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The Portable MBA
"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 21st century." -W. Carl Kester James R. Williston Professor of Business Management Harvard 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, Steven Roth Professor of Management The Amos Tuck School, Dartmouth College.
"An excellent launching pad for anybody interested in an overview of the state of business administration in the 1990s . . . an indispensable guide for the beginner and seasoned manager alike." -L. L. Marlantes, President and CEO The Rockefeller Group.
"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, Partner, Coopers & Lybrand LLP Professor 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. Leskin National Head of Human Resources Ernst&Young, London.
The Portable MBA, Third Edition offers you an opportunity to learn the cutting-edge business theory and practice now being taught at today's top MBA programs. Written by faculty members of the prestigious Darden School at the University of Virginia, and structured around that school's world-renowned general management program, this completely new edition reflects the most important current trends in MBA education, namely cross-functional management, leading from the middle, alliance management, and an understanding of global trade and investing.
Like its predecessors, The Portable MBA, Third Edition delves into all the core material covered in the first year of a typical MBA marketing, economics, business ethics, technology, strategy, and human resources management to select a few. But here the authors take an integrated approach, highlighting concepts that cross functional lines and responsibility and provide an enterprise-wide perspective. In addition, numerous case studies, vignettes, and first-person accounts from managers and executives at leading companies create a richer understanding of business transformation. Finally, this updated version contains capstone material that highlights the challenges facing the twenty-first-century manager building customer value, creating new paradigms for managing in periods of turbulence, and managing technology.
In the grand tradition of the internationally bestselling Portable MBA Series, The Portable MBA, Third Edition brings the insight and wisdom of some of the world's top business educators to the comfort of your favorite reading chair.
"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, Steven Roth Professor of Management The Amos Tuck School, Dartmouth College.
"An excellent launching pad for anybody interested in an overview of the state of business administration in the 1990s . . . an indispensable guide for the beginner and seasoned manager alike." -L. L. Marlantes, President and CEO The Rockefeller Group.
"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, Partner, Coopers & Lybrand LLP Professor 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. Leskin National Head of Human Resources Ernst&Young, London.
The Portable MBA, Third Edition offers you an opportunity to learn the cutting-edge business theory and practice now being taught at today's top MBA programs. Written by faculty members of the prestigious Darden School at the University of Virginia, and structured around that school's world-renowned general management program, this completely new edition reflects the most important current trends in MBA education, namely cross-functional management, leading from the middle, alliance management, and an understanding of global trade and investing.
Like its predecessors, The Portable MBA, Third Edition delves into all the core material covered in the first year of a typical MBA marketing, economics, business ethics, technology, strategy, and human resources management to select a few. But here the authors take an integrated approach, highlighting concepts that cross functional lines and responsibility and provide an enterprise-wide perspective. In addition, numerous case studies, vignettes, and first-person accounts from managers and executives at leading companies create a richer understanding of business transformation. Finally, this updated version contains capstone material that highlights the challenges facing the twenty-first-century manager building customer value, creating new paradigms for managing in periods of turbulence, and managing technology.
In the grand tradition of the internationally bestselling Portable MBA Series, The Portable MBA, Third Edition brings the insight and wisdom of some of the world's top business educators to the comfort of your favorite reading chair.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published October 31, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 30, 2008
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."
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."
December 28, 2008
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.
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.
February 12, 2013
An excellent companion piece to my textbook during my studies for my MBA. A good refresher and quick reference piece.
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January 21, 2016Recommended for poeple who care about using professional business tools!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews