Harvard Business School trains the future leaders of the US capitalist system, while providing broad institutional support for the Israeli state and the US war machine and national security state.
Harvard Business School runs a Global Research Center Tel Aviv, providing the legitimacy of the Harvard brand to Israel's physical occupation of Palestinian land.
Harvard Business School faculty members, such as Elie Ofek, have applied the clout of their positions at HBS toward the Israeli state's ongoing efforts to "rebrand" Israel as a "start-up nation" and hub of "innovation," in order to whitewash the realities of Israel's ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their homeland and theft of Palestinian resources.
Harvard Business School does targeted recruitment in Israel, aimed at forging closer ties between HBS and Israel. Meanwhile, the "HBS Alumni Association of Israel" strives to sustain connections amongst (what they estimate to be) the 275 HBS alumni who live in Israel as well as the approximately 170 Israeli HBS alumni who live outside of Israel. HBS Alumni Association of Israel states that their organization aims to "position HBS, in Israel, as the world leading business school in general management attract the most talented individuals to HBS," and "To mentor qualified (Israeli) applicants through the application process and beyond."
HBS also hosts a student organization called Jewish Student Association (JSA) of Harvard Business School. JSA of Harvard Business School is staunchly Zionist and has been a sponsor of The Israel Summit (formerly The Harvard Israel Summit).
To understand Harvard Business School's staunch support for Israel, one needs only to look at where HBS gets its funding: In 2018, hedge fund billionaire and pro-Israel super-donor Seth Klarman provided Harvard Business School with a $120 million donation, for HBS to use to build "a state-of-the-art conference center." Harvard Business School named the new center "Klarman Hall." Seth Klarman and his wife Beth Klarman are both also members of Harvard Business School's "Board of Dean’s Advisors." Seth Klarman is also an alumnus of Harvard Business School, and HBS frequently highlights Klarman's success as a capitalist in their promotional materials. Between these financial donations and advisory positions at HBS, the Klarmans no doubt have considerable clout with Harvard Business School administration, when it comes to questions of how HBS will relate to Israel and Zionism. (See also: entry on Seth Klarman, and the Klarman Family Foundation)
In addition to its support for Israel, Harvard Business School faculty regularly apply their management theories and business acumen to research carried out for the leaders and profiteers of the US war machine and national security state. Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth M. Kanter, for example, offered this analysis of US weapons developer Lockheed Martin's "past 24 years of rapid growth in the company and the myriad challenges associated with welfare reform, devising an effective strategy that capitalizes on the company's core capabilities, partnerships with nonprofits, meeting different local needs, politics, and achieving economies of scale and profitability." Similarly, Harvard Business School professor C. Fritz Foley offered this analysis of Northrop Grumman's divestment of its shipbuilding assets, reviewing "many of the key questions faced by Northrop's CEO, CFO, and top management team during this process, including questions concerning whether to sell or spin-off the assets; how to handle customers, employees, and investors during the restructuring; and how to reorganize a diversified business to increase the performance of its parts."
Harvard Business School also brings the leaders of the US war machine and US security state to its students. In 2016, for example, Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program hosted Civilian Marine Corps General Robert B. Neller to share remarks "about the Marine Corps and his thoughts on leadership."
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Harvard Business School faculty who are currently affiliated with Berkman Klein Center include David Homa and Nien-he Hsieh. HBS PHD student Jeff Fossett and HBS MBA student Luis Valles are also both also affiated with BKC.
Boston Consulting Group recruits heavily from Harvard Business School, so much so that BCG maintains an entire recruiting team devoted solely to Harvard Business School and MIT Sloan students, as well as a team of BCG Ambassadors to HBS.
In 2016, Cisco paid Harvard Business School to produce a report about "innovation" in business. Boston-area business schools like HBS or MIT Sloan regularly get paid to produce propagandistic "position papers" for companies like Cisco.
From fiscal years 2007-2020, Combined Jewish Philanthropies funneled $1,095,910 from its donors to Harvard Business School.
To understand Harvard Business School's staunch support for Israel, one needs only to look at where HBS gets its funding: In 2018, hedge fund billionaire and pro-Israel super-donor Seth Klarman provided Harvard Business School with a $120 million donation, for HBS to use to build "a state-of-the-art conference center." Harvard Business School named the new center "Klarman Hall." Seth Klarman and his wife Beth Klarman are both also members of Harvard Business School's "Board of Dean’s Advisors." Seth Klarman is also an alumnus of Harvard Business School, and HBS frequently highlights Klarman's success as a capitalist in their promotional materials. Between these financial donations and advisory positions at HBS, the Klarmans no doubt have considerable clout with Harvard Business School administration, when it comes to questions of how HBS will relate to Israel and Zionism. (See also: entry on Seth Klarman, and the Klarman Family Foundation)
The Jewish Student Association of Harvard Business School has been a sponsor of The Israel Summit.
According to their website, The Harvard Kennedy School Healthcare Policy Program "is directed by Professor Amitabh Chandra, Ethel Zimmerman Wiener Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, and Henry and Allison McCance Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School" and "is anchored by faculty and clinical affiliates from Harvard Kennedy School, Medical School, School of Public Health, Business School, the Department of Economics, as well as the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital."
Baker Foundation Professor at Harvard Business School Leonard Schlesinger serves on the Board of Directors of MassChallenge.
Jonathan and Jeannie Lavine have donated $10,200,000 to Harvard Business School through their private philanthropic foundation. See coverage of the Lavines' donation to HBS here.
Kraft Family Philanthropies made a $24 million donation to Harvard Business School in April 2022. Kraft Family Philanthropies donated an additional $6,808,334 to Harvard Business School from fiscal years 2009-2015. Jonathan Kraft, President of the Kraft Group, also serves on the Board of Dean's Advisors at Harvard Business School.
Harvard Business School professor George Serafeim serves on Liberty Mutual's Board of Directors.
As the Atlantic reported in 2020, Harvard Business School sends nearly a quarter of its graduates to McKinsey annually. Harvard Business School Professor Emeritus Christopher Bartlett, Harvard Business School Professor Matthew C. Weinzierl, and former Harvard Business School Professor Dennis F. Hightower are all McKinsey alumni (i.e. previously worked at McKinsey).