Taken on Friday when my son and I went on a photo excursion.

Taken in color. Desaturated, added real film grain.

made a tad smaller.

Amazon.com: Why ERP? A Primer on SAP Implementation: Books: F. Robert Jacobs,David Clay Whybark,F. Robert Jacobs,D. Clay Whybark

Amazon.com: Why ERP? A Primer on SAP Implementation: Books: F. Robert Jacobs,David Clay Whybark:
"Why ERP? Because I didn't have a choice as to read it or not. I'd rather take a bath in gasoline and light myself on fire than read this thing again." (Reviewer's comment)

Last posting, I put a story up about SAP releasing V 5 of their SCM software. I commented there on the need for software to support supply chain collaboration, among other things. It was pointed out to me by a colleague that the book, "Why ERP" presents an implementation of an SAP ERP system that failed. I have yet to read the book, but it is now high on my reading list (and I encourage those of you interested in these things to do as well.)

Hey, I make it easy for you--I am linking this posting to the Amazon site for this book. But not to get you to buy it, because if that was my goal I would have figured out a way to get a kickback. I wanted to actually link to the comments reviewing the book, like the one quoted above. It appears that this book is fairly common required reading, and that students don't like it. Don't believe me? Go read the comments!

This was doubly interesting to me, since it combined the ERP discussion with a discussion on evaluations by students. Over at the blog "Confessions of a Community College Dean" the Dean is trying to figure out ways to evaluate his faculty. This is often stymied by the fact that students' evaluations are, well, sometimes less than constructive. Note, I say sometimes.

In these reviews of the book you will find there to be constructive critiques. These critiques say things like:

"Do not read this book if you are an expert on SAP or very familiar with ERP systems. This is little more than a text book put in the form of one large example." (Hmmm one CASE example can be quite rich in individual exmplars used for discussion and study. But still, good critique.)

CAUTION: This book (actually a novel) is good only for those who do not know anything about ERP. Finish this quickly and move on to more detailed stuff like MISSION CRITICAL by Thomas Davenport. (again, the usefulness is challenged, but at least the commentator provides an alternative.)

and, Perhaps the best review:

This actually is a good read. It kept my interest for a full 2 hours, which is what is took to read it. The case study is real and on the mark. It illustrates that even if SAP is being widely adopted in your industry (in this case furniture), it may not be the right solution for you. In this instance, SAP (or the SAP implementation approach) was wrong because the company, whose business model was "make to order", tried to cut time and costs by directly implementing a configuration which worked well for a company that has a very limited (few part numbers with minimal change) product line.

The author also did a realistic job in presenting the politics of the situation. The company president wanted an easy integration under a tight deadline. The IT geek wasn't interested in the business model and wanted a showcase quick installation. The marketing guy wasn't interested in the details and wanted to showcase the installation. The book's hero is a healthy skeptic, who is trying to understand ERP, its benefits, and how it fit his company's business.

Based the book's title, I thought I was picking up another SAP marketing book. But it is not that at all. It's objective and deals with business issues. No ABAP, idocs, and organization elements here.

My recommendations for anyone writing a review or a critique, including critiquing a course or an instructor? They are quite simple really:

1. Provide positive feedback if at all possible. What did you like, and why? The why is important because it helps to know how to develop future information in a way that worked well previously. Criticism need not be negative, or even pointing out weaknesses. Sometimes people need to be told the good things.

2. Be critical, with a positive attitude. Say things like "While I appreciate XXX, it didn't work well, because..." Again, the because, or the why, is critical to helping the professor or author provide a fix for things later.

3. Understand the purpose of what you are critiquing. If you are critiquing a course, and the course is on advanced astrophysics, don't criticize the lack of creative writing assignments. Alternatively, if you are in an MBA program, regardless of the quantitative rigour of the individual course, you should have an expectation that students will be expected to communicate clearly--after all, you are there to be better managers.

So, remember: criticism should be given with the intent of improvement, and while it may have been cathartic for the reviewer to write: "I wouldn't even make paper airplanes with this book - because they would suck too. When millions of books were burned in WWII, why did they miss this one?" they certainly provided nothing to the discussion.

The Prof

Postscript: (In fact, the paper airplane comment was followed by a recommendation to read "The Goal" by Goldratt. An excellent book, but with a completely different message/intent. This reviewer apparently missed point number three.)

SAP spruces up its supply chain software | CNET News.com

SAP spruces up its supply chain software | CNET News.com:

"With the package's new tools, the company said, retailers can strike a better balance between increased customer service levels and lowered merchandise inventory, SAP said. They can replenish products with long lead times and at the same time handle seasonal products and introduce new products with short product-lifecycles using historical information on similar products to forecast demand."

This is, perhaps, the state of the art in true Supply Chain Management software. I would recommend anyone interested in SCM that they start looking at this sort of software for managing their chain. I find perhaps the most interesting line in here is the one about managing long lead times, and seasonal products.

I am curious myself to get my hands on this. I fervently believe that for a software package to truly support SCM, they need to incorporate not only a good information system for the sharing of information, but it also needs to in some way provide a way to encourage shared decision making.

The infusion of collaboration in the supply chain will of course be THE way firms are able to be fully empowered and can reach nirvana, satisfying customers and have very low inventories.

Perhaps SAP is willing to let this professor of SCM play with the software a bit...

Interesting things about Blogspot and iRows

I have noticed a couple interesting things, of late.

Many of you know I have a "sitemeter" on my blog, which lets me see how many people visit, and it also lets me see generally from where (city, and service provider), and what pages were visited and how the visitor found me.

Well, as of late, I have been "visited" several times a day from a site in Hong Kong. I appreciate that I am well liked, and have an international audience, except, I think this is something perhaps a bit less kosher. I believe it is a robot. This visitor keeps going to the same page--the page that references the online spreadsheet "iRows." It is as if they are seeking that particular item, perhaps to post a comment to visit some other site that might convince a wayward user to post their information online.

Anyone have any ideas what someone in Hong Kong would want with your spreadsheet data?

A second tidbit comes from my brother. If you mis-spell "blogspot" in the address for ANY blog hosted here, you will find it takes you to a rather... "interesting" religious site. Try it... put in your favorite blogaddress (what? it's not THIS one?) but instead of typing blogspot, swap the s and p, so it is "name.blogpsot.com"

Interesting. As he mentioned to me, it's no big deal for blogs like mine--you will just wonder what happened. For those blogs, however, that have a religious nature to begin with, one might begin to wonder what happened--to the blog host!

Have a great day, and keep those cards and letters coming!

iPodSoft - Making the best, better

iPodSoft - Making the best, better

I know... where's my cutting political wit, an dsharp insights? Well, hey, I am here to serve... and EVERYONE has an iPod now, right?

Here is a website with some rather neat tools for the iPod. Not only can you save your music back to a computer, you can alsoset up RSS newsfeeds, and when you sync your iPod to your computer, get your newstories "to go." Quite handy, IF you don't already have a PDA doing that for you.

Now, to just get a utility that makes the screen bigger...

GetThereFast.org- Welcome to BetterCampus!

GetThereFast.org- Welcome to BetterCampus!

I have talked, since 1996, about the parallels between transportation networks, and information (Computer) networks. Both networks move items of value (cargo, or data) from point to point, and even use much of the same language. I have even posited that computer networks (read: Internet) is actually a sixth mode of transportation--a concept I am now beginning to see in print.

Part of any good logistics system is an efficient transportation network. An efficient network not only moves "things" (beit cargo, or people) at the lowest cost and in a timely manner, but does so to ensure the effectiveness of the delivery (arrives on-time, and in proper condition, and so forth.)

This website takes efficient and effective transportation the next step, ensuring that, literally, the "last mile" is covered. This system, though, is designed to ensure that the people get to where they are going--taking them from their cars to their offices, offices to meetings, and the like, quickly, efficiently, and, if you ask me, in HIGH style!

What for me is important to note is that they are using the language of the internet in describing this personal transportation network. It's a "packet switched" carrier. It "connects a single campus bus stop to 30,000 desks."

Perhaps we are seeing the convergence of IT and TT (Info tech and Trans Tech) in this new and innovative proposal!

At first I thought this was a well-thought-out joke (a "packet switched people network?"), or perhaps class project, but after visiting the website, I am thinking perhaps this is a serious proposal. Either way, it is quite cool!

The Prof

P.S. -- Be sure to check out the marketing video as well!

LiveScience.com - The Mysterious Origin and Supply of Oil

At my University, the faculty have had a recent "impromptu" debate concerning the need for "intellectual diversity" in the academy. While I normally would immediately jump onto this band wagon, I am recalcitrant. Let me explain why. I believe that diversity of ideas is perhaps the most important diversity we should seek. Now, our various cultures, ethnic groups, and such will strongly influence our ideas and our views, but it is the interaction of competing ideas that leads to growth. So why am I reluctant? Well, in this debate, it is boiled down to the simply Cartesian either/or argument, pitting political conservatism against political liberalism. I think, first, that most debates in the academy are not political. Well, at least, not debates or discussions relevant to our disciplines. Take this artticle for instance. Here we have the commonly accepted view of the creation of "crude oil" that posits that oil is truly a "fossil fuel" created from great pressures and ancient organic materials. Along comes another theory that puts forward the notion that it is not created in this fashion at all--that it comes from deep within the Earth.

An excerpt:

LiveScience.com - The Mysterious Origin and Supply of Oil: "The idea that petroleum is formed from dead organic matter is known as the 'biogenic theory' of petroleum formation and was first proposed by a Russian scientist almost 250 years ago.

In the 1950's, however, a few Russian scientists began questioning this traditional view and proposed instead that petroleum could form naturally deep inside the Earth.

This so-called 'abiogenic' petroleum might seep upward through cracks formed by asteroid impacts to form underground pools, according to one hypothesis. Some geologists have suggested probing ancient impact craters in the search for oil."

So here we have competing ideas--a diversity in ideas that now can be put forward, challenged, and tested. Which is the conservative one, and which the liberal? Well, while one might actually be able to be labeled conservative (the older theory having the upper hand) neither theory is inherently "political."

So let's encourage diversity, let's embrace diversity. But let's do it as appropriate for our disciplines. Let's follow accepted, rigorous methodologies, and let's all work to expand our minds, and contribute to the body of knowledge, rather than close doors, close minds, and protect our limited views of the world.

The Prof

Man Gets $218 Trillion Phone Bill - Yahoo! News

Man Gets $218 Trillion Phone Bill - Yahoo! News

Wow. THIS is an interesting story, and is actually a good lesson in so many areas. Certainly, we can learn much about "common sense" from a company that doesn't think that a bill of that magnitude is somehow incorrect and out of line. Or perhaps we can learn how automated systems, left to their own devices, without a conscience, can ruin peoples lives.

Yes, we can learn all these things, but let's look instead at the economics of this. The man is charged 218 TRILLION dollars for his phone bill. For perspective, the national debt, according the the US National Debt Clock, is only 8 Trillion. Additionally, according to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, the quarterly Gross Domestic Product (GDP = consumption + investment + government spending + (exports − imports)) is $1.57 trillion quarterly (and, with the current Bush Administration, growing quite nicely--see the BEA report.) In this case, the phone company in question is in Malaysia, not the US, so you can imagine the impact such a phonebill must have. Just look at the equstion for GDP. Add that level of consumption to the GDP for a single quarter, and you have quite a blip!

Okay, so then let's look at this. This one example clearly highlights why there is no connection between cost and price. I cannot imagine the Telco will be able to argue that, if the phone was accidently left on or not, they have incurred a substantial cost. They may have some trivial marginal costs associated with providing the calls, but given that the infrastructure (fixed costs) are already in place, one cannot believe that the TELCO would have incurred such great costs. Instead, we now have laid bare the gap, understandable in economic terms, between what it costs the company to provide the service, and what they are able to charge as a price because, at our traditional rates of use, it is a price we are willing to pay.

So there you have it. One man racks up a phone bill 145 times the US Gross Domestic Product, and will perhaps go to jail if he can't pay.

So yes, the old Science Fiction story seems to be correct. The phone company will own everything and everyone.

HOMEWORK: anyone want to compute the "Earth Domestic Product" and determine if he could even come close to paying off his debt.

Bigs bunny: monster rabbit devours English veggie plots - Yahoo! News

Bigs bunny: monster rabbit devours English veggie plots - Yahoo! News

Okay, so they have a monster rabbit terrorizing England. No, it doesn't have big nasty teeth, at least none that will chew up knights and spit them out. Perhaps they will have to use the "holy Handgrenade" with the requisite reading of the rules.

SERIOUS POINT: I love the photograph. It is a photo of a giant rabbit. Makes one think at first glance that perhaps THIS is the rabbit--until one reads the caption: "German rabbit breeder Karl Szmolinsky presents his giant male breeding rabbit 'Robert' in Eberswalde, eastern..." Hmmm...

Alright, already, I realize many of you are saying "yes, you SHOULD read the caption." But do you not also think that, since so often we skim stories quickly to get a sense of the news, that news sources have a responsibility to reduce the possibility for misleading the public?

The Prof

Everest - Mount Everest by climbers, news

Everest - Mount Everest by climbers, news: "
The Space Monopoly Game Plan: Get big fast and Buy the Spaceports Sharing half a billion in investments on Space (sort off) Tourism - Virgin Galactic has only collected $13 million in cash from tourists, while Eric Anderson just signed up his first customer. Yet the race is on for a piece of the $1 billion pie, a space tourism revenue estimate resting largely on polls showing that up to 40 percent of us would go into space if it were possible, and the fact that there are more than 20 million millionaires in the world. In this Space version of a Monopoly game - rockets are good props to buy while Spaceports seems the most sought after (and expensive) real estate to own. "

I guess this is it. Get your spot while you can--Space calls!

So, class, a few questions:

1. What would it take to get you to sign up to go to space?

2. Many have argued that government funds would be better spent on purely earthbound endeavours (ignoring, often times, that the only place to actually spend dollars is "on Earth"). How do you feel about private enterprise funding these businesses designed for "vacations" to space?

I look forward to your answers. I have enjoyed all the others!

The Prof