From the authors of UML Toolkit comes a nuts-and-bolts guide for applying UML's vast capabilities to business systems. To perform effective business modeling and develop a successful information system, you need a reliable modeling language that allows you to establish the necessary components and satisfy all of management's concerns. You need UML. With its eagerly anticipated new set of business extensions and techniques, UML is the premiere language for both traditional business modeling and the later stages of analysis and design. Finally, only one modeling language is needed for every phase of project development. This invaluable book, the first of its kind, provides in-depth guidance on business modeling as well as discussions of how patterns, business objects, business rules, CORBA, COM, and Java all fit in to help improve every stage of object-oriented software development. UML (Unified Modeling Language) is a drawing tool to create 'blueprints' for object-oriented systems. It has been officially adopted by the OMG. Think of UML as the AutoCAD of the computer industry. Where AutoCAD is used to create architectural blueprints for buildings, UML is used to diagram blueprints of object-oriented computer systems. Business Modeling is the first phase of software development with UML, in which business concerns are clearly outlined so that an information system with the appropriate Business Objects may be developed.

Every day, we are presented with a range of “sustainable” products and activities—from “green” cleaning supplies to carbon offsets—but with so much labeled as “sustainable,” the term has become essentially sustainababble, at best indicating a practice or product slightly less damaging than the conventional alternative. Is it time to abandon the concept altogether, or can we find an accurate way to measure sustainability? If so, how can we achieve it? And if not, how can we best prepare for the coming ecological decline? In the latest edition of Worldwatch Institute’s State of the World series, scientists, policy experts, and thought leaders tackle these questions, attempting to restore meaning to sustainability as more than just a marketing tool. In State of the World 2013: Is Sustainability Still Possible?, experts define clear sustainability metrics and examine various policies and perspectives, including geoengineering, corporate transformation, and changes in agricultural policy, that could put us on the path to prosperity without diminishing the well-being of future generations. If these approaches fall short, the final chapters explore ways to prepare for drastic environmental change and resource depletion, such as strengthening democracy and societal resilience, protecting cultural heritage, and dealing with increased conflict and migration flows. State of the World 2013 cuts through the rhetoric surrounding sustainability, offering a broad and realistic look at how close we are to fulfilling it today and which practices and policies will steer us in the right direction. This book will be especially useful for policymakers, environmental nonprofits, and students of environmental studies, sustainability, or economics.