The Portable MBA, 4th Edition by Bruner, Robert F., Eaker, Mark R., Freeman, R. Edward, Spekm 4th edition (2002) Hardcover

by Robert F. Bruner

Praise for The PORTABLE MBATHIRD EDITION"This is a first-rate book by a first-rate group of scholars. It provides a clear distillation of some very powerful new concepts and integrates [them] into a practical general management framework that will help managers meet the challenges of the twenty-first century."–W. Carl KesterIndustrial Bank of Japan Professor of FinanceHarvard Business School"The Portable MBA is an outstanding resource. Every prospective MBA student should read it to jump-start their course work; every practicing manager, even those with MBAs, would also profit greatly from time spent with this excellent book."–Dennis E. Logue, Dean and Fred E. Brown ChairMichael F. Price College of Business, University of Oklahoma"The Portable MBA will appeal to those who recognize that the tired old rules of business no longer apply in today’s rapidly changing global environment. This book offers students and business professionals an up-to-date approach that integrates all the key functional areas of the business enterprise."–John D. Finnerty, PhD, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLPProfessor of Finance, Fordham University"[The Portable MBA] offers an interdisciplinary, succinct, and practical approach to tools, concepts, and emerging trends facing executives who compete in the global economy."–Barry D. LeskinChief Learning Officer, Chevron Corporation

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Management

Unknown Binding

First published October 31, 1997

Reviews

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a much maligned book in the other Goodreads reviews. The negative reviews are a consequence of the book being poorly titled. It is titled The Portable MBA, and misleads buyers that it is MBA content. In reality this is the introduction to the Portable MBA series of books. The content of this book is better described as an overview of business for non-business people, similar to the material you get in pre-requisites for an MBA program.

There are actually some very useful chapters in the book. The reviewers have focused on the weakness of the Accounting and Finance chapters. It is silly to expect all of Accounting and Finance to be addressed in two 20 page chapters, There are separate 400+ page volumes in the series on those topics.

The sections on positioning and competitive analysis (in the strategy chapter), strategic alliances, and identifying macrotrends and developing scenarios for the future of a market are very useful to the novice manager.

Other reviewers have complained that the book is written for an 8th grader. That is unfair to the authors. The language is college level. Don't confuse clarity with simplicity. It just happens to be a good example of quality business writing that is easy to read (good paragraph construction, jargon is minimized, declarative sentences). It definitely doesn't read like most turgid academic writing that strives to be "scholarly."

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought an MBA was like a grad school program.

The material in this book is so basic it is more like
a high school introduction.

Having been in the stock market for a number of years,
I looked first at the accounting & finance chapters.
The material is presented as if the reader didn't
know what accounting or finance are,
let alone broadening a person's understanding of the subjects.

That was enough, this book is not worth wasting time on.

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent companion piece to my textbook during my studies for my MBA. A good refresher and quick reference piece.

[Susan Donoho]

Recommended for poeple who care about using professional business tools!