April 9, 2009

Harvard Business School: Case study teaching revisited?

Bloomberg reports that top US universities are in a soul searching mode after criticism that some of their alumni have been among those responsible for the current financial crisis. According to Bloomberg "Harvard’s alumni include Stanley O’Neal and John Thain, the former chief executive officers of Merrill Lynch & Co. who presided over the New York company’s decline; Rick Wagoner, the ousted CEO of General Motors Corp.; and Christopher Cox, former chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission" Another HBS ex-student is Andrew Hornby, the head of the failed bank HBOS. Interestingly the Harvard Business School, well known for its management teaching based on case studies prepares a new case study meant to examine whether this method of teaching is adequate to prepare future managers in risk assessment and risk management.The case study must be really interesting, look forward to read it.