Rating: 
Summary: Cool self MBA course!
Review: Hi Quang Nguyen Huu,
If you dont read this book, please do it in next 15days, cause you should lose quarter of life.
Your bro,
Hung
Rating: 
Summary: MBA Cliff Notes
Review: This book is nothing more than a highlight of what an MBA candidate can expect to study. This book in no way will provide you with solid tools to perform adequately in your career.
Studying for an MBA takes research, writing, dialogue, case study and practicing time and again applying your education to your real world trade. Silbiger simply writes a nice college "bulletin" on what to expect before diving in.
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: 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!
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].
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