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MBA book recommendations from the experts

Having experienced the hard work that makes up the MBA admissions process, many MBA students have a desire to give themselves a head start on their programs by reading into the differing theories that can be used in the MBA world. However, with so many business management books on the market, it’s handy to know which books will actually help.


TopMBA.com asked a mixture of MBA lecturers, experts, and graduates what they thought current and future MBA students should read. Here, in the first instalment of three weekly features our guest MBA enthusiasts suggest offerings from David Allen and Bertrand Russell.


Getting Things Done by David Allen


Giselle Weybrecht, London Business School MBA graduate, and author of The Sustainable MBA: the Manager’s Guide to Green Business explains her first choice:


“The idea of the book is that every task has a place and a time. Rather than worry about the things you need to do, write them all down and organize them into a system. It starts by presenting the system, then it explains how to use the system before finishing off with an overview of the benefits that incorporating these core principles into your work and your life can have.


“The five stages for dealing with workflow presented in the book include collecting the information, processing each piece, organizing it, and then reviewing the information on a daily or weekly basis. He presents the two-minute rule, if it takes two minutes or less to do a task, do it now, if not delegate it or defer it to another time.


“No expensive computer or filing systems are needed, just a piece of paper and a pen to start with. Even if you are a person who thinks they are getting things done, this book will still give you some good ideas on how to better use your time. The book is an international best seller many times over.”


A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell


Nick Barniville, MBA director of ESMT European School of Management and Technology, Berlin selected this alternative business read:

“The idea of the book is that every task has a place and a time. Rather than worry about the things you need to do, write them all down and organize them into a system. It starts by presenting the system, then it explains how to use the system before finishing off with an overview of the benefits that incorporating these core principles into your work and your life can have.


“The five stages for dealing with workflow presented in the book include collecting the information, processing each piece, organizing it, and then reviewing the information on a daily or weekly basis. He presents the two-minute rule, if it takes two minutes or less to do a task, do it now, if not delegate it or defer it to another time.


“No expensive computer or filing systems are needed, just a piece of paper and a pen to start with. Even if you are a person who thinks they are getting things done, this book will still give you some good ideas on how to better use your time. The book is an international best seller many times over.”
“If I were to recommend one book that all incoming MBA candidates should read before their program starts, it would be A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell.


“This book provides an accessible overview of Western philosophy from Ancient to Modern, and provokes students to investigate alternative philosophies than those to which they may have already been exposed. Reading this would help all students greatly in developing a tolerance for alternative perspectives and to question motives underpinning theories to which they will be exposed during their MBA.”


Next week, TopMBA.com will reveal two more suggested business books from those in the know. In the mean time, why not read Giselle Weybrecht’s further book suggestions for getting ahead of the game in the MBA world.



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