Digital library
Textbooks, references and open learning resources.
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Algorithms and Data Structures With Applications to Graphics and Geometry
Jurg Nievergelt; Klaus Hinrichs · Global Text Project · 2011
An introductory coverage of algorithms and data structures with application to graphics and geometry.
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Programming Fundamentals - A Modular Structured Approach using C++
Kenneth Busbee · OpenStax CNX · 2013
Programming Fundamentals - A Modular Structured Approach using C++ is written by Kenneth Leroy Busbee, a faculty member at Houston Community College in Houston, Texas. The materials used in this textbook/collection were developed by the author and others as independent modules for publication within the Connexions environment. Programming fundamentals are often divided into three college courses: Modular/Structured, Object Oriented and Data Structures. This textbook/collection covers the first of those three courses. The learning modules of this textbook/collection were written as standalone modules. Students using a collection of modules as a textbook will usually view it contents by reading the modules sequentially as presented by the author of the collection. The learning modules of this textbook/collection were, for the most part, written without consideration of a speci??c programming language. In many cases the C++ language is discussed as part of the explanation of the concept. Often the examples used for C++ are exactly the same for the Java programming language. However, some modules were written speci??cally for the C++ programming language. This could not beavoided as the C++ language is used in conjunction with this textbook/collection by the author in teaching college courses.
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The Little Book of Semaphores
Allen Downey · Green Tea Press · 2016
The Little Book of Semaphores is a free (in both senses of the word) textbook that introduces the principles of synchronization for concurrent programming. In most computer science curricula, synchronization is a module in an Operating Systems class. OS textbooks present a standard set of problems with a standard set of solutions, but most students don't get a good understanding of the material or the ability to solve similar problems. The approach of this book is to identify patterns that are useful for a variety of synchronization problems and then show how they can be assembled into solutions. After each problem, the book offers a hint before showing a solution, giving students a better chance of discovering solutions on their own. The book covers the classical problems, including "Readers-writers," "Producer-consumer", and "Dining Philosophers." In addition, it collects a number of not-so-classical problems, some written by the author and some by other teachers and textbook writers. Readers are invited to create and submit new problems.
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Physical Modeling in MATLAB
Allen Downey · Green Tea Press · 2021
Modeling and simulation are powerful tools for explaining the world, making predictions, designing things that work, and making them work better. Learning to use these tools can be difficult; this book is my attempt to make the experience as enjoyable and productive as possible. By reading this book — and working on the exercises — you will learn some programming, some modeling, and some simulation: With basic programming skills, you can create models for a wide range of physical systems. My goal is to help you develop these skills in a way you can apply immediately to real-world problems. This book presents the entire modeling process, including model selection, analysis, simulation, and validation. I explain this process in Chapter 1, and there are examples throughout the book. Simulation is an approach to modeling that uses computer programs to implement models and generate predictions. This book shows how simulations are used to run experiments, answer questions, and guide decision-making.
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How to Think Like a Computer Scientist: Learning with Python
Allen Downey; Jeff Elkner; Chris Meyers · Green Tea Press · 2008
How to Think Like a Computer Scientist: Learning with Python is an introduction to programming using Python.
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Essentials of Geographic Information Systems
Jonathan Campbell; MIchael Shin · Saylor Foundation · 2011
Essentials of Geographic Information Systems integrates key concepts behind the technology with practical concerns and real-world applications. Recognizing that many potential GIS users are nonspecialists or may only need a few maps, this book is designed to be accessible, pragmatic, and concise. Essentials of Geographic Information Systems also illustrates how GIS is used to ask questions, inform choices, and guide policy. From the melting of the polar ice caps to privacy issues associated with mapping, this book provides a gentle, yet substantive, introduction to the use and application of digital maps, mapping, and GIS. In today's world, learning involves knowing how and where to search for information. In some respects, knowing where to look for answers and information is arguably just as important as the knowledge itself. Because Essentials of Geographic Information Systems is concise, focused, and directed, readers are encouraged to search for supplementary information and to follow up on specific topics of interest on their own when necessary. Essentials of Geographic Information Systems provides the foundations for learning GIS, but readers are encouraged to construct their own individual frameworks of GIS knowledge. The benefits of this approach are two-fold. First, it promotes active learning through research. Second, it facilitates flexible and selective learning—that is, what is learned is a function of individual needs and interest. Since GIS and related geospatial and navigation technology change so rapidly, a flexible and dynamic text is necessary in order to stay current and relevant. Though essential concepts in GIS tend to remain constant, the situations, applications, and examples of GIS are fluid and dynamic. Though this book is intended for use in introductory GIS courses, Essentials of Geographic Information Systems will also appeal to the large number of certificate, professional, extension, and online programs in GIS that are available today.
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Business Information Systems: Design an App for That
Raymond Frost; Jacqueline Pike; Lauren Kenyo; Sarah Pels · Saylor Foundation · 2011
We set out to design an introductory course governed by four themes: Give students a good idea of what a career in MIS looks like by doing MIS. Enhance the professionalism of deliverables by teaching design and usability concepts. Promote creativity by assigning projects that demand it. Teach students about cloud computing by having them do cloud computing. Students in an introductory Management Information Systems (MIS) course often ask what a career in MIS looks like. Lacking a clear vision, they make their own assumptions. Often they assume the career involves programming with little human interaction. That MIS is a technical field could not be further from the truth. MIS job descriptions typically require candidates to be able to collaborate, communicate, analyze needs and gather requirements. They also list the need for excellent written and communication skills. In other words, MIS workers are constantly interacting with other people both inside and outside the organization. They are coming up with creative solutions to business problems. This course is designed to help students get a feel for what a career in MIS would be like. Our students report that they learn more about information systems from their internships than from their IS courses. Consequently, we designed a course that looks very much like an internship—an introduction to the field followed by a substantial project. Chapter 1 begins by introducing the information systems landscape. Here we discuss all the usual suspects: the information systems triangle, the systems development life cycle, transaction systems (ERP, SCM, CRM), collaboration systems, and business intelligence systems. Other aspects of the landscape such as usability, outsourcing, database concepts and so forth are introduced throughout chapter in Chapter 2 where they fit in naturally with the flow of the project. Chapter 2 is the substantial project which runs over a number of chapters. Over the course of the semester, students pl
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Think Python: How to Think Like a Computer Scientist
Allen Downey · Green Tea Press · 2012
Think Python is a concise introduction to software design using the Python programming language. Intended for people with no programming experience, this book starts with the most basic concepts and gradually adds new material. Some of the ideas students find most challenging, like recursion and object-oriented programming, are divided into a sequence of smaller steps and introduced over the course of several chapters. This textbook has been used in classes at Bard College, Olin College of Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, University of Maine, University of Northern Colorado.
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Programming Languages: Application and Interpretation
Shriram Krishnamurthi · Brown University · 2007
Unlike some other textbooks, this one does not follow a top-down narrative. Rather it has the flow of a conversation, with backtracking. We will often build up programs incrementally, just as a pair of programmers would. We will include mistakes, not because I don't know the answer, but because this is the best way for you to learn. Including mistakes makes it impossible for you to read passively: you must instead engage with the material, because you can never be sure of the veracity of what you're reading. At the end, you'll always get to the right answer. However, this non-linear path is more frustrating in the short term (you will often be tempted to say, “Just tell me the answer, already!”), and it makes the book a poor reference guide (you can't open up to a random page and be sure what it says is correct). However, that feeling of frustration is the sensation of learning. I don't know of a way around it. At various points you will encounter this: ExerciseThis is an exercise. Do try it. This is a traditional textbook exercise. It's something you need to do on your own. If you're using this book as part of a course, this may very well have been assigned as homework. In contrast, you will also find exercise-like questions that look like this: Do Now!There's an activity here! Do you see it? When you get to one of these, stop. Read, think, and formulate an answer before you proceed. You must do this because this is actually an exercise, but the answer is already in the book—most often in the text immediately following (i.e., in the part you're reading right now)—or is something you can determine for yourself by running a program. If you just read on, you'll see the answer without having thought about it (or not see it at all, if the instructions are to run a program), so you will get to neither (a) test your knowledge, nor (b) improve your intuitions. In other words, these are additional, explicit attempts to encourage active learning. Ultimately, however, I can o
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Information Systems - A Manager's Guide to Harnessing Technology
University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing · 2015
Information Systems: A Manager's Guide to Harnessing Technology is intended for use in undergraduate and/or graduate courses in Management Information Systems and Information Technology. The teaching approach in Information Systems: A Manager's Guide to Harnessing Technology can change this. The text offers a proven approach that has garnered student praise, increased IS enrollment, and engaged students to think deeper and more practically about the space where business and technology meet. Every topic is related to specific business examples, so students gain an immediate appreciation of its importance. Rather than lead with technical topics, the book starts with strategic thinking, focusing on big-picture issues that have confounded experts but will engage students. And while chapters introduce concepts, cases on approachable, exciting firms across industries further challenge students to apply what they've learned, asking questions like: Why was Netflix able to repel Blockbuster and WalMart? How did Harrah's Casino's become twice as profitable as comparably-sized Caesar's, enabling the former to acquire the latter? How does Spain's fashion giant Zara, a firm that shuns the sort of offshore manufacturing used by every other popular clothing chain, offer cheap fashions that fly off the shelves, all while achieving growth rates and profit margins that put Gap to shame? Why do technology markets often evolve into winner-take-all or winner take-most scenarios? And how can managers compete when these dynamics are present? Why is Google more profitable than Disney? How much is Facebook really worth? The teaching approach in this text encourages students to think deeper and more practically about the space where business and technology meet. Every topic is related to specific business examples, so students gain an immediate appreciation of its importance. Rather than starting with technical topics, the book starts with strategic thinking, focusing on big-picture issues t
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Adaptive Apparel Design
Ellen McKinney; Rachel Eike · Iowa State University Digital Press · 2023
This instructional text and designer resources have been prepared to support those learning about adaptive apparel design. The text is easy for students, scholars, and designers to use, and is organized around the apparel design process: research, sketching, developing a sample notebook, mood or inspiration board, pattern work, first sample, and the completed ensemble. Users can read from beginning to end or jump into resources related to their current phase of design.
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Introduction to Social Media
Cheryl Lawson · Oklahoma State University · 2022
This book is aimed at managers, business owners, marketing managers, and aspiring social media marketing interns and managers. I will assume that however accomplished in your own field - baker, developer, teacher and that even as successful business owners, you approach the topic of social media marketing as a beginner. Even if you are an avid personal user of social networks, we will treat this book as a guided tour of social media for marketing purposes.
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Strategic Marketing in the Global Forest Industries
Eric Hansen; Heikki Juslin · Oregon State University · 2018
The forest industry is increasingly global and every marketer of forest products should have a global perspective. As a natural resource-based industry, the forest industry has an especially high profile role in environmental protection and is increasingly involved in climate change mitigation and management. Global forests are not only important because they provide a source of industrial raw material, but also because of the various other human needs they satisfy. A forest products marketer should have a basic understanding of the role that global forests play in society. Major societal trends are impacting the external environment within which the forest industry operates. We provide an overview of global forests and a brief description of the markets for the main categories of the forest industry.
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Introduction to Tourism and Hospitality in BC
Morgan Westcott; Wendy Anderson · BCcampus · 2021
This textbook is an introduction to the tourism and hospitality industry in British Columbia, and is written with a first year college and university audience in mind. It is a collaborative work with input from educators, industry leaders, employers, and past graduates of BC’s tourism and hospitality management programs. All chapters have been reviewed by experts in the field. Each chapter is organized thematically moving from a global, then national, and finally provincial context. Chapters contain "Spotlight On" boxes that highlight an organization, business, or other key component and "Take a Closer Look" features that encourage further reading on particular subjects. There are also interactive H5P activities throughout the book. And key terms, exercises and case studies can be found at the end of each chapter.
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Strategic Management and Case Analysis: An Integrated Approach
Lori Anderson; Dirk Buengel; Joseph Simpson · Virginia Tech Publishing · 2025
Strategic Management and Case Analysis: An Integrated Approach is intended for students in undergraduate business programs taking a course in strategic management. Because strategic management synthesizes many business topics and takes a holistic view of business, strategic management courses are often senior-level capstone courses. Most undergraduate business school students begin their business education with a broad introductory business course and then concentrate on courses in their major. Then they return to a broader lens of business to cap off their business education at a higher-level of learning. This textbook supports this level of comprehensive learning. If used with a senior-level capstone course, this textbook supports seniors to synthesize their business education through the lens of strategic management and helps them understand how businesses become successful by leveraging their competitive advantage. This textbook integrates strategic management and case analysis, with cases linked from an open access collection of business strategy cases, RMIT Strategic Management Case Studies. Students will get the most out of this textbook if it is used with cases that students analyze. Strategic Management and Case Analysis: An Integrated Approach, integrates strategic management as a research-led field of study and practice-informed area of business practice with an experiential learning approach to conducting a case analysis. The book explains how strategic leaders and managers analyze their firm’s organizational performance, and external and internal environments; formulate corporate level and business level strategy, and innovation, sustainability and ethics, technology, and multinational strategy, which are embedded in business level strategies; and implement strategy across an organization. Students are in an active and engaged role with the subject and practice of strategic management as they apply the theories, concepts, and analytical frameworks and t
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The Fundamentals of Healthcare Administration: Navigating Challenges and Coordinating Care
Whitney Hamilton; Dorothy Howell; Melissa Jordan · University of North Georgia Press · 2021
This book is written for those interested in acquiring a thorough knowledge base relative to the intricacies of the organizational theories, customs, and insights significant to the management of health service organizations. It examines the foundational aspects of leadership and management as they relate to establishing and maintaining the principles and practices within healthcare organizations. The book opens with a discussion on the differences between health, healthcare, and health care while providing an overview of healthcare management and organizational trends. It culminates in discussions of leadership, management, motivation, organizational behavior, and management thinking. Additionally, it discusses topics of information technology, teamwork, health disparities, organizational culture, performance, and change.
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Management Communication: Strategic Insights and Practical Skills for Modern Business Communication Leaders
Elizabeth Dixon; Lisa Thomas · The Marriott School at Brigham Young University · 2025
This comprehensive resource covers the full spectrum of business communication: personal branding and employment communication, communicating with generative AI, navigating the writing process, developing information and data literacy skills, professionally formatting documents and presentation media, giving and receiving feedback, delivering difficult messages, communicating collaboratively, and delivering world-class business presentations. Focusing on practical application to real-world scenarios, the content prepares future business leaders to clearly, concisely, concretely, and confidently communicate with diverse audiences. This textbook is an indispensable guide for those seeking to master the art of business communication. For any questions or suggestions, please contact BYUMCOM@byu.edu
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Critical Employment, Ethical, and Legal Scenarios in Human Resource Development
Claretha Hughes · University of Arkansas · 2020
This book provides mini-cases for HRD and other disciplines to use for engaging students in incident discussions. Exploring ways to solve problems and make decisions about situations that occur at work.
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Introduction to Financial Analysis
Kenneth Bigel · Open Touro · 2022
This Open Textbook is a dynamic guide incorporating the essential skills needed to build a foundation in Financial Analysis. Students and readers will learn how to insightfully read a Financial Statement, utilize key financial ratios in order to derive forward-looking investment-related inferences from the accounting data, engage in elementary forecasting and modeling, master the theory of the Time Value of Money, and learn to price stocks and bonds in an environment in which interest rates constantly change. Ample problems and solutions, and review questions are provided to the student so that s/he can gauge his/her progress. This text will be continually updated in order to provide novel information and enhance students’ experiences.
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Principles of Finance
Julie Dahlquist; Rainford Knight; Alan Adams · OpenStax · 2026
Designed to meet the scope and sequence of your course, Principles of Finance 2e provides a strong foundation in financial applications using an innovative use-case approach to explore their role in business decision-making. An array of financial calculator and downloadable Microsoft Excel data exercises also engage students in experiential learning throughout. With flexible integration of technical instruction and data, this title prepares students for current practice and continual evolution.