Citation
(2008), "Whats on the web", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 22 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/dlo.2008.08122eag.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Whats on the web
Article Type: What’s on the web From: Development and Learning in Organizations, Volume 22, Issue 5
Bleeding, not cutting
Hemsley Fraser describe themselves as a “global innovator and leader in learning and people development”, with “the confidence to guarantee the success of our work and help organisations and people to succeed and improve through our innovative and robust learning.” Their credentials look impressive, their global presence is unarguable and their promises inviting. But their web site, while modern and easy enough on the eye, leaves a yearning for a greater application of the mantra “less is more.” It is a busy site, (over) packed with a mass of information relating to them and the training and courses they provide. The words “Thinking beyond learning” boldly confront you on the homepage: cute, but then again anyone who knows anything about learning knows that often not much thinking is required! Careful with their wording, Hemsley Fraser contend that they are “leading edge”. Whether they are or not, this web site is selling training courses by the bucket load – over 200 of them. There’s so many to sign up for not only could you end up spending more time on them than at your actual work, but they could also bleed the training budget dry!
Brighton’s bright business school
Brighton School of Business Management have an informative and information succinct web site to advertise and promote the many distance learning courses they offer to business managers and business managers to be alike. Their neat, to the point mission statement, to “provide our students and client customers with guidance, support, and motivation to enable them to achieve their personal and professional goals”, sets the tone for the entire site. Minimalism is the key, and this site, while a little clumsy in some of the drop down box design, manages to entice you in with an easy look and feel, and a commitment to keeping information short and sweet. With international, as well as UK, accreditation the site has the now obligatory global perspective, and offers the now also obligatory wide range of courses Definitely indeed of some upgrading/modernization, but a useful location for information on BSBM courses specifically and business management courses generally.
Balls for business
Who says you get nothing for nothing these days? Businessballs’ web site offers “Free career help, business training, organizational development - inspirational, innovative ideas, materials, exercises, tools, templates – free and fun.” Reputed to be used by a million people every month, the site was set-up originally in 1999 (and reviewed by us a year later) as a free ethical learning and development resource for individuals and organizations with the intention of being ethical, practical, innovative, compassionate and enjoyable. The site is certainly enjoyable enough to peruse but, as is so often the case, is in need of some slicker web design – and some serious editing and trimming. Their ethos, to continually aim to enable positive ethical change in work and life, and beyond, is not only laudable, but bold and refreshing too. Developed from a concept to provide a “free and experimental online collection of learning and development ideas”, Businessballs.com is worth some time.
Under no illusion
This site is a definite, “does exactly what it says it does on the tin” type of site. The Underoak Training Index is an independent directory of over 20,000 scheduled public courses from 1,250 training providers throughout the UK and Europe. The UK Training Index is a comprehensive index of, among others, management development, personal skills courses and other specialist courses. The index holds details on over 20,000 courses offered by approximately 1,500 different organizations it is updated by Underoak daily. As the largest independent database of scheduled courses and training providers in the UK, there is no better web site to visit for a complete and up to date insight into what is on offer training wise. Brevity is paramount; space is not wasted saying anything that does not need to be said.
Soul searching
Light Working do not just have an alternative approach to business and management training and development, they have a different approach to business and management training and development web sites! This is a state of the art site, skillfully designed and developed so as to appear clean, simple and visually pleasing. Describing themselves as “a niche coaching, consulting and personal development company”, Light Working offer a spiritual dimension to the world of business training.
They claim to have evolved “unique services which bring together the diverse worlds of personal and spiritual awareness with strategic business consulting to effect and deliver dramatic changes in the personal and professional lives of our corporate and private clients.” The site may be a little too up close and personal for some, but for anyone doing a bit of professional soul searching and seeking a deeper meaning, or understanding, this is a site worth checking out.
And finally
As the US election hots up, here are some relevant quotes from former presidents and vice-presidents:
Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people (John Adams).
Education is not a problem. Education is an opportunity (Lyndon Johnson).
Some men graduate from college cum laude, some graduate summa cum laude, and some graduate mirabile dictu (William Howard Taft).
We’re going to have the best-educated American people in the world (Dan Quayle).
And of course:
Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning? (George W. Bush).
Best of all
For a particularly interesting and useful site you could always try the Emerald one! If you have any favorite (or otherwise) sites that you would like us to review on these pages, or wish us to consider your own site, please drop us an e-mail and we will ask our reviewers to check them out.