Harvard Business School professor Ben Edelman surfaced here earlier this year after the university asked him to add additional disclosures to an article he wrote that was based on research for a paying client. Now he's back in the news following a bizarre reaction he had to a price dispute with a chinese restaurant. Professor Edelman has apologized, writing, "Having reflected on my interaction with Ran, including what I said and how I said it, it's clear that I was very much out of line. I aspire to act with great respect and humility in dealing with others, no matter what the situation. Clearly I failed to do so. I am sorry, and I intend to do better in the future."
The absence of humility is emerging as something of a theme with these Cambridge-and-Boston-based professors, as the cases of both Professor Edelman and Jonathan Gruber illustrate. Maybe Harvard or MIT should consider offering a course on the topic.