Rating: 
Summary: A Great Refreshing Course
Review: I have read the "Ten Day MBA" and found it a great refresher on many, many of the topics that I covered years ago at the Now-How Foundation Business Course. It was very easy and fun to read, and brought back a lot of valuable information to me. There were also many new topics that I had never covered back in Business Course. All the important areas are covered here: marketing, accounting, organizational behaviour, quantitative analysis, finance, operations, economics, strategy, research, public speaking, negotiating, international business, business law. The book covers a whole MBA course. Each topic was clearly presented, had real world examples, and didn't overcomplicate the subject. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn quickly what it takes two or more years to learn at business school. I can recommend that book to everyone, who has a business or economics background.
Rating:
Summary: Ten Days, Ten Weeks, Ten Months...Whatever
Review: There is a major development now underway in the publishing world (eg "Chicken Soup for Dummies Who Want to Make Billions in E-Commerce") which explains my apprehension as I began to read Steven Silbiger's book. In fact, it is an excellent piece of work. He organizes most of the material within ten "daily" segments. For those unwilling and/or unable to earn an MBA degree but who wish to strengthen their business knowledge and skills, I highly recommend this book. From my perspective, it provides at least three major benefits:First, the quality of writing is quite high: Silbiger does NOT "talk down" to his reader. Dim-wits and knuckle-draggers will derive little (if any) benefit from this book. Second, as thoroughly as time and space allow, the material is presented (exactly as promised) as a "step-by-step guide to mastering the skills taught in America's top business schools." Third, however long it takes to absorb and digest the information provided (ten days, ten weeks, or ten months), the reader will gain a sound working knowledge of subjects which include marketing, ethics, accounting, organizational behavior, quantitative analysis, finance, operations, economics, and strategy. Silbiger also includes several "MBA Mini-Courses" and then brief discussions of research, public speaking, negotiating, international business, and business law. In his Introduction, Silbiger observes: "My goal is make you familiar with the significant MBA tools and theories currently being taught at the leading business schools and to help you understand and develop the MBA mind-set." He achieves his goal. Can this book take the place of an MBA degree? Of course not. Can this book increase substantially a reader's business knowledge and skills? You bet. It has already done so for more than 200,000 readers and it will continue to do so for many others in years to come. If you decide to purchase this book, take very seriously the learning opportunities it offers. (Why else buy it?) Proceed with rigor and focus. Highlight key points and take notes along the way, then review them at the conclusion of each "Day." Stick to the study schedule you deem most appropriate for you. Maintain a journal in which you record your reactions and reflections as you learn. Perhaps one day Silbiger will write a "Fieldbook" to accompany this one. Meanwhile, let a journal become your own "Fieldbook." Record in it your experiences when applying what you have learned. In doing so, you may well create for yourself a decisive advantage when competing with those who so proudly possess an MBA degree from one of "America's top business schools."
Rating: 
Summary: A worthy effort
Review: Silbiger does a great job of simplifying those subjects with a circumscribed body of knowledge i.e. accounting, economics, marketing, Quantatative analysis, and finance. He imparts to the reader the jargon and the definitions that one needs, to engage in conversation with those in the business "know." This book would be great preparation for a student initiating an MBA course at a distance learning, online school such as Grantham University or the University of Phoenix, where their dollars would go farther and their education could proceed more quickly (depending on their work habits). This in itself is reason enough to spend the money and read this book. However, as a venture capitalist (VC) who invests in for-profit schools let me say that good operators, the future Captains of industry, are born more than made. Those who do well in school often become their lieutenants. Much time is spent by VC's pushing discounted cash flow numbers (DCF) around in optimization models when it might be better spent learning how to recognize the character traits of capable operators. It's like selecting wives or husbands, one small mistake in character reading up front can lead to a long expensive journey as you untangle the mess. But for now, we've only got the business case-study past to peruse and for most that will have to be enough. As for the few who have the capacity for unblinkered analysis, balanced judgement, adaptiveness to the unpredictable and the unknown, character, intelligence, organizational and leadership skills, and the focus, dedication, persistence and determination to execute a plan and see it through, to those will go the BIG rewards. Find one and grab on, either as a worker or as an investor (or as a potential mate.) A worthy book!
Rating:
Summary: Ultimate quick reference book
Review: I had only two years of university business schooling, and later found my self writing business plans for start up companies, this book provided a perfect reference guide for all those acroynms everyone loves to hear, along with all the important paradigms and lessons in the business world that you tend to forget over time.
Rating:
Summary: If you're even thinking about getting an MBA, read this!
Review: I'm a software developer who's always had a mind for business. I've worked for a few start-ups and even started a few myself. My wife has an MBA and I had been thinking of going to school for an MBA when I found this book. My wife read parts of it and confirmed that it is the same material in an MBA program. Now I won't claim this book will teach you everything you'll learn in an MBA school (obviously), but I will claim this is a great book for anyone considering an MBA as well as for anyone who has one and wants to brush up on the material. The author presents the most important information tought in business schools, at a high level although full of real examples. What I liked most was how he gave specific real life examples, sometimes true and sometimes ficticious. For example, one that I remember off the top of my head, he explains how Quaker bought Snapple when it was popular but couldn't win the battle against Coke and Pepsi and ended up selling it at a huge loss. There's tons of real life examples like that. I like the style of the book, because he presents the material at a high level and if you want to go into detail you can pursue the subjects that interest you on your own. I also like his touch of humor, which keeps the book interesting. Overall I cannot recommend this book enough!
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Summary: Practical learning and reference book
Review: Great information - good for students that have not even started an MBA - also great reference guide for those who have.
Rating: 
Summary: Ok, but this is basic stuff
Review: I thought I would be getting a jump on my future courses by picking up this book. Unfortunately, the material covered in the Economics and Accounting segments I already knew AND I CURRENTLY ATTEND A COMMUNITY COLLEGE. I am guessing the other chapters will give me a nice advantage on my UNDERGRADUATE work in the other topics such as finance, marketing, management, and quants. If you think you will have MBA knowledge after this read, you won't. The locol college will teach all this.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent guide to MBA concepts, jargon, and skills
Review: Highly recommended. Gives the reader a good working knowledge of management concepts, tools, and formulas. This should be mandatory reading for any new employee, regardless of industry or expertise. Some highlights: 1) Break even unit volume (how much to produce to break even) = fixed costs / selling price of product - variable costs 2) A balance sheet is a snapshot of the company's holdings at any time. Assets = Liabilities+ Owner's equity. If the records do not balance, then there is a mistake. 3) Overview of quantitative analysis: how to calculate EMV (expected monetary value), cash flow modeling, net present value, IRR (internal rate of return), and probability distributions. 4) A major drawback of the corporation is double taxation: taxation as an entity, and also taxation on dividends. 5) CAPM (capital asset pricing model) determines the rate of return necessary to compensate for that inherent risk of a particular investment. (e.g. is that stock worth buying) 6) Even if you do not work in operations, it will help you to understand the meaning of key acronyms: MRP (master resource plan), BOM (bill of materials), SPC (statistical process control), CPM (critical path methodology), EOQ (economic order quantity) 7) Good history of economic thought: Keynes (positive effect of government fiscal spending), Friedman (government should only focus on money supply), Smith (invisible hand), Schumpeter (creative destruction), Laffer (supply side) 8) "Strategy is the most exciing course in the MBA curriculum because it gives you the chance to put all your new skills to work. Strategy classes place students in the chairman of the board's chair, and MBAs love that feeling." (pg 297) 9) The author recommend these two books as compulsory business reading: Michael Porter's [Competitive Strategy] and [Competitive Advantage].
Rating:
Summary: Worth reading
Review: Rather good book - easy to read and digest, and easy to read in a non-linear fashion. The section on ethics was a bit light, and possibly this is because the author's MBA program did not cover this very thoroughly. Very good foundation for further study.
Rating:
Summary: ok
Review: there are two errors in the statistics chapter and it offers a basic MBA/ theoretical approach to business, ie it assumes you have good knowledge of your product and market and can analyse it on that basis, which in my experience hasnt been relevant since once I got to understand a market I didnt need to analyse it more. So this or I guess an MBA is better for aspirant managers in mature buinesses, or people like me wanting to get a theoretical overview to help support more native decision making.
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