Filter Results
:
(207)
Show Results For
-
All HBS Web
(115,636)
- Faculty Publications (207)
Show Results For
-
All HBS Web
(115,636)
- Faculty Publications (207)
- May 1, 2020
- Article
COVID-19's Hard Lessons Might Prepare Business for Climate Change
By: Joseph B. Lassiter III and Danielle Kost
The coronavirus pandemic caught the business world by surprise, but the catastrophe might force companies to face a crisis that has been unfolding in plain sight: climate change.
We asked faculty members affiliated with the Business and Environment Initiative at... View Details
We asked faculty members affiliated with the Business and Environment Initiative at... View Details
"COVID-19's Hard Lessons Might Prepare Business for Climate Change." Harvard Business School Working Knowledge (May 1, 2020).
- May 2020
- Article
Tackling Climate Change Requires Organizational Purpose
By: Rebecca Henderson and George Serafeim
Unchecked climate change presents a profound threat to economic growth and political stability but despite widespread public concern about the issue, global emissions of greenhouse gases have not declined. Indeed current “business as usual” predictions imply that...
View Details
Keywords:
Corporate Purpose;
Purpose;
Sustainability;
Environment;
Climate Change;
Organizations;
Mission and Purpose;
Environmental Sustainability;
Strategy;
Leadership
Henderson, Rebecca, and George Serafeim. "Tackling Climate Change Requires Organizational Purpose." AEA Papers and Proceedings 110 (May 2020): 177–180.
- April 2020 (Revised May 2021)
- Case
Middlebury College: Energy2028
By: Brian Trelstad, Michael Norris and John McKinley
In 2018, Middlebury College’s board of trustees is considering a proposal called Energy2028 that would push the small, liberal arts and sciences college in Vermont to become a net zero carbon emitter, decrease energy usage by 25%, divest fossil fuels from its...
View Details
Trelstad, Brian, Michael Norris, and John McKinley. "Middlebury College: Energy2028." Harvard Business School Case 320-029, April 2020. (Revised May 2021.)
- March 2020 (Revised May 2020)
- Case
Generation Investment Management
By: Vikram S. Gandhi and Sarah Mehta
By January 2020, sustainable investment firm Generation Investment Management (Generation), founded in London in 2004, had grown from a shared vision among seven founders to a 90-person firm managing $27 billion in public and private equity. Throughout its history,...
View Details
Keywords:
Sustainable Investing;
Climate Change;
Environmental Sustainability;
Finance;
Equity;
Governance;
Private Equity;
Public Equity;
Financial Markets;
Investment;
Investment Return;
Investment Activism;
Investment Funds;
Investment Portfolio;
Institutional Investing;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Financial Services Industry;
United Kingdom;
England;
London
Gandhi, Vikram S., and Sarah Mehta. "Generation Investment Management." Harvard Business School Case 820-033, March 2020. (Revised May 2020.)
- March 1, 2020
- Other Article
Walking the Talk
By: Peter Tufano
Tufano, Peter. "Walking the Talk." LinkedIn Pulse (March 1, 2020).
- February 2020
- Supplement
Indigo Agriculture: Harnessing Nature
By: Michael W. Toffel and James Barnett
Indigo Agriculture used a digital-enabled research and development (R&D) process to launch its initial product, microbial coatings for agricultural seeds, which increase crop yields while reducing the need for fertilizers. In doing so, the company developed direct...
View Details
Keywords:
Operations;
Supply Chain;
Social Enterprise;
Product Development;
Distribution Channels;
Business Strategy;
Digital Platforms;
Environmental Sustainability;
Science-Based Business;
Climate Change;
Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry;
Green Technology Industry;
United States;
Massachusetts
- February 2020 (Revised August 2021)
- Case
Australia: Commodities, Competitiveness, Climate and China
By: Richard H.K. Vietor and Laura Alfaro
For the past few decades, Australia has dealt with the benefits and costs of repeated mining booms—inflation, a housing bubble, a current account deficit, and growing dependence on China. Between 1996 and 2007, however, Australia had most of these issues under control...
View Details
Keywords:
Commodities;
Competitiveness;
Carbon Tax;
Environment;
Capital Flows;
Current Account;
Mining;
Economy;
Problems and Challenges;
Climate Change;
Taxation;
Competition;
Financial Condition;
Government and Politics;
Inflation and Deflation;
Environmental Sustainability;
Australia
Vietor, Richard H.K., and Laura Alfaro. "Australia: Commodities, Competitiveness, Climate and China." Harvard Business School Case 720-028, February 2020. (Revised August 2021.)
- February 2020 (Revised February 2022)
- Case
Sustainable Product Management at Solvay
By: George Serafeim, Vincent Dessain and Mette Fuglsang Hjortshoej
In November 2019, Ilham Kadri, CEO of Solvay, a Belgian specialty chemicals and advanced materials group, with annual revenues of more than €10 billion in 2018, announced the group’s mid-term strategy, eight months after she took the helm as Solvay’s 11th CEO. The case...
View Details
Keywords:
Sustainability;
Sustainable Business And Innovation;
Sustainability Management;
Sustainable Development;
Management Accounting;
Innovation;
Carbon Emissions;
Sustainability Reporting;
Sustainability Targets;
Target-setting;
Product;
Management;
Transformation;
Growth and Development Strategy;
Climate Change;
Environmental Sustainability;
Chemical Industry;
Europe;
Belgium
Serafeim, George, Vincent Dessain, and Mette Fuglsang Hjortshoej. "Sustainable Product Management at Solvay." Harvard Business School Case 120-081, February 2020. (Revised February 2022.)
- January 2020 (Revised October 2023)
- Case
Governing PG&E
By: Lynn S. Paine and Will Hurwitz
The five commissioners of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) listened intently at a public forum in April 2019 as PG&E Corporation’s out-going chairman Richard Kelly described the company’s proposed new board. PG&E, which provided electricity and natural...
View Details
Keywords:
Bankruptcy;
Board Of Directors;
Board Dynamics;
Business Ethics;
Business Model Innovation;
Corporate Boards;
Energy Efficiency;
Environmental And Social Sustainability;
Government And Business;
Hedge Funds;
Institutional Investors;
Legal Aspects Of Business;
Regulated Monopolies;
Regulation;
Shareholders;
Stakeholder Management;
Strategy And Execution;
Utilities;
Insolvency and Bankruptcy;
Governing and Advisory Boards;
Ethics;
Capital Structure;
Climate Change;
Corporate Accountability;
Corporate Governance;
Environmental Sustainability;
Executive Compensation;
Leadership;
Management;
Safety;
Business and Government Relations;
Energy Industry;
Utilities Industry;
California;
United States
Paine, Lynn S., and Will Hurwitz. "Governing PG&E." Harvard Business School Case 320-024, January 2020. (Revised October 2023.)
- January 2020 (Revised July 2020)
- Case
BlackRock: Linking Purpose to Profit
The case revolves around the actions that Barbara Novick, co-founder and Vice-Chair of Blackrock, and Michelle Edkins, Global Head of Investment Stewardship, would need to take in response to the controversial CEO letters from Laurence (Larry) Fink, Chairman and CEO of...
View Details
Keywords:
Boards Of Directors;
Institutional Investors;
Disclosure;
Transparency;
Corporate Purpose;
Corporate Profits;
ESG;
ESG Disclosure Metrics;
Corporate Sustainability;
Engagement Strategy Of Institutions;
Stewardship Role Of Institutions;
BlackRock;
Corporate Governance;
Governing and Advisory Boards;
Institutional Investing;
Accounting;
Corporate Disclosure;
Mission and Purpose;
Profit;
Environmental Sustainability;
Climate Change;
Diversity;
Corporate Accountability;
Financial Services Industry;
United States
Deshpandé, Rohit, Aiyesha Dey, and George Serafeim. "BlackRock: Linking Purpose to Profit." Harvard Business School Case 120-042, January 2020. (Revised July 2020.)
- January 2020 (Revised April 2020)
- Case
Fossil Fuel Divestment
By: Michael W. Toffel and Sarah Gulick
The president of Harvard University is facing growing pressure from students, alumni, and other climate change activists that are urging the university to divest its multi-billion dollar endowment from fossil fuel companies. The case summarizes the arguments for and...
View Details
Keywords:
Divestment;
Harvard University;
Higher Education;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Environmental Sustainability;
Climate Change;
Public Opinion;
Ethics;
Education Industry
Toffel, Michael W., and Sarah Gulick. "Fossil Fuel Divestment." Harvard Business School Case 620-093, January 2020. (Revised April 2020.)
- January 2020
- Background Note
Climate Change in 2020: Implications for Business
By: Rebecca M. Henderson, Sophus A. Reinert and Mariana Oseguera
This note provides general information about climate change and its implications for business. Included is an overview of climate change science and a number of its impacts, including rising sea levels, changing weather patterns and extreme weather, pressure on water...
View Details
Keywords:
Climate Change;
Environmental Accounting;
Agribusiness;
Economic Growth;
Energy Conservation;
Energy Generation;
Renewable Energy;
Energy Sources;
Non-Renewable Energy;
Globalized Markets and Industries;
National Security;
Government Legislation;
Operations;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Problems and Challenges;
Risk and Uncertainty;
Natural Disasters;
Natural Environment;
Environmental Sustainability;
Pollutants;
Science-Based Business;
Weather;
Society;
Technology
Henderson, Rebecca M., Sophus A. Reinert, and Mariana Oseguera. "Climate Change in 2020: Implications for Business." Harvard Business School Background Note 320-087, January 2020. (Click here for a complimentary copy on the Business & Environment Initiative’s site.)
- January 2020
- Case
Sunset Limited or Full Speed Ahead? Amtrak Talks to Congress
By: John D. Macomber
Richard Anderson took the helm of Amtrak in 2017 after leading a successful turnaround at Delta Airlines. Amtrak is a US state owned enterprise with about $3.5 bn in annual revenue (and a large operating loss) that is responsible for substantial segments of passenger...
View Details
- November 2019 (Revised June 2020)
- Case
Indigo Agriculture: Harnessing Nature
By: Marco Iansiti, Michael W. Toffel and James Barnett
Indigo Agriculture used a digital-enabled research and development (R&D) process to launch its initial product, microbial coatings for agricultural seeds, which increase crop yields while reducing the need for fertilizers. In doing so, the company developed direct...
View Details
Keywords:
Carbon Sequestration;
Operations;
Supply Chain;
Social Enterprise;
Product Development;
Distribution Channels;
Business Strategy;
Digital Platforms;
Environmental Sustainability;
Science-Based Business;
Climate Change;
Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry;
Green Technology Industry;
United States;
Massachusetts
Iansiti, Marco, Michael W. Toffel, and James Barnett. "Indigo Agriculture: Harnessing Nature." Harvard Business School Case 620-024, November 2019. (Revised June 2020.)
- November 2019 (Revised April 2020)
- Case
Danone: Changing the Food System
By: David E. Bell, Federica Gabrieli and Daniela Beyersdorfer
Emmanuel Faber, Chairman and CEO of the food and beverage company Danone, believed that humankind had only ten years to bend the curve on climate change and restore the biodiversity that the global food and agricultural ecosystem was critically dependent on. Upon...
View Details
Keywords:
Animal-Based Agribusiness;
Plant-Based Agribusiness;
Food;
Nutrition;
Quality;
Business and Stakeholder Relations;
Environmental Sustainability;
Climate Change;
Business Model;
Food and Beverage Industry;
Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry;
France
Bell, David E., Federica Gabrieli, and Daniela Beyersdorfer. "Danone: Changing the Food System." Harvard Business School Case 520-053, November 2019. (Revised April 2020.)
- 2021
- Working Paper
Shareholder Activism and Firms' Voluntary Disclosure of Climate Change Risks
By: Caroline Flammer, Michael W. Toffel and Kala Viswanathan
This paper examines whether—in the absence of mandated disclosure requirements—shareholder activism can elicit greater disclosure of firms’ exposure to climate change risks. We find that environmental shareholder activism increases the voluntary disclosure of climate...
View Details
Keywords:
Shareholder Activism;
Climate Risk;
Corporate Accountability;
Climate Change;
Corporate Disclosure;
Corporate Governance;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Business and Shareholder Relations;
Risk and Uncertainty;
Natural Environment;
Environmental Sustainability;
Financial Services Industry;
United States
Flammer, Caroline, Michael W. Toffel, and Kala Viswanathan. "Shareholder Activism and Firms' Voluntary Disclosure of Climate Change Risks." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 20-049, October 2019. (Revised March 2021.)
- September 30, 2019
- Article
Climate Change and Our Emerging Cultural Shift
Today, we have made climate change trivial by making its solutions easy, looking for simple answers that are palatable, generally framing it in the language of commerce. In the long run, it won’t work. There is no technological or political silver bullet to solving our...
View Details
Hoffman, Andrew J. "Climate Change and Our Emerging Cultural Shift." Behavioral Scientist (September 30, 2019).
- September 2019 (Revised August 2020)
- Case
Engineering an Inclusive Bioeconomy
By: Tarun Khanna, Raffaella Sadun and Susie L. Ma
In 2019, entrepreneur Juan Carlos Castilla-Rubio was developing a project he hoped could generate and share wealth from the natural resources of the Amazon without destroying those resources. His idea, called Earth Bank of Codes (EBC), would create a library of the...
View Details
Keywords:
Decision Making;
Development Economics;
Entrepreneurship;
Innovation and Invention;
Intellectual Property;
Emerging Markets;
Market Design;
Marketplace Matching;
Science;
Genetics;
Natural Environment;
Environmental Sustainability;
Climate Change;
Social Enterprise;
Strategy;
Strategic Planning;
Information Technology;
Ownership;
Social Psychology;
Trust;
Society;
Biotechnology Industry;
South America;
Amazon Basin
Khanna, Tarun, Raffaella Sadun, and Susie L. Ma. "Engineering an Inclusive Bioeconomy." Harvard Business School Case 720-356, September 2019. (Revised August 2020.)
- 2019
- Working Paper
Decarbonization Factors
By: Alex Cheema-Fox, Bridget LaPerla, George Serafeim, David Turkington and Hui (Stacie) Wang
In the face of accelerating climate change, investors are making capital allocations seeking to decarbonize portfolios by reducing the carbon emissions of their holdings. To understand the performance of portfolio decarbonization strategies and investor behavior...
View Details
Keywords:
ESG;
Investment Management;
Factor Investing;
Investor Behavior;
Climate Change;
Environmental Sustainability;
Investment;
Management
Cheema-Fox, Alex, Bridget LaPerla, George Serafeim, David Turkington, and Hui (Stacie) Wang. "Decarbonization Factors." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 20-037, September 2019. (Revised November 2019.)
- August 2019 (Revised April 2021)
- Case
Unifying Divisions: Joro's Mission to Preserve the Planet
By: Shikhar Ghosh and Marilyn Morgan Westner
The case focuses on the initial startup team and Founders’ agreements. In March 2018, Sanchali Pal proposed renegotiating the informal founders’ agreement and equity split she and her co-founders had drafted the previous spring. They had been working together for over...
View Details
Keywords:
Founders' Agreements;
Business Startups;
Climate Change;
Agreements and Arrangements;
Conflict Management
Ghosh, Shikhar, and Marilyn Morgan Westner. "Unifying Divisions: Joro's Mission to Preserve the Planet." Harvard Business School Case 820-032, August 2019. (Revised April 2021.)