It’s been a moment since my last book review but that isn’t because I haven’t been reading. If anything, I’ve been reading and studying more than ever, just not the really entertaining stuff. Like I said in my previous post Since We Will Be Having Coffee, I’m in school and in this post, I will be sharing the books I’m reading this semester.
Business Research Methods by Bryman Bell
This is a brilliant book that introduces and guides you into business research. It teaches concepts, how to come up with your research questions, literature review, research methodology and how-to analyse research data and present your findings.
It is such a well-written book; the tone is easy to relate to and its structure follows a logical sequence that makes the process of business research an engaging story. In addition, the double column approach makes it quite easy to read.
Research Methods is definitely my favourite course this year even though many in my class barely make it through the lecture without nodding off. I get excited every Tuesday because I can’t wait to hear what the professor has to say. Last week, I had one of those light-bulb-moments and right there in class, I knew a PhD was certainly for me.
This book has clarified so much, all that’s left is to come up with a topic I am interested in working on. I want something futuristic and expandable into a PhD thesis. You know, Red et al. (2021). Hopefully, long after I am dead, people will have a reason to reference my work and say my name. I’m thinking Social Media or Artificial Intelligence, but let me know in the poll below.
Business Analysis Third Edition by Debra Paul and James Cadle
This is my next best book for the semester. It is the official text for the British Computer Society (BCS) certification and provides an excellent introduction to Business Analysis as a discipline. Like Business Research Methods, it’s a well-structured book with a logical flow. It’s got all kinds of frameworks, acronyms and diagrams though, covering business domain analysis, strategic analysis, stakeholder analysis, business systems modelling, enterprise architecture and how to make a business case.
I was interested in the British Computer Society (BCS) Professional Certificate in Business Analysis Practice before I got enrolled here so I was pleasantly surprised to find that “completing this module with a mark of 60” or above will make me eligible for the certification.
One drawback for me is the lack of case study examples, especially since my coursework assignment is based on a really long case study. My assignment is due in January so I have enough time to read this whole book again and turn in a distinctive assignment.
Organisational Semiotics for Business Informatics by Kecheng Liu and Weizi Li
Unfortunately, this is my least interesting textbook and I say this with a broken heart because Weizi Li is such a helpful lecturer and I hope she will be my PhD supervisor. The semiosis concepts are relatively new and interesting but gosh, the sentences are so poorly constructed it makes it difficult to understand. You read a paragraph and ask yourself “…What did I just read? What is the author trying to say?”. I think the next Edition could really use a better editor.
What makes all of this confounding is, Business Informatics is the only course with an exam -70%. There is just no escaping this so I have to give it my best shot. I approach this textbook like it’s a fight, fist clenched and a cup of coffee in the other. I have to read each paragraph over and over again to make some type of sense out of it and practice the frameworks and diagrams. It is hard to figure out real-world applications right now but I hope it gets easier as I go along.
I think I’ve got a hang of the Semiotic Framework but I’ll have to cram a number of diagrams that may be necessary for the examination. It’s one of those books you hope you never have to read again.
Business Information Systems by Bocij Greasley
I will be honest and admit I haven’t really read this book. It’s supposed to complement the previous book: Organisational Semiotics for Business Informatics, but most of the class slides and past questions are answered in the previous book so my efforts are primarily focused on that, especially since my exams on this course are in a few weeks, December 14th to be precise.
In conclusion, these books are very insightful and I can’t wait to start writing my coursework and applying the concepts stated here. However, reading for pleasure is markedly different from studying for an examination. There’s so much more mental and emotional pressure. In addition, I enjoy reading sequentially, chapter by chapter but some courses seem to skip chapters making it somewhat difficult to articulate.
Nevertheless, I’ll do my best.
Have you read any of these books? Let me know what you think in the comments!
As always, thank you for reading!
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