Harvard Business School – definition and meaning
The Harvard Business School or HBS is one of the world’s most prestigious business schools. Many successful business people and investors studied at the Harvard Business School. For example, Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase CEO, and Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City, studied at HBS.
HBS emphasizes the case method in the classroom. In fact, students from across the globe study cases which Harvard professors have written.
HBS offers a large full-time MBA program as well as several doctoral programs. It also offers HBX and various executive education programs. HBX is an online learning initiative which HBS initiated in 2014.
HBS offers several dual degrees with Harvard schools, including the Kennedy School of Government. You can also study a dual degree with its medical school and law school.
According to the Harvard Business School:
“We educate leaders who make a difference in the world. Each element of the School’s mission – to educate leaders who make a difference in the world – is infused with meaning.”
Harvard Business School – publishing
HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing (HBP). HBP publishes leadership articles, business books, and case studies. It also publishes online management tools for corporate learning.
HBS publishes the Harvard Business Review, a general management magazine.
Harvard Business School – brief history
HBS started in 1908, initially as a humanities faculty. In 1910, it received independent status. In 1913, it subsequently became a separate administrative unit.
Edwin Francis Gay (1867-1946) was the first Dean of HBS. Gay was an American economist and Professor of Economic History. In 1921, he became a Fellow of the American Statistical Association.
Harvard Business School pioneered case method teaching. The cases are, for example, descriptions of real events in companies and organizations.
Students participate in role model activities. Perhaps one pretends to be a manager who faces problems which he or she needs to analyze and resolve.
Since it started, HBS has enjoyed a close relationship with America’s corporate world.
It was not long after it started before business leaders were former students who were hiring other alumni.
At first, HBS only accepted male students. It was not until 1937 that the school began accepting female students.
Harvard Business School has nine global research centers as well as four regional offices. It has offices in Asia, North America, Latin America, and Europe.
Harvard Business School – rankings
Every year, HBS is among the top four or five business schools in the world.
In 2017, the Financial Times ranked it fourth in the world, while Bloomberg Businessweek said it was the best.
US News & World Report placed HBS in second place globally.
In the USA, HBS belongs to the M7 group of elite MBA programs. Other M7 members are Columbia, Kellog, MIT Sloan, Wharton, Chicago Booth, and Stanford.
Video – Harvard Business School Case Method
This HBS video talks about the Case Method.