Why can't operational managers ever get what they really want from IT? Why is the relationship so fraught with frustration from all parties? IT managers and business leaders simply don't understand each other, the way they think, the pressures they face, and the goals they are trying to achieve. Enter Susan Cramm, the prospective Deborah Tannen of the Business-IT relationship. - Personality-wise, if men are from Mars and women are from Venus, then the IT people are from Microsoft and their business partners are from Apple - In spite of great effort to become more business-smart, line and IT managers have very different backgrounds and experiences which make it difficult to communicate what they do and why and how they do it - Different pressures and incentives further increase the difficulty of forming positive IT-business relationships. While line managers need to "get 'er done now" to support the needs of their function or units (or pay the price in terms of near term business results and bonuses), IT managers need to "get 'er done right" to support the longer term needs of the enterprise (or pay the price in terms of fragmented, fragile systems.) The key to reconciling these and other differences is to figure out how to manage the paradox. If you want to get what you want from IT, you need to shift your perspective and look through the eyes of your IT partners. Doing so will allow you to develop a single version of "truth" and give you the insight necessary to change the relationship for the better. Similarly, this book will help dispel the notion that managers can "hand off" their IT responsibility to the IT organization and will provide the tools to incorporate the management of IT into their daily leadership agenda and repertoire. Business leaders should assume accountability for IT, much as they have assumed accountability for the management of the financial and human resource asset, and build the necessary capabilities into their organization. The core ideas in this book also promise to have applicability to managing other relationships between business units and specialized service providers. Think supply-chain management, or better yet, graphic design.

Proven methodologies to enhance business value by exploiting the latest global technology trends and best business and IT practices There is no doubt that a tidal wave of change is hitting the area of business technology; new business models are forming around the cloud, new insights on how an enterprise runs is being aided by mining massive transactional and operational data sets. Decision-making is becoming almost prescient through new classes of data visualization, data analytics, and dashboards. Despite the promise of technologies to make a difference, or perhaps because of it, IT organizations face continued challenges in realizing partnerships and trust with their business partners. While many books take on elements of these emerging developments or address the stubborn barriers to "real" partnership, none make the practices involved fit together in a highly effective fashion - until now. Strategic IT Management in Turbulent Times reveals how this framework ensures that organizations make the right strategic decisions to succeed in times of turbulence and change. Draws together authors with global experience including the Americas, Europe, Pacific Rim, and Africa Offers a comprehensive framework for IT and business managers to maximize the value IT brings to business Addresses the effects of turbulence on business and IT Focuses on developing partnerships and trust with business With practical examples and implementation guidance based on proven techniques developed by the authors over the past twenty years, Strategic IT Management in Turbulent Times considers the challenges facing today's enterprise, IT's critical role in value creation, and the practical road map for achieving strategic IT management competencies.

The delightful follow-up to When Dimple Met Rishi and There’s Something about Sweetie, which follows Ashish’s friends Pinky and Samir as they pretend to date in order to achieve their individual goals, to disastrous and hilarious results. Pinky Kumar wears the social justice warrior badge with pride. From raccoon hospitals to persecuted rock stars, no cause is too esoteric for her to champion. But a teeny tiny part of her also really enjoys making her conservative, buttoned-up corporate lawyer parents cringe. Samir Jha might have a few…quirks remaining from the time he had to take care of his sick mother, like the endless lists he makes in his planner and the way he schedules every minute of every day, but those are good things. They make life predictable and steady. Pinky loves lazy summers at her parents’ Cape Cod lake house, but after listening to them harangue her about the poor decisions she’s made (a.k.a. boyfriends she’s had), she hatches a plan. Get her sorta-friend-sorta-enemy—who is a total Harvard-bound Mama’s boy—to pose as her perfect boyfriend for the summer. When Samir’s internship falls through, leaving him with an unplanned summer, he gets a text from Pinky asking if he’ll be her fake boyfriend in exchange for a new internship. He jumps at the opportunity; Pinky’s a weirdo, but he can survive a summer with her if there’s light at the end of the tunnel. As they bicker their way through lighthouses and butterfly habitats, sparks fly, and they both realize this will be a summer they'll never forget.

Perfect for the curmudgeon in all of us, a hilarious compilation of life's little annoyances chronicles the irritations and challenges of everyday life and provides the satisfaction that at least other people notice them too. Original.

By ancient definition, the adamant was known as both a diamond and a mythical stone of indestructible wonder. In more modern terminology, it describes a posture of unshakeable resolve and determination. If there was ever a time for us to be adamant about love and truth it is now. God is Love. God is Truth. Both love and truth are timeless, transcending our current trends and opinions. Sometimes the most loving thing we will ever do is to speak the truth, but speaking truth begins with living it. Using the mediums of Scripture and story, New York Times bestselling author Lisa Bevere takes readers on a journey into the Mountain of God, to the one place they can learn not only to abide in God's unshakeable truth and love, but become adamant--people who are unmovable, determined, and steadfast. With conviction and passion, Lisa unpacks the concept of the adamant for readers, linking together the grand story of Scripture and God's purpose in their lives. Readers will see that God's plan is revealed as we dwell in him, it is there that we are forged and shaped. As we abide in Christ our Cornerstone we are shaped into the image of the adamant.

Told she can't date until her older sister starts, Bianca fears no one will want to take out sarcastic Kat.

Does living with a pet really make people happier and healthier? What can we learn from biomedical research with mice? Who enjoys a better quality of life—–the chicken destined for your dinner plate or the rooster in a Saturday night cockfight? Why is it wrong to eat the family dog? Drawing on more than two decades of research into the emerging field of anthrozoology, the science of human–animal relations, Hal Herzog offers an illuminating exploration of the fierce moral conundrums we face every day regarding the creatures with whom we share our world. Alternately poignant, challenging, and laugh-out-loud funny—blending anthropology, behavioral economics, evolutionary psychology, and philosophy—this enlightening and provocative book will forever change the way we look at our relationships with other creatures and, ultimately, how we see ourselves.