The Portable MBA, 4th Edition (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Mark R. Eaker (Author), R. Edward Freeman (Author), Robert E. Spekman (Author), Elizabeth Olmsted Teisberg (Author), S. Venkataraman (Author) "In 1989 Peter Drucker talked about sharp transformations, or divides, that signal fundamental changes in the basic structure of society..." (more)
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

One of the more exciting aspects of today's entrepreneurial boom is the emergence of formidable players with varied backgrounds; one of the more significant challenges for many of them involves learning what's required to take their great ideas to the next (read: profitable) level. The Portable MBA, based on the general management program at the University of Virginia's Darden School and written by five faculty members, is a comprehensive reference for those who need the information on marketing, economics, ethics, technology, and strategy typically taught in the first year of an MBA program. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Praise for The PORTABLE MBA
THIRD 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 Kester
Industrial Bank of Japan Professor of Finance
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, Dean and Fred E. Brown Chair
Michael 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 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
Chief Learning Officer, Chevron Corporation

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 4 edition (November 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471222844
• ISBN-13: 978-0471222842
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #60,480 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction to the basic concepts of an MBA education, June 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Portable MBA (Portable MBA Series) (Hardcover)

I purchased this text as an introduction to basic fundamentals of an MBA education. It met that purpose by providing succinct overviews of the functional areas. If a reader wants a more in-depth look at specific functional areas, this is not the book to buy. I will also comment that I was confused on a case discussion in the finance section and one of the Authors, was very helpful and answered my questions on NPV, through an e-mail. That is why Darden is known as having the best MBA professors.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good MBA Reference Book, March 21, 2003

By A Customer

This is a good BASIC LEVEL reference book for MBA studies. It shows the basic theories e.g. in strategy, finance, accounting etc. If you need deeper & focused knowledge of any of those areas, maybe you should buy another book (e.g. Portable MBA in Stretegy).

85 of 105 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Here is How You Get a "Portable" MBA, July 15, 2005

By	DJ - See all my reviews

The rage nowadays seems to be how you can circumvent the B school process, save 100,000 dollars, and still come out on top with all the knowledge free.

I got news for you.

It won't happen.

But there are activities and materials you can procure in order to sharpen your business acumen and critical reasoning skills.

This post comes as a result from a recent seminar I attended where deans from top MBA programs in NYC were convened to talk about the admissions process.

There were 5 up there - 3 of them agreed that if it weren't for the networking opportunities at B school, everything you get a B school can be attained by suscribing to the Economist.

I was shocked.

So here we go.

The top five ways to get your portable MBA:

1. Buy the complete Portable MBA Series. There are many more, but you only need these 8:
- the portable MBA (start with this one)
-" " finance/accounting.
-" " entrepreneurship
-" " marketing
- " " management
- " " strategy
- " " investments
- " " economics

You probably think I'm joking.

I'm not.

The wealth of information here will blow you away.

Be a smart and consider it all as an investment.

Anyways, top b schools cover all the topics listed above.

2. Suscribe to the Economist.

I suscribe to dozens of business periodicals, but the Economist is global in scope.

Remember that word - global.

You'll hear it a lot in Business school should you decide to go.

3. Read Thomas Friedman's new book: THE WORLD IS FLAT. I read over 300 business books a year (on average one a week) and this is so far the best book I've read in 2005.

Get this: Business Week polled some of the top B school professors in the nation and they all said they were planning on reading this over the summer.

I'll let you decide.

4. Be thankful you have the internet at your disposal.

Our parents did not have such a luxury as Google, Investopedia, or Wikipedia.

Read everthing related to business, finance, econ, marketing, technology, media, wall street, stock markets, venture capitalism, & the internet.

That means blogs, too...

5. Get cable and watch either CNNfn, CNBC, or Bloomberg as much as you can.

Even if you're busy, leave it on and let that juice seep into the subconscious.

Use discipline + never change the channel to watch what the rest of America watches.

So there you go.