Product Description
The PMBOK9(r) Guide – Fourth Edition continues the tradition ofexcellence in project management with a standard that is even easier tounderstand and implement, with improved consistency and greater clarification.

• Standard language has been incorporated throughout the document to aidreader understanding.
• New data flow diagrams clarify inputs and outputs for each process.
• Greater attention has been placed on how Knowledge Areas integrate in thecontext of Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, andClosing process groups.
• Two new processes are featured: Identify Stakeholders and CollectRequirements.

Customer Reviews (77)

Buyer beware of this seller
Book appeared fine at first, till I got to chapter 6, I only have 5 pages of chapter 6 and no chapter 7 at all. Instead I have two chapter 4's and two chapter 5's.

Worked like a charm
I have now read this book two times over and every time I do I learn something new. I must say it's not the most exciting book I've ever read but it's effective in getting it's message across. I used this book in combination with CAPM Exam Prep: Rita Mulcahy's Course in a Book for Passing the CAPM Exam and I passed with flying colours. I was actually surprised how easy it was. I would recommend both books to anyone looking to pass the CAPM exam and even to pass the PMP exam.

good reference
For anyone interested in furthering your Project Management knowledge, this book has it all.It will, however, require some commitment on your part.The baseline information is in the book, the rest is up to you.

Good book for Project Management students
I found this to be a good reference book for my Project Management class and studying for the PMP

The price was excellent.
I got the book new and a good price.I got the delivery in a razonable time. ... Read more

Product Description
Knowledge management is the fast-track route to leveraging the intellectual capital in your organisation.

It covers the key areas of knowledge management, from identifying knowledge in an organisation to promoting and facilitating knowledge sharing and innovation.

It takes examples and lessons from some of the world's most successful business, including Shell Oil, British Aerospace, Dow Chemical and the World Bank, and ideas from the smartest thinkers, including Peter drucker, Michael Polanyi, and Ikujiro Nonaka.

It includes a glossary of key concepts and a comprehensive resources guide.

Knowledge management surveys the technology, the strategies and the practice of the subject to give you the expertise you need to act fast. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Good but not great!
I bought this book as I wanted to improve my understanding of knowledge management (KM) and build on some concepts already known to me.Overall, this book did not disappoint.It gave me a good overview, highlighted KM's importance, re-confirmed that KM is not do once and forget, and it reminded me of differences between KM concepts such as explicit & tacit KM.

Despite the books length, it fits a lot in, is simple and easy to understand and includes a few case studies highlighting KM in the 'real world'.Additionally, a fairly comprehensive reference list of KM terms is included, which I thought was a great addition.

The only downside I found was I was left wanting.I felt the author could've explored some concepts in greater depth, and delve into the nitty gritty.For example, the case studies were interesting, but I found it hard to separate what was KM, what was just good management and what was organisational leadership.It is here I felt the author could've explored this, hence my 4/5.

So in conclusion, if you are after an introduction to KM then this book is a good starting point.If you are wanting to build on your knowledge, learn more about how to apply it, the differences between management, KM and the like, then there may well be better books.

Knowledge Management in a Knut Shell!
Knowledge Management

In another review for Carl Frappaolo's "Knowledge Management" I read something along the lines of: it's short, it's sweet, and it's useful. I couldn't agree more!

For those new to the worlds of knowledge management Frappaolo's succinct introduction to the field really is an essential first step, whether you are interested in pursuing studies or work in knowledge management (KM) or if you are getting up to speed on this topic. Deceptively thin, "Knowledge Management" is packed with the critical concepts, helpful information, and useful references for novices to experts in a variety of fields ranging from information technology, education and training, or organizational management, and all this in under 142 pages!

Charting a logical progression from a perfunctory "Introduction to Knowledge Management" to "What is Knowledge Management," Frappaolo clearly maps out the terrain of what knowledge management is, how it is understood in a variety of contexts, and most importantly, he provides short cases studies integrating the intellectual underpinnings of knowledge management with the realities of the business world. He ends the book with three useful steps for readers looking to dive deeper in to knowledge management: "Key Concepts and Thinkers in Knowledge Management" provides a useful (although ever-changing) glossary of terms, and a micro-bibliography of eleven key figures in the evolution of knowledge management; a chapter dedicated to expanding the print and digital references; and finally, "Ten Steps to Making Knowledge Management Work," a truly elegant and simple plan for everyone to wrap their arms around making knowledge management an actionable concept and practice.

Aside from the brevity of the book, the structure of the book deserves comment. In a semi-academic (or B-School) format, each chapter offers a short introduction, a list of main points, the discussion of those points, and a summary or "Key Learning Points" tied back to the chapter's main points and highlights of the discussion topics, and intermittently the case study reviews of examples in sections titled "Best Practices in KM." Chapter 7, "Knowledge Management in Practice - Success Stories" provides more detailed case studies of examples woven throughout the book.

I would have liked more detailed references for further reading, and of course the bibliographies could be more robust; but that is not the purpose of this book. Using the references cited and the micro-bibliographies in the references section, readers will easily round out their interests in knowledge management from the technological end to the managerial end. Blending academic, intellectual, and working knowledge together under the rubric of knowledge management, Frappaolo brilliantly demonstrates the potential successes of KM in this book through this old-fashioned "portal" to capture, illuminate, share, and evolve - in this case, it just happens to be about knowledge management; but the applications are limitless.

Very good introduction
I must admit to being a little suprised when I first received this book - it is "petite"! Was I going to get my money's worth I wondered?

The answer is definitely yes - particularly if you are beginning in your knowledge management reading. In simple terms and in simple structure the author provides the reader with an understanding of KM history, the current state of KM, KM systems and processes and does not neglect the hard work of forging and shaping the necessary culture to support any such KM initiative.

No less, no more. A great little beginning book and one I am sure I will return to for a quick update on any number of concepts.

Excellent reference
This book was an excellent resource to me.It got me well grounded in the principlesand practices of knowledge management.It is well written, concise and thorough.i wish I had found it earlier, before I read alot of other less valuable treatises on knowledge management.Its a keeper.

Outstanding overview and reference
This book is an excellent primer for those who don't know anything about Knowledge Management and those who need a reference on the subject. It is insightful, well written and a very quick read. It is one of those little books of gold you trip over every once in a while. It is also compact and well suited for business travel.

Don't expect me to be selling this on Amazon any time soon...this book is a Keeper! ... Read more

Product Description
The Knowledge Management Toolkit, Second Edition walks step by step through the development of a state-of-the-art Knowledge Management Platform. Thoroughly revised to reflect the latest technologies and best practices, it offers the most complete, results-driven roadmap for building KM systems that leverage existing infrastructure and knowledge. Utilizing practical checklists and diagrams, Amrit Tiwana introduces advanced techniques for planning, design, development, deployment, and management. Major updates include: revamped strategy coverage; breakthrough methods for calculating ROI; in-depth coverage of knowledge platforms and digital P2P networks; many new case studies; and an extensive set of analysis tools on CD-ROM. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

An outstanding practical KM book
For the people who is involved with KM, you may have read a lot of information about it. KM is a complex and theoretical topic, with a lot of theory. This book takes yoy step by step, since conceps to implementation, helping you with a KM CD that has usefull tools for the KM practice.

Luis Iván de la Fuente

Excellent Book for KM practitioners
This is a book that makes a good balance between theory and practice. It presents a complete step by step guide to implement KM in your organization.

I recommend it for people who are in charge of a Knowledge Management Project or defining a KM strategy for their organizations. Is not an only "theory" book like most text or articles on knowledge management.

Illustrative book with templates, checklists that can help you organize your KM project.

Cesar Castillo

This book is Weak
This book is a poor application of the KM subject. It has non-sensical terms like "knowledge management server" that would only make sense to a Boeing engineer...

Academic text, adn some practical advice
Most texts on knowledge management are strictly theory. This is one of the few that I have seen that has taken a "hands on" approach to KM. Certainly a lofty goal, and the author does a good job trying to reach it, but still falls somewhat short.

The diagrams, checklists, and templates are thought-provoking, and will help you design YOUR KM program. Full lifecycle, thorough, and plenty of case studies. Overall, I'm quite pleased with its content.

One will almost immediately notice the research and writing style--the author is obviously from the academic world.

Practical roadmap & toolkit
Tiwana's 'KM Toolkit' provides a balanced view on knowledge management (KM). Both the soft (e.g. organization structure, organizational behaviour issues) & hard (e.g. technological infrastructure) sides of KM are coherently taken into account. The vast number of applicable KM technologies may seem overwhelming, but given the clear 'roadmap' & other relevant audit tools provided by the book (& its CD-ROM), readers should be well-equipped to have a good start in implementing KM initiatives. ... Read more

Product Description
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge(PMBOK® Guide)– 2000 Edition is your basic reference and theworld’s de facto standard for the project management profession. Itwas designated an American National Standard (ANSI/PMI 99-001-2000) bythe American National Standards Institute in March 2001.

The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) is an inclusive termthat describes the sum of knowledge within the profession of projectmanagement. The PMBOK® Guide identifies and describes the subset ofprinciples and practices within the PMBOK® that are generally acceptedand applicable to most projects most of the time. The guide alsoprovides a common lexicon for talking about projectmanagement. Project management is a relatively young profession, andwhile there is substantial commonality around what is done, there isrelatively little commonality in the terms used. An extensive glossaryfurther aids in standardizing definitions of the most importantconcepts, terms, and phrases.

The Project Management Institute (PMI®) uses the PMBOK® Guide as oneof the references for the Project Management Professional (PMP®)Certification Examination. Major revisions and expansions of thisedition include:

• Aligned newly added processes, tools, and techniques with the five project processes and nine knowledge areas. For example, reserve time, variance analysis, and activity attributes were added to Chapter 6 (Project Time Management); estimating publications and earned value were added to Chapter 7 (Project Cost Management); and project reports, project presentations, and project closure were added to Chapter 10 (Project Communications Management).

• Added a section in Chapter 2 to acknowledge the role of the Project Office; expanded the treatment of earned value management in Chapter 4 and Chapter 10; and added a brief discussion of the Theory of Constraints in Chapter 6.

• Expanded Chapter 11 (Project Risk Management) to include six processes instead of the previous four: Risk Management Planning, Risk Identification, Risk Assessment, RiskQuantification, Risk Response Planning, and Risk Monitoring and Control.

• Strengthened the linkage between organizational strategy and project management throughout.

The PMBOK® Guide is one of those indispensable tools that you will want at your fingertips, both at work and in your home office. Selected as a suggested resource for CAPM®, CAQ® Automotive Product Development, CAQ Capital Projects, CAQ Information Technology Systems, CAQ Information Technology Networking, and CAQ Project Management Office exam preparation.

Look for official translations in 8 languages:
• Chinese
• Spanish
• Portuguese
• French
• German
• Italian
• Japanese
• Korean ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

Outdated as of September 2005
I feel that it is important to mention that I have had little project management experience.I purchased the CD-ROM version of this book in preparation to take the CAPM exam given by PMI.The 2000 version of the PMBOK guide is obsolete as of September 2005.The PMI exams are now based on the Third edition of this guide.

I found this book to be as exciting to read as the Yellow Pages, though I will admit that if I were an experienced project manager, I would find the book much better reading.The book has a simple layout, with three sections.

The first section is on project management framework.This section is comprised of three chapters that discuss appropriate definitions, parts of a project, and processes used in project management.

The second section is the main portion of the book.Section 2 covers the project management knowledge area.Comprised of 9 chapters, each chapter covers a knowledge area.These knowledge areas are Project Integration Management, Project Scope Management, Project Time Management, Project Cost Management, Project Quality Management, Project Human Resources Management, Project Risk Management, and Project Procurement Management.

The final section is a series of appendices that I did not find applicable to the passing the PMP or CAPM exam.

Unfortunately, everything that is on the certification exams is not in this book.While the PMBOK creates an excellent framework for the proper techniques to use in project management, this book alone is not sufficient to pass the certification exams.I would highly recommend the "PMP Exam Prep by Rita Mulcahy" if you are going to take either of the certification exams.

This book was an incredibly painful read.The information provided is in a very uninteresting list format similar to an outline used to write speeches and papers.If you are new to the world of project management and are looking for a guide, while this book is necessary to manage projects effectively, there are probably better books to get started with.I would recommend this book to experienced project managers or people going for the PMP or CAPM certifications.

A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, 2000 Edition
The "official" body of knowledge from PMI is shrinking, rather than growing.Older editions of the PMBOK include more substance and may be useful in preparing for your PMP certification exam.However, don't rely on the PMBok alone.The exam touches many topics not included in this, or older versions.

Good for the PMP exam until September 2005
There is not much to say about the PMBOK's content. It was the de facto standard for project management from 2000 to 2004. The content is simply excellent.

If you intend to take the PMP exam before September 2005, you simply must buy it. If you intend to take the test after that date, though, you should buy the 2004 version.

This is book not for amateurs. If you have no experience whatsoever or knowledge of project management, this will not be an easy reading.

Essential reference fo PMP
This book is a good reference and should be used as a reference book.You need to know the content of this book to pass the PMP.However, don't use thie book at the only source of study.Get a copy of Andy Crowe's "The PMP Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try" and "The Ultimate PMP Study Aid" (from ebay).

By the way, when your join the PMI memnbership, they will send a CDROM verson of the book free.

Good reference, but you will fail PMP if you rely only on it
This reference is good for a base of terminology for Project Management. Unfortunately, because the difference between an IT project and a Construction project is so great, the BOK can only address high-level concepts. The golden nugget is that what the BOK does address are time-tested standards that help all project managers.

Why do you make a Charter? What goes in it? What do you get out of it? The BOK answers all these questions. By following the framework, your projects will have a fighting chance and not get caught up in a tangle of disorganization.

As for the PMP-applicability of this reference, it does not address contracts, team-building, or ethics, which are all required for passing the test. When I studied for the test, I spent about 5% of my time studying the PMBOK and 95% on other reference materials. I earned my PMP after 5 weeks of studying, without memorizing anything from the BOK. ... Read more

Product Description
Guidance on how to share information among peers to helps companies achieve greater success. Explains the latest management buzzwords, offers advice on keeping open communication with customers and co-workers, and maintaining a knowledge management program with the future in mind. Softcover. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Book review from a KM professional
This is my review of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Knowledge Management" book, copyright 2002, authored by Dr. Melissie Clemmons Rumizen (ISBN: 0-02-864177-9).

I am usually highly skeptical of any book having "idiot's guide" in the title, especially meant for technical fields, but after reading another members post about this book I decided to order it and give it a read.

This book has the following chapters/sections:

1. Exploring the Oxymoron
a. What's in a name
b. More models then as car show
c. What's a chief knowledge officer?
d. Knowledge Management success stories
2. Getting started
a. Developing a strategy
b. Start small
c. Building the infrastructure.
d. Communities of Practice-The killer application
e. Strategic choices for connecting people to people
f. More connection choices.
3. Can't live with IT; Can't live without IT
a. Why your CIO has grey hair
b. Nets' net, nets
c. Between you and me with collaborative tools
d. Finding the information you need
4. The showstopper of culture
a. Culture is you, me and everybody else
b. Working with organizational culture
c. Manage the change
d. Spreading the word far and wide
5. Keeping score
a. You get what you measure
b.Developing measures
c. A sampler of measurement approaches
d. Measuring intellectual capital
6. Settling in for the long haul
a. Where did we go wrong?
b.Moving to the big time
c. Lagniappe: The thirteenth Doughnut

This book, as for all idiot guides, is primarily oriented toward beginning to intermediate practitioners, although it plain english approach makes it a good reference addition to even expert skill level personnel.

It does a pretty good job of covering the basics every KM professional needs to know, especially those new to the field.

Strong points of the book:
1. Good general reference for the new CKO/KMO.
2. How to deal with organizational culture and marketing.
3. How to measure success or failure of your KM efforts.
4. Helps you to better understand your proper relationship with the CIO/IT.
5. Helps you to put together your initial organizational strategy.
6. Excellent coverage of communities of practice.
7. Discusses change management an often neglected topic in KM.
8. Addresses the danger of focusing primarily on technology to solve KM problems within an organization.

Weak points of the book:
1. Needs a chapter on knowledge transfer. This essential is glossed over in its present form.
2. A little too general. Often weak on actual specific techniques and methods you can use.
3. Needs to be updated. The KM profession and technologies has continued to evolve since the book was first published in 2002.
4. Doesn't cover Wiki or other online collaborative technologies beyond communities of practice.

Summary: Despite my initial skepticism I found myself liking this book and recommend it to my fellow KM professionals as one of your primary desk references.

Background on myself: I am a military KM professional who has worked this field from 2005 to present and has certifications from KMI, KMPro and the U.S. Army. I created and facilitated the DOD KMNet Community of Practice from 2007-2009 (a community of practice for all military KM professionals).

Great Introduction to KM
I'm a newbee to KM.I was looking for a clear and concise explanation that would enable me to take some baby steps without being overwhelming.This is it.

Good Information, But...
1. There is a need to define the target audience for this book. The book's title would suggest that it is directed at the complete novice in the field of knowledge management. However, the book goes way beyond the basics of KM. In some instances, you are made to feel as if you are a CKO in the making, which obviously is not what the title conveys.

2. The author goes a bit too personal in recounting certain anecdotes or events which are used to illustrate the points in the book.

Overall, I would say very informative.

Good.
If you need a quick intro in KM, this is a pretty good book to start with.

very useful
Very useful indeed. It covers all aspects of KM and gives smart tips for the how-to-do part. Also it suggests very useful web links. I love the down-to-earth, simple, practical approach. No idiot may write this book.



... Read more

Product Description
As knowledge management becomes embedded within organizations it becomes more important for students to understand its principles and applications. In this textbook, Dr. Kimiz Dalkir provides a comprehensive overview of the field on knowledge management with an emphasis on translating theory into practice. Working from a multidisciplinary perspective, Dr. Dalkir weaves key concepts, tools, and techniques from sociology, cognitive science, content management, knowledge engineering, cybernetics, organizational behaviour, change management, and information science into a three-level approach to understand Knowledge Management from the individual, community, and organization levels. Using everyday language and clear illustrations, Dr. Dalkir integrates theory and practice in a highly accessible manner to provide students with a comprehensive and practical knowledge management skill set.

Case Studies from:
IBM, Xerox, Siemans, Ericsson Canada, ICL, Thomas and Betts, Chevron/Texaco, British Petroleum, CIDA, Hughes Space and Communications, SUN, British Telecommunications, J.P. Morgan Chase, Buckman Labs
, Nokia, GE, Viant, Xerox, Sigma, Hill and Knowlton
, Teamware, U.A. Army, British Petroleum, Price Waterhous Coopers, Lybrand, KPMG, Mercedes-Benz
, Monsanto, Northrup Grumman, Ford Motor Company, Accenture, Dell, Siemans Medical Systems

*Highly practical treatment that links knowledge management, content management and information management seamlessly throughout the book
*Author has over ten years' experience in knowledge management/content management/information management in the corporate world
*First textbook by a knowledge management professor ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Comprehensive and approachable
Kimiz Dalkir has penned a densely rich tome, with every page and chapter brimming with charts, models, definitions, and applications relating to knowledge management.In most respects, this is a text book - mostly at home as a companion to an introductory (or even survey course) on KM; yet the references are useful enough to be practical in developing executive presentations and planning for KM implementations.Equally useful as a reference, it belongs on the shelf of every Learning Organization.

A practical look at KW
This is one of several KW texts that apply practice to the theory. This is not as dated as it seems, and I keep referring back to it.

An informative read
I was asked to buy this book for a class, and have found it really interesting and compelling.It's not often one says this for a textbook, but it is true.Because of this book, and this class, I have decided to do my entire dissertation on an aspect of knowledge management theory.Pretty cool...

Very Quick delievry, very professional
I received the book within 2-3 days and it came exactly as promised. I was also sent a confirmation from the supplier a few hours after I made the purchase. Very professional

A great new way of thinking!
This book will give you a functional view of what knowledge management is and how to implement its processes in your company or organization. It's written very well and not a boring read. It has a lot of interesting new ways to think about how to change corporate or organizational culture in order to effectively compete in a global business climate. This book can be useful for people that work in a business with four employees or a business with thousands. ... Read more

Product Description
This title focuses on the trainer's role in executing and supporting a comprehensive approach to managing organizational knowledge. The book includes a vetted process that helps determine organizational needs, identify sources of information, assist in choosing information gathering systems, lead the learning and understanding about information dissemination, and ensure proper maintenance of the system. Included as well are all the tools and resources needed to implement an effective system. A complete real world case study is also included. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Practical tips for managing your organization's knowledge
This book is a practical guide for anyone charged with implementing a knowledge management (KM) system. At first glance, some practitioners may think the book is too basic. They may assume that they already know everything, or that all they have to do is replicate what other firms are doing. Other readers may feel so overwhelmed with the task of knowledge management that they will welcome any advice. Business trainer Christee Gabour Atwood's book can help knowledge management professionals on every level. She stresses the need for a customized system, built largely on the input of the employees who hold most of an organization's knowledge. This quick, easy read offers insightful suggestions and lists of tips about every step of implementing a KM system. Even if this book serves you only as a review, getAbstract finds that its information is comprehensive. In fact, you could easily convert it to checklists to guide you through the KM process.

KM Basics
As advertise its the basics and no more.However, who doesn't need a refresher in the basics in order to perform better.Excellent, simple, concise. ... Read more

Product Description
For undergraduate courses in Compensation Management and Wage and Salary Administration. As the leading text in its field Compensation Management offers a practical exploration of the systems, methods, and procedures involved in establishing and administering a compensation system within any organization. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Very good condition, exactly like the description said
I usually do not buy used books but because of the price, I went aheadwith this purchase. The description was "used, like new". The book was exactly like the description explained, very good condition, not a lot of writing, like new. I am definetely buying more from this seller.

Great Textbook
This has been my favorite textbook in my college career. It has rather short chapters, or the layout is good, it does not seem the chapters go on forever. It gets straight to the point and is very informative and the information interesting. Even though it is a textbook I wanted to keep reading it.

First-time Book Buyer from Amazon
For a first-time textbook buyer from Amazon I was hesitant about purchasing books this way. But it was easy, and quick. The book was in excellent condition, like brand new, and I received it very promptly. I will definitely recommend purchasing textbooks this way to family, friends, and classmates.

A good text book, but a text book all the same.
This book is well written, informative & exceptionally boring. Richard Henderson, a compensation master, is superfluously long in the tooth. This book will get you an A & put you to sleep.

Awful service
I ordered a textbook for class and have never received it. I reached out to the seller on numerous occasions and never received a response. I had to ask Amazon to get involved and then received a prompt refund. If you are not going to comply and send the item your selling. DON'T BOTHER!It was a lot a messing around and I still don't have a textbook. ... Read more

Product Description
This represents a major updated and expanded text in KM subject matter since the publication of the first edition in 2003; this text represents a subset of content taught in the Decision Support Systems course. Knowledge Management, Updated Second Edition further expounds upon Awad's textual journey taking students through a process-oriented examination of the topic, striking a balance between the behavioral and technical aspects of knowledge management and use it. This book is about knowledge: how to capture it, how to network it, and how to manage it for competitive advantage.The text takes the reader through a logical, process-oriented examination of the topic, striking a balance between the behavioral and technological aspects of Knowledge Management.Part One: Is about the concept of knowledge and the knowledge-centric organization.Part Two: Covers how to build Knowledge Management solutions and the KM cycle.Part Three: Examines how knowledge is codified and how the resulting knowledge base is implemented.Part Four: Deals with Knowledge Management tools, portals, and social intelligence networks.Part Five: Brings up the ethical, legal, and managerial issues in Knowledge Management. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

great find
this book was in great condition an a great price...seller was speedy with delivery....thank you very much!!!

Review of Knowledge Management 2nd Ed.
I really dislike this book (2nd ed paperback). The book could have communicated the theories and concepts so much better than it actually did in this second edition. The missing pieces are many. To introduce a concept so incredibly thick with information should be illustrated better, use examples of companies which currently implement the topics discussed in the book, and use the technology discussed to create more visually appealing figures and boxes. These figures and boxes are a secondary method of learning and reinforce the text. If the illustrations are bad, and the explanation is not great, you have just lost your reader.

Learners need to relate the information to real live experiences or to known companies if the information is to be absorbed appropriately. I did not read many well-known companies identified in this text. The information is flat which creates a very boring book to read - a book that contains a tremendous amount of information that is difficult to digest.

Moreover, I found the book very frustrating to read. I threw it down a couple times but then picked it back up and tried again to understand the concepts. Aside from the grammatical and punctuation errors, the authors repeat themselves on occassion and use way to many bulletted lists when making their point. I don't want to read a bunch of bulleted lists. This book reminds me of a rough draft that somehow made it into print without going through review.

I gave this book only one star because of the attempt made to disseminate the informaiton. I think the authors could do a whole lot better if they worked with a creative team to capture a more innovative way to capture and sustain the reader's attention. The book needs to be re-vamped by a publisher/editor who can add reader interest into the topics. If you are an insomniac, this book's for you.

For professors considering using this book in the future, kindly think again. Find another book with does not let your students down.

knowledge management
My coauthor and I read belatedly a 2006 review of our Knowledge Management (copyright 2003) by a student and found it "absolutely reckless".The reviewer in question is accusing the author that "we do not know what we are writing about", picking on specifics such as "how to dress" for a knowledge capture interview.We have designed and implemented several knowledge base applications for respectable firms and were complimented about how well we came across (in dress and approach) when we were interviewing senior management.Clients have expectations and only a fool will ignore looks, demeanor, and attitude. We thought including one paragraph about dress code in a 500-page book could add practical value to concepts and procedures in a textbook.

It is comforting for us to remember that we have over 45 years of academic, consulting, and publishing experience in the knowledge management discipline.The first edition took well over 3,500 hours of research, writing, illustrating, copyediting, etc. with a premier publisher before it came out.The book was adopted by fully accredited institutions and have been privileged to receive 5-star compliments about content, relevance, lucidity, and value.We hope that the second edition (listed separately)will not bump into such flawed review.Elias M Awad and Hassan M. Ghaziri

Poor Intro to KM
Unfortunately we used this book for a graduate-level Knowledge Management class.In my opinion, there was little information that could be applied in the real world.I'd venture to say that nobody with actual IT application management or development experience was involved in the writing of the book.

Textbook Quality
I have to say that I'm not quite done reading the book, but I have skimmed through the entire thing and have read several chapters.I would like to see more mentioned on security aspects of KM, but so far, not so bad.

I don't usually consider this in a book review, but I am disappointed with the physical quality of the book itself.It seems like the authors submitted a color document and took it to the cheapest publisher and had the darn thing photo copied.There are a number of illustrations that simply can't be read.The quality is terrible.This also goes for the labeling of figures, tables, etc....On one page, I can read that it says Figure X.X but can't really see the text next to it.It is seriously detracting from the book.

The book could be the greatest book on KM in the world, but what good is it if you can't clearly see what is on the page? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (148)

Book arrived on-time and in good condition.
The book arrived at the expected time and it is as the seller described, in good shape with the original CD included.

A guide to the Project Management Boidy of Knowlege
The book is fine, written in but that doesn't bother me as much as the CD was not included in the book.The previous person kept the CD which is making me go out and find the software required for the book.

A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Third Edition (PMBOK Guides)
My employer has mandated that the leads in the company take a project management 6 month series of classes .This book had proven invaluable!If you can master the processes described in the PMBOK Guide, you can manage any project!Excellent!

Text Book
This is the primary book they used in my 1 week Project Management course. Dry, boring, and is basically a text book, but you need the information to pass the test.

Thanks
Thanks very much for the prompt delivery of the book.

Regards
Sesha Gadiyaram ... Read more

Product Description

"Garvey and Williamson's book presents a significant and much needed advance of the literature on knowledge management.  This text opens up the horizons to show the complex human and social dimensions of generating, transmitting and maintaining useful knowledge in organizations.  Both erudite and practical, the authors address the topic from multiple theoretical and epistemological perspectives and thus pay tribute to its complex nature.  At the same time, the book succeeds in showing the strateic importance of knowledge management in the context of human resource development and oranizational change.  A much needed addition to existing literature and of great value to both academic and practitioner audiences."K. Peter Kuchinke, Professor of Human Resource Development, University of Illinois, USA "This book lives up to its title.  It takes the fashionable topic of knowledge management and explores in depth its broader implications, particularly those concerned with organisational and individual learning."Michael Armstrong, Independent Management Consultant, author and Fellow of the CIPD and Institute of Management Consultants This unique, engaging and timely book explores the ways in which learning and knowledge processes link to the success of an organisation.  IT encourages managers to think critically and offers useful frameworks for identifying and releasing tacit knowledge.   

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Ontologies provide a common vocabulary of an area and define - with different levels of formality - the meaning of the terms and the relationships between them. Ontologies may be reused and shared across applications and groups Concepts in the ontology are usually organized in taxonomies and relations between concepts, properties of concepts, and axioms are typically used for representing the knowledge contained in ontologies. With the growth of information available, e.g. on the WWW, they are popularly applied in knowledge management, semantic web, natural language generation, enterprise modelling, knowledge-based systems, ontology-based brokers, e-commerce platforms and interoperability between systems. This book looks at questions such as: * What is an ontology? * What are the uses of ontologies? * What types of ontologies exist? What are the most well-known ones? * How do I select the best ontology for my application? * What are the principles for building an ontology? * What methodologies should I use to build my own ontology? Which techniques are appropriate for each step? * How do software tools support the process of building and using ontologies? * What language can I use to implement ontologies? * How can I integrate ontologies in a given language? The book presents the theoretical foundations of ontological engineering and covers the practical aspects of selecting and applying methodologies, tools and languages for building ontologies. The applications of ontologies are also illustrated with case studies taken from the areas of knowledge management, e-commerce and the semantic web. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

worthwhile
There is considerable confusion over what is, and is not, an ontology. Unfortunately, in defining an ontology, this book doesn't provide any negative examples, meaning that confusion will most likely persist. Hopefully this shortcoming will be addressed in a future edition. That said, the book is nevertheless a valuable contribution to the field.

Complicated, Boring, and Irrelevant
The subject matter is much too complex, does not follow a logical order, is a slow and arduous read, and is not practical.

This book was the subject of a book club where I and a small group of software engineers wanted to learn more about ontologies. Most of the members of the group had some experience with ontology languages. In each one-hour lunch session, we were not able to discuss more than 10 pages at a time due to the complexity of the writing and the subject matter. We finally gave up and none of us has finished the book. Although we read over half of the book before giving up, we gained no practical knowledge from it whatsoever.

how to automatically extract an ontology?
The book shows progress in how ontologies are defined from various data sets. The subject is a natural field of artificial intelligence, in attempting to automated this filling of an ontology. Various example ontologies are presented, along with the markup languages like RDF and OWL in which these are expressed. The progress is visible, inasmuch as just a few years ago, these languages were devised. Now we see non-trivial ontology constructions using them. Good.

A large portion of the book describes the acute problem of somehow extracting meaning in a programmatic manner from data. Because the manual making of an ontology simply does not seem to scale, given the realities of gigabyte databases. We see that there is a natural decomposition of the problem into a linguistic step and a conceptual step. The former is tied to a particular human language. The latter is the nut of the problem. Current methods look promising, but are certainly not the last word.

Excellent survey book on Ontology
The book is well organized in introducing the subject in a coherent manner and weaving in all important criteria of ontology together. I especially like to read the comparison of different languagees in light of knowlege represenation and knowlege reasoing.The book is great in terms of getting a broad view (survey) and is also great as a reference.In many pages, there is so much information packed in each sentences.Great book.

A good literature review of current developments
The word `ontology' is usually associated with philosophical speculation on the reality of things, and if one checks the literature on philosophy one will find a diverse number of opinions on this reality. Engineers and scientists typically view philosophical musings on any topic as being impractical, and indulging oneself in these musings will cause one to lose sight of the topic or problem at hand. Rather than simplify the problem and make it understandable, philosophy tends in most cases to complicate it by endless debate on definitions and the use of sophisticated rhetoric that seems to have no bearing on the problem at hand. The conceptual spaces generated by these debates can become gigantic and therefore unwieldy, thus making the problem appear more complex than it actually is.

In the information age however, ontology has become a word that has taken on enormous practical significance. Business and scientific research are both areas that have increasingly relied on information technology not only to organize information but also to analyze data and make accurate predictions. In addition, financial constraints have forced many businesses to automate most of their internal processes, and this automation has brought about its own unique challenges. This push to automation usually involves being able to differentiate one thing from another, or one collection of data from another, or one concept from another. Thus one needs to think about questions of ontology, and this (very practical) need has brought about the rise of the field of `ontological engineering', which is the topic of this book.

The authors have given a good general overview of the different approaches to the creation of ontologies. There are many of them, some of which seem "natural", while others seem more esoteric. The reader though will obtain an objective discussion of the ontologies that the authors chose to include in the book. Discussions of the ones that are not included can readily be found on the Internet.

Given the plethora of ontologies that have been invented, it would be of interest to the ontological engineer to find common ground between them. The re-use of a particular ontology may be stymied by the different ontological commitments it is adhering to or it's actual content. In order to use it, it must therefore be "re-engineered". The authors discuss this prospect in the book, and define `ontological re-engineering' as the process where a conceptual model of an implemented ontology is transformed into one that is more suitable. The code in which the ontology is written is first reverse engineered, and then the conceptual model is reorganized into the new one. The new conceptual model is then implemented.

Also discussed in the book, and of enormous practical interest, is the automation of the ontology building process. Called `ontology learning' by the authors, they discuss a few of the ways in which this could take place. One of these methods concerns ontology learning using a `corpus of texts', and involves being able to distinguish between the `linguistic' and `conceptual' levels. Knowledge at the linguistic level is described in linguistic terms, while at the conceptual level in terms of concepts and the relations between them. Ontology learning is thus dependent on how the linguistic structures are exemplified in the conceptual level. Relations at the conceptual level for example could be extracted from sequences of words in the text that conform to a certain pattern. Another method comes from data mining and involves the use of association rules to find relations between concepts. The authors discuss two well-known methods for ontology learning from texts. Both of these methods are interesting in that they can apparently learn in contexts or environments that are not domain-specific. Being able to learn over different domains is very important from the standpoint of the artificial intelligence community and these methods are a step in that direction. The processes of `alignment', `merging', and `cooperative construction' of ontologies that are discussed in the book are also of great interest in artificial intelligence, since they too will be of assistance in the attempt to design a machine that can reason over multiple domains.

The ontologies that are actually built are of course not unique. This results in a kind of semantic or cognitive relativism between the environments that might be built on different ontologies, even in the same domain. Merging and alignment both address this relativism, along with other techniques that are discussed in the book. The selection of the actual language that is used to create an ontology is also somewhat arbitrary. The authors devote a fair amount of space in the book to the different languages that have been used to build ontologies. Through an elementary example, they discuss eleven different languages, namely KIF, Ontolingua, LOOM, OCML, Flogic, SHOE, XOL, RDF(S), OIL, DAML+OIL, and OWL. The choice of a language is dictated by what one is seeking in terms of `expressiveness' and what kind of reasoning patterns are to be deployed when using the ontology. The authors point to a tradeoff between the expressive power of the language and the reasoning patterns that are attached to the language. The expressiveness of a language is directly proportional to the complexity of the reasoning patterns that are used.

Ontological engineering as it presently exists is still carried out by a human engineer. To create an ontology every time from scratch would be tedious, and so it is no surprise that tools were invented to make ontology creation more straightforward. Some of these tools are discussed in the book, such as KAON, OilEd, Ontolingua, OntoSaurus, Protege-2000, WebODE, and WebOnto, along with assessments as to their utility. The discussion is helpful for newcomers to ontological engineering who need guidance as to what direction to take. The automation of ontology building would of course be a major advance.To accomplish this however would require that the machine be able to simultaneously and recursively construct the knowledge base and reason over it effectively. This is a formidable challenge indeed. ... Read more