Publications
Publications
- 2022
Can Salesforce Compete in the Carbon Accounting Market?
By: Andrew J. Hoffman
Abstract
This case describes Salesforce's development of Sustainability Cloud, a suite of software tools built to help companies measure, track, and report carbon emissions and other sustainability metrics. The goal of this case is to provide students with a background and foundational knowledge of three topics: software as a service (SaaS); environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards; and carbon accounting. The case places students in the role of the fictional Salesforce vice president of sustainability, who is deciding whether or not to recommend the development and launch of Sustainability Cloud 2.0. She is pondering many issues. Since Salesforce was able to become a world leader in SaaS software, could it become a leader in sustainability software, as well? After analyzing the decision at hand, students should be ready to meet with Salesforce executives and make a recommendation about next steps for the company's sustainability software products.
Keywords
Environmental Accounting; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Corporate Accountability; Applications and Software
Citation
Hoffman, Andrew J. "Can Salesforce Compete in the Carbon Accounting Market?" William Davidson Institute Case 6-796-717, 2022.