12 HOUR MBA PROGRAM

Rating:
Summary: An OK overview, but...
Review: ...I didn't need 12 hours to read it. This is a cursory approach to material that demands more, much more. The entire book is easily digested in a half hour or so. This book provides an OK overview of the MBA curriculum, much like a one-day seminar or an expanded "B" school marketing brochure might. This book is by no means a useful tool, let alone a replacement for the formal education.

I can see why many people gave this a good review. It is easy to read and it does offer a brief summary of many of the concepts found in "B" school. However, it is really lightweight stuff. I would equate this to a Cliffs notes MBA, i.e. what's the point. There is really nothing of substance in this book that you can bite into. Just when you are ready to dig into the concept the chapter ends with a list of further reading. A better title for this book would be, "So Your Thinking Of Getting An MBA." I don't find this even a good reference tool to refresh a concept or calculation.

For a far more useful business reference tool that will provide meaty information found in a formal MBA program check out the "The Vest-Pocket MBA" instead. The VP MBA is much better value.

Rating:
Summary: An OK overview, but...
Review: ...I didn't need 12 hours to read it. This is a cursory approach to material that demands more, much more. The entire book is easily digested in a half hour or so. This book provides an OK overview of the MBA curriculum, much like a one-day seminar or an expanded "B" school marketing brochure might. This book is by no means a useful tool, let alone a replacement for the formal education.

I can see why many people gave this a good review. It is easy to read and it does offer a brief summary of many of the concepts found in "B" school. However, it is really lightweight stuff. I would equate this to a Cliffs notes MBA, i.e. what's the point. There is really nothing of substance in this book that you can bite into. Just when you are ready to dig into the concept the chapter ends with a list of further reading. A better title for this book would be, "So Your Thinking Of Getting An MBA." I don't find this even a good reference tool to refresh a concept or calculation.

For a far more useful business reference tool that will provide meaty information found in a formal MBA program check out the "The Vest-Pocket MBA" instead. The VP MBA is much better value.

Rating:
Summary: Are You Both Willing and Able?
Review: Frankly, I had the same reservations before I read this book as I did when about to read Steven Silbiger's The Ten-Day MBA. The titles seem ludicrous. In fact, both Silbiger and Sobel fully understand the obvious differences between reading a book and earning an MBA degree. They have the same objective: In a single volume, to provide as much information and instruction as possible to those unwilling and/or unable to enroll in an MBA program, even if accepted. The subtitle of Sobel's book correctly indicates that he offers "the key concepts and techniques in a fraction of the time." (So does Silbiger.) About 15 years ago, Sobel created what he called "MBA in a Nutshell" and it was very well-received. What we have here is an extension and expansion of that.

According to Sobel in "Orientation to the Program", this book delivers three major benefits that few MBA programs offer: "The emphasis in this book is on practical and utilitarian applications rather than on abstruse matter that a student may learn in order to pass an exam and soon forget, since it has little or no meaning in everyday life....The chapter on education and career pathing (not an academic subject in the MBA curriculum) will serve as a guide to help you ascertain whether you really need the MBA degree or whether other degreed or nondegreed alternatives would be viable for your purposes....[and finally] there is a hidden "psychological agenda" which provides a "grounding in key concepts, techniques, and the terminology or jargon used by MBAs" as well as a "sense of greatly increased confidence in your own new capabilities and enhanced ability to thrive in the business world."

The material is organized within nine chapters: Marketing and Product Management, Accounting and Finance, Human Resources and Operations Management, Statistics, Economics, Technology Management, Business Policy and Ethics, Strategy Planning, and finally, Education and Career Pathing. Sobel then adds an Epilogue: "Reflection, Retrospection, and Enlightenment." I have a few quibbles with Sobel. Perhaps he thinks the "Orientation" is sufficient. I don't. I also question the sequence of the material other than placing Education and Career Pathing last. However, on balance, I think this is a well-written book, offering solid content. The full responsibility for deriving various benefits rests with each reader. Henry Ford once said "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right." The same is true of those who purchase this book.

Forget about a 12-hour or 12-year timeframe. First, read the entire book from cover-to-cover at least twice. Then re-read it using a highlighter pen. (I prefer a Sanford "Pocket Access" with optic yellow ink.) In the "Orientation", Sobel offers six excellent "ground rules" to follow while reading and studying. Point is, effective study is hard work. VERY hard work. Most of those who purchase this book and then begin to absorb and digest its contents probably lack the structure of a formal classroom and the guidance provided by an onsite instructor. They also have lots of distractions. Unless you are both willing and able to give to this course of study the attention it requires, and then sustain that commitment over an extended period of time, forget about it.

Which book to buy, Silbiger's or Sobel's? My answer is both. Why? Years ago while at work on a Ph.D. in comparative literature, I took graduate-level courses from three professors who were at that time considered to be among the most eminent scholars of the Italian Renaissance. They covered much of the same material but each brought to the given subject entirely different perspectives, issues, questions, biases, etc. Each offered exceptional intellectual stimulation but also what I characterize as "intellectual nourishment." Obvioiusly, you will not have (nor could you have) the same experience while reading one or both books. However, there are substantial benefits to be derived from each...and a value-added benefit from reading both (in whatever order) as you correlate their respective analyses of essentially the same topics and issues. Reiteration: Be willing and able to sustain a rigorous commitment to your course of study, at whatever personal sacrifice, or don't bother.

Rating:
Summary: Reaching MBA heights in a fraction of the time
Review: If one had to learn common sense in a hurry, then there is no better book for the task than Milo Sobel's The 12 Hour MBA Program. Dr. Sobel distills in a few hours what MBA grads pay thousands to learn over a two year period. Sobel's no-nonsense writing style and easy to understand prose make this book a thoroughly satisfying read.

The style and organization of the book are excellent. Dr. Sobel does a very good job of introducing and summarizing the main points, but does not delve too deeply into any particular topic. Though most of the content can be put to immediate use, some topics, such as queing theory, may not be of much value, while others, such as new venture information,would be most helpful.

In terms of content, the book presents a lot of useful information. The first two chapters give a good treatment of marketing, product management, and accounting. The book really pays for itself by the third chapter on human resources and operations management. The reader gets fresh insight into the corporate world, puts the various forms of learning into proper perspective, and presents the essence of operations management, all with an eye towards common sense. The fourth chapter presents an excellent introduction to statistics for business. However, the fifth chapter, economics, contains a few errors, and those who have had a rigorous economics course will be quick to catch them. Chapters six, seven and eight each focus on technology, ethics, and strategy, respectively. Finally, Dr. Sobel devotes chapter nine to education and career pathing, and includes an epilogue which encourages the reader to pursue what he calls the 'everyman's MBA'.

The book has two major strengths. The first is its no-nonsense approach to a topic that is made out to be too difficult for mere mortals to comprehend. The second is its practical perspective on business, the firm, and most importantly, the individual. By far the most useful chapters in the book are those devoted to human resources and career pathing. Moreover, after presenting the main MBA topics, without any hesitation Dr. Sobel asks the reader to consider well if an investment in time and resources to obtain the MBA is really worth it for oneself. Dr. Sobel does provide a good discussion on the pros and cons of getting an MBA, and strongly encourages the reader to live up to the words of Joseph Campbell and 'follow your bliss'.

Yet, the book does have a few minor weaknesses. The first and foremost weakness is that the reader does not learn the MBA jargon in-depth so that one can hold one's own against the top ten MBA school spin doctors. Second, most of the resources Dr. Sobel points the reader to for further reading are textbooks which may only be available in many cases at a university library. Third, in the age of the internet, he does not provide the web addresses for the organizations that he lists as contacts- a definite no-no. Finally, because Dr. Sobel presents only the bare basics of each topic, advanced readers may find this book a bit underdone.

Dr. Sobel successfully manages to bring up many interesting topics that one would definitely want to look into further. Overall, Dr. Sobel has created a fine text, and as such, is definitely worth putting prominently on one's bookshelf.

Rating:
Summary: A Solid Effort!
Review: In The 12-Hour MBA Program, Milo Sobel presents an overview of the major topics graduate students learn in pursuit of a master's degree in business administration. He offers chapters on marketing and product management, accounting and finance, human resources and operations management, statistics, economics, technology management, business policy and ethics, strategic planning, education and career planning. This good, solidly written introduction to the field will probably be of most interest to college students and other beginners, who will benefit from this broad overview of different spheres of knowledge. However, managers and executives will find this too basic, more like a field of iceberg tips. The text is clearly written and well-organized, though it is primarily a summary, with a few examples and only occasional charts and tables. We from getAbstract recognize what this basic book is trying to accomplish, but warns that - having been written in 1993 - it's somewhat dated and lacks current thinking in such areas as marketing, management, leadership and strategy.