Aligning Business and IT with Metadata

Plan, execute, and sustain a successful IT campaign with Sam Bansal's perfect scorecard approach First came the dot.com bust, then the IT squeeze. Despite software being the tail that wags the dog in most corporations, the cham-pions of IT, the CIOs, are constantly under fire to justify and maximize their IT investments—past, present, and future. Learn how to establish Key Performance Indicators and Value Scorecards for IT to ensure maximum value in your corporation with the step-by-step approach found in Sam Bansal's Technology Scorecards. Drawing on Dr. Bansal's over forty years of field experience in the management of large and complex projects, Technology Scorecards shows you how to: Create Scorecards geared towards your organization's business goals Make quantum improvements in cost, value, and productivity using KPIs and Scorecards Increase your company's net by as much as 100% just by improving your supply chain management by 50% Impact your top line the most through product life-cycle management Develop a realistic strategy through Scorecards, which can then be used to drive IT investments that maximize your business performance Enhance profitability. Streamline strategy execution. Lower costs. Learn how to align your IT plans with your business objectives and optimize your company's overall performance with the perfect scorecard approach found in Technology Scorecards.

Corporate property is routinely identified as the second biggest cost within a business organization after staff. Effective management of such a major asset requires a fundamental understanding of both the operation of the property markets and the operational requirements of the business occupier. This primer on strategic property management focuses on how property held as a corporate asset can be used to add value to the primary business activity of an organization. Rather than separate the needs of the business form the management of the business estate, the aim of Corporate Property Management is to enable the reader to directly support the primary business function through strategic management of corporate property, thereby adding value to the business as a whole. The book introduces a generic framework designed to assist in the analysis of any corporate property portfolio, working as a practical aid to decision making. The book is structured around this framework, providing a detailed review of its application and uses. This is then developed further through extensive use of five in-depth case studies that covers a wide variety of property types and property users – Borders bookshops; Cancer Research high street shops; The Youth Hostel Association; Clifford Chance’s move to Canary Wharf and the Ardtornish Rural Estate in Scotland.

Praise for Business Intelligence Success Factors: Tools for Aligning your business in the Global Economy «Olivia Parr Rud does a remarkable job of weaving together many topics in a strategic way. As 'quants,' we're fascinated with data and fact-based decision-making. But success only comes when you consider the human factor, especially effective communications. Making topics like evolutionary biology, complexity science, and systems thinking relevant for business success is a unique and compelling view. As Max Frisch said, 'We hired workers and human beings came instead.'» —Anne Milley, Senior Director, Technology Product Marketing, SAS «Business Intelligence Success Factors is a must-read for anyone implementing BI on an organizational level. This book explains the business landscape and the underlying reasons for our current volatility, offering clear guidance on navigating our information rich global economy.» —Ron Powell, Editorial Director, Business Intelligence Network Transform challenges into opportunities with emerging Business Intelligence technologies Written by an expert in data mining and statistical analysis, this valuable resource unveils the connection between the increased use of BI and the need for new, proven theories and models in BI, as well as the guidance to implement them successfully in your organization. Are you ready to become adaptable? Learn how to harness today's rapidly evolving global economy with Business Intelligence Success Factors.

What makes some training programs successful while others produce disappointing results? The answer, says Ron Stone, lies in the processes trainers employ to determine needs, design and develop programs, deliver the training, and partner to get business results. It is time to reexamine these processes, says the author, and bring them into the twenty-first century. In Aligning Training for Results Stone provides a potent, comprehensive, and versatile resource to help guide trainers through assessing, designing, and delivering training solutions that achieve real and measurable results. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

If you are prepared to connect with China, it will make all the difference. Joan Turley provides all the signposts and insights to help those working with China understand the value of relationships and the importance of people as the key elements in making business and everything else work. This extremely powerful book will unlock your ability to build working relationships with China, for mutual success. «The book provides an invaluable reference for all businesses with any current or future interest of building a successful relationship with China. This is a topic that is as complicated and diffuse as the Chinese language itself and a reference such as this can save both time and money.» —David Paice, Marketing Manager, Cathay Pacific «Joan Turley's deep and delicate observation is really refreshing and practical and her understanding about China goes beyond my expectations. I believe Ms. Turley's new book will not only be welcomed by the British people but the Chinese people as well.» —Dizun Chen, Director of the General Office, Liaoning Provincial Party Committee «Joan Turley has great insight as well as ability to interpret different cultures for each other. Her knowledge is thorough as she has both academic and practical business experience of China. Her book has relevance both to the West and to China.» —Mr Huo, President, North Media «An indispensable handbook for developing successful UK/China business relationships. For an industry which thrives on ideas which turn customer understanding into commercial or social advantage, Joan's insights into Chinese culture and thinking are both instructive and relevant.» —Janet Hull, Consultant Head, Marketing and Reputation Management, IPA «The chapter on Law and Successful Relationships in China is a must for any lawyer wanting to do business in that part of the world.» —Eifion Morris, Partner, Stephenson Harwood, Law Firm of the Year 2009 «An authoritative and informative insight into conducting business in China, from an original standpoint that gives practical advice to both those with existing business and those approaching the Chinese market for the first time.» —Philip Moore, Asia-Pacific Manager, Andor Plc «Turley has taken her vast experience in working closely with Chinese companies, government and individuals to deliver robust advice on developing strategic and long term business relationships through communication, relationship development and sound planning and research.» —Barry Allaway, Managing Director, Worldwide Magazine Distribution Joan Turley has enormous understanding working successfully with China. Pivotal to her success is the understanding that connectivity is the key to building relationships, and it is this that will ultimately determine your success in business culture. Connecting with China aims to facilitate a smooth path for all those at the brink of working with China, or who are already involved but need further guidance. Understanding the forces that shape Chinese strategic thinking will only partially assist you in progressing up the very formal hierarchy which the Chinese use to codify relationships and signal degrees of trust and the will to cooperate. Full of insights, tools, techniques and tips this book provides invaluable lessons on how to build relationships, and how to channel Western skills into Chinese ways of working.

Unlock the meaning of your data with QlikView The Qlik platform was designed to provide a fast and easy data analytics tool, and QlikView Your Business is your detailed, full-color, step-by-step guide to understanding Qlikview's powerful features and techniques so you can quickly start unlocking your data’s potential. This expert author team brings real-world insight together with practical business analytics, so you can approach, explore, and solve business intelligence problems using the robust Qlik toolset and clearly communicate your results to stakeholders using powerful visualization features in QlikView and Qlik Sense. This book starts at the basic level and dives deep into the most advanced QlikView techniques, delivering tangible value and knowledge to new users and experienced developers alike. As an added benefit, every topic presented in the book is enhanced with tips, tricks, and insightful recommendations that the authors accumulated through years of developing QlikView analytics. This is the book for you: If you are a developer whose job is to load transactional data into Qlik BI environment, and who needs to understand both the basics and the most advanced techniques of Qlik data modelling and scripting If you are a data analyst whose job is to develop actionable and insightful QlikView visualizations to share within your organization If you are a project manager or business person, who wants to get a better understanding of the Qlik Business Intelligence platform and its capabilities What You Will Learn: The book covers three common business scenarios – Sales, Profitability, and Inventory Analysis. Each scenario contains four chapters, covering the four main disciplines of business analytics: Business Case, Data Modeling, Scripting, and Visualizations. The material is organized by increasing levels of complexity. Following our comprehensive tutorial, you will learn simple and advanced QlikView and Qlik Sense concepts, including the following: Data Modeling: Transforming Transactional data into Dimensional models Building a Star Schema Linking multiple fact tables using Link Tables Combing multiple tables into a single fact able using Concatenated Fact models Managing slowly changing dimensions Advanced date handling, using the As of Date table Calculating running balances Basic and Advanced Scripting: How to use the Data Load Script language for implementing data modeling techniques How to build and use the QVD data layer Building a multi-tier data architectures Using variables, loops, subroutines, and other script control statements Advanced scripting techniques for a variety of ETL solutions Building Insightful Visualizations in QlikView: Introduction into QlikView sheet objects – List Boxes, Text Objects, Charts, and more Designing insightful Dashboards in QlikView Using advanced calculation techniques, such as Set Analysis and Advanced Aggregation Using variables for What-If Analysis, as well as using variables for storing calculations, colors, and selection filters Advanced visualization techniques – normalized and non-normalized Mekko charts, Waterfall charts, Whale Tail charts, and more Building Insightful Visualizations in Qlik Sense: Introducing Qlik Sense – how it is different from QlikView and what is similar? Creating Sense sheet objects Building and using the Library of Master Items Exploring Qlik Sense unique features – Storytelling, Geo Mapping, and using Extensions Whether you are jus

For close to twenty years I have observed Mr. Chalfin helping owners, business advisors, and students get a grip on the slippery issues of selling a business. This book is a valuable distillation of his expertise. –Ian MacMillan, Dhirubhai Ambani Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania «Bob provided us with valuable outside perspective while we prepared our business for sale and during the sale process. His book is an excellent guideline for business owners thinking about selling their company.» –Steve Gerlicher, Entrepreneur «Bob Chalfin's experience and intellect make this book essential reading for IT business owners. Provides thoughtful analysis and practical advice invaluable to anybody who is even considering selling their business.» –Louis W. Fryman, Esq. Chairman Emeritus Fox Rothschild LLP «Bob Chalfin brings unparalleled experience to developing and executing these transactions. His insights are tempered by years of formulating these deals and then describing the methods to hundreds of students at The Wharton School.» –Stephen M. Sammut Senior Fellow, Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs Managing Director, Burrill International «This book covers all the bases for someone selling an IT (or really any) business. The observations on buyer motivations are particularly insightful.» –Mark Goodwin Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Pioneer Investments

A straightforward guide to the role of IT departments and vendor's in assisting organizations in going green with the aid of IT-related resources and offerings. This book provides organizations with strategy, planning, implementation, assessment guidance for their Green initiatives. It discusses the many benefits of Green initiatives with the assistance, integration and collaboration of IT department and vendors, i.e. custom and vendor application development and reporting tools, Green IT examples, business intelligence dashboards that can perform analytical and predictive analysis of green related business data. Outlines the major benefits to be gained through Green initiatives with IT Shows you how your business can strategize, plan, implement, assess Green initiatives solutions with IT Explores how to develop Green initiative strategies, plans, projects, and assessments that integrate IT resources and offerings effectively. Practical and thorough, this book includes helpful checklists, glossary, and resources to get started with your business's Green initiatives.

Timely guidance for transforming IT into a strategic business partner Today's leaders are expected to reduce costs, increase productivity, drive innovation and help the business identify and pursue new business opportunities. Successful IT leaders will be the ones that become strategic business partners and decision influencers in their organizations. Unleashing the Power of IT describes in actionable detail, the new mindset, core skill set, and interpersonal tool set that are necessary for IT leaders to thrive in today's increasingly complex challenging business environment. Provides tangible, hard-hitting, real-world strategies, techniques and approaches that will immediately transform your IT workforce and culture Includes Top Ten lists of tips and techniques, proven frameworks and practical guidance to help you launch and sustain your IT culture change and professional development initiatives Addresses how to build a client-focused IT culture; move your organization from order takers to trusted business partners, market IT's value, lead change with confidence, manage projects and vendor relationships A special feature of this book includes a chapter profiling several world-class organizations that have implemented the principles in this book. Learn about the culture change challenges they overcame and benefit from their best practices and successes.

Go from the «IT guy» to trusted business partner If you're in IT, quite a lot is expected of you and your team: be technologically advanced, business-minded, customer-focused, and financially astute, all at once. In the face of unforgiving competition, rampant globalization, and demanding customers, business leaders are discovering that it's absolutely essential to have a strong, active partner keeping a firm hand on the decisions and strategies surrounding information technology. Unleashing the Power of IT provides tangible, hard-hitting, real-world strategies, techniques, and approaches that will immediately transform your IT workforce and culture, presenting the new mindset, skill set, and tool set necessary for IT leaders to thrive in today's challenging environment. Includes new discussion on social media Offers online access to the IT Skill Builder Competency Assessment Tool Features top ten lists of tips and techniques, proven frameworks, and practical guidance to help you launch and sustain your IT culture change and professional development initiatives Profiling several world-class organizations that have implemented the principles in this book, Unleashing the Power of IT reveals the best practices to get you on the path to implementation.