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.

美国教育界f这么个说法：哈佛大学是美国大学的王冠，而王冠上那颗璀璨的明 珠就是哈佛商学院。/哈佛商学院(HBS)是世界上最富盛名的商学院之一。它被称为商人、主管和经理的两点军校。在关W 500 强担任最高职位的经理中，有1/5毕业于哈 佛商学院。每年管理咨询业的龙头老大麦肯 锡公司雇佣的新员工中有很多都是哈怫商学 院的毕业生。华尔街上的投资银行也是哈佛 毕业生成群结队去报到的地方。哈佛工商管 理硕士学位(MBA)成了权力与财富的象征， 成了无数美国人乃至全世界人都梦寐以求或者说垂涎的学位。

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，这儿有关于它的一个传说。美国在19世纪的大部分时间 里都是一个农业国家，以托马斯•杰弗逊为代表的许多美国人对工业和大企业持怀疑 态度。他们相信农业社会对美国来说是最佳的社会形式，因为农业社会的人努力工 作，自力更生，并且诚实，而大企业会腐蚀这些美国精神。因此，当哈佛大学提出要 设立商学院时，争论相当激烈。最后，哈佛大学采取了一个巧妙的办法。1908年成立 HBS只是一个研宄生院，不招本科生。学生申请HBS之前必须具备学士学位。这样， HBS就不仅有别于其他商学院，且比这些学院更高一筹。因此，HBS成了美国第一 所授予学生工商管理硕士学位(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是案例教学法的发源地。刚开始只有59名学生，1925年案例研究和教学法发明之后，HBS扩大班级规模，其学生数量在10年之内达到500名。现在HBS的所有课程都坚持案例教学法，世界各地商学院也都在用该方法。各地商学院所使用的案例， 80%都是由HBS的教学人员想出来的。HBS的案例范围广泛，囊括了任何公司可能出现的所有案例。所以,HBS的毕业生在踏入社会之前就已经可以得心应手地处理各种案件了。