14 Of The Most Essential Lessons You Learn In Business School

While startups might question the relevance of the MBA, it's hard to argue with the salary bump you get after graduating from a top school, or the fact that nearly 40% of Fortune 100 CEOs have the degree. Clearly, there's something that companies value about the degree.

One of the core teaching methods, pioneered by Harvard Business School, is the case method. Some of the most difficult situations in business history are laid out for students, and they're expected to come up with a rigorous and well reasoned solution all on their own. It's the tried and true way to train students expected to be the top executives of the future.

We reached out to some of the country's top business professors and asked them to tell us which case studies they think are the most essential for future business leaders, and have broken out the key lessons here.

Thanks to Professor Jennifer Chatman of UC Berkeley's Haas School Of Business, Professor Aaron Chatterji of Duke's Fuqua School of Business, Professor Timothy Vogus of Vanderbilt's Owen School of Management, Professor Gautam Ahuja of Michigan's Ross School of Business, and Professor Laurence Capron of INSEAD for their input.