HEC Paris

History

Harvard was founded in 1636 when an amount of 400£ was approved for its establishment by the Great and General Court of Governor and Company of Massachusetts Bay in New England. In 1639, the college was renamed Harvard College in honor of John Harvard, an alumnus of the University of Cambridge, who donated a sum of 779£ and his library comprising of over 400 books. The Graduate School of Business Administration formally opened in 1908 as a Graduate Department of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Harvard Business School was the pioneer in graduate business education in the nation.

MISSION STATEMENT

We educate leaders who make a difference in the world.

Core Strengths of the School

The HBS MBA curriculum immerses the students into intense leadership practice, thus, transforming them personally and professionally to take on the real-world business challenges with confidence. Students are trained to get into the crux of the problem by digging deeper into the issues that help them discover new facts and evidences. The innovative Case Method approach puts the students into the shoes of a decision-maker of leading organizations, non-profits and government organizations. Students immerse themselves into the case, perform deep-rooted analysis, probe into the underlying causes and come up with various alternatives to achieve the goals of the organization. The exchange of ideas and brainstorming session with the peers, who belong to diverse industries, enriches the students and results in a mutual learning experience. The Section Experience assigns the students into specific section consisting of ninety students who carry rich experiences, interests and ambitions. The participants of the Section attend classes together, share cases, and exercise their newly acquired management skills to various projects, thus, creating long-lasting relationships and invaluable contacts. The Section Experience fosters a collaborative and mutual learning environment, where students support each other and learn from the knowledge and experiences of their peers.

Uniqueness in MBA Pedagogy

HBS’s philosophy of learning by thinking, doing and reflecting is the foundation of the Field Method. The Field Immersion Experiences for Leadership Development FIELD is a three part course that exposes the students to numerous situations, where they get a chance to hone their leadership skills. The first part is called the Field Foundations, where students are divided into small teams and take part in interactive workshops that help them reflect on their own leadership styles and how others perceive them. This self-awareness and feedback from peers enables remolds their thought process. Students work in teams for global partner organizations where they develop a new product or service concept in the Field 2 (Global Immersion) experience. The Field 3 (Interactive Intelligence) experience challenges the students to apply their knowledge and skills acquired during the first year to a real micro-business, where they are supposed to design and launch their venture independently. This sort of integrated study and practical experience teaches the students to take tough decisions in critical situations in the face of conflicting data, complex politics, and intense time and fiscal pressures. Students build their capacity for analysis, assessment, judgment and action through the intense and enriching Field Method, thus, equipping themselves with the requisite skills demanded for leadership roles.

The Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship supports the students who have entrepreneurial dreams by empowering them with the vital skills and knowledge required to create new ventures. The New Venture Competition is a year-long entrepreneurial journey, where students present their business ideas to the entrepreneurial community and top investors, who give invaluable feedback to the students. The Entrepreneurial Manager TEM course exposes the students to the challenges facing the startups and how entrepreneurs address them. Students get access to tools such as business model design, lean testing, and customer and channel analytics that help them assess the business opportunities. Students put themselves in the shoes of technology entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, real estate developers and investors, and learn to decompose complex business problems, and explore the ways in which entrepreneurs approach the different phases of their company’s life.

CONCENTRATIONS OFFERED

LOCATION ADVANTAGES

The School is located in Boston, Massachusetts. The city is known to be a world leader in innovation and its economic base comprises of finance, technology, and bio-tech and venture capital firms. The Emerald Necklace is made up of a chain of parks linked by parkways and waterways in Boston that appears to hang from the neck of the Boston peninsula. The Franklin Park, the city’s largest park and the Jamaica Pond, the city’s largest body of freshwater are part of the Emerald Necklace. The Esplanade Park, along the Charles River is another popular tourist destination. Love for music is evident in Boston with one of the Big Five orchestras, the Boston Symphony Orchestra having its roots in Boston.

CAREER SUPPORT

At HBS, there is immense focus on Career and Professional Development CPD. CPD begins with a Career Assessment that allows the students to reflect within themselves and understand their interests and aspirations. The CareerLeader®, an online self-assessment tool, would help the students evaluate their deepest interests and skills and subsequently, create a personal career plan. A vast variety of tools, resources, workshops and events help the students define and achieve their career goals. One-to-one coaching provided by trained and experienced career coaches help the students take the right decisions at crucial juncture of their careers. A suite of workshops and training programs are conducted to refine the skills of the students in areas such as resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, networking and negotiations. Informative sessions from career coaches, company representatives and alumni provide insights into the career options available in each industry. The HBS student clubs conduct events such as career fairs and career treks that help students connect with company executives and understand the work culture of the company.