An ancient civilization restores its “rightful” place in the world, but where does it belong? Ryo Takahashi (MBA ’20) talks with Professor Meg Rithmire. China’s transformation from a rural, agrarian society to an economy second only to that of the United States feels less like a successful growth story and more like a miracle. Underlying…
In his monthly column for the Harbus, Professor Kevin W. Sharer shares his thoughts on the issues facing HBS students. May comes again as we celebrate, encourage, and recognize another 900 or so new HBS graduates. This is a singular honor, privilege, and accomplishment that will always reflect credit upon you and set you apart….
This month, Anthony Tayoun (MBA ’19) introduces us to Alfred, a robotic sous-chef. What is the problem that you are trying to solve? We are solving the labor crisis that’s currently faced by the food industry. Today, 75% of restaurants are understaffed, and turnover is 146% for certain positions. The food industry’s labor gap was…
Kel Jackson (MBA ’19) reflects on the community’s response to anonymous death threats sent to him and other black HBS students. On an afternoon in late March, an anonymous individual sent death threats to me and several other leaders of the African-American Student Union at HBS (AASU). In addition to direct threats to the recipients…
This month, RCs head towards their internship summers, while ECs go forth into “the real world.” The near-term fates of these two classes are starkly different. How can one editors’ note be meaningful for both of them? Perhaps a modified version of the all-too-familiar (to us) Mary Oliver question can be illuminating. Tell us, what…
Zoom’s first investor and noted kiteboarding venture capitalist analyzes the company’s origins; Philip Levinson (HKS ’12) reports. Wall Street is buzzing about the recent IPO of Zoom Video, with its market cap now exceeding $17 billion. But the 2011 origins of the company were quite inauspicious. After the successful Zoom IPO on April 18, venture…
BIGS hosted the CEO of New York’s 92nd Street Y and newly-named President of the renowned Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts for a discussion of themes from his national bestseller, New Power. Keith Bender (MBA ’20) reports. What can an MBA student learn from Boaty McBoatface? Nothing short of the “key way of understanding…
C’est le provisoire qui dure (“it’s the makeshift that lasts”). Nestled near the end of the case that RCs were assigned for Friday’s BGIE class, this adage was a thought-provoking highlight amidst a dense and challenging account of Bretton Woods and the liberal world order spanning 15½ pages (plus 14 exhibits—ECs, don’t you miss BGIE?)….
My good friend and classmate, Leila Meliani (MBA ’20), tipped off Black History Month with an amazing reflection on her family history. As she told her story, I couldn’t help but cry and reflect on the pain my ancestors endured so I could be considered human. Even more serendipitous was the shirt she wore which…
Recently two former CEOs of large multinational companies (one British and one American) were talking about the most serious mental health problems that exist in the large American and British universities they each chair. Surprisingly the challenge on both sides of the Atlantic and echoed at two university chair meetings they had just attended was…
Is the African continent not the best destination after graduation for MBAs? According to HBS’s career location statistics, it seems that less than 1% of students have chosen to pursue careers in Africa over the recent three years. We were left pondering this question as we saw very few non-African HBS students attending the 21st…
[Editor’s note: On January 30, the HBS community received an email from Angela Crispi and Nitin Nohria announcing that Harvard University Health Services’ Business School Clinic, located in Cumnock, will close at the end of this semester. Harvard University Group Health Plan patients at HBS need a new primary care physician effective June 1.] Harvard…
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was held in Las Vegas between January 8 and 12, 2019, and I attended the event with some of my HBS classmates. CES is the world’s most famous and largest trade show for consumer electronics products. I worked in the corporate venture capital and digital transformation sectors in Asia before…
Dean Nohria walked comfortably up and down the aisles of Klarman Hall, pointing occasionally to a slide deck filled with consultant-worthy figures. He was covering the 110-year history of the School as part of the first-ever SA town hall, highlighting the school’s slam dunks while outlining areas for improvement. Like any good manager, he started…
What does feminism mean to you? This is the question that we—the leadership of the Women’s Student Association and the HBS Manbassador Program—asked our peers in a recent survey. The above words and phrases are representative of the over 400 anonymous responses we received from HBS students. Some of these students self-identify as feminists, while…
In class last week, a wrap-up slide mentioned “socialism” as a rising world trend, and when the professor offhandedly said “though I’m sure there are none in this classroom,” all eyes turned toward my co-founder and me. A chance political discussion during our section’s Fall retreat led to the formation of the Socialist Society, an…
On February 23, over 1,000 attendees gathered on campus for the 28th annual Dynamic Women in Business Conference, hosted by the Women’s Student Association. This year’s theme, “Our Mosaic: Stronger as We,” aimed to celebrate disparate stories and backgrounds and explore ways in which business leaders can actively and intentionally leverage diversity to drive success….
Few come to HBS with the intention of pursuing a career in cannabis. But that won’t be true for long. Recent changes in the regulatory landscape have opened tremendous new market opportunities. Today 10 states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational adult-use cannabis, and a total of 33 states have legalized medical use….
What is the problem you are trying to solve? Individuals taking loans have no leverage to negotiate their rates. At the same time, lenders spend considerable resources marketing to potential borrowers. What is your solution? We use group buying power to negotiate down student loan interest rates. We attract a large number of students to…
Wishing you continued “heisei” in 2019 As the chilliest winter breezes give way to sprightly saplings signaling the coming of spring, we kick off the spring semester with a new class schedule and a fresh array of opportunities. At the Harbus, too, the new year is a time of transition. On this auspicious occasion, we…
The tech world can’t stop talking about blockchain, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the healthcare sector. As one HealthTech contributor put it, “it was impossible to ignore the growing buzz around blockchain at HIMSS 2018 in Las Vegas.” But behind the buzz and hype, what are the substantial ways that blockchain will…
This year’s graduating MBA Class will re-enter the workforce ten years after the onset of the greatest economic recession in a generation. While the stock market has since recovered, business leaders today face an increasingly complex web of ethical and legal challenges amidst rising public scrutiny of their actions. As members of the MBA Class…
In my past life, I was paid to help people choose between offers and worked with people on their career logic. For example, what comes next if there are too many options? How do I tell a story about this transition? How does this fit into my past experience? How can we make this look…
During RC year, I often wondered why in-class conversations about ethical leadership were so divorced from the rest of the HBS curriculum. Case method discussions, cropped to fit narrow topics to build a foundation of specific technical competencies, are an excellent pedagogical means for most RC topics. Leadership and Corporate Accountability (LCA), in my opinion,…
The following is a Harbus exclusive interview with David Rubenstein, co-founder of The Carlyle Group, one of the world’s largest private equity and alternative asset management firms with $174 billion under management. Rubenstein, who is a member of the Harvard Corporation as of July 2017, addressed the community at Spangler Auditorium in an event co-hosted…
Spangler Hall – The Department of Operations’ Room Reservations Office said Thursday that it will be implementing per-quarter-hour fees for project room use, responding to student complaints that there’s never a quiet spot to make a phone call when you goddam need one. “This will ensure an equitable distribution of project room resources at a…
Cumnock Hall – Broken bones, bruised brains, and battered hearts – these are the injuries that have plagued the skiing and snowboarding population at HBS this year. Despite the usual hype and anticipation, record low snowfalls during peak season – especially during the official ski trip weekend – resulted in frustration, scratched equipment, and cringeworthy…
For all the attention directed toward startups in an era of record venture capital financing, massive appetite for early-stage investments, and an ever-growing club of VC-backed “unicorns” crossing billion-dollar valuations, entrepreneurial activity by MBAs from leading programs has lagged far behind. Entrepreneurship among recent MBA graduates has reached its lowest level in eight years, falling…
If there is one constant in the 81 years of The Harbus, it’s that every year brings change. For our writers and editors, the time from the exhilarating first steps on campus, trying to imagine life at HBS, to the fleeting days of second-year winter, unable to imagine the last year-and-a-half in any other place,…
People at HBS have always tended to be politically and socially active. Many students speak about a desire to work in the public sector after a successful business career. Others hope to promote change from a position of corporate influence. However, during the 2016 election cycle, the social and political problems in our country began…