Maybe you landed a new job or got transferred to another unit in your company and you need to “”bone up” on management tools. You could read some books but you don’t have the time. Once again websites come to your aid. My first suggestions are websites offered by two of the largest management consulting companies — Bain & Company, and Booz & Co.
Let’s say you need to learn more about such items as the Balanced Scorecard or Customer segmentation. Go to Bain’s Management Tools to find an overview of these tools and more —
Note the menu of tools and articles. You don’t have to register, Bain makes the tools freely available. OK maybe this is a promotional technique, but it does develop good will. Thanks Bain.
(As always, click on the images to expand them.)
Next Booz & Co. offers some interactive tools. Not as many as Bain but more comprehensive —
Note the topics are on target for the current business environment. These tools are well done, something you would expect from Booz. They are easy and fun to use. The Working Capital Profiler allows you to test various scenarios and immediately portrays the results. As with Bain, no registration needed and no ads. Kudos to both firms for offering useful tools.
Need to understand the three primary financial reports: income statement, balance sheet and cash flow? Go to New York based Baruch College’s “Guide To Financial Statements” for a 45 minute tutorial. OK, this will not make you a CPA but you will at least understand the basics.
Back to comprehensive. A vey comprehensive offering of management methods is offered by SkyMark, a software and consulting firm.
A bit more designed to get you to use their products and services but still well done. Note the wide menu of references. Good job SkyMark.
Need more? Try UK based BusinessBalls. Be careful, this one is loaded with information.
Now go to that new job or assignment with confidence.
Ed Konczal has an MBA from New York University's Stern School of Business (with distinction). He has spent the last 10 years as an executive consultant focusing on human resources, leadership, market research, and business planning. Ed has over 10 years of top-level experience from AT&T in the areas of new ventures and business planning. He is co-author of the book "Simple Stories for Leadership Insight," published by University Press of America.