Institute for Business in Global Society

Actionable insights where business and society intersect and occasionally collide

At the Institute for Business in Global Society (BiGS), we are focused on bringing the latest research on the intersection of business and society to business leaders in an accessible, actionable way. Explore our content and become a leader that the world needs.

  • A collage of images that represent economic sustainability.

    Climate Change

    Explore the latest research and insights on how organizations can embed sustainability throughout their operations and value chains.

  • A collage showing images representing economic inclusion.

    Economic Inclusion

    Dive into strategies and insights about how business can drive economic mobility for all stakeholders.

  • A collage showing images representing diversity and inclusion.

    Inequality

    Sharpen your skills as an inclusive leader and keep up to date on the latest research on how to build inclusive organizations.

  • A collage showing images representing the purpose of the firm.

    Purpose of the Firm

    Investigates the changing purpose of the firm in society and how this can generate new models of capitalism.

  • A collage showing images representing diversity and inclusion.

    Ethical AI

    Delve into the latest thinking on how to develop and deploy AI responsibly.

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The BiGS Idea

Actionable insights from leading thinkers and voices on business' role in society.

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    Technology, Race, and Profits

    Harvard Business School BiGS Fellow Dr. Broderick Turner explains why it's time for CEOs, technologists, marketers, and others to take a more inclusive approach to developing new technology to drive better outcomes for more people before it's too late.

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    Rethinking DEI: Beyond the Business Case

    BiGS Fellow Dr. Jamillah Bowman Williams discusses why it is important for business leaders to move past the business case when discussing the need for diversity - and offers advice on what they can do instead.

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    Accounting for Climate

    HBS Professor Bob Kaplan explains why the current method of tracking carbon emissions is not working, and proposes a new framework to fix it, called E-liabilities.

About BiGS

Helping & harnessing business to address society's greatest challenges.

Harvard Business School (HBS) founded the Institute for Business in Global Society (BiGS) in 2022 to help business leaders understand and respond to these new demands. Building on the strong foundation of work on issues like climate change and inequality that has been underway at HBS for decades, BiGS focuses on integrating and expanding that research while building platforms to educate leaders and catalyze action on this complex and expanding set of issues.

Our Mission & Objectives

Go deeper on our mission and long-term objectives

Learn More about our Mission & Objectives
Baker Library

Related Initiatives & Projects

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  • Business History Initiative

    The impact of historical perspective— innovative, disruptive, secular— continues to shape teaching, research, and multi-faculty projects at HBS today.

  • Entrepreneurship Initiative

    The Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship is a vital resource to HBS students and a champion for entrepreneurship at HBS.

  • Health Care Initiative

    With global health care spending greater than $8.5 trillion, there is no shortage of opportunities to make an impact in this demanding sector.

  • Leadership Initiative

    Leaders have always faced the job of inspiring others while making important decisions with incomplete information.

  • Race, Gender & Equity Initiative

    We catalyze and translate cutting-edge research to transform practice, enable leaders to drive change, and eradicate gender, race, and other forms of inequality in business and society.

  • Social Enterprise Initiative

    We apply innovative business practices and managerial disciplines to drive sustained, high-impact social chage.

  • Managing the Future of Work

    The nature of work is changing. As companies grapple with forces.