Harvard Business Review

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
 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.


Magazine that brings management ideas with an impact   January 13, 2002
 8 out of 9 found this review helpful

The Harvard Business Review was first published in 1922. This magazine has definitely stood the test of time and is probably the most influential academical-business magazine around. In 1998 it was published bi-monthly, but nowadays it has increased its frequency to monthly (since the start of 2002).

I will go through the typical set-up of each issue: The front page contains a table of content, which is handy when you are looking for a particular article. There is an introduction by the editor. There is a Forethought-section is "a survey of ideas, trends, people, and practices on the business horizon." It reports on research and studies that are currently ongoing, not just at Harvard Business School. There is a Harvard Business Review case study followed by advice from experts in the field on that particular case study. There is an autobiographical articles based on experiences from (typically) a business leader under the title First Person. This is followed by an article called 'HBR at Large' on issues that are not necessarily related to management issues. This section is followed by at least four new articles on management issues. Most articles are based on research by academics in fields ranging from human resource management, accounting to strategy and technology. Most of these articles present materials that later form the foundation for books. At the end of each Harvard Business Review, there is a short summary of each article. There is an article based on experiences at various organizations, which are described in 'Best Practice'. There is an article for the manager's 'Tool Kit'. Finally, there is at least one proper book review. This book review is normally by someone related in the field, so there is some good critics on that particular book.

Over the 80 years of its publication it has provided various generations of managers with 'Ideas with Impact' - which is now the subtitle of this magazine. Since I have become a subscriber in January 1998, I have become an addict to it. Although I do not read each article, most articles are class-leading in their field. Another advantage of these articles is that they typically are a summary of books. So it enables you to read the main points from a book in a short time-space. Highly recommended to all people interested in management.


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.


This is THE magazine for managers   February 27, 2002
 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!