ix blind sages were shown an elephant and met to discuss their ex- perience. “It’s wonderful,” said the first, “an elephant is like a rope: slender and flexible.” “No, no, not at all,” said the second, “an ele- phant is like a tree: sturdily planted on the ground.” “Marvelous,” said the third, “an elephant is like a wall.” “Incredible,” said the fourth, “a…
This book collects topics covered in introductory courses in probability delivered by the authors at the University of Florence. It aims to introduce the reader to typical structures of probability with a language appropriate for further advanced reading. The attention is mainly focused on basic structures. There is a well established tradition of studies in probability due to the wide range of…
It is the purpose of this book to provide a practical survey of network security applications and standards. The emphasis is on applications that are widely used on the Internet and for corporate networks, and on standards (especially Internet standards) that have been widely deployed.
This book has been created to serve the needs of many SAP Business One users. If you have a chance to browse the SAP business One website between mid-2008 and mid-2011, you will find that my name is always on the top contributor's list. I have solved many SQL Query related problems faced by many users, and some such users have asked me to write a blog or wiki page on the topic. However, the sub…
Like metadata itself, the realm of online resources is constantly and rapidly evolving. Much has changed in the digital information landscape since the first print edition of this book was published in 1998 and the revised online version appeared in 2000. The time is right for an updated edition of this text, intended to give a general introduction to metadata and to explain some of the key too…
The objective of this paper is to incorporate the entrepreneurial view point into the framework of the resource-based view of strate- gic management. We firstly attempt to make a brief survey of the conceptual framework of the RBV, and formulize it in a static sense by contrasting it with the competitive forces approach. Secondly, we conduct a critical assessment of the RBV from a dynamic …
This paper is the final report of the RAND Internal Research and Development (IR&D) project “Risk Management and Risk Analysis for Complex Projects: Developing a Research Agenda.” The aim of the project was to survey how quantitative risk management and risk analysis methods were applied to the planning and execution of complex projects, particularly those which planned to utilize new …
The objective of this book is to facilitate informed choice making about personal use of biotechnologies and formulation of public policies governing their development and applications. The book provides basic information about a wide range of biotechnologies, the ethical issues raised by each one, and diverse viewpoints on dealing with these issues. Two under- lying premises imbue the book: 1…
his book is for programmers who want to improve their skills by learning about what is going on “under the hood” of a computer system. Our aim is to explain the important and enduring concepts underlying all computer systems, and to show you the concrete ways that these ideas affect the correctness, performance, and utility of your application programs. By studying this book, y…
The resurgence of the American economy since 1995 has outrun all but the most optimistic expectations. Economic forecasting models have been seriously off track and growth projections have been revised to reflect a more sanguine outlook only recently.1 It is not surprising that the unusual combination of more rapid growth and slower inflation in the 1990s has touched off a strenuous debate am…
The Basics of Information Security will provide the reader with a basic knowledge of information security in both theoretical and practical aspects. We will first cover the basic knowledge needed to understand the key concepts of information security, discussing many of the concepts that underpin the security world. We will then dive into practical applications of these ideas in the areas of o…