Business Skills for the 21st Century

This new student textbook using a wide range of learning features covers essential skills such as creative and critical thinking, communication and cooperation as well as data-driven decision-making for businesses and societies at large, as they encounter problems, identify opportunities and seek solutions during complex and turbulent times.

This new student textbook draws authoritatively on a wide range of actionable, conceptual, practical, case and visual material to help develop vital business skills for the 21st century within the organizational and societal contexts of problem-solving, identifying opportunities and finding solutions. Skills and competencies covered include: communication; co-operation; creative/critical thinking; and data-driven decision-making. These are essential skills needed in workplace and social environments that are increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA). They are integral to solving not just business problems but largescale societal challenges including global injustices and sustainability, and the author draws accordingly on the UN s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) throughout the text to help emphasise and impart the role of business skills in balancing prosperity and purpose. Includes short videos from the author to provide overviews of each chapter.

Marc G. Baaij is Associate Professor of Strategic Management at the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Autorentext

Marc Baaij is an associate professor of strategic management at the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) at the Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Previously he worked for the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) as manager of research and strategy consultant. Marc specialises in methods and techniques for strategy development and implementation, with a focus on stakeholder management and strategic foresight development. He has written professional books and scientific articles on strategic management, management consultancy, and structured problem solving. Besides teaching bachelor, master, and MBA students, Marc also provides open and in-company training in structured problem-solving and communication for managers, consultants, and other business professionals. He also serves as a soundboard for managers in cases of strategy development and implementation. Marc holds a master's degree in economics and is a PhD in strategic management.

Inhalt

Chapter 1: Introducing Business Skills for the Twenty-first Century
Chapter 2: Identify Real Business Problems and Opportunities
Chapter 3: Analyse Stakeholders of Problems and Opportunities
Chapter 4: Deconstruct Problems and Opportunities
Chapter 5: Develop and Conduct Relevant Analyses
Chapter 6: Cooperate With Team Members and Other Relevant Stakeholders
Chapter 7: Develop Complete and Consistent Solutions Introduction
Chapter 8: Evaluate Solutions and Make Decisions Under Uncertainty
Chapter 9: Communicate the Recommended Solution
Chapter 10: Prepare for Solution Implementation Introduction
Chapter 11: Facilitate and Evaluate an Implementation