What They Teach You at Harvard Business School - Softcover

Philip Delves Broughton

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0670917761 ISBN 13: 9780670917761

Publisher: Viking, 2008

Synopsis

When Philip Delves Broughton abandoned his career as a successful journalist and enrolled in Harvard Business School's prestigious MBA course, he joined 900 other would-be tycoons in a cauldron of capitalism. Two years of Excel shortcuts and five hundred of HBS's notorious business case studies lay ahead of him, but he couldn't have told you what OCRA was, other than a vegetable, or whether discount department stores make more money than airlines. He did, however, know that HBS's alumni appeared to be taking over the world. The US president, the president of the World Bank, the US treasury secretary, the CEOs of General Electric, Goldman Sachs and Proctor & Gamble - all were bringing HBS experience to the way they ran their banks, businesses and even countries. And with the prospect of economic enlightenment before him, he decided to see for himself exactly what they teach you at Harvard Business School. Philip Delves Broughton's hilarious and enlightening account of his experiences within Harvard Business School's hallowed walls provides an extraordinary glimpse into a world of case study conundrums, guest lectures, Apprentice-style tasks, booze luging, burn-outs and high flyers. And with HBS alumni heading the very global governments, financial institutions and FTSE 500 companies whose reckless love of deregulation and debt got us into so much trouble, he discovers where HBS really adds value - and where it falls disturbingly short.

About this title

About the Author

Philip Delves Broughton has served as New York and Paris bureau chief for the Daily Telegraph and led its coverage of the 9/11 attacks on New York. He has also written for the FT, the Wall Street Journal, The Times and Spectator. In 2006, he received an MBA from Harvard Business School. He lives in New York with his wife and two sons.

Review

For anyone thinking of doing an MBA, or indeed anyone who wants to understand how the corporate elite are moulded, this is a must read * Luke Johnson, chairman of Channel 4 * Anyone considering enrolling will find this an insightful portrait of HBS life * Economist * Horrifying and very funny... [an] excellent book * Wall Street Journal * A searingly funny account... Hilarious * Evening Standard * The result of Delves Broughton's time there is this funny and revealing insider's view, revealing precisely because he is genuinely fascinated by the world of business, and his fascination is infectious * The Sunday Times * He sets the scene brilliantly, capturing an essence of HBS that is part cult, part psychological morass, part hothouse... For anyone planning to attend this remarkable institution, Delves Broughton's book is invaluable... A quite brilliant book -- Simon Heffer * Literary Review * Delves Broughton sketches out the Harvard curriculum and his fellow travellers with skill and wit... His work is a handy introduction for those who crave the mega-bucks and mega-power that HBS brings many of its graduates. But while it is not the kind of book that non-business readers will naturally reach for, it deserves a broader audience * The Times * A useful primer for anyone considering a similar path, or just curious as to how Harvard churns out all those gleaming little masters of the universe * Washington Post * A particularly absorbing and entertaining read * Financial Times * A cautionary tale for those who believe that the grass - and their future paycheck - would be greener if only they could jump the fence into the rarefied world of the Masters of Business Administration * New York Times * Original, clever, funny - and full of insights into one of the most influential insitutions in the world -- George Osborne, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer What They Teach You...' is a hilarious, perceptive and unflinching account of the strange world of Harvard Business School, its students and the wider world of business which they are set to dominate. It is the Liar's Poker of the MBA set. Destined to become a classic -- Albert Read, General Manager of Conde Nast Informative, wry, and well-written, this book will make rewarding and pleasurable reading for anybody wishing to understand why business is the way it is. * John Cassidy, staff writer for The New Yorker and author of Dot.Con * Informative, wry, and well-written, this book will make rewarding and pleasurable reading for anybody wishing to understand why business is the way it is. * John Cassidy, staff writer for The New Yorker and author of Dot.Con *

About this edition

• Publisher: Viking
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0670917761
• ISBN 13: 9780670917761
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1