In response to a special Bulletin survey, hundreds of HBS alumni selected the people, products, and events that in their view have most affected business over the last 75 years. These intrepid respondents also did some crystal-ball gazing, hazarding predictions for 2025.
Since the Bulletin first appeared in 1925, Harvard Business School has sent forth tens of thousands of MBA and Executive Education graduates into the world. As managers, leaders, and entrepreneurs, the School's alumni body collectively has had an impact on enterprise and business practice that likely surpasses that of any other academic institution in the world.
For three-quarters of a century, the Bulletin has tracked the extraordinary record of achievement of HBS alumni. And so it seems fitting that at the dawn of a new millennium, we should draw upon the vast experience and knowledge of that alumni base as a way of assessing the business past and looking ahead to the future.
Accordingly, over the past several months, from among HBS's more than sixty thousand active alumni, we have solicited and received many hundreds of votes, opinions, and reflections regarding some of the major business figures, events, and innovations of the last 75 years, as well as some thoughts about the coming decades.*
- Garry Emmons. Data collection by Ericka Webb.
* Total responses from MBAs and Executive Education participants who graduated in or before 1975 and those who graduated between 1976 and 1999 were roughly equal in number ( 399 and 418, respectively). Not all respondents indicated their class or year or answered all questions. The survey concluded July 15, 1999.
The Results
Most Influential Business Leader
Most Significant Consumer Product
Most Significant Innovation for Business
Most Influential Company/Organization
Most Significant Event/Development for Business
What Essentials HBS Should Stress for the Future
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