If you want to understand how to use an MBA just look at the syllabus to see what skillsets you're working with. From Harvard to London they're the same; "Basi

If you want to understand how to use an MBA just look at the syllabus to see what skillsets you're working with. From Harvard to London they're the same; "Basic accounting and economics, simple finance and business law, organisational behaviour, HR and PR, fundamentals of marketing, technology and information systems management, risk management and corporate strategy." This is a highly useful broad but necessarily thin body of knowledge. When I was at uni we had to do a basic law and business for engineers module - and that at least taught me how much there is I don't know and could hire expert advice on. The problem is that people see the word "management" and then do something dumb like put an MBA in charge of things, or worse, people (that seldom goes with the territory). The MBA certificate became mystified and given far too much clout in the late 90s when the weak idea of generalised management of financialised business flourished. Today we better understand the pitfalls of that whole way of thinking. It's also possible for someone with existing domain skills, perhaps even a PhD or lifetime in the MD seat, to go and do a MBA just to learn to speak modern business language. Again, these are useful skills, but don't just put them randomly in charge of things because you see an Ivy League brand and the letters M.B.A.