The way our profession will service our clients in the future is taking a dramatic turn for the better. Jack Fox understands this new paradigm of service and, like a coach, takes you step-by-step through how to prepare your firm to profit in this new age of online services.

Jack Fox literally wrote the book on building your own accounting practice. No one is better qualified to guide accountants into developing an accounting practice in the digital age. This book is a roadmap for trail-blazing accountants.

The way our profession will service our clients in the future is taking a dramatic turn for the better. Jack Fox understands this new paradigm of service and, like a coach, takes you step-by-step through how to prepare your firm to profit in this new age of on-line services.

Businesses are changing shape faster today than ever before. Information technology (IT) is playing an increasingly significant part in this rapid evolution of businesses. That does not just mean the Internet, but a whole range of increasingly powerful influences from data warehousing to developments in Web services.
Unfortunately most books about business process change tend to assume that IT is merely a support player in relation to business. The continued economic downturn only serves to reinforce this mistake. At the same time most books about systems analysis and design, including those on the Unified Modeling Language (UML), are weak in their treatment of business processes. There is a widespread failure to appreciate the collaboration that must achieved between business and IT if business process change is to really work well in today's climate.

While this book will probably be of immediate interest to business managers, the refreshing thing about Paul Harmon's new book is that it speaks clearly to both IT and business camps in plain language. It reflects the need to integrate business and IT thinking. As such it is also a must read for both business facing IT people and for those key individuals who are breaking the conventional barriers between business and IT.

The book contains a wealth of timely advice. While it's range is wide and impressive, it is structured for ease of information access. This means that readers can quickly use the book for reference. Enjoy!

I spent last year creating a "Business Process Management" team for the CIO of HP. We spent much time and effort thinking clearly about how to approach business processes without the pitfalls of "Business Process Re-engineering," and worked to create both a holistic approach and an extremely simple, intuitive methodology. Through concentrated effort, without the luxury of time (in the midst of a complex, highly-visible merger), we arrived at a set of conventions for our work, policies on alignment to the office of the CIO, IT Architecture and Program teams, as well as different approaches we could supply to our business and IT internal clients. The value we've provided has been dramatic in the areas we've worked in, from Supply Chain Integration between pre-merger HP and pre-merger Compaq, to HP direct sales process design, to Global Content Management processes and re-engineering.

In hindsight, I wish I'd been able to read Paul Harmon's Business Process Change a year ago. Creating the team and its functions would have been much simpler, direct, and less time-consuming. Based on our experiences in a process architecture team in a $75B IT company, I see the book having major value to at least three audiences I deal with daily. First, the book is for managers considering major business change. It will provide a blueprint to why they might be changing (Part 1 - Process Management), specific ways they might change (Part IV - Patterns section), and if/when they use external consultants, a way to specify with formidable detail what they're expecting to receive (Part II - Modeling, and Part III - Managing).

Second, it is for IT people who are seeking to regain architectural and analytic skills, which ERP and packaged workflow may have supplanted. This book provides both modern idioms for approaching business with what might be termed 'object-oriented' analysis (Part II - Modeling), as well as a summary of the field of implementation techniques (Part V - Automation and Part VI - E-Business).

Third, for the consulting function to both IT and business, it provides a well-rounded blueprint for marketing (value propositions), tools, techniques, and implementation approaches. I cannot imagine a consultative team which doesn't have virtually all the elements of Paul's book as part of their basic operations. Certainly, no state-of-the-art team would want to be without them.

For the futurists (which I don't deal with daily), the book provides an implicit narrative of how the nature of business is changing (I myself feel we're on the edge of a dramatic change in business structure.) It begins with the disappearance of organizational models - which in the book are artifacts of a process model - and the focus on quantifiable outcomes for transactions (I'm thrown back to hierarchy-disrupting transactional analysis from the '70s). It continues by looking at virtual business structures - the 'extended supply chain' example which Paul walks through -- a linking together of transactions. And it ends by building IT - automation -- around process elements instead of traditional 'systems' architecture. Traditional labels, capsules, and hierarchies change and shift, and I see the book in a more 'future perfect' tense.

Paul Harmon has provided a guide for a manager to improve and redesign processes. In the introduction, Paul overviews business process change and the manager's job. He gives a brief history of corporate business process change initiatives including organizations as systems, systems and value chains, process reengineering, the Rummler-Brace methodology and ISO 9000 and the six sigma methodology, Harmon discusses organizational goals and how they can be tied to competitive advantages. In Chapter three he introduces the process architecture. The book is full of process chart, examples and case studies. In addition, I found the Glossary to be most helpful. The book is a partial guide for the Performance Improvement professional. The concepts are presented straightforward and easy to follow. Paul provides a holistic state of the art approach we have been looking for.

Preston Gralla, no stranger to the Internet scene, has written The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Shopping to educate current and prospective online shoppers about the pros and cons of online shopping. Gralla offers plenty of sound advice people should read up on before spending their time and money shopping online.

The book features an incredible wealth of information including some of the better Websites to buy certain items from, where to find important decision-making information before making online purchases, how to avoid being taken in by online scam artists, sales tax information, using credit cards to make online purchases, user warrantees, return policies, and other important purchasing considerations!

Readers will receive a solid lesson on nearly every aspect of online buying. They can compare cars, homes, computers, cameras, and other items before parting with their money. They have access to a number of consumer organizations that can alert them about problem companies, dealers, and products. They also have access to one another!

One topic that has caught the attention of many online shoppers in recent times is the online auctioning of merchandise. Just about anyone can join in and submit online bids for just about anything imaginable under the sun. Beware though! As of this writing there has already been cases of online fraud and child involvement. This fascinating aspect of online shopping requires close scrutiny. Gralla devotes a lot of attention to this matter and so should we!

For those considering going into business for themselves, there is still plenty of time for them to join in the fun and thrill of going into business online. Web developers will gain important online marketing strategies from this book that can be used to create effective business Websites for themselves and for others!

Risks, fears, and concerns aside, online shopping has taken off and will no doubt achieve further popularity in the years to come. This book will help shape the lives of those involved with the various aspects of this fast growing industry, whether as consumers or as marketers. Prepare yourself to shop more intelligently. Make informed purchases. This outstanding book will guide you all the way. It will make a difference!

This book gives plenty of resourceful information including how to find great discounts and knowing when a site is secure enough to send your credit card information over the internet. Once you've read this book you'll want to keep it close by as a quick reference whenever you shop online.

I highly recommend that anyone who would like to become an on-line shopper use this book as their first on-line purchase,then read it from cover to cover. The information provided will answer many questions about security, privacy, warranties, etc.

Dotcons: Con Games, Fraud, And Deceit On The Internet is a comprehensive, easy-to-read, informative and reliable instructional guide to protecting our selves, our families, and our business dealings from Internet frauds and scams. The rapid growth and development of e-commerce on the Internet is notorious for outstripping the abilities of local, state, and federal law enforcement efforts to deal with it. From stock manipulation by e-traders, to illegitimate entrepreneurs masquerading as established business, to auction site defraudings ranging from selling counterfeits and stolen properties to simply taking the money from a bidder and failing to provide the item offered, Internet based criminal activities are rampant, diverse, and widespread. If you seek to do any kind of personal or professional business on the Internet, you need to give James Thomes' Dotcons a serious and thorough reading!

I would have to agree with the TX review completely. I found this book to be extremely helpful before continuing to venture into other avenues relating to my online business. In addition, this book should definitely become a required reading for anyone on the net! In it's totality, I found this compiled source of information "hard to put down" as I finished the book in one hour. Are there additional volumes or books by James?

I agree with other reviewers that Dotcons should be required reading for everyone using the Internet. A play on words describing how the new 'dot-com' technology has been co-opted by modern day con-artists, the book is a well-organized survey of the confidence games, fraud and deceit that exist on the Internet. It explains what the threats are, how Dotcon artists deceive you, how to recognize them, and what you can do to protect yourself.

For an engineer, Jim Thomes, writes with the imagination and flare of a novelist. It is clear that he views the dot-com explosion of the last few years with some degree of caution when he argues that the rapid evolution of e-commerce on the Internet has outpaced our laws to regulate it!

He claims the fast pace and anonymity of business transactions on the Internet have produced new opportunities for fraud as well as modern versions of old-fashioned confidence games that are appearing every day. Quoting Federal Trade Commission reports of over 500 complaints a day, Dotcons describes how both individuals and businesses are being routinely swindled out of millions of dollars by illegitimate businesses setting up off offshore out of the jurisdiction of the laws of civilized countries, brash young hackers manipulating your portfolio for fun and profit, technology-savvy entrepreneurs with questionable business plans raising billions in capital, and one-man shops masquerading as established businesses, taking your credit card, and then disappearing into cyberspace with little or no chance of apprehension.

Dotcons not only warns about these frauds, but also explains how to recognize and deal with them -- Advance Fees, Business Ventures, Investments, On-line Auctions, E-Shopping, Travel Packages, Rebates, University Degrees, Counterfeit Identification, Fenced Goods, Sweepstakes, Contests, Gambling, Prescription Drugs and dozens more 'opportunities' that you will find on the Internet.

Dotcons also addresses the privacy issues associated with using your credit card and personal identification on the Internet. Thomes coins the term 'Mass Privacide' when he asserts that violation of our privacy has become the norm while doing business on the Internet. He shows in detail how data mining scan websites, chatrooms, bulletin boards and e-mail for private financial data that is used to 'profile' you for manipulation by the media.

The format of Dotcons is friendly: it has short, easy to understand examples of scams and simple directions to deal with them. But the message of Dotcons is strong -- a very serious attempt to solve a problem faced by millions of people all over the world who are being confronted every day with new and different electronic schemes to cheat them. Dotcons is an ounce of prevention that's probably worth a pound of cure for your pocketbook and privacy. I liked it, and it sure changed my habits on the Internet.

I was looking for an executive level summary on B2B services, and this book help me to understand the issues without overwhelming me with the technology.

The book provides good overview on the ebXML architecture, and gives lots of business case examples. I highly recommend this book for business manager looking into implementing ebXML and web services in their company.

This book really helped me build on what I already knew in order to get a handle on ebXML. The author does a great job of showing how ebXML builds on XML standards, and also how ebXML relates to Web Services, which I'm just starting to get a handle on. It provides good technical detail on the ebXML architecture, and gives lots of business case examples and reasonable guidelines for developing a strategy for staging implementation of ebXML. Coverage of security and the other major specs is very complete and readable--I highly recommend this book!

In Get Smart: The Emergence Of Smart Cards In The United States And Their Pivotal Role In Internet Commerce, Chuck Wilson provides the first practical and comprehensive survey of "smart" credit cards and how they can be utilized in the reader's business activities and personal life. Wilson draws upon his more than twenty years of experience and expertise in the credit card processing services industry to write a thoroughly "reader friendly" compendium packed with information and insights into the coming wave of smart card-based applications at home and abroad -- with special attention to the rapidly expanding and borderless phenomena of e-commerce. Get Smart is essential reading for all entrepreneurs, business managers, corporate officers, economists, and credit card users.

Prior to receiving this book as a gift the sum of what I knew about smart cards was: I had one in my GSM cell phone that allowed me to switch to a new phone by removing the card from my old one and inserting it into the new one (a major convenience because my friends with CDMA and TDMA cell phones had to jump through hoops). I also knew my access card to the building in which I worked was a smart card that contained a lot of information about who I was, when I could enter the building and to which areas I could access, and I had seen Sun's Blade 100 workstations integrated smart card reader that identified and authenticated users and allowed them to move from one workstation to another and resume their sessions.

After reading this book I feel like a whole new world of possibilities have opened. First, Chuck Wilson, the author is a talented writer who possesses the ability to make a rather mundane subject fascinating. He starts with a history of smart cards and proceeds to show how versatile these devices are. I quickly learned that smart cards are much more than a security device or convenient way to carry a lot of data in a small form factor the size of a credit card. For example, the possibilities of these devices as an alternative to credit cards where debits can be made using the logic on the card itself is mind boggling. It doesn't take a leap of imagination to see how a smart card could one day replace cash. Of course there are some hurdles that must be overcome, and Mr. Wilson provides a thorough discussion of them and some of the ways that they can be overcome. A surprise was the growing use of smart cards outside of the United States and some of the reasons why they are slow to catch on here.

Among the chapters I enjoyed (probably because I'm such a geek) were: chapter 3, which delved into the technology and chapter 6, which focused on security with respect to e-commerce. This chapter gives a clear description of the underlying security infrastructure. I also enjoyed chapter 8, which covered biometrics and how smart cards could be used in conjunction with that technology to provide a high level of security.

It's been a long time since I've read a technical book that was fun to read, informative and addressed business and technical issues. More importantly, though, is how applicable smart cards are to information systems from the standpoint of security and an enabler of e-commerce; and their equal importance to business as a means to prevent fraud and provide consumers with a convenient and safe alternative to cash and credit cards. This book earns my highest recommendation to technical and business professionals and 5 stars.

This book is a comprehensive, exceptionally well-written compendium devoted to smart cards as a technology, as component of a security infrastructure and as the foundation of a business strategy. As such it touches upon facts and issues that will be of interest to a wide and diverse audience.

Mr. Wilson starts with an engaging chapter on the emergence of smart cards as a business opportunity, and makes a compelling case for why this technology is a sensible solution. The facts and statistics associated with the opportunity should have executives drooling because these devices have proven themselves as a payment medium that is fraud resistant all over the globe. His next chapter on deploying smart cards in the U.S. is a sobering discussion of the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities. The main barrier to deployment as a monetary instrument in the United States is the massive investment in existing credit card infrastructure: readers, etc. However, there are opportunities that might outweigh the barriers.

The smart card primer that follows is easy to read and requires no technical background. Technical and business oriented readers will find this chapter equally interesting. The real meat of this book, though, is in chapters 4 through 6, which cover smart card applications (a complete survey of what is possible with smart cards), stored value cards (including a frank discussion of successes and failures and the companies behind this approach), and internet commerce (a highly readable description of the technical underpinnings of security and how smart cards fit within the infrastructure). Chapter 7 covers existing standards, who is driving them, and what needs to be accomplished in order to achieve interoperability.

I was surprised to find a chapter devoted to biometrics. However, Mr. Wilson set the context by covering the four basic security categories for authorizing access (something you have, something you know, something you are or something you do). The "something you are", such as a measurement of one or more physical characteristics, is where biometrics can play a role. Like the preceding chapters the discussions were informative and exceptionally well written.

The book ends with a cogent and articulate chapter on implications for privacy.

Among the many things I like about this book are: it's thorough in that the author touches upon every conceivable issue associated with smart cards, it's honest because the author shares both the strengths and weaknesses of this technology and how it fits within the frameworks of business opportunities, security and privacy, and it's written in an engaging style that makes it a pleasure to read. Moreover, the book has something for everyone: it sparks ideas for marketing and business strategists, explains how this technology can be used to IT/IS professionals (especially those who have to devise safe solutions for e-payments, shows fraud managers the power and value of smart cards, and provides security professionals with solid information on an important security tool. For the latter two groups I strongly recommend augmenting this book with Secrets & Lies by Bruce Schneier, which provides shows a chilling scenario in chapter 11 of that book on how smart cards can be compromised, as well as eight threats and attacks against smart cards in chapter 14.

This is a five star book written by a talented writer and authoritative expert. It has my highest recommendation.

Although this book is rich with details, it is too terse to be considered comprehensive. The ideal audience, in my opinion, consists of (1) project managers who will be tasked with planning these systems, (2) development managers who need to organize their resources to produce systems that are rapidly evolving even before the first line of code is written, and (3) production support, which will be taking highly dynamic systems into production.

One thing stands out about this book - it begins with business requirements and makes them a central theme of the Internet Commerce Development Methodology (ICDM), which is the author's approach to e-commerce systems development. The ICDM is the heart of this book. It's a methodology that successfully marries business analysis and development, and also defines how the project should be organized. It's a top-down approach with feasibility analysis and strategy at the top. The next layer in ICDM is the process level, which is imperative for e-commerce initiatives, which will certainly change business processes. This layer also requires a feasibility analysis, as well as process change, reengineering and transformation steps. Next is the meta-development strategy that encompasses your component strategy, functional requirements, architecture, design and implementation. Each element requires a feasibility analysis. Stepping back and viewing the ICDM as a whole it looks a lot like a spiral life cycle approach. I am not sure that is the author's intent, but it can be construed as such, especially if you view the feasibility analyses checkpoints as risk assessments as well.

The entire process is evolutionary, and therefore the approach supports incremental delivery and implementation. In many respects it resembles the Rational Unified Process and could be easily aligned to a project that used that approach in e-commerce development. Even of you are locked into a different methodology I strongly recommend this book because it has some excellent practices and will give you ideas that can be seamlessly incorporated into your approach.

This book provides the information needed to develop Web Systems in an organisational setting. It takes you through all the components of development with an innovative approach called ICDM. The methods have helped me greatly at work in my role as a Web developer.

Practitioners and students have been waiting for a book such as this to come along. In reality there is very little in the way of methodological help guiding the development of information systems for conducting web commerce. This book doesn't disregard the lessons learned from the evolution of systems development but it introduces the key issues throughout the lifecycle that differentiate the complexities of web systems from their traditional counterparts.

Despite the downturn in the corporate business world, the Internet still exists as a means for enterprising people to market their business ideas to make a living. Opportunities are boundless and growing numbers of people continue to give the Internet a try. There are plenty of resources available to help them succeed.

Internet Prophets offers readers an excellent collection of business concepts, strategies, and instruction to help them start online businesses. The book features information about creating sound business plans, managing businesses - including money matters, creating effective Websites, marketing business Websites, online resources, and general business information that will make an impact on the way people do business - while being mindful of operating budgets!

Throughout the book readers are reminded about setting clear goals and objectives. Planning every stage of one's business is of paramount importance - the business plan, the Website, marketing, search engine strategies, and knowing what the competition is doing are all aspects of a business that demand close attention to detail and determination to carry out.

Most fascinating about the book - in my opinion - are the business strategies provided. Readers are exposed to some exciting and very practical ways to draw attention to themselves and to maintain professional and profitable business-client relationships. Strategies include establishing online communities, setting up auction services, creating portals, providing visitors access to information, joining e-marketplaces, adding interactive tools to Websites, hosting live online events at Websites, adding dynamically updated content to Websites, and thinking globally when planning the action.

The tone of the book is serious and the rewards for gleaning from it are enormous. The strategies are sound and the resources provided will put people in touch with the companies, products, and services they need to develop a meaningful online business presence that will produce positive results for them. The book is ideally suited for start-up business operations and those existing businesses that want to and probably should make the move to the Internet to promote themselves. Essential reading!

Innovative business ideas for the internet range from products to services and provide advice which will enable executives to conduct more business successfully on the web. Internet Prophets is the first to assess proven e-commerce strategies, matching techniques with budgets of large and small companies alike and presenting 'Internet Prophets' for four different budget ranges. Covers both strategies and marketing costs; rich in specifics.

This book was invaluable in figuring where to begin in the sea of e-commerce choices. The four internet prophet business strategies helped me figure out where my business was... and where I wanted to to go in designing an e-commmerce plan for selling online. I wish this book had come along years ago. But I'm glad it's here now.

E-Service is a practical and logical book. It will provide focus and meaningful direction for my team. The author's passion for superior customer service is driven throughout all of his books.

This book is about two things: 1) How to make money through a fanatic level of customer service; 2) How to use technology to get closer to the customer (instead of alienating people).

When organizations forget the reason because they exist (to create value for shareholders and customers), then they fail.

As I was reading this book, I could only wonder why so many companies have been so blind: when customers receive great, unbeliebable customer service, they buy more, they come back, and they talk about it.

John Tschohl teaches exactly HOW to build an organization in which everyone is involved in the commitment of making customers feel happy, so they make you more money. A fairly simple concept. But a powerful one.

EXCELENT!! - FIVE STARS!! John Tschohl's books have been my secret weapon since his first book years ago.

What I just read in his new e-Service is exactly the missing link for dot coms: how to keep customers coming back again and again.

If you are on a leadership position in any company involved on e-commerce, you MUST buy this book right away. And when you do, you'll agree with me that it's worth the reading time by a factor of a thousand, for e-Service describes exactly what is the secret to making money on the Web (and HOW you can take advantage of it NOW).