走進哈佛大學：MBA的鼻祖

There is saying in American educational circle that Harvard University is the crown of American universities and the scintillating jewel in the crown is Harvard Business School. Harvard Business School (HBS) is one of the world’s most prestigious business schools. It is known as the West Point for businessmen, executives, and managers. One fifth of the top managers in the top 500 companies in the United States are from HBS. Every year, most of new employers employed by McKinsey & Co., the big boss of the management consulting industry, are HBS graduates. The investment banks on Wall Street are where HBS graduates go to report in crowds. The MBA (Master of Business Administration) has become the symbol of power and wealth, and is the degree that numerous people, both in America and all over the world, dream of or rather covet.

美國教育界f這么個說法：哈佛大學是美國大學的王冠，而王冠上那顆璀璨的明 珠就是哈佛商學院。/哈佛商學院(HBS)是世界上最富盛名的商學院之一。它被稱為商人、主管和經理的兩點軍校。在關W 500 強擔任最高職位的經理中，有1/5畢業(yè)于哈 佛商學院。每年管理咨詢業(yè)的龍頭老大麥肯 錫公司雇傭的新員工中有很多都是哈怫商學 院的畢業(yè)生。華爾街上的投資銀行也是哈佛 畢業(yè)生成群結隊去報到的地方。哈佛工商管 理碩士學位(MBA)成了權力與財富的象征， 成了無數(shù)美國人乃至全世界人都夢寐以求或者說垂涎的學位。

HBS is the founder of MBA and there is a legend about it. The United States was an agricultural society for most part of the 19th century. Many people, represented by President Thomas Jefferson, were suspicious of industry and big business. They believed that an agricultural society in which people were hard-working, self-reliant, and honest, was the best form of society for the United States, while big business would erode these American spirit. Therefore, when Harvard University proposed to found a business school，there was a bitter quarrel over it. Finally, Harvard University found an ingenious way. In 1908，HBS was founded as a graduate school, and did not enroll undergraduates. Students must obtain a bachelor degree before applying for HBS. In doing so, HBS is not only different from other business schools, but stands at a higher level. As a result, HBS becomes the first graduate school in America which can grant Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree.

HBS是MBA的鼻祖，這兒有關于它的一個傳說。美國在19世紀的大部分時間 里都是一個農業(yè)國家，以托馬斯•杰弗遜為代表的許多美國人對工業(yè)和大企業(yè)持懷疑 態(tài)度。他們相信農業(yè)社會對美國來說是最佳的社會形式，因為農業(yè)社會的人努力工 作，自力更生，并且誠實，而大企業(yè)會腐蝕這些美國精神。因此，當哈佛大學提出要 設立商學院時，爭論相當激烈。最后，哈佛大學采取了一個巧妙的辦法。1908年成立 HBS只是一個研宄生院，不招本科生。學生申請HBS之前必須具備學士學位。這樣， HBS就不僅有別于其他商學院，且比這些學院更高一籌。因此，HBS成了美國第一 所授予學生工商管理碩士學位(MBA)的研究生院。

HBS is the cradle of the case method. It started with 59 students. Once it innovated the case method of research and teaching in 1925, HBS ramped up the class size which reached 500 students during the decade. Now, all courses of HBS adhere to case method. This method is being used at business schools throughout the world. And nearly 80 percent of cases used at business schools worldwide are developed by HBS faculty. The HBS cases range broadly. They include almost ail the cases that may occur in any company. Therefore, HBS graduates are already good at dealing with cases before they step into the society.

HBS是案例教學法的發(fā)源地。剛開始只有59名學生，1925年案例研究和教學法發(fā)明之后，HBS擴大班級規(guī)模，其學生數(shù)量在10年之內達到500名?，F(xiàn)在HBS的所有課程都堅持案例教學法，世界各地商學院也都在用該方法。各地商學院所使用的案例， 80%都是由HBS的教學人員想出來的。HBS的案例范圍廣泛，囊括了任何公司可能出現(xiàn)的所有案例。所以,HBS的畢業(yè)生在踏入社會之前就已經可以得心應手地處理各種案件了。