What They Teach You at Harvard Business School: My Two Years Inside the Cauldron of Capitalism - Softcover

Delves Broughton, Philip

3.77

4,490 ratings by Goodreads

9780670917761: What They Teach You at Harvard Business School: My Two Years Inside the Cauldron of Capitalism

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0670917761 ISBN 13: 9780670917761

Publisher: Viking, 2008

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

When Philip Delves Broughton abandoned his career as a successful journalist and joined Harvard Business School's prestigious MBA course, he joined 900 other would-be tycoons in a cauldron of capitalism. Two years of taxing case studies and excel shortcuts 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 Harvard Business School’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.

Two years and 500 case studies later, he had met the worlds’ most influential entrepreneurs and analysed the biggest business conundrums. But he and his fellow students faced a bigger question still – how would they juggle their lives, their jobs and their bank balances?

Philip Delves Broughton’s witty and informative memoir is a revelatory account of what the financial elite learn within the hallowed walls of the exclusive Harvard Business School.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:

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)

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 particularly absorbing and entertaining read (Financial Times)

A witty and revealing look at the hard-driving atmosphere in the world's most famous business school, from a Brit who experienced it first hand. For anyone thinking of doing an MBA, or indeed anyone who wants to understand how America's corporate elite are molded, this is a must read (Luke Johnson, Chairman of Channel 4 Television)

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)

A searingly funny account... Hilarious (Evening Standard)

Delves Broughton has put his class notes to good use by providing an excellent layman's guide (Economist)

Book Description:

'A particularly absorbing and entertaining read'

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.