Rating: Summary: Interesting Review: The author does a nice job of pulling together some concepts of Machiavelli, who wrote about how a Prince could keep alive and in power, while stepping over the dead bodies of his opponents, with some modern-day business leaders. He liberally quotes from "leaders" who obviously live by the selfish, self-aggrandizing concept of "me-me-me," and he puts those concepts together in a very intearesting, readable way. Some of the business and entertainment "leaders" quoted are soself-absorbed, working with no concept of public good, or even public interest, the reader has to wonder at times whether author Bing is being serious or trying to make his point with satire. So the reader can wonder while reading some interesting quotes and concepts for getting ahead in the modern business world.
Rating: Summary: Great Parody Review: This book is a great parody of all the thousands of self help books that promise the world but never deliver. They all tell you exactly what you want to hear (you deserve success, fame, riches, beautiful mates etc) but never what it takes to get all those things. This book takes a different tack and tells you how to get anything you want in life and what's really required ( most of the time ), in gruesome detail. For those seeking academic insights into Machiavelli, keep looking. This is a book better sold in the humor section rather than business sections of book stores. It is exremely light on history or scholarly detail. If you want a sarcastic, funny view of office politics try this book. For those readers who claim this is an "evil" book, get real. This book is meant for humor, not as a guide book on how to behave in Corporate America.
Rating: Summary: A satire or an instruction book? Review: This is a five-star book if you're interested in the decadence and peril of corporate culture, or if you like Stanley Bing. It's a SIX STAR book if you work for the real-life Bing and have learned anything at all from its pages. "What Would Machiavelli Do" is both a satire of America's sadistic corporate culture AND an instruction book on how to be a ruthless, self-indulgent ladder-climber. It's very funny, except when you think too much about it. Bing acknowledges and accepts--even celebrates--the twisted idiosyncrasies of life among the suits; stuff that would make any blue collar worker or crunchy granola idealist puke. But it's all true, and that's the sad part. Bing sees it all for how strange it is, and it's his perception that enables him to both make fun of the system while succeeding in it. It's a strange contradiction. It's as if business were a mudhole and Bing glides along easily without ever getting dirty because he has a profound understanding of mud. Anyway, I liked it. The book put in writing a lot of what I thought about the business world, and a lot that nobody in upper management would ever admit to.
Rating: Summary: Oversimplifies Machiavelli, and is really a Business book Review: This is a pretty good book for people starting out with Machiavelli. It oversimplifies stuff way to much, and you can tell Stanley Bing really hasent studied machiavelli. But it is written very easy to read, and has valid points, especially about paranoia. It is mostly a business book which i didnt know. But it can also be read as an everyday life book. There are very good quotes in it. Overall, i reccomend it for average people.
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