Harvard Business Review

Looking back, I personally attribute this change to the scandal surrounding the Jack Welch interview. Many experienced editors left HBR in the wake of this scandal and, in my own opinion, the magazine has yet to fully recover. As an example, we recently saw an issue dedicated to workplace motivation. This issue was filled with articles previosuly published, all of which are available on the HBR web site. While several of the articles are certainly classics, the issue contained little in the way of new thoughts regarding motivation. We have also seen articles from ornithologists telling us what the hobby of birding can teach business people. Certainly a novel approach. We have also seen multiple articles from select HBR editors rather than ideas from people in the business community. This surprises me when we consider just how low the manuscript acceptance rate is for this magazine.

In short, I am left wondering if the new editorial staff is well positioned to continue the superb magazine we have read in the past. There are certainly many good ideas still to be found in HBR, but I am wondering if presently there are enough good articles to justify the substantial subscription price. Personally, I have let my subscription end and buy, at a retail store, only those issues which seem substantive. I also buy the individual articles I want from the HBR web site.

I truly hope that matters improve at HBR. This was a truly superb magazine and I eagerly opened each issue. I would very much enjoy a return to those days. But as a professional who works in the areas of organizational behavior, corporate communication, and strategy, I am finding the magazine less and less useful these days.


This is THE magazine for managers   February 27, 2002
Dan E. Ross (Frisco, Tx USA)
21 out of 28 found this review helpful

The Harvard Business Review was first published in 1922 and it is probably the most influential academical-business magazine around. Harvard Business Review is THE MAGAZINE subscription to have if you are involved in business. 1) Their case studies can be applied to your business (2) you get world class articles written by leaders in their respective fields such as Peter Drucker on management (Feb 02) and (3) A lot of the case studies end up being taught at MBA schools!

Most of the case studies and articles written are new, emerging concepts that are being applied to businesses to make them operate more efficiently. I can't say enough about the great information I have read in HBR over the years.

Yes, it is expensive but, at the end of the day, what is THE VALUE it provides? The applications, information and insights alone that are provided in this magazine are worth 30-50x what you read in common business rags like Business Week, Forbes, Fortune, etc. Bain & Company has their Strategy+Business magazine, which is another good read if you are interested, but if you only have time for one business magazine HBR is it.

This magazine isn't a "warm, fuzzy" magazine on what's going on in business and the world like other magazines. The stuff in this magazine is about living in the present and applying these concepts to CREATE a BETTER FUTURE FOR YOU AND YOUR COMPANY!


Only business mag I read cover to cover   September 11, 2002
13 out of 16 found this review helpful

So, I splurged and invested in myself by subscribing to HBR. While I typically skim most magazine articles, I actually schedule time to read HBR cover to cover every month. The information gleaned has helped me understand my customers' business issues more deeply (I'm in sales). I can better communicate my products' value propositions by relating benefits to the resolution of industry- or business unit-specific problems.

Finally, HBR has helped me to understand a "day in the life" of my own management team - I'm learning how to ask for what I need from them in a way that assists them in meeting their goals.


The Absolute Best - Essential Reading for Execs   December 2, 2001
Kip Piper (www.kippiper.com)
12 out of 13 found this review helpful

Without question, the Harvard Business Review is essential reading for every business leader, regardless of industry or organizational size. It is also quite valuable for public sector and nonprofit executives. Those aspiring to leadership positions and graduate students will find each issue an incredible learning experience. The advice found in HBR's pages can help junior managers shine.

HBR transcends the purely academic and provides concrete advice on a wide range of critical areas, including leadership, strategy, management, decision making, delegation, organizational behavior, and communications. While the articles often address management theory, they always address the real-world practice of management. HBR is written for practitioners. The writing style is clear, concise, and compelling - just what busy execs need. If you are too busy or don't know if you are interested in a full article, each article is summarized at the end. And no, you don't need an MBA to understand the articles and take action.

Yes, a HBR subscription is expensive compared to other periodicals, but HBR is worth every penny. Set yourself above the competition and read the HBR.


meets expectations   October 28, 2006
David A. Baer (Indianapolis, IN USA)
12 out of 14 found this review helpful

Not every publication gets to use the name 'Harvard' in their masthead. It's a perk that comes with the territory and banks on the accumulated legacy of many generations of excellence.

Satisfaction is when the product lives up to the label, the brilliant father's son turns out well, the apple falls deliciously close to the tree. The HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW does the Harvard moniker proud.

HBR puts cutting-edge, high-quality research into the hands of both scholars and business practitioners in way that starts with solid research and then cuts to the chase. It's a credit to the recently deceased Theodore Levitt's editorial genius that HBR comes out accessible rather than obfuscatory. Good editing is a precious thing.

The September 2006 issue before me is not as tightly themed as some, yet its diverse offering is as rich as ever. Articles include

* Ten Ways to Create Shareholder Value
* Rethinking Political Correctness
* With Friends Like These: The Art of Managing Complementors
* How to Keep A Players Productive
* Curveball: Strategies to Fool the Competition

Then there are the regular departments:

* HBR Case Study: Indispensable
* Managing Yourself: the Decision to Trust
* Tool Kit: The New Science of Sales Force Productivity
* Best Practice: When Your Contract Manufacturer Becomes Your Competitor

Each month's articles are treated to an executive summary at the back of the Review.

HBR gives its readers a mix of sociological, economic, psychological, and statistical takes on business at a level that can reasonably be called authoritative.

People argue whether HBR is as good as it used to be. Maybe. Maybe not. The bottom line is, savvy business thinkers couldn't get by without it twenty years ago and they're at the same disadvantage if they don't take HBR today. It's hard to argue with indispensability.