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Business and Community RelationsRemove Business and Community Relations →

New research on business and community relations from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including why businesses should invest in community health, how tech companies can change the fabric of their cities, and whether investments in corporate social responsibility create public goodwill.
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Businesses Need a 'Catalyst' to Make CSR Practices Stick

by Michael Blanding

Despite best intentions, many corporate social responsibility programs fail. One answer: Companies need community partners to sustain work over the long term, says Robert Kaplan. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

How Independent Bookstores Have Thrived in Spite of Amazon.com

by Carmen Nobel (with video by Amelia Kunhardt)

Ryan Raffaelli set out to discover how independent bookstores managed to survive and even thrive in spite of competition from Amazon and other online retailers. His initial findings reveal how much consumers still value community and personal contact. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Fearing Fox News, Democratic-leaning Companies Delayed Negative Announcements

by Jen Deaderick

Jonas Heese and Vishal P. Baloria explore strategies used by companies to reduce the risk of potentially negative press, focusing on Fox News and the 2000 presidential election. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Why Business Should Invest in Community Health

by John Quelch, Howard Koh, and Pamela Yatsko

Many companies invest heavily to keep their employees healthy, but don't take the next step—invest in keeping their community healthy. John Quelch, Howard Koh, and Pamela Yatsko make the case. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

HBS Cases: The Battle for San Francisco

by Michael Blanding

In San Francisco, tech companies are hoping to make the world a better place—but the fabric of the city is changing in the process. A new case by Clayton Rose explores this clash of cultures, and the role of business in promoting the right balance. Open for comment; 17 Comment(s) posted.

Why Good Deeds Invite Bad Publicity

by Michael Blanding

Many executives assume that investments in corporate social responsibility create public goodwill. But do they? Felix Oberholzer-Gee and colleagues find surprising results when it comes to oil spills. Closed for comment; 21 Comment(s) posted.

From Spare Change to Real Change: The Social Sector as a Beta Site for Business Innovation

by Rosabeth Moss Kanter

U.S. companies have too often viewed the social sector as a dumping ground for their spare cash, obsolete equipment, and tired executives, but that mind-set, says HBS Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter, has hardly created lasting change. In this excerpt from an article in the Harvard Business Review, she issues a call for corporate social innovation, an approach, says Kanter, that's more R&D than it is charity. Closed for comment; 0 Comment(s) posted.