(Text)book on core business processes

Can anyone recommend a good beginner's (text)book that explains a company's core business processes (such as sales, purchasing, marketing etc.) , associated activities, and supporting processes (such as accounting, HR).

Thanks
Uli

Hi, Uli,

I'm so glad you asked! As we all know, understanding how our organizations work is critical to understanding business requirements for information, which is the foundation of building a successful DW/BI system. I wrote an article on business skills for Intelligent Enterprise last year with some recommendations for exactly these kinds of survey books about business. Books like The 10 Day MBA (2005) Harper-Collins cover all the major functions of a typical large organization including accounting, finance, marketing, and operations, along with broader business topics like economics, international business, and business law. Obviously, you'd need a bit more detail if you wanted to become a brand manager at a major consumer packaged goods company, but it is enough to be able to understand what a brand manager (or any other major function) does, and help them do it better.

--Warren

Hi Warren,

this is brilliant. Exactly what I was looking for.

Thank you so much.

Uli

I read your article and the book you recommended and it was a great resource!