India Today Group brings ‘Harvard Business Review South Asia’

The Boston based Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation (HBSPC) is collaborating with the India Today Group to publish the South Asian edition of the ‘Harvard Business Review’ (‘HBR’). Named ‘Harvard Business Review South Asia’, this will be the 12th edition of the business magazine and the first English edition besides the original one. The other 10 editions are translated versions of the original edition.

The magazine will be priced at Rs 750 on the stands; internationally, it is priced at $16.95 (approximately Rs 1,075). However, ‘India Today’ plans to launch several subscription offers and special schemes for academics.

The India Today Group will handle the sales and distribution of ‘HBR South Asia’ in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan. ‘HBR South Asia’ will be launched at a special event in Mumbai on October 16. The event will feature a panel discussion with Thomas Stewart, editor and MD, ‘HBR’, and the CEOs of India’s leading companies.

Worldwide, ‘HBR’ is known to be a leading monthly magazine covering best management practices and thought leadership. These are universal, not leaving much scope for change and so will be emulated in the South Asian edition, too. The content is similar to the US edition, although it will include regional advertising.

Stewart says that the entry into India was imperative because India is the world’s second fastest growing economy and has a dynamic business thread running through it. He claims that ‘HBR’, through a blend of pragmatic and scholarly content, will cater successfully to the right audience here.

Aroon Purie, editor-in-chief of the India Today Group, says that the magazine will be well received by Indian readers, mostly the region’s business leaders. While allowing them to keep pace with business insights across nations, it will also enable them to adapt themselves to the dynamics of the world business scenario to exhibit high performance levels. Purie describes ‘HBR South Asia’ as the ideal companion to help its readers adapt, grow and thrive.

‘HBR South Asia’ comes with the motive of helping HBSPC reach the business minds in the region and diversify its markets to another region. The magazine plans to leverage the large distribution network and subscription database of ‘India Today’.

The November issue will feature Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter on innovation, Wharton School professor Michael Useem on governance and HBS professor Andrew McAfee on information technology.

On the whole, the various ‘HBR’ editions have a worldwide circulation of 242,000 and reach nearly half a million readers worldwide.

Founded in 1922, 'HBR' has pioneered publishing for the academia and business fraternities by offering them expert insights in the fields of management and leadership practice in a usable format.

Some of the ideas published in ‘HBR’ have had a wide-ranging impact on management thought and strategy at leading corporations and been the source of inspiration and debate worldwide. Key among these are Renee Mauborgne and Chan Kim’s ‘blue ocean strategy’, Pankaj Ghemawat’s ‘regional strategies for global companies’, Clayton C Christensen’s ‘disruptive innovation’, Jim Collins’ ‘level-five leadership’, Michael E Porter’s ‘five forces of competition’, CK Prahalad and Gary Hamel’s ‘core competence of the organisation’ and Robert Kaplan and David Norton’s ‘balanced scorecard’.

In 2003 and 2005, ‘HBR’ was a finalist for the National Magazine Award for General Excellence, the most prestigious award in the US magazine industry.

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