Earlier this month, in response to growing scrutiny of MBA programs in light of the financial crisis, the editors at Harvard Business Review launched “The HBR Debate: How To Fix Business Schools”: //blogs.harvardbusiness.org/how-to-fix-business-schools/ A growing chorus of critics are charging that MBA programs are in part to blame for the ethical and strategic lapses that… Continue reading WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE POST-FINANCIAL CRISIS?
Tag: debate
Media Habits at HBS – Lessons from HBS’s Favorite Game
Applying the lessons and theories from classroom discussion to the real world can be difficult. Luckily HBS students have found a creative way to apply our knowledge Do you know how to lie? Surely, during LCA, we’ve all debated the merits and demerits of lying (or should I euphemize by referring to it as “bluffing”)?… Continue reading Media Habits at HBS – Lessons from HBS’s Favorite Game
2008 – Retrospectives – HBS & The US Presidency
As Harvard MBAs, with President Bush leaving office in just under two months, this may be a time to turn more introspective – what (if anything) would you have done differently? At Harvard Business School, “we educate leaders who make a difference in the world.” Yet, our campus presents no tangible reminder of the graduate… Continue reading 2008 – Retrospectives – HBS & The US Presidency
The Great Gamblers
The piece is about how stocks and share brokers have impacted the operations of corporations across the world. Investment firms and brokers have such large stakes in corporations, that they try to impact every aspect ofÿthe latter. At times, this takes the focus of the company away fromÿits basic goals. The piece also covers how… Continue reading The Great Gamblers
D‚j… Vu?
I am an optimist by nature. Always convinced that tomorrow will be better than today. That is, except for one thing. Observing French politics in recent years, I must admit that I have surprised myself by losing hope. Wherever my eyes would turn, whichever politician I would talk to, I would always have a sense… Continue reading D‚j… Vu?
HBS Triumphs in KSG Debate
The HBS debate team recorded an historic victory against KSG in the annual grudge match on April 12th. Hundreds of supporters crammed into the Forum at the Kennedy School to hear the teams debate the motion “Most of the world’s problems are created by governments (and then solved by businesses).” Michael Walsh, Sridevi Raghavan and… Continue reading HBS Triumphs in KSG Debate
HBS Debate Team Prepares for its Final Showdown of the Year
The debate team has had a strong year thanks to a win over Yale last term and several successful debates on campus. Topics have ranged from green issues to asking whether greed was good. But how is debating different from just an everyday classroom discussion? “Debating is quite a formal process,” Michael Walsh explains. “The… Continue reading HBS Debate Team Prepares for its Final Showdown of the Year
The Best Way to Argue with the President
In the Public Speaking Club’s Outstanding Speaker Series, Robert Barnett reveals his secrets to helping presidential ticket candidates prepare for nationally televised debates and shares his opinion on the upcoming presidential nominations. Attorney Robert Barnett spoke to an audience of about 350, which filled the Spangler Auditorium, on January 27. The event was the first… Continue reading The Best Way to Argue with the President
COUNTERPOINT – Political Correction
In the December 4 viewpoints column Robin Cherry argued that our acceptance of “politically incorrect” jokes has gone too far. Robin stated that jokes about gay dogs in South Park have made us “too comfortable” by creating “a lack of inhibition that itself is problematic.” Referring to a drunken joker at a wedding party the… Continue reading COUNTERPOINT – Political Correction
We Might Have Been Crushed in Football, But At Least We Still Have Debate
The HBS debate team scored a crushing victory over the Yale School of Management at the recent HBS-Yale SOM debate. The motion before the crown was “This House believes that the US Government should impose a windfall tax on US oil corporations.” Adrian Brown, President of the Leadership and Ethics forum, began the evening by… Continue reading We Might Have Been Crushed in Football, But At Least We Still Have Debate
Halloween Bus Ride Turns Into Controversy
It was Halloween and a bus carrying a fractious group of HBS students to the annual Halloween Party was lost. The bus driver was disoriented and spent approximately forty-five minutes driving through various neighborhoods surrounding the party site without reaching it. The bus contained both ECs and RCs and many of the students on the… Continue reading Halloween Bus Ride Turns Into Controversy
Cyberposium 12: Need Directions, Mapping Future Technologies
Are nano-enabled polymer photovoltaic materials the answer to the impending energy crisis? What is Web 2.0 and how will it revolutionize the way business is conducted? What hot new technologies are on the venture capital horizon? BOSTON – With a focus on the future, Cyberposium 12 took center stage on Saturday, November 11, drawing a… Continue reading Cyberposium 12: Need Directions, Mapping Future Technologies
What is "Positive Discrimination" Anyway?
Two weeks ago Neil Mahapatra (NG) and Jonathan Kelly (OD) expressed some strong views on positive discrimination and political correctness. Until I read their articles, I hadn’t heard the term “positive discrimination.” What is it anyway? As a starting point, it seems clear that there are inequalities in the U.S. and around the world that… Continue reading What is "Positive Discrimination" Anyway?
Is Greed Good?
Is greed good? This was the question debated by members of the HBS debate team at the kick-off meeting of the Leadership & Ethics Forum (LEF). The argument focused on whether businesses have any social responsibilities beyond simply maximizing their profits. The format for the debate had two teams of three speakers with one team… Continue reading Is Greed Good?
Debate on Grade Disclosure Takes Center Stage In Spangler Auditorium
Evolution vs. Intelligent Design. Redline vs. Grafton Street. NPV vs. APV. These are big questions. But none has gotten the HBS population as energized as the debate over grade disclosure. Students, faculty and the administration are awaiting the results of a recent Student Association poll, but those in attendance at the Leadership & Ethics Forum’s… Continue reading Debate on Grade Disclosure Takes Center Stage In Spangler Auditorium
Eighth Annual HBS-SOM Grudge Match Taken by Yale
Among the myriad pre-game traditions for “The Game” between Harvard and Yale is the staging of the annual HBS-Yale SOM Leadership & Ethics Debate. This year’s debate took place in New Haven on Friday, November 21 in front of a raucous crowd of over 200 spectators. Despite breaking bread prior to the debate, both sides… Continue reading Eighth Annual HBS-SOM Grudge Match Taken by Yale
HBS Students Vote that Management Consultants Add No Value
“Management consulting is a pie-eating contest, in the which winning prize is yet more pies,” quips James Crabtree, a student at the Kennedy School and ex-Worlds debater, to the audience at the Leadership & Ethics Forum event last Tuesday. In the time-honored tradition of parliamentary debate, four student speakers took turns arguing for and against… Continue reading HBS Students Vote that Management Consultants Add No Value
The 'Eth' Word: Ethics Expert Speaks Up for Moral Capitalism
What do Gordon Gekko, Jack Welch and an ex-con who embezzled nearly $9m have in common? And no, it’s not a sneaking suspicion that greed is good. All three men have been or will be appearing at the Leadership and Ethics Forum (LEF). The long-established club kicked off this year with a fresh aim –… Continue reading The 'Eth' Word: Ethics Expert Speaks Up for Moral Capitalism
KSG-HBS Debate: A Bare Knuckle Showdown
It was with great fan fair and anticipation that these two heralded debate teams met in the historic Kennedy School Forum last Tuesday, March 1st. Festivities began with an air of debauchery as the audience imbibed on free beer and fish crackers. This was the first meeting of what should be an annual tradition on… Continue reading KSG-HBS Debate: A Bare Knuckle Showdown
