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• Case | HBS Case Collection | March 2017 (Revised June 2019)

  CEO Activism (A)

  Michael W. Toffel, Aaron K. Chatterji and Julia Kelley

  This case introduces CEO activism, a phenomenon in which business leaders engage in political or social issues that do not relate directly to their companies. The case uses several examples to describe why business leaders are engaging in CEO activism and the potential benefits and drawbacks: (1) how Angie’s List’s CEO responded to the state of Indiana passing a controversial religious freedom law; (2) how Duke Energy’s CEO supported pending U.S. legislation addressing climate change, and (3) how Chobani Yogurt’s CEO publicly supported refugees. Students are then provided with the situation faced by PayPal CEO Dan Schulman after North Carolina passed House Bill 2, which Schulman perceived as discriminatory against LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) individuals. Students are asked to consider whether Schulman should engage in CEO activism and, if so, how best to approach the situation. The (B) case provides an update on Schulman’s decision.

  Keywords: Leadership & Corporate Accountability; leadership; environmental and social sustainability; environment; climate change; Gender equality; Communication Strategy; Moral Sensibility; Values and Beliefs; Leadership; Law; Rights; Risk Management; Media; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Religion; Expansion; Strategy; Social Issues; Consumer Products Industry; Electronics Industry; Technology Industry; United States; Indiana; North Carolina;

  Citation:

  Toffel, Michael W., Aaron K. Chatterji, and Julia Kelley. "CEO Activism (A)." Harvard Business School Case 617-001, March 2017. (Revised June 2019.)  View Details

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• Article | Harvard Business Review (website) | May 16, 2019

  To Improve Food Inspections, Change the Way They're Scheduled

  Maria Ibanez and Michael W. Toffel

  Health inspections are an important tool to increase food safety, but there are still 48 million cases of food-borne illnesses and 128,000 hospitalizations every year in the United States. Our research finds that inspectors reported fewer health code violations as they conducted subsequent inspections throughout the day, and even fewer violations at inspections that risked prolonging their work day. Also, inspectors reported more code violations when the previous establishment the inspector visited had many violations. Based on these patterns, we propose scheduling adjustments that would increase inspectors’ scrutiny and significantly reduce food-borne illnesses and hospitalizations.

  Keywords: inspection; scheduling; Food; Safety; Health; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Performance Improvement;

  Citation:

  Ibanez, Maria, and Michael W. Toffel. "To Improve Food Inspections, Change the Way They're Scheduled." Harvard Business Review (website) (May 16, 2019).  View Details

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• Teaching Note | HBS Case Collection | May 2019

  JUUL and the Vaping Revolution

  Michael W. Toffel, Trevor Fetter, John Masko and Sarah Mehta

  Teaching Note for HBS No. 619-006.

  Keywords: electronic cigarettes; E-Cigarettes; vaping; Nicotine Replacement; JUUL; Juuling; Advertising; Advertising Campaigns; Online Advertising; Customers; Innovation and Invention; Innovation Strategy; Marketing; Ethics; Brands and Branding; Marketing Communications; Marketing Strategy; Product Marketing; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Social Issues; Technology; Technology Industry; San Francisco;

  Citation:

  Toffel, Michael W., Trevor Fetter, John Masko, and Sarah Mehta. "JUUL and the Vaping Revolution." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 619-068, May 2019.  View Details

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