MBA Curriculum & Cases

Through cases and discussion, environmental content is included in a range of HBS courses related to agribusiness, energy, finance, real estate, technology and operations, entrepreneurship, negotiation, social enterprise, and leadership. Recent HBS courses with environmental content include Business and the Environment, Energy; Building Green Businesses; Customers, Commerce, and Society; Institutions, Macroeconomics, and the Global Economy; and Agribusiness.

Our courses use the business case method, an active, participatory approach in which students analyze real-world scenarios and develop analytical and leadership skills to resolve complex business issues. In addition to lectures, simulations, and field work, more than 80% of HBS classes are built on the case method. Cases throughout the curriculum feature environmental content, from creating "cradle-to-cradle" sustainable design at Herman Miller Furniture to "greening" the supply chain at Starbucks Coffee to determining strategic direction in the alternative fuels industry.

Executive Education

Executive Education provides advanced curriculum on a selective basis to corporate and nonprofit executives. Past courses with environmental relevance include such topics as corporate social responsibility, agribusiness, nonprofit management, performance measurement, and real estate.

"The global food system today is experiencing multiple shocks. Among these are the soaring interest in biofuels. . . the burgeoning appeal of specialty foods; the rapid development in giant markets, such as China and India. . . and revolutionary advances in biotechnology and nutrigenomics. How can members of the global supply chain meet proliferating, and sometimes conflicting, consumer demands, while ensuring an efficient and sustainable production system for the future?"

—Executive Education Agribusiness Seminar

Outside the Classroom

Green Week

Every April, HBS hosts a series of events to raise environmental awareness throughout the HBS community. The 2008 Green Week was a partnership among the MBA Business & Environment Club, HBS Operations, the Dean's Office, and the Harvard
Office for Sustainability Green Week events include:

  • Field trip to LEED-certified buildings
  • Films, panels, and speakers on business and the environment
  • Displays and activities on recycling and composting in dining facilities and other conservation measures
Social Enterprise Initiative

Founded at HBS in 1993, the Social Enterprise Initiative (SEI) takes an integrated approach to teaching, research, and community engagement to support current and emerging leaders in the nonprofit, for-profit, and public sectors in applying management skills to create social value. Through various SEI programs, students and alumni have engaged in environmentally-focused project work or career development opportunities with organizations such as Rocky Mountain Institute, National Park Service, the United Nations, World Wildlife Fund, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and private companies in the waste management, energy, and natural foods industries.