FEATURED AUTHOR
Efrem G. Mallach
I began my professional life on the design side of the computer industry, but found that using them to get useful results was (to me) more interesting than creating them. I then moved to academia because I'd always enjoyed teaching. In teaching about information systems I was dismayed to see that most textbooks don't reflect either what students need to know or real-world practice. This book is an attempt to remedy that. Please let me know if it works.
Subjects: Information Technology
Biography
Dr. Mallach has taught in the information systems field since 1984. In addition, he has had a long and varied career in the information technology industry - before this time, during a break from teaching in 1998-2003, and on a part-time basis while teaching. This exposure to real-world practice, which continues today, gives him a perspective on information systems that is impossible to obtain through academic pursuits alone. This book reflects that perspective.Education
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B.S.E., Princeton University
M.B.A., Boston University
Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Areas of Research / Professional Expertise
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Dr. Mallach's research has three main focus areas:
- The role of consultants and industry analysts in the information systems industry and how vendors should work with them. He was a co-founder of Kensington Group, Inc., the first analyst/consultant relations consultancy, and wrote Win Them Over: A Guide to Corporate Analyst Relations, the first and leading book on the topic. A bit of that has made its way into this book, since consultants and analysts are part of the world its readers will land in when they graduate.
- The use of information systems in supporting management decisions. He is also the author of two textbooks on that topic. Some of that expertise has also found its way into this book.
- Information systems conversion and implementation. This book tries to correct some erroneous conventional wisdom that is often repeated elsewhere without a reality check.
Personal Interests
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Efrem inherited a love of travel from his parents, whose 1937-38 photographs of the Norwegian coastline were used by the Allies to help plan attacks on German installations there. It was a rare year in which he didn't set foot on at least four continents, until travel became less practical in early 2020. He is also an avid hiker and often found opportunities to combine the two pursuits. Efrem is a widower with two sons and four grandchildren.
Books
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