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The Case for Investing in Digital Public Infrastructure
Business and society Digital ArticleHow businesses and governments can work together to build digital foundations that benefit everyone. -
Should Your Start-up Be For-Profit or Nonprofit?
Nonprofit organizations Magazine ArticleA guide for social entrepreneurs -
Moving the Needle on Sustainability
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Magazine ArticleMany sustainability initiatives focus on improving the sustainability of products and operations in legacy or adjacent markets or on achieving sustainability... -
Why Sharing Economic Growth with the Community Is Good Business
Social and global issues Digital ArticleMutually beneficial partnerships can both drive profit and alleviate poverty. -
What Happens When a Company (Like Patagonia) Transfers Ownership to a Nonprofit?
Corporate governance Digital ArticleThis form of ownership may be new in the U.S., but it’s relatively common in Europe. -
How Business Coalitions Can Have a Strong Local Impact
Business and society Digital ArticleBest practices based on an analysis of more than 40 regional initiatives. -
Accounting for Climate Change
Accounting Magazine ArticleThe first rigorous approach to ESG reporting -
The Net Positive Manifesto
Strategy & Execution Magazine ArticleBoth practically and morally, corporate leaders can no longer sit on the sidelines of major societal shifts or treat human and planetary issues as "someone... -
How NGOs Can Help More People with DIY Solutions
Business and society Digital ArticleIn certain cases, offering unfinished products to aid recipients can lead to better results — and help make the most of limited resources. -
How Low and Middle-Income Countries Are Innovating to Combat Covid
Global Business Digital ArticleSeven lessons for innovators everywhere. -
Getting Serious About Stakeholder Capitalism
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleBusiness can't thrive in an environment of unhealthy employees, customers, and communities, an at-risk planet, and a fractured society. To transition... -
Why Today’s Startups Pursue Both Ideas and Ideals
Corporate social responsibility Big IdeaPurpose can provide strategic and operational advantages. -
Power Sharing Can Change Corporations for the Better
Global Business Big IdeaStrategies for ensuring stakeholder voices are heard and ESG goals are met. -
Shareholders Are Pressing for Climate Risk Disclosures. That's Good for Everyone.
Strategy & Execution Digital ArticleNew research finds that this activism leads to more transparency and that markets react favorably. -
A New Way to Scale Social Enterprise
Social enterprise Digital ArticleA new type of security, called “mission equity,” caps investor returns so the company’s financial success can help fuel its mission. -
Companies Can - and Should - Help Employees Pay Student Loans
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleLessons from PwC's paydown program. -
ESG Impact Is Hard to Measure - But It's Not Impossible
Technology & Operations Digital ArticleThree ways to capture the data that matters. -
Boards Are Obstructing ESG - at Their Own Peril
Strategy & Execution Digital ArticleEnvironmental, social, and governance issues have a greater impact on company finances than many directors realize. -
Why Ben & Jerry’s Speaks Out
Corporate social responsibility Digital ArticleAn interview with CEO Matthew McCarthy and global activism chief Christopher Miller. -
5 Strategies to Help Charities Weather the Pandemic
Global Business Digital ArticleLessons from the fundraising arm of St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.
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Creating Shared Value
Strategy & Execution HBR BestsellerThe capitalist system is under siege. Recently business has been criticized as a major cause of social, environmental, and economic problems. Companies... -
The Case for Investing in Digital Public Infrastructure
Business and society Digital ArticleHow businesses and governments can work together to build digital foundations that benefit everyone. -
The Competitive Advantage of Corporate Philanthropy
Competitive strategy Magazine ArticleMost companies feel compelled to give to charity. Few have figured out how to do it well. -
Strategy and Society: The Link Between Competitive Advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility
Social enterprise HBR BestsellerGovernments, activists, and the media have become adept at holding companies to account for the social consequences of their activities. Myriad organizations rank companies on the performance of their corporate social responsibility (CSR), and, despite sometimes questionable methodologies, these rankings attract considerable publicity. As a result, CSR has emerged as an inescapable priority for business […] -
The Challenge of Going Green
Corporate social responsibility Magazine ArticleGreen strategies are necessary, but which ones, and how will we pay for them? -
Recycling for Profit: The New Green Business Frontier
Economics Magazine ArticleHow companies can turn building demand for recycled products into a competitive advantage. -
Don’t Assume the Shoe Fits
Corporate social responsibility Magazine ArticleMost businesspeople will serve on the board of a nonprofit organization at some point. But the governance of nonprofits can differ dramatically from the governance of businesses. Even the best intentions can prove disastrous when new board members fail to understand that their traditional business experience can carry them only so far. -
Collaboration Is the New Competition
Social enterprise Digital ArticleFive ways to drive large-scale social change by working cooperatively. -
Davos 2010: Millennium Development Goals and the Partnership of Business, Government, and Nonprofits
Corporate social responsibility Digital ArticleOn Friday, I was part of a plenary session to discuss progress toward the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This was my first plenary at Davos and I noticed that the auditorium thankfully looked much smaller from the stage — it looks much bigger when you are in the audience! Nearly all the MDGs […] -
Solving Complex Social Problems Through Collaboration
Leadership & Managing People Digital ArticleConnecting philanthropy with need. -
Get Ready To Be a Changemaker
Social enterprise Digital ArticleWe are on the cusp of a fundamental change — a worldwide change in the skills everyone needs to succeed, in the nature of organizations, and in how businesses must be led. The agricultural revolution set up a pattern that still exists today. A small surplus meant that only a small elite could create culture […] -
Philanthropy’s New Agenda: Creating Value
Corporate social responsibility Magazine ArticleSatisfied with doing good, too few foundations work strategically to do better. -
The Eight-Word Mission Statement
Social enterprise Digital ArticleDay one of the PopTech conference in Camden, Maine was a polyglot delight. Presentations covered topics as far afield as the establishment of jaguar preserves to the neurological patterns that occur when humans encounter non-expected data. Fascinating stuff. My colleague Associate Editor Sarah Green and I have been Tweeting the conference in process. You can […] -
A New Vision for Retirement: Productive and Meaningful
Retirement planning Digital ArticleInstead of retiring, baby boomers can fill the talent gap in social enterprises. -
Eradicating Global Poverty and Disease Begins at Home
Social enterprise Digital ArticleThose of us fortunate enough to have spent most of our lives under a solidly built roof sometimes take for granted the health benefits of modern housing. We assume that our rooms will be well-ventilated and well-lit, with solid walls and windows that keep out disease-carrying insects. Indoor plumbing erases the need for proper sanitation […] -
Soap Opera Ads that Could Change the World
Corporate social responsibility Digital ArticleWhen you and your colleagues go home at night, what do you usually do? After having dinner, you might sit in front of the TV and unwind. Depending on what you watch, you might come to work the next day feeling depressed or excited by what you’ve seen. You may spend time at the coffee […] -
The Untapped Opportunity in Unformed Markets
Social enterprise Digital ArticleMarkets are emerging for social problems. Consider these numbers: $158 billion = size of the low-income health care market $332 billion = size of the low-income housing market $2.90 trillion = size of the low-income global food market And there are other unformed markets that cut across income levels: For example, what’s the size of […] -
Every Business Is (Or Should Be) a Social Business
Social enterprise Digital ArticleThe best business models blend profit and impact. -
The $300 House: The Design Challenge
Social enterprise Digital ArticleEditor’s note: This post is one in an occasional series on Vijay Govindarajan’s and Christian Sarkar’s idea to create a scalable housing solution for the world’s poor. Each post will examine the challenge from a different perspective, including design, technology, urban planning and more. Today, Bill Gross looks at the design challenge. The $300 House: […] -
How Social Innovation Is Helping Homeless Veterans
Social enterprise Digital ArticleThis nonprofit uses creative approaches to success – and you can too.
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Arist: Learning Bit by Bit
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study8.95View Details Arist was a Boston, Massachusetts-based startup with a text message learning platform. It was founded by three undergraduate students and raised more... -
The Novartis Malaria Initiative
Strategy & Execution Case Study12.00View Details The Novartis Malaria Initiative was designed, as a result of a precedent-setting agreement with the World Health Organization in 2001, to provide a breakthrough... -
Anti-Racist Leadership: Tools for Transforming Your Company Culture
Management Book125.00View Details In their book "Anti-Racist Leadership: How to Transform Corporate Culture in a Race-Conscious World," James D. White and Krista White lay out an action... -
Pacesetters
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study8.95View Details City Sealcoating CEO Keith Chaney had just publicly called out the Boston Chamber of Commerce for their slow progress on their supplier diversity program,... -
A Note on Water
Organizational Development Case Study8.95View Details This note provides background on the complex issues regarding the supply and consumption of water and how this natural resource is at increasing risk,... -
Conducting Social Impact Assessment for Third Sector Organizations
Management Case Study8.95View Details Social impact assessment has become increasingly valued by social investors or funders to capture the value their investments can generate. As such, traditional... -
Fair Employment Agency: Eliminating Forced Labor Through Ethical Business Practices
Strategy & Execution Case Study8.95View Details The case is inspired in the real story of Scott Stiles and the Fair Employment Agency, a non-profit employment agency, founded in Hong Kong, with the... -
Reel Gardening: Pursuing a Social Mission through Market Mechanisms
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study8.95View Details In May 2021, Claire Reid, the founder of social enterprise start-up Reel Gardening, spoke about her ambitious ten-year plan to help secure nutritious... -
Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take
30.00View Details Runaway climate change and rampant inequality are ravaging the world and costing a fortune. Who will help lead us to a better future? Business. These... -
VidyaGyan: Bridging the Rural Urban Divide
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study8.95View Details Set up in 2008, VidyaGyan was a residential school for children in grades 6-12 from low-income rural families in Uttar Pradesh in northern India. It was... -
Armco Inc.--The Bubble Policy
Leadership & Managing People Case Study8.95View Details This case considers the EPA's bubble policy, which allows pollution to be managed on a plantwide basis rather than stack by stack. A pollution constraint... -
Guild Education: Unlocking Opportunity for America's Workforce
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study8.95View Details Founded in 2015, Guild Education is an education marketplace that connects employers and universities to provide employees with 'education as a benefit.'... -
Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai, India: In Service for Sight, Portuguese Version
Sales & Marketing Case Study8.95View Details Starting as a modest 20-bed hospital, Aravind had grown into a 1,400-bed hospital complex by 1992. It had by then screened 3.65 million patients and performed... -
Green Monday, Chinese Version
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study8.95View Details This case describes the entrepreneurial journey of David Yeung, from campaigning for plant-based diets to building Green Monday, a purpose-driven business... -
Manan Publishing: Raising Funds for Not-for-profit
Management Case Study8.95View Details Subir Shukla, the Principal Coordinator in Ignus Pahal, was involved in improving education for marginalized children. After working for many years at... -
World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF)
Strategy & Execution Case Study8.95View Details Nearly all environmental organizations have a similar aim: to stop the degradation of the natural environment. However, the strategies which environmental... -
Social Finance, Inc.
Finance & Accounting Case Study8.95View Details -
The END Fund: To Eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases
Management Case Study8.95View Details Founded in 2012, the END fund focused on eliminating five Neglected Tropical Diseases that accounted for 80% of the tropical diseases affecting nearly... -
Gone Rural
Finance & Accounting Case Study8.95View Details Gone Rural employs 750 women in rural communities across Swaziland to produce handwoven baskets and other hand-crafted items. The women are mostly grandmothers...
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Creating Shared Value
Strategy & Execution HBR BestsellerThe capitalist system is under siege. Recently business has been criticized as a major cause of social, environmental, and economic problems. Companies... -
The Case for Investing in Digital Public Infrastructure
Business and society Digital ArticleHow businesses and governments can work together to build digital foundations that benefit everyone. -
The Competitive Advantage of Corporate Philanthropy
Competitive strategy Magazine ArticleMost companies feel compelled to give to charity. Few have figured out how to do it well. -
Strategy and Society: The Link Between Competitive Advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility
Social enterprise HBR BestsellerGovernments, activists, and the media have become adept at holding companies to account for the social consequences of their activities. Myriad organizations rank companies on the performance of their corporate social responsibility (CSR), and, despite sometimes questionable methodologies, these rankings attract considerable publicity. As a result, CSR has emerged as an inescapable priority for business […] -
The Challenge of Going Green
Corporate social responsibility Magazine ArticleGreen strategies are necessary, but which ones, and how will we pay for them? -
Recycling for Profit: The New Green Business Frontier
Economics Magazine ArticleHow companies can turn building demand for recycled products into a competitive advantage. -
Don’t Assume the Shoe Fits
Corporate social responsibility Magazine ArticleMost businesspeople will serve on the board of a nonprofit organization at some point. But the governance of nonprofits can differ dramatically from the governance of businesses. Even the best intentions can prove disastrous when new board members fail to understand that their traditional business experience can carry them only so far. -
Arist: Learning Bit by Bit
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Case Study8.95View Details Arist was a Boston, Massachusetts-based startup with a text message learning platform. It was founded by three undergraduate students and raised more... -
Collaboration Is the New Competition
Social enterprise Digital ArticleFive ways to drive large-scale social change by working cooperatively. -
Davos 2010: Millennium Development Goals and the Partnership of Business, Government, and Nonprofits
Corporate social responsibility Digital ArticleOn Friday, I was part of a plenary session to discuss progress toward the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This was my first plenary at Davos and I noticed that the auditorium thankfully looked much smaller from the stage — it looks much bigger when you are in the audience! Nearly all the MDGs […]