Social Enterprise
Social Enterprise
HBS pioneered the concept of “social enterprise” with the founding of its Social Enterprise Initiative (SEI) in 1993. Under the early leadership of James Austin on the importance of collaborative relationships to the success of nonprofits and Allen Grossman and V. Kasturi “Kash” Rangan on new directions in nonprofit strategy, we adopted a problem-focused approach toward understanding the challenges associated with driving sustained, high-impact social change. Current research focuses on leadership of socially mission-driven organizations; the role of business leaders and corporate citizenship in driving social change; business models that address poverty; management of high-performing K-12 public school districts; and financing models for the non-profit sector.
Initiatives & Projects
The Social Enterprise Initiative, Business & Environment Initiative, and Health Care Initiative apply innovative business practices and managerial disciplines to drive sustained, high-impact social change.
Social EnterpriseBusiness & EnvironmentHealth CareRecent Publications
A Better Way to Measure Social Impact
- September 26, 2024 |
- Article |
- Harvard Business Review Digital Articles
Open Door Legal: Universal Legal Access
- September 2024 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
It’s Time to Unbundle ESG
- September 20, 2024 |
- Article |
- Harvard Business Review (website)
CSR Under the Pressure of Financial Shocks
- 2024 |
- Working Paper |
- Faculty Research
Pioneering Pain Management: CWC Alliance Combats the Opioid Epidemic
- August 2024 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors: Bringing Systematic Investment to Philanthropy
- July 2024 |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
One Way to Help Employees Build Emergency Savings
- May 14, 2024 |
- Article |
- Harvard Business Review (website)
Disclosing Downstream Emissions
- July–August 2024 |
- Article |
- Harvard Business Review
Certain companies, however, are accountable for disclosing downstream emissions generated by consumers’ use of their products. Three principles govern accountability: (1) Downstream accountability is limited to companies whose products are directly used by end customers. (2) Accountability for B2C companies is limited to cases where a reasonable causal link exists between product-design decisions and the downstream emissions generated by consumers. (3) Companies are accountable for disclosing emissions produced per unit of use, not for total emissions.
This article presents the principles and explains how and to what standards of reliability the companies should disclose downstream emissions.
Shell's Balancing Act: Resource Allocation and the Green Transition
- May 2024 (Revised May 2024) |
- Case |
- Faculty Research
Together for Sustainability
- May 2024 (Revised June 2024) |
- Case |
- Faculty Research