatives. Through illuminating case studies of Lonely Planet, General Electric, CDNow, Reuters, and others, the authors show how each model works in practice--from how it makes money to the core competencies and critical factors required to implement it.
The advent of the Information Society is marked by the explosive penetration of information technologies in all aspects of life and by a related fundamental transformation in every form of the organization. Researchers, business people and policy makers have recognized the importance of addressing technological, economic and social impacts in conjunction. For example, the rise and fall of the dot-com hype depended a lot on the strength of the business model, on the technological capabilities available to firms and on the readiness of the society and economy at large sustain a new breed of business activity. However, it is notoriously difficult to examine the cross-impacts of social, economic and technological aspects of the Information Society. This kind of work requires multidisciplinary work and collaboration on a wide range of skills. Social and Economic Transformation in the Digital Era addresses this challenge by assembling the latest thinking of leading researchers and policy makers. The book covers all key subject areas of the Information Society an presents innovative business models, case studies, normative theories and social explanations
Die Informationstechnologie ist eine wesentliche Voraussetzung für die Unternehmensentwicklung. Nur diejenigen Unternehmen, die heute in IT investieren, investieren in ihre Zukunft. Alle übrigen bleiben auf der Strecke. Dieses Buch diskutiert die entscheidenden Auswirkungen der IT auf die Beschleunigung des globalen Kampfes um Marktanteile. "E-Darwinism" beschreibt auf treffende und gleichzeitig provozierende Art die harte Realität des neuen "Informations Darwinismus", wie Autor Eric Marks es nennt. Marks untersucht, wie das Internet die Unternehmens-, IT- und Produktionsstrategie von Produktions- und Serviceunternehmen revolutionieren wird, und warum künftige Führungskräfte in der Lage sein müssen, die Vorteile von IT und Internet voll auszunutzen. Denn das Prinzip des "Informations Darwinismus" besagt, dass nur diejenigen Unternehmen in der heutigen Wettbewerbs- und Marktumgebung überleben werden, die sich am schnellsten an aktuelle Technologien anpassen können.
"Web services are a group of closely related, emerging technologies based on an open, Internet-centric infrastructure. They are the driving force that makes corporate portals work, and the best, most economic way of making content and services available to everyone within a corporation, as well as all of its suppliers and customers. And web services is the only area of IT seeing any increase in spending over the foreseeable future. Leveraging Web Services helps CEOs, CIOs, CTOs, and senior managers understand how web services can be applied to their own organizations. The book uses case studies and interviews to take readers inside top real-world enterprises that have conceptualized, developed, and implemented this new technology. From stock quotes, content syndication and mapping services, to payroll management, business intelligence, shipping and logistics and other applications, making the most of web services can open up huge possibilities. Featuring examples from Oracle, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Procter & Gamble, and Amazon.com, Leveraging Web Services offers a compelling examination of how the technology can be used for superior results."
**Winner, Phillip D. Reed Award for Outstanding Writing on the Southern Environment** **A Planetizen Top Planning Book for 2017** After decades of sprawl, many American city and suburban residents struggle with issues related to traffic (and its accompanying challenges for our health and productivity), divided neighborhoods, and a non-walkable life. Urban designer Ryan Gravel makes a case for how we can change this. Cities have the capacity to create a healthier, more satisfying way of life by remodeling and augmenting their infrastructure in ways that connect neighborhoods and communities. Gravel came up with a way to do just that in his hometown with the Atlanta Beltline project. It connects 40 diverse Atlanta neighborhoods to city schools, shopping districts, and public parks, and has already seen a huge payoff in real estate development and local business revenue. Similar projects are in the works around the country, from the Los Angeles River Revitalization and the Buffalo Bayou in Houston to the Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis and the Underline in Miami. In Where We Want to Live, Gravel presents an exciting blueprint for revitalizing cities to make them places where we truly want to live.
"AI in Practice: A Comprehensive Guide to Leveraging Artificial Intelligence in Business" is a groundbreaking book that provides a comprehensive and practical exploration of the applications, strategies, and considerations involved in leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) in various business domains. Written for professionals, decision-makers, and enthusiasts alike, this book serves as a roadmap to help organizations harness the power of AI to drive innovation, improve efficiencies, and gain a competitive edge in the modern digital landscape.
Infrastructure and its effects on economic growth, social welfare, and sustainability receive a great deal of attention today. There is widespread agreement that infrastructure is a key dimension of global development and that its impact reaches deep into the broader economy with important and multifaceted implications for social progress. At the same time, infrastructure finance is among the most complex and challenging areas in the global financial architecture. Ingo Walter, Professor Emeritus of Finance, Corporate Governance and Ethics at the Stern School of Business, New York University, and his team of experts tackle the issue by focussing on key findings backed by serious theoretical and empirical research. The result is a set of viable guideposts for researchers, policy-makers, students and anybody interested in the varied challenges of the contemporary economy.
