Bush in Iraq: B-School Case Study

[Bravo Zulu]

The MBA President receives sub-par marks from many professors,
who cite the mishandled aftermath as a huge management failure

It's a conversation heard more and more around the halls of Harvard
Business School these days: One of President George W. Bush's unique
qualifications for office was his Harvard MBA. Yet the mess in
postwar Iraq has revealed a lack of the careful planning that Harvard
teaches its elite clientele.
And a related problem -- the ballooning federal budget deficit --
hints at much less financial discipline than B-school alums are
supposed to have. "Because George is a graduate of the school,
there's lots of casual discussion about what he learned, or didn't
learn, while he was here," says David Yoffie, a Harvard Business
School professor of international business administration.

Granted, leading a country is a bit more demanding than managing the
Huggies diapers brand or running a BusinessWeek 50 company -- the
sort of jobs Harvard MBAs typically hold. That goes double for trying
to simultaneously manage an effort as unpredictable as invading, then
rebuilding, another country.

"FUMBLING AROUND." Still, much has been made of Bush's status as the
first MBA President, with a degree from a school that placed No. 3 in
BusinessWeek's latest B-school rankings!

ABSENT THAT DAY? In response to a call seeking comment about the
lessons Bush was taught as a B-school student, Harvard sent an e-mail
statement: "Although courses and content in the curriculum change
continuously over time," it reads, "the HBS learning model, which
is based on analyzing some 500 case studies in which teams of students
work together to address the uncertainty and complexity of real-world
problems, remains constant and leaves a lasting mark on the thought
processes of every student.... The school's focus is on general managers
who can see the big strategic picture, establish priorities, and make
the most of the functional expertise of those who work with them to
make decisions and take action."

When it comes to Bush's handling of postwar Iraq, it seems, either
Harvard didn't deliver on its goal -- or the future President didn't
pay close enough attention.


http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/nov2003/nf2003115_1870_db041.htm?chan=search

[Loge23]

1. Not a very good endorsement for Harvard

Bush is an embarrassment to the U.S.A., let alone Harvard or any other educational institution that rubber stamped him through.
This man is a world-class idiot.

[TrogL]

2. Can they recall his degree?

Obviously he cheated otherwise he'd have some sort of clue on the material.