Employing Qualitative Methods in the Private Sector or Managing Information Systems in Is

Employing Qualitative Methods in the Private Sector, Vol. 45

Author: Marilyn L Mitchell

Each year, academic institutions produce thousands of social science graduates skilled in applied social researchùmany more than can be absorbed in the teaching profession. In one of the latest volumes in the Qualitative Research Methods series, author Marilyn Mitchell provides information often left out of the social science curriculumùhow and where can social scientists put their skills to use in the private sector? Employing Qualitative Methods in the Private Sector outlines some of the basic private sector research settings and provides clear and sensible advice on how one can rename one's skills and market oneself most effectively to the business community. Mitchell, herself employed in the private sector, also examines project and business management. Straightforward and pragmatic, Employing Qualitative Methods in the Private Sector is an essential tool for the researcher looking for new avenues in which to apply their research.

Booknews

Written to give social science graduates better information on how to find and succeed at research jobs at think tanks and corporations. Designed for those who conduct ethnographic research, it outlines where private sector opportunities exist and what skills those jobs require. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Table of Contents:

	Series Editor's Introduction
1	Private-Sector Research Settings	1
2	Renaming Your Skills	14
3	Business Activities That Require Research	24
4	Marketing Yourself to the Private Sector	35
5	Project Management	45
6	Business Management	51
7	Conclusion	59
App. A	Example of a Request for Proposal (RFP)	62
App. B	Example of a Press Release	64
App. C	Where to Learn About an Industry	64
App. D	Response to an RFP Using Ethnographic Interviewing and Semiotic Analysis: Proposed Process for Analyzing Nontraditional Qualitative Data Such as Stories and Metaphors	67
App. E	Example of a Response to a Request for Proposal	69
	References	72
	Additional Resources	72
	About the Author	73

Interesting book: Political Economy of Polands Transition or Making the World Safe for Tourism

Managing Information Systems in Is: Successful Strategies and Appropriate Action

Author: J D McKeen

The person who runs the company sees IS as being the provider of solutions. "Dont tell me about function point productivity. What we want is faster turnaround time for systems and were not getting it!" The person who runs the IS division recognizes that it has a strategic role. "The management is locked into a 1980s timewarp how do I persuade them that IS has more to offer than in the past?" The aim of the book is to step into the middle ground. It emphasizes the important role an IS manager plays in the development of the company strategy. It will show how the everyday problems need to be seen in a fresh perspective that of balancing the competing pressures of business and technology. Get too far from the technology and too close to the business, and technology will pull you back. Get focused on technology and lose sight of the business, and the business will make sure you know about it. The goal of this book is to provide IS managers with balanced information to guide them. Why does it matter? Because, in many ways, the future of our organizations is in the hands of todays IS managers. Management Challenges in IS will help them make wise and thoughtful choices.