In glancing through one of about 15 catalogs I receive on any given day in December, I noticed this item: MBA in a Box. This intrigued me because I've always felt a little inadequate that I teach corporate law but do not have an MBA. Instead of pursuing an online degree in my spare time at home, I could just buy this item for $34.95.
MBA in a Box is actually just a large book, but what is more interesting is who wrote it.
"Written by some of the best brains in business today, this practical, jargon-free guide is a "core curriculum" for the rest of us. Contributors include bond king Michael Milken, Segway inventor Dean Kamen, and Harvard Business School dean Kim Clark."
OK, if I'm dean of HBS, why do I get third billing behind "bond king Michael Milken"? Not, "convicted criminal Michael Milken," either. I was not following the investigation of Drexel Burnham, Milken, and Boesky much at the time (as you can tell from the post below, I was practicing analogies for the SAT), so I am wondering if many in the industry or academia at the time thought Milken was a true bad apple or a scapegoat. He definitely has bounced back -- a colleague here, Eric Goldman, took a class from him at UCLA B-school. I guess there is hope for the futures of Martha and Frank Quattrone, as well. That brings me back to my original question, though. I see Martha Stewart and Frank Quattrone as scapegoats, convicted of covering up activities that probably were not crimes. I would like to know if Milken is in that category or in the bad apple category.
Anyway, I decided not to buy MBA in a Box.
Posted by Christine at December 8, 2004 09:10 AM | TrackBack