Brian Fitzgerald

This book represents a modern and realistic approach to systems development methodologies by examining the usage of such methodologies in practice. It is now accepted that methodologies are not often followed as prescibed in practice. This book explains why this is so, and describes the extent and nature of thier usage. The book covers the emergence and evolution of systems development methodologies, and descibes and anaysis the methodologies in detail. It presents the pros and cons of the use of methodologies and provides empirical evidence on thier actual use.

Bunny's plans for a perfect vacation are wrecked by an unwelcome surprise holidaymaker who changes her life in a most colorful way. Bunny is all set for a wonderful vacation. Just like every year, she is looking forward to finding a peaceful spot for some rest and relaxation. So, Bunny sets off with her little camper van for one in search of the perfect solitary spot where she can relax and catch the ocean breeze. She finds it, stakes out her space and settles into her routine. The next morning she wakes up and to her horror, a big purple monster called 'Bob' has pitched his tent right next door Bunny's plans are completely ruined and her initial response is to try to rid her idyllic spot of this obnoxious monster. But events take a surprising turn and despite her antipathy toward the monster, Bunny's attitude gradually changes with the weather. Brian Fitzgerald has penned a hilarious and relatable tale about mistaken first impressions, meanness which gives way to kindness, and an enduring friendship between two of the most unlikely neighbors in a tale of tolerance, understanding and harmony.

Ten years of frustration and heartbreak caring for his son John, born with a catastrophic heart defect, have convinced Rick Morrow that the world is stacked against his family. And on what should be the best day of their life -- the day when John will finally get a new heart - an even worse nightmare begins, when the helicopter carrying the heart crashes, destroying the heart and the hopes of the Morrow family. Rick's heartbreak turns to rage as he begins to suspect that the accident was no accident at all. His pursuit of the truth puts him on a collision course with the giant Cera Corporation and the powerful family that runs it, who have an agenda of their own and will stop at nothing to make it come true. The escalating conflict threatens Rick's reputation, his safety and even his marriage. It reaches its gut-wrenching climax with Rick and his wife Mary facing and even more terrible question; will they sacrifice all they believe in to save their own son, at a cost almost too high to imagine? Heartless forces us to ask ourselves the most basic of questions: how far should we go to save the life of someone we love? And what makes a life matter in the first place?

On December 7, 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the Constitution. Since then, Delaware has been a leader in politics and business. Delaware's residents are proud of all their state has to offer, especially their rich farmlands, thriving cities, and scenic waterways. Through striking photographs, informative maps, and high-interest text, this volume helps readers to celebrate the state's history, people, and government.

Inspiration and Authority in the Middle Ages rethinks the role of prophecy in the Middle Ages by examining how professional theologians responded to new assertions of divine inspiration. Drawing on fresh archival research and detailed study of unpublished manuscript sources from the twelfth to fourteenth centuries, this volume argues that the task of defining prophetic authority became a crucial intellectual and cultural enterprise as university-trained theologians confronted prophetic claims from lay mystics, radical Franciscans, and other unprecedented visionaries. In the process, these theologians redescribed their own activities as prophetic by locating inspiration not in special predictions or ecstatic visions but in natural forms of understanding and in the daily work of ecclesiastical teaching and ministry. Instead of containing the spread of prophetic privilege, however, scholastic assessments of prophecy from Peter Lombard and Thomas Aquinas to Peter John Olivi and Nicholas Trevet opened space for claims of divine insight to proliferate beyond the control of theologians. By the turn of the fourteenth century, secular Italian humanists could lay claim to prophetic authority on the basis of their intellectual powers and literary practices. From Hugh of St Victor to Albertino Mussato, reflections on and debates over prophecy reveal medieval clerics, scholars, and reformers reshaping the contours of religious authority, the boundaries of sanctity and sacred texts, and the relationship of tradition to the new voices of the Late Middle Ages.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This book is intended primarily for practitioners who are facing the “softwareisation” of their business. It presents the Scaling Management Framework, a model based on collected experiences from companies that have already made the journey to give software a central role within the organization. The model is unique because it suggests a holistic method to analyze and plan your journey. It simply means that you can’t just focus solely on your products or services. You also have to look closely at your processes and your organization, the way you make decisions and get things done. Inevitably, these will have to change. Software has changed the rules of the game. The world talks about the digitalization in industry and society – how the focus has shifted from producing tangible things towards software and services. This trend started many years ago, but is now affecting every company, whether it’s a software company or not. There are many companies that have already made a digitalization journey – and many are about to embark on this journey – like you. How do you transform your organization when software is becoming a critical part of your business? This book comes with a map, a compass, and suggested journeys along with selected travel stories comprising best practices and lessons learned from past digitalization journeys. Use the map to find your way in the digitalization landscape, and use the compass to find the direction of your journey.

This book tells the story of how, over centuries, people, society and culture created laws affecting supply of information. In the 21 century, uniform global copyright laws are claimed to be indispensable to the success of entertainment, internet and other information industries. Do copyright laws encourage information flow? Many say that copyright laws limit dissemination, harming society. In the last 300 years, industries armed with copyrights controlled output and distribution. Now the internet’s disruption of economic patterns may radically reshape information regulation. Information freedom, a source of emancipation, may change the world.

This SpringerBrief discusses multiple forms of open-source-inspired outsourcing: opensourcing, innersourcing and crowdsourcing. It uses a framework-based comparison to explain the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. By pointing out characteristics along with benefits and pitfalls of each approach, the authors provide nuanced and research-based advice to managers and developers facing software sourcing decisions. The differences and commonalities of these three emerging approaches are carefully analyzed. Chapters explore the primary challenges of reliability, efficiency and robustness in open-source methods. Examples from industrial cases are included, along with extensive references to recent research. The brief concludes with a comparative analysis of approaches and outlines key implications to be aware of when outsourcing. Software Sourcing in the Age of Open: Leveraging the Unknown Workforce is designed for professionals and researchers interested in outsourcing challenges. The content is also suitable for postgraduate students interested in contemporary software sourcing approaches.

This book tells the story of how, over centuries, people, society and culture created laws affecting supply of information. In the 21 century, uniform global copyright laws are claimed to be indispensable to the success of entertainment, internet and other information industries. Do copyright laws encourage information flow? Many say that copyright laws limit dissemination, harming society. In the last 300 years, industries armed with copyrights controlled output and distribution. Now the internet’s disruption of economic patterns may radically reshape information regulation. Information freedom, a source of emancipation, may change the world.

An "owner's manual" for every Canadian with a pension plan. Millions of Canadians are covered by pension plans in one form or another-whether that's CPP or a company plan, or personal RRSPs. But pensions are the benefit least understood by employees. They're confusing and complex, but understanding pensions is crucial to every Canadian's financial security in retirement. Since its initial publication, The Pension Puzzle has become the definitive book on the subject. Now completely revised and updated, The Pension Puzzle remains a true owner's manual for anyone with a pension plan. The Pension Puzzle is not just for those about to retire. It's for every working Canadian who needs to make decisions about their pension plan and how it affects their financial future.