A well-organized, conceptual text for students, IT professionals and software purchasers.
In their debut business management title, Wiggins and Abernethy outline basic concepts for successful information technology management.
Wiggins, a chief information officer at South Carolina BlueCross BlueShield, and Abernethy (Computer Science/Furman Univ.) “explore a set of concepts that [they] believe are fundamental for the management of information technology (IT) as a successful business.” These ideas are drawn from a decade-long collaboration creating professional development IT programs for BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. Their goal is to help IT professionals balance efficiency with effectiveness and art with science—in other words, client operations with IT. The authors maintain that business software users need to be educated in the field because, as is often the case, their expectations are not aligned with the limitations of hardware, software and telecommunications. Likewise, the authors state, IT employees must be exposed to and embrace common business practices under which non-IT businesses operate, in addition to maintaining technical competence. The presentation is largely theoretical, drawing on models from the likes of Drucker and other recognized industry groups. Abstract thinkers may benefit from the elementary framework; the promised “step-by-step” guide may be disappointing for others, however, especially considering that the examples drawn from BlueCross BlueShield don’t represent varied, substantial case studies in the industry. But there are several hands-on examples that may prove useful, including an industry-specific chart that outlines tasks for various job roles. Many of the general concepts are substantiated by a bibliography that mixes time-tested models with current technological literature, and the final third of the text is offered as an executive summary. The book’s primary shortcoming—it focuses mostly on one organization’s success—is fairly acknowledged by the authors, yet it would have been helpful to see more concrete examples of that success. Still, busy professionals will benefit from a close reading; they may even be inspired to inquire about the professional development programs unobtrusively advertised in the epilogue.
A well-organized, conceptual text for students, IT professionals and software purchasers.Pub Date: April 27, 2012
ISBN: 978-1463772802
Page Count: 328
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: June 4, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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