This book nicely sets forth a detailed methodology for doing swimlane diagramming for workflow business processing. This book is for analysts; the discussion is about the nature of business processes that have workflow as a key characteristic. It is not about the architecture of computer solutions for such processes. If you follow the methodology in this book and flesh out the diagrams with use cases (just briefly touched on here), you will have captured most of the requirements for a business workflow process.

The book is nicely bound and well written. The authors have been around a while and the vocabulary and approach fit nicely with older concepts like business process reengineering. The authors are not unaware of the latest developments and "UML" crops up here and there but not in the index. The diagramming is very simple compared to UML activity diagrams.

This is good reading for the domain experts on a team working on the requirements document and a nice primer for geeks who are forced for the first time to talk to the business side of an enterprise.

If you've ever asked the question: Is there a great book that teaches an excellent methodology for analyzing real world workflow, and then designing the application that will implement that workflow into an application? I've found the book that answers that question.

Workflow Modeling is the book. It is the best book on the subject that I have read to date, and I've read dozens. It teaches you how to build visual models that illustrate the workflow process, and shows how to implement the model into an application. Superb! But it before it goes out of print.

Rarely do I get excited about books on workflow modeling. I have a few good books on the subject, all of which provide solid approaches and most of which are well written. This book stands out because it goes beyond merely "solid" or "well written" by giving one of the most comprehensive approaches to workflow modeling I've had the pleasure of reading.

First, like most books on the topic, none of the components of the approach are new. What makes the approach refreshing is the way the authors take standard techniques and tie them together into a coherent process. Second, this book can be used as a workbook during a workflow modeling project, and is well suited to this because of the numerous checklists and diagrams that will prove invaluable every step of the way. Finally, this is the first book of its kind that incorporates use cases, making it invaluable to project teams that have standardized on UML (Unified Modeling Language)or wish to integrate an object-oriented approach into a workflow modeling project. If you're not familiar with use cases I strongly recommend Writing Effective Use Cases by Alistar Cockburn (the best book on the subject in my opinion); UML Distilled by Fowler and Scott is an excellent introduction to that subject if it's new to you.

The approach is straightforward: frame the process and define its scope, understand the existing process (if there is one), design the "to-be" process and develop use case scenarios. I wish to offer one caveat at this point: if you are reengineering a process that is seriously broken you might consider skipping the "as-is" process. Understanding the existing process is useful if your goal is incremental improvement. Reengineering efforts usually radically transform existing processes, making efforts to understand them both moot and wasted.

Some of the highlights of this book include the authors' clear definitions and way of decomposing complex systems into discrete steps and components. For example, they use a five tier view of processes that ensures you have a complete view of all issues and factors. The views are: (1) mission, strategy and goals (I personally extend goals further into Goal-Question-Metric), (2)business processes, (3) presentation, (4) application logic and (5) data. Note that the last three align nicely to a 3-tier client/server architecture. This observation clearly shows how coherent the authors' approach is and how it can foster alignment of technology to business requirements.

I also like how the authors clarify the key issues in process design by pointing out six enablers that you need to account for during the analysis and design phase: (1)workflow, (2) technology, (3) human resources, (4) motivations and measurements, (5) policies and rules and (6) environmental constraints (facilities, external process capabilities, etc.). There is one minor point of disagreement I have between their workflow modeling technique and the one I use. The authors use swimlane diagrams (also called Rummler-Brache diagrams), while I use deployment diagrams. The difference? Swimlane diagrams do not capture phases or cycles. I always place workflows into the context of Entry Criteria-Task-Validation-Exit Criteria (ETVX), which is nearly identical to the TQM Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle. I insist on ETVX because it allows me to spot missing validation points in an existing workflow, and ensures that I clearly define entry and exit criteria, as well as validation points in a "to-be" workflow. Of course I am stating personal preferences - following the authors' approach verbatim will definitely result in a workflow design that is not only "bulletproof", but will align information systems and business process almost perfectly.

This book is a gem. It's readable, full of ideas and, with the incorporation of use cases into the approach, completely up-to-date with respect to IS/IT methodologies. If you want a fresh, modern approach to workflow design this book is the only one that will provide it.

The Old Curiosity Shop certainly displays the hallmarks of the unstructured, free-flowing make-it-up-as-you-go-along type of story characteristic of Dickens's early novels. Indeed, it is rather generous to call it a story, and it's difficult now to understand the sensation it caused when it was first published. However, if a page-turning plot was all there was to it, very few of Dickens's novels would be readable at all. As ever with Dickens, the pleasure in reading this book comes from the comedy, diversity and richness of the characters, as well as the sheer mastery of the English language which came so naturally to him.

The central characters are old Trent, his granddaughter Nell, the moneylender Daniel Quilp, young Kit and the wonderful Richard Swiveller. Of these, the spotlessly pure Nell and the irredeemably evil Quilp are the moral opposites around which the book revolves, old Trent is rather a pathetic figure, while Kit's sturdy progress from poverty to respectability makes for happier reading. However, it is the moral journey of Swiveller, which perhaps reflects the geographic journey undertaken by Nell and her grandfather, which is the real joy of this book. He enters the book in the guise of a rogue, involved in dubious intrigues with Nell's no-good brother and also with the repulsive Quilp. However, from the time that Quilp gets him a job as a clerk in the office of Samson Brass and his sister, the awful Miss Brass, Swiveller's basic decency and natural good humour begin to reveal themselves, and his soliloquies and dialogue provide many hilarious moments from that point on. The Dick Swiveller who subsequently meets up with the hapless young girl kept prisoner by Miss Brass is funny, considerate, charming and kind, and a long way from the doubtful type of character that he at first appears to be.

The book proceeds along two different narrative lines; one which charts the progress of Nell and her grandfather on their long journey, and the other revolving around Swiveller, Quilp and Kit, and to a lesser extent the families of these latter two, as well as "the single gentleman" and the little girl memorably christened "The Marchioness" by Swiveller. One of the big faults I found with this dual structure is that the characters of one plot line have no contact with those in the other plot line for most of the novel, and it is left to the Quilp, Swiveller and Kit to act out most of the drama. Nell and her grandfather spend most of their time journeying through various scenes of early nineteenth century life in England. Nonetheless these all make for enjoyable reading. One particular scene where Nell and her grandfather sleep beside a furnace in the company of a wretched man who watches the flames is particularly memorable.

All in all, it's not exactly a page-turner, and the ending is not a happy one. I would not recommend this book as an introduction to Dickens, and is best read by people, like myself, who have already decided that anything by Dickens is worth reading. Also it focuses less on London than many Dickens novels, and gives an interesting view of rural, village and town life outside London in those times.

The only pleasure greater than discovering a new book
is rediscovering an old friend you haven't read for a while.
Many years ago I read all of Charles Dickens novels, but I
recently had occasion to re-read The Old Curiosity Shop, and
it is just as good as I remembered it the first time.

The story, like most of his plots, depends a great deal
on coincidences, so you have to suspend your scepticism to
enjoy it. Dickens begins by introducing us to one of the
most innocent little girls in literature, Little Nell, and
to her most unhappy grand-father. Quickly we discover that
instead of the old man taking care of the child, she is the
one responsible. We then meet one of Dickens' great villains
- the evil, corrupt, mean, and nasty Quilp - a man, if that
term can be used, who has absolutely no redeeming qualities,
one who finds pleasure in inflicting pain on all he meets.

Thinking that the old man has secret riches, Quilp
advances him money to support his gambling habit.
Unfortunately Nell's grandfather never wins, and the debt
grows ever larger. Finally Quilp forecloses on the curiosity
shop that the old man owns (thus the name of the book) and
tries to keep the two captive in order to discover the money
that he still believes is hidden somewhere. While the
household is asleep, however, Nell and her grandfather
escape and begin wandering across England in a search for
sanctuary.

On that journey, Dickens introduces us to a series of
minor characters who either befriend or try to take
advantage of our heroine. He's in no hurry to continue the
main story, so just sit back and enjoy the vivid
characterizations that are typical of any good Dickens
novel.

In the meantime, we follow the adventures of young Kit,
a boy who was one of Nell's best friends until Quilp turned
her grandfather against him. Here we find one of Dickens'
favorite sub-plots, the poor but honest boy who supports his
widowed mother and younger brother. Thanks to his honesty,
Kit finds a good position, but then evil Quilp enters the
picture and has him arrested as a thief!

Of course, we have the kind and mysterious elderly
gentlemen who take an interest in Kit and Nell for reasons
that we don't fully understand until the end of the book. We
are certain, however, that they will help ensure that
justice prevails in the end.

This is not a book for those in a hurry. Dickens tells
his stories in a meandering fashion, and the stops along the
way are just as important for your enjoyment as the journey itself. That can be frustrating at time, especially as you enter the second half and are anxious to see how things turn out. I try never to cheat by reading the end of a book before I finish, but it is tempting with Dickens. At times I wanted to tell him, "I don't want to meet anyone else; tell me what happens to Nell and Kit!" But I know the side journeys will prove rewarding, so I just have to be patient. Anyway, I am in better shape than his first readers; he wrote in weekly installments, so
they had to wait!

If you have and enjoyed other Dickens' novels, you will enjoy this one as well. If this is your first time (or perhaps the first time since you were in high school), you are in for a treat.

This edition of the Old Curiosity Shop is outstanding. It contains all the original illustrations drawn for the book, very helpful footnotes, a chronology of Dickens's life, etc. The book takes the reader on a wild journey through the English countryside with Little Nell, an angelic girl, and her troublesome grandfather, and features a host of amusing characters as only Dickens can draw them. While it was being written in serial form, it was so popular that sailors returning to port in England were known to shout to people on shore to ask what was going on with Little Nell. Today, however, you can miss some of Dickens's nuance and humor if you don't have good footnotes to turn to. The notes in this book explain obscure terms, references to contemporary popular culture, places where the action occurs, etc. If you are going to read this book, this is the edition to buy.

Someone used the word snippet to describe what is included in this production; it is a good term. So, snippet it is; but what has been included gives no introduction, no explanation, no explication, no nothing. The tape is of different bits of Shakespeare's plays which run rapidly into each other. To get any fair use out of this work the listener needs to sit with a printed copy of the complete works sitting on his or her lap otherwise the whole exercise is meaningless. Shakespeare requires understanding what is being said in context. This tape would be better served if it included a brief introduction regarding which play the snippet came from and how the dialog ties in with the action. Without this information only those who have read all the plays will not be lost. There are not many who can claim that background. So, as a stand-alone audio, for most of us, this tape is a sad waste.

I want buy this produce and i curiositied how it?

I own this on cassette, and hope that it will soon be released on CD.

I play it almost every 3 months or so especially as I search for new audition monologues.
It is a great way to hear various interpretations of speeches, snippets from some of the more less performed plays (Henry VIII and Coriolanus are two examples), and some of the theater's best actors in their finest roles.

Highly recommend

This documentary of the life of Florida's sugarcane workers should be required reading for every legislator voting on the sugar industry's subsidies, every citizen living in the State of Florida, and every person who consumes sugar in the U.S. As the book is focused social ills, it subsequently fails to adequately address the issue of the crop's environmental damage; and while it is a bit dated, it is yet a compelling look at the darker side of sugar.

An extremely realistic portrait of the area that I was born in to and spent the first twenty years of my life. This book is so well researched and insightful that I learned many things about the industry that sustained my home town. More importantly though it introduces the reader to the poor immigrant workers that slave away to produce the sugar that most give no thought. If you would would like to be immersed in a world that you know nothing about and learn of a culture, while American, is as different as you may find this book will entertain and educate you.

A very exhaustive book, no doubt. In the extent of the material covered and in the feelings it generates. An early reference to innovation as a non-linear phenomenon does not apply to the book where a rigid timeline approach is applied throughtout. Few general conclusions are drawn so this one is strictly for those interested in extensive details of Corning's history. A few nuggest here and there that may apply to established technology companies focusing today on development over research.

When you hire a corporate biographer, the result should be thorough, imbued with inside knowledge and, perhaps, a bit flattering. And so is this book, which was commissioned by Corning in conjunction with the firm's sesquicentennial celebration. As the title suggests, the focus of the book is on the innovational nature of the company and how Corning has capitalized on its creativity through flexible strategic responses to changing market demands. Although the corporate origins of the book cast doubts on its objectivity, we from getAbstract recommend Corning and the Craft of Innovation as an interesting case study in the management of a company that lives and dies with innovation.

Wonderful prose, beautifully observed character study, as WG slips into the skin of an extremely priggish and snobbish early twenties aristocrat as he comes of age and begins to understand a little more of the virtues of the ordinary people around him. Sea journeys of that era were long, tedious, largely uneventful and extremely uncomfortable. All 3 books in the trilogy carry this perfectly: the maritime atmosphere is conveyed as perfectly as the arrogant character of the narrator. However, the tedium of the journey also comes across in the virtually non-existent plot which makes the books drag on somewhat. It is probably, though, as brilliant description of the English class system at the start of the 19th century as you will read. I believe that the books in Trilogies should be able to stand alone, if they are to be sold separately, & on that basis, this trilogy definitely fails. I'm glad I read it as a single 750 page tome.

I have not had the opportunity to read the other parts in this trilogy, but for me this novel hangs together exceptionally well as an individual story. In brief, it is written as the journal of Edmund Talbot, composed for his godfather and patron, an English lord, during a journey from England to Australia sometime during the early 19th century. In particular, it deals with the events before, and the investigation subsequent to, the death of a parson who is also on board.

Because of the setting, characters of diverse backgrounds are thrown into closer contact than they might otherwise have had. This means that notions of class and how it impacts upon individuals play an important part in the novel. Questions of faith and the effect that it has upon actions are also crucial. Ultimately this is a very human story (much as is Golding's most famous book 'Lord Of The Flies') as it deals with the way that people react when put into extreme (and not so extreme) circumstances.

This is certainly a book worth reading on its own terms. However, it has also whet my appetite to find and read the other two books, 'Close Quarters' and "Fire Down Below'.

If you have bought other travel guides to Paris such as Frommer's or Fodor's, this "Irreverent Guide" will add nothing of value to your experience of Paris. It seems to me that the title is misleading and very gimmicky. Invest the ... + shipping in a good lunch for one. Or give it away to someone who needs it, or simply save it. This book is not worth it. I rate this book one star.

If being irreverent is stating that Parisian waiters can be rude, then I've missed the point of this book somewhere. Everbody KNOWS that Parisian waiters can be rude. Just be rude back!

I can't help feeling that Alexander F. Lobrano (Heidi Ellison in the first edition) have just dug around to exaggerate the things they don't like, and played down (or even omitted) the good things. For example, in a section marked 'Secret Gardens', how can Parc Andre Citroen be considered secret and Jardins Albert Kahn completely missed? It makes a mockery of claiming to be a true guide. Much better (if you're French-speaking) to get yourself a copy of 'Paris inattendu' by Michel Dansel. You get the truth AND a lot of fresh information.

I bought the Irreverent Guide to London when I traveled to Britain two years ago, and I had such a good experience with that book that I bought this one for my upcoming trip to Paris. I have also read Fodor's and have done extensive research online, but I like the irreverent book because it's small, informative, and opinionated. I don't need another sixty pages listing the museums in France. What I need is for someone knowledgable to tell me which museums are worth the time and which ones aren't

I was assigned to read this book for social religion class. I did not find it very interesting to read. most of the stories are business stereotype. The book itself is very confusing. It seems that it keeps repeating itself- over and over.

I am a theologian-philosopher looking for a decent book on CHRISTIAN ethics in the marketplace, which this book claims to be. But I found the arguments and conclusions in this book to be based on some very shaky premises.

The author seems to be knowledgeable about the business world, and have read much from business texts and journals. However, since this is a CHRISTIAN ethic, proficiency with the Scripture is necessary. This I find lacking in the author. And so, many of his conclusions are in fact based on the "common sense" out there instead of the Scripture, although he tries to force his conclusions to say that they are in accordance with Christianity.

One who writes on Christian ethics should be proficient in both theology and philosophy, besides being informed about business situations as well. I lack the last of these three, and was hoping to remedy that partly with this book, but the author is so deficient on the first two that this book is not helpful at all.

This book is clear, concise, and draws from numerous well-regarded sources. The examples are enjoyable and the discussion questions are thought provoking.

Well, yet another generally useless and deceptive book about offshore investing and offshore asset protection. There's nothing here you've not read in other similar books. I've given the book two stars instead of one only because at least the authors don't appear to be explicitly recommending outright fraud and tax evasion.

Offshore Investing is fluff with very little substance. The authors, who are apparently Canadians, allude to tax advantages of offshore investing "through carefully structured international tax planning" but don't tell you the truth that, as a practical matter, it is just about impossible for most US citizens and residents to achieve unique tax advantages by investing offshore.

The authors don't talk in any detail about the few legitimate means for using offshore structures to reduce US income taxes, such as captive insurance companies and offshore variable life insurance and annuities. Neither do they mention the extensive US tax reporting requirements and the negative tax consequences associated with many of the offshore structures they discuss.

Their rankings of offshore banks are of little use because the authors don't provide their ratings criteria, except to say, generally, that the banks are rated on reputation (among whom?), history, service levels (to whom?), expertise (in what areas?), and perceived (by whom?) credit-worthiness.

About 100 of the book's 200 pages are devoted to giving brief overviews of offshore jurisdictions - which is nothing different than you can find at least one better book, Arnold Cornez' Offshore Money Book, with more substance for the same price.

The authors' understanding of asset protection, at least with regard to protecting assets of US persons from US creditors, is also off-base. They discuss the same old schemes pitched by promoters from coast to coast, and what attempt there is at giving practical advice is misguided and just plain wrong in many cases.

No book oriented to non-professionals does a very good job with the tax and asset protection substance and truth of offshore planning. This one, while not promoting blatantly illegal or fraudulent schemes, adds nothing to the existing literature. Save your money -- skip this one.

I have read the book, Investing Offshore and found it very useful from a Canadian perspective. There are a lot of offshore books that are only geared towards the US market. This book is easy to read, very instructive and easy to follow. This has prompted me to do more research on how to invest offshore in a tax compliant mannner.

Unlike most other books on the subject of offshore, this book gives a good overview of offshore investing. I have given it four stars for its simple layout, its beneficial jurisdictional reviews, Chapter 9 and its overwhelming achievement of what the book is intended to do--namely to inform the reader of the many possibilities available to them.

A 5-star rating would have been granted if the authors had elaborated on what was meant by "carefully structured" arrangements for offshore investors. They also tended to gloss over some of the aspects of the offshore industry. However, the book doesn't promise to be a step-by-step guide on all the "how-to's" of offshore investing either. Instead, the authors provide good and reliable information to give the reader a basic understanding so that they can seek further professional advice as required on an individualized basis.

One of the two sections of the book that I found most valuable was Chapter 9 ("How Individuals Can Take Advantage Of Offshore Financial Centers"), which, despite its shortness, gives excellent information on how several different professionals can take advantage of offshore structures.

Also, the entire second half of the book justifies 4-stars as opposed to 3-stars. In this section, the authors give excellent, concise information on different offshore jurisdictions throughout the world. They have a helpful rating system that ranks the jurisdictions in four categories: Banking, Trusts, Companies and an Overall Rating. Despite the fact that the authors do not justify their criteria of how they arrived at this rating (something that could have earned them 5-stars), it is still extremely helpful for the beginner seeking reliable information at an affordable price.

This book could have used a good editor and proof reader! the story is not bad, but the errors and the improper use of the english Language is Jarring! The hook and the plot line have great possibilities but I would prefer better character development. Overall, I might have given this book 3 to 4 stars if it were cleanly edited. I recently read a very good thriller by a new author: "Deviant Ways" by Chris Mooney -- Hanible Lecter Watch out!

Donzi's book The Consultant was refreshing! I learned more than I ever knew possible about the job of a high powered, worldly-wise consultant! Great intrigue and an engaging story line! It's a good read!

Over the past couple of years I've read through all the new books by Grisham, Clancy, Crichton, Harris, Patterson and others. A few books like Hannibal by Harris, The Testament by Grisham and A Man in Full by Wolfe I found worth reading. But I was searching for an international thriller and Rainbow Six by Clancy came pretty close. Then came The Consultant by Donzi and this was it. His voice is fresh and unique. He arranged the book into 76 chapters which adds to the electricity of this high-profile thriller. True, I might be biased to some degree because some parts of this novel play in my 'backyard' in Naples, but the whole story is so very engaging and extremely interesting that you just can't put this book down. Also, Donzi introduces the reader to a lifestyle on a completely different level and he makes you understand how rich folks really think. Great book: it's the best novel in years!