When Harvard Met Stanford

In the world of elite business schools, Harvard and Stanford are separated by ideology, distance, and a rivalry that has them competing for students, faculty, and corporate customers. But in an uncharacteristic twist, the two now appear close to a landmark deal to merge part of their B-school operations, BusinessWeek has learned. The proposed plan: to combine the executive education arms of Harvard and Stanford into a separate entity that will design and deliver face-to-face and online programs to companies around the globe.