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Hello any good books/documentaries/podcasts to learn more about businesses in general? Thanks!

knowledge
New answer on Feb 28, 2021
7 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on Feb 27, 2021

(edited)

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Raj
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replied on Feb 28, 2021
FREE 15MIN CONSULTATION | #1 Strategy& / OW coach | >70 5* reviews |90% offers ⇨ prep-success.super.site | MENA, DE, UK

Some of my favourites below:

  • Cold Call podcast
  • After Hours podcast
  • The FT
  • The Economist
  • Quartz
  • HBR
  • Wall Street Journal
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Ian
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replied on Feb 27, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

I'm "new-school" and think articles etc. are a more effective (read: time efficient) way of gaining knowledge. Hence, I recommend the following:

1) Read theEconomist AND the Financial Times daily

2) There are some excellent articles written about all sorts of topics (especially consulting) here: https://www.spencertom.com/category/management-consulting/

3) Read BCG Insights and McKinsey Insights

4) Anything by Malcolm Gladwell (it's not consulting-specific but I daresay his books are the most quoted/referenced among consultants...due to the type of thinking/communication he embodies)

5) Money Talks, The Professor G show, and Freakonomics are good podcasts

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Adi
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replied on Feb 27, 2021
Accenture, Deloitte | Precision Case Prep | Experienced Interviewer & Career Coach | 15 years professional experience

There are so many options...

Some of the best free ones:

  1. Bloomberg
  2. CNBC
  3. Inc.
  4. TED Talks
  5. Economist
  6. Free McK Newsletters

Other good sources but might requires some $ for subscription

  1. Gartner Webinars
  2. Udemy
  3. FT

Also, please search the Q&A forum broadly as there are many other threads on similar topic.

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Henning
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replied on Feb 27, 2021
Bain | passed >15 MBB interviews as a candidate

To make this also a bit fun and not only about news, check out:

  • Business Wars (my personal favorite!)
  • Freakonomics
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Ken
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replied on Feb 27, 2021
Ex-McKinsey final round interviewer | Executive Coach

In the context of consulting interview preparation, my personal recommendation is to read the relevant section/articles in the Financial Times/Wall Street Journal and/or The Economist (if you are interviewing as a lazy student like I was where a weekly magazine felt much more digestable!). There are obviously a lot of great books on various business topics but I find reading the news the best way to learn about what is actually happening in the world with current examples.

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Clara
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replied on Feb 28, 2021
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

This is very personal, and one key thing for me is not to get bored -if not, you end up not doing it anymore after a week-. This is why I would discard many of the more complex or specialized materials and go with something simple and enjoyable, read The Economist weekly!

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

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Gaurav
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replied on Feb 28, 2021
Ex-Mckinsey|Certified Career Coach |Placed 500+ candidates at MBB & other consultancies

Hi there!

Answer this question to yourself: What is your purpose in doing this? I agree you shouldn't get bored!

Anything works as long as you put your energy into that, are eager to learn, and genuinely curious.

Hope that helps!

GB

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