You may have HCF if…

A common malady that afflicts most MBA is students is what I call HCF: Harvard Case Fatigue. After four terms at ISB, I am quite convinced that this is as serious as any disease gets. Whether the incidence is higher at HBS is a research question that some psychologists might want to take up.

So how do you know if you have HCF?

Given a subject or topic or interest, you can name atleast three HBS cases that illustrate the point.

Given an HBS case, you can think of atleast two different, unrelated takeaways. For example, the Cola Wars case is applicable to both market strategy, pricing and market research (recruiters: did you notice that I could name three?)

You can relate to random cases by their initials (ODI) and share a good joke about it.

Your entire group of friends gets that joke.

You can speak about red optical lenses for chickens at length and explain why the ‘product’ failed inspite of being a technological innovation.

You believe your explanation.

Your non ISB (former) friends tune out when you start sentences with “For example, in the Acuvue case”. They have long since deserted you, unless ofcourse they are applying for class of 2010 in which case they religiously write down everything you say.

You can use “core competency”, “sustainable competitive advantage” and “opportunity cost” in the same sentence.

For point 1, you actually stopped to think if you could name three and if you couldn’t, wondered if that should be a part of your placement prep.

You want to forward this to your friends but realize that all of them are at ISB and will read it anyway.

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