Leveraging the New Infrastructure


Book Description

One of the most important investments in an organization is its information technology (IT) infrastructure. Yet many managers are ill-prepared to make sound IT investment decisions. Drawing upon rigorous research with over 100 businesses in 75 firms in nine countries, the authors here present a wide range of IT possibilities, enabling managers to take control of decisions that many have relegated to technical staff or vendors.




The New CIO Leader


Book Description

As information technology becomes increasingly essential within organizations, the reputation and role of the CIO has been diminishing To regain credibility and avoid obscurity, CIOs must take on a larger, more strategic role. Here is a blueprint for doing exactly that. This book shows how CIOs can bridge the gap between IT and the rest of the organization and finally make IT a strategic advantage rather than a cost sink.




The BRMP® Guide to the BRM Body of Knowledge


Book Description

For trainers free additional material of this book is available. This can be found under the "Training Material" tab. Log in with your trainer account to access the material.The BRMP® Guide to the BRM Body of Knowledge is designed to assist the Business Relationship Management Professional (BRMP®) training course attendees and certification exam candidates, but it will also be of great value to anyone looking for a comprehensive foundation-level overview of the art and practice of Business Relationship Management. The book covers the entire BRMP® course syllabus and contains all the information covered in the training and referenced in the exam.What is BRMP®?Business Relationship Management Professional (BRMP®) training is a world-class professional development program designed to provide a solid foundation-level knowledge of Business Relationship Management. The BRMP® exam is designed to test an individual s learning through rigorous examination providing a leading verifiable benchmark of BRM professional acumen and achievement. To learn more about BRMP® training and certification, please visit http://brminstitute.org/.Who Is It For?Business Relationship Management Professional (BRMP®) training and certification program is intended as a comprehensive foundation for Business Relationship Managers at every experience level, with the training and certification designed to provide a solid baseline level of knowledge. BRMP® professional development program provides an excellent Return on Investment (ROI) and is ideally suited for project managers, business analysts, architects, external service providers; representatives of shared services organizations including IT, HR, Finance, Sales, Strategy Planning, etc.; business partners and anyone else interested in business value maximization.Benefits for Individuals and OrganizationsHolders of BRMI Business Relationship Management Professional (BRMP®) credentials will be able to demonstrate their understanding of: The characteristics of the BRM role. What it means to perform as a strategic partner, contributing to business strategy formulation and shaping business demand for the service provider s services. The use of Portfolio Management disciplines and techniques to maximize realized business value. Business Transition Management and the conditions for successful change programs to minimize value leakage. The BRM role in Service Management and alignment of services and service levels with business needs. The principles of effective and persuasive communication.




Where We Want to Live


Book Description

**Winner, Phillip D. Reed Award for Outstanding Writing on the Southern Environment** **A Planetizen Top Planning Book for 2017** After decades of sprawl, many American city and suburban residents struggle with issues related to traffic (and its accompanying challenges for our health and productivity), divided neighborhoods, and a non-walkable life. Urban designer Ryan Gravel makes a case for how we can change this. Cities have the capacity to create a healthier, more satisfying way of life by remodeling and augmenting their infrastructure in ways that connect neighborhoods and communities. Gravel came up with a way to do just that in his hometown with the Atlanta Beltline project. It connects 40 diverse Atlanta neighborhoods to city schools, shopping districts, and public parks, and has already seen a huge payoff in real estate development and local business revenue. Similar projects are in the works around the country, from the Los Angeles River Revitalization and the Buffalo Bayou in Houston to the Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis and the Underline in Miami. In Where We Want to Live, Gravel presents an exciting blueprint for revitalizing cities to make them places where we truly want to live.




A Conceptual Policy Framework for Leveraging Digitalization to Support Diversification in Sub-Saharan Africa


Book Description

The need for Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries to diversify their economies is more urgent than ever. However, despite its established economic benefits, several challenges have precluded diversification in SSA. Against this backdrop, interesting initiatives to further adopt digital technologies, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, suggest that digitalization is a promising avenue to overcome barriers to diversification. Fast-paced advances in the diffusion of digital technologies and knowledge have the potential to transform SSA economies through several channels. By connecting people and facilitating the rapid diffusion of information, digitalization also promises to reshape the industrial structure of activities in new and unprecedented ways. Therefore, digitalization has the potential to promote diversification and growth in SSA by acting both as an enabler and driver of economic activities, helping support resilience. Yet, while the empirical literature on SSA suggests that digitalization can provide new opportunities for growth, employment, productivity, and inclusion, the impact on diversification has not been studied. This paper aims to fill this important gap in the literature. It also aims to strengthen IMF engagement with SSA policy makers by providing a conceptual policy framework, encompassing both horizontal and sectoral policies, on how to leverage digitalization to support diversification and boost resilience in a post-COVID world.




The Infrastructure Finance Challenge


Book Description

Infrastructure and its effects on economic growth, social welfare, and sustainability receive a great deal of attention today. There is widespread agreement that infrastructure is a key dimension of global development and that its impact reaches deep into the broader economy with important and multifaceted implications for social progress. At the same time, infrastructure finance is among the most complex and challenging areas in the global financial architecture. Ingo Walter, Professor Emeritus of Finance, Corporate Governance and Ethics at the Stern School of Business, New York University, and his team of experts tackle the issue by focussing on key findings backed by serious theoretical and empirical research. The result is a set of viable guideposts for researchers, policy-makers, students and anybody interested in the varied challenges of the contemporary economy.




Leveraging Urbanization to Promote a New Growth Model While Reducing Territorial Disparities in Morocco


Book Description

Today 60 percent of Moroccans reside in urban areas, as opposed to 35 percent in 1970. By 2050, nearly three-quarters of the country’s population will be living in cities. Along with the concentration of people, urbanization will lead to the increasing concentration of economic activities in cities, which today are estimated to account for about 75 percent of the country’s GDP and 70 percent of investments at the national level. To accompany these transformations, the Moroccan government has adopted, in recent years, ambitious programs to improve living standards in urban and rural areas. Significant improvements in living standards have been achieved through national master plans. Cities are the engines of today’s demographic and economic growth in Morocco, but they also face persistent challenges. Despite substantial public investments and strong potential for cities to absorb rural poverty, important pockets of urban poverty remain. Spatial disparities are a major cause for concern both for citizens as well as for national and local governments. In addition, Moroccan cities are not delivering on their full potential. Urbanization has not generated the same growth benefits in Morocco as it has in many other countries with similar contexts. These patterns suggest that Morocco needs specific policies to improve returns from its urbanization process. The main message of this note is that urbanization and spatial equity are not competing objectives when urbanization is supported and managed well. Well-managed urbanization allows for economies of scale in the provision of services and the development of more efficient labor. This note identifies priority actions to be taken at national, regional, and local levels to allow public authorities to act within a coherent framework and to help urban development to boost economic growth and promote shared prosperity for all.




AI in Practice: A Comprehensive Guide to Leveraging Artificial Intelligence


Book Description

"AI in Practice: A Comprehensive Guide to Leveraging Artificial Intelligence in Business" is a groundbreaking book that provides a comprehensive and practical exploration of the applications, strategies, and considerations involved in leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) in various business domains. Written for professionals, decision-makers, and enthusiasts alike, this book serves as a roadmap to help organizations harness the power of AI to drive innovation, improve efficiencies, and gain a competitive edge in the modern digital landscape.




IT Governance


Book Description

Firms with superior IT governance have more than 25% higher profits than firms with poor governance given the same strategic objectives. These top performers have custom designed IT governance for their strategies. Just as corporate governance aims to ensure quality decisions about all corporate assets, IT governance links IT decisions with company objectives and monitors performance and accountability. Based on a study of 250 enterprises worldwide, IT Governance shows how to design and implement a system of decision rights that will transform IT from an expense to a profitable investment.




Swords into Plowshares


Book Description

In a world that often feels torn by conflict and strife, the ancient words of the prophet Isaiah offer a vision of profound hope. "They will beat their swords into plowshares," he wrote, "and their spears into pruning hooks." It's a powerful image - a future where the tools of war are transformed into the instruments of peace and prosperity. For the defense industry, this vision is more than just a lofty ideal. It's a roadmap for a brighter tomorrow. As the world changes and the priorities of nations shift, the companies that have long been at the forefront of military innovation are faced with a choice. They can cling to the ways of the past, or they can adapt, evolve, and apply their immense strengths to solving the challenges of a new era. This book is the story of those who have chosen the latter path. In the pages that follow, you'll meet the visionary leaders and organizations who are at the vanguard of a powerful transformation. From pioneering environmental remediation to revolutionizing civilian manufacturing, they're turning swords into plowshares in the most literal sense. But this isn't just a story of corporate strategy or market trends. It's a profoundly human tale of courage, resilience, and the unshakable belief that a better world is possible. Behind every innovation and every bold new venture are countless individuals - engineers and entrepreneurs, dreamers and doers - who have staked their livelihoods and their futures on the conviction that their skills and expertise can make a real difference. Their journeys have not been easy. The path from conflict to creation is strewn with obstacles and uncertainties. But through their struggles and their triumphs, these pioneers are charting a course that others can follow. They're proving that the choice between swords and plowshares is a false one - that with enough creativity and commitment, we can forge a future where both people and profits can flourish. This is a message that matters to us all. Whether you're a defense industry executive or a concerned global citizen, the transformation chronicled in these pages holds profound implications. It speaks to the power of innovation to drive positive change, the importance of corporate responsibility in an interconnected world, and the potential for even the most entrenched institutions to evolve and adapt. But more than that, it speaks to the resilience of the human spirit. In a time of global challenges and existential threats, it's easy to give in to despair. But the stories you're about to read are a powerful reminder that another way is possible. That by turning our swords into plowshares - by channeling our resources and our resolve into the work of building rather than destroying - we can create a world of prosperity, sustainability, and peace. So let's draw inspiration from the visionaries in these pages. Let's see in their example not just a path for the defense industry, but a model for us all. And let's move forward with the conviction that, together, we can make Isaiah's ancient prophecy a modern reality. The journey from swords to plowshares is one we must all take - and it starts here, with the turn of a page. This book is priced at an affordable price point to enable widest availability. If this collection of inspiring stories how to make Swords into Plowshares, saves even one life or brings happiness to a single person, it will fill me also with hope and happiness, knowing I've made a difference as the author. David Hoicka