Understanding the role technology plays in modern business will be a recurring theme of nearly every MBA subject or course you take. The rise and rise of Apple and the genius of Steve Jobs will occupy countless group discussions; as Microsoft and Bill Gates did for a previous generation of MBAs. While their disruptive strategies and extraordinary leadership qualities provide valuable lessons for students the products of their work will also come in very handy.
The first tool of any MBA will be your tablet. Don’t even think of showing up to your first class with a neat set of red, green and blue pens and shiny notebook (unless the notebook accepts a USB device and is wi-fi compatible).
Once you have your tablet, these are the top five must-have apps to get you through your MBA:
- Pocket MBA ($20.99) – The Pocket MBA application combines an “informative full-text course book, interactive flashcards and comprehensive self-tests to create a completely user-controlled educational experience”. Basically, a (relatively) easy to use guide to the terms, references and language which will need to become your own.
- HBR Today ($2.99) – The best articles from the best thinkers in modern business. Provides access to blogs and columns from the world’s leading management experts from the world’s top management school. Easy to navigate, bite-size content which is perfect for the rare moments of down time you’ll have. Compliment with a full subscription to the Harvard Business Review.
- Australian Financial Review (app is free, subscription is $59/month) – Join the stampede and ditch the newspaper, but keep the content. The “Fin” is still Australia’s number one business publication with extraordinary reporting from great journalists and columnists. The free app is great value, the $59/month subscription to the content will only be as valuable as you make it. Dive in and read it every day and you will get the investment back in spades.
- My MBA – Finance ($18.99) – For students with no finance background understanding some of the complex concepts around corporate finance can be daunting. While clunky this app provides some explanation in simple language.
- Microsoft OneNote (free) – Taking and sorting reference notes is a complicated business. You’ll be confronted with vast amounts of information during your studies. Keeping it in order can be difficult and time consuming. Microsoft’s OneNote solution is just one of hundreds of options available for this important task. The best advice is to experiment with multiple apps to find the one which is best for you.
Note: prices are Australian dollars and current at April 2013
