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    Corporate Social Responsibility and ImpactRemove Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact →

    New research on corporate social responsibility and impact from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including measuring impact, reporting results, and community involvement.
    Page 1 of 92 Results →
    • 28 Jun 2022
    • Cold Call Podcast

    Scaling a Fintech Startup for the Greater Good

    Re: Emily Williams

    Esusu launched in 2018 with a rotational savings product and continued growing their fintech startup in late 2019 with Esusu Rent, a rent reporting tool that enables renters to improve their credit scores. In March 2020, co-founders Abbey Wemimo and Samir Goel were working to determine how best to scale Esusu to advance their mission of promoting financial inclusion in the US. Harvard Business School Assistant Professor Emily Williams discusses how the two co-founders decided how to allocate resources and scale their business in the case, “Esusu: Solving Homelessness Backwards.”

    • 28 Jun 2022
    • Book

    The Moral Enterprise: How Two Companies Profit with Purpose

    by Avery Forman

    Despite polarized attitudes, Rebecca Henderson argues that it's the perfect time for companies to reset their moral compass. In an essay from the book A Political Economy of Justice, she explores the social efforts of Cadbury and Unilever.

    • 26 May 2022
    • HBS Case

    Apple vs. Feds: Is iPhone Privacy a Basic Human Right?

    by Avery Forman

    Leaders today must be ready to take a stand on thorny social and political issues. A case study by Nien-hê Hsieh and Henry McGee examines how Apple CEO Tim Cook turned calls for data access into a rallying cry for privacy, and the complexities that followed.

    • 18 May 2022
    • Research & Ideas

    Are Banks the ‘Bad Guys’? Overdraft Fees Are Crushing Low-Income Customers

    by Rachel Layne

    Payday lenders have been accused of exploiting poor consumers, but traditional banks exact a similar toll through overdraft fees. Research by Marco Di Maggio and Emily Williams shows how seemingly innocuous checking accounts can become vehicles for financial distress.

    • 07 Apr 2022
    • Research & Ideas

    Giving Back: Consumers Care More About How Companies Donate Than How Much

    by Pamela Reynolds

    When it comes to corporate donations for brand enhancement, bigger isn't necessarily better. Research from Elizabeth Keenan and Leslie John offers new insights for companies trying to win the hearts of socially conscious consumers. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 25 Jan 2022
    • Cold Call Podcast

    How Footwear Startup Allbirds is Decarbonizing Fashion

    Re: Michael W. Toffel

    In 2021, the footwear startup Allbirds was extending its product range into apparel and expanding beyond its online store to open more retail stores around the world. It was also freely sharing its know-how and material innovations with its competitors to try to scale its efforts to decarbonize fashion, by substituting natural materials for conventional petroleum-based materials and leather. But the company also had to find ways to remain differentiated, based on design and comfort. Professor Mike Toffel and Allbirds co-founder and CEO Joey Zwillinger discuss the growing environmental impact of the fashion industry and how the company managed the tension between advancing its environmental mission and staying ahead of competitors in the case, Allbirds: Decarbonizing Fashion. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 30 Nov 2021
    • In Practice

    What's the Role of Business in Confronting Climate Change?

    by Lynn Schenk and Dina Gerdeman

    COP26 shined a light on the complexities of addressing the climate crisis. We asked Harvard Business School faculty members to discuss how business leaders can help spur change and what opportunities might emerge. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 18 Nov 2021
    • Op-Ed

    5 Principles for Scaling Change from IBM’s High School Innovation

    by Kristen Senz

    P-TECH has bolstered graduation rates for students of color while creating a new tech hiring pipeline. Rosabeth Moss Kanter and program architect Stanley Litow discuss the social impact lessons for other organizations. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 21 Jul 2021
    • Research & Ideas

    What Does an ESG Score Really Say About a Company?

    by Kristen Senz

    A key gauge in the $30 trillion sustainable investment market provides a murky picture of corporate social responsibility. Research by Anywhere Sikochi and George Serafeim probes the underlying factors. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 04 May 2021
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Accounting for Product Impact in the Telecommunications Industry

    by George Serafeim and Katie Trinh

    A product impact framework is a systematic methodology applicable to different companies across a wide range of industries. This study examines the telecommunications industry, estimating the value of a product’s reach, accessibility, quality, optionality, environmental use emissions, and end-of-life recyclability.

    • 09 Mar 2021
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Stock Price Reactions to ESG News: The Role of ESG Ratings and Disagreement

    by George Serafeim and Aaron Yoon

    Company performance evaluations have included sell-side analyst forecasts, recommendations, and credit ratings, but a newer set has emerged: environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings. This study finds that ESG ratings are useful for predicting future ESG news, but their predictive ability diminishes for firms with large disagreement between raters.

    • 28 Feb 2021
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Measuring Employment Impact: Applications and Cases

    by Katie Panella and George Serafeim

    Employment impact-weighted accounting statements quantify the positive and negative effects of firm practices for employees and the broader labor community. This analysis of companies in different sectors shows how these statements are beneficial both at an aggregate and more specific level.

    • 23 Feb 2021
    • Research & Ideas

    COVID-19 Shines New Light on Working Conditions in Supply Chains

    by Danielle Kost

    Michael Toffel discusses how the coronavirus pandemic has renewed concerns about how suppliers treat employees, and how a new online resource can help. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 22 Feb 2021
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Auditor Independence and Outsourcing: Aligning Incentives to Mitigate Shilling and Shirking

    by Ashley Palmarozzo, Jodi L. Short, and Michael W. Toffel

    Firms use external auditors to monitor the quality of difficult-to-observe aspects of their business partners’ performance, including the working conditions of their suppliers. Firms can improve monitoring accuracy by having their own employees conduct some audits, and by rotating across third-party auditing firms.

    • 16 Feb 2021
    • Research & Ideas

    To Fight Climate Change, Should Green Investors Reconsider Big Oil?

    by Kristen Senz

    Sustainability funds eschew some of the biggest backers of green technology: oil companies. Research by Lauren Cohen offers reasons to re-evaluate the role of traditional energy companies in addressing climate change. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 22 Dec 2020
    • Cold Call Podcast

    Dove: Maintaining a Brand with Purpose

    Re: Mark R. Kramer

    Unilever’s Dove soap became a brand with purpose when it launched the “Campaign for Real Beauty” to combat media-driven stereotypes of female beauty. Can Dove maintain both its market position and social impact in the future? Senior Lecturer, Mark Kramer discusses his case, “Dove and Real Beauty: Building a Brand with Purpose.” Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 24 Nov 2020
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Accounting for Product Impact in the Consumer Finance Industry

    by George Serafeim and Katie Trinh

    A framework and method for measuring and monetizing product impact across industries, applying it to two competitors in the consumer finance space.

    • 13 Nov 2020
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Long-Run Returns to Impact Investing in Emerging Markets and Developing Economies

    by Shawn Cole, Martin Melecky, Florian Mölders, and Tristan Reed

    Examination of every equity investment made by the International Finance Corporation, one of the largest and longest-operating impact investors, shows this portfolio has outperformed the S&P 500 by 15 percent.

    • 27 Oct 2020
    • Cold Call Podcast

    Growing a Manufacturing Company with a Social Mission

    Re: Michael Chu

    Nehemiah Manufacturing turned a social mission of hiring convicted felons into a competitive advantage. In this podcast, Michael Chu discusses the challenges and opportunities of combining profit with social impact. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 01 Oct 2020
    • What Do You Think?

    Are CEOs the Wrong Leaders for Stakeholder Capitalism?

    by James Heskett

    SUMMING UP: Who bears responsibility for fostering "stakeholder capitalism" to better serve societal goals? Directors? Shareholders? CEOs? Employees? Readers offer their own views to James Heskett. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

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