Publications

Find at Harvard

September 2016 (Revised February 2019)
Case

KaBOOM!: Play at Scale (A)

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Sarah Appleby

A case on scaling social impact for nonprofits. Founded in 1995, KaBOOM! quickly became a nationally recognized nonprofit in building playgrounds with strong corporate partnerships and volunteer-organizing capabilities. Over the years, KaBOOM! developed new programs,... View Details

Keywords: Scaling Social Impact; Scaling; Nonprofit Scaling; Nonprofit Organizations; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Social Enterprise; Growth and Development Strategy; United States

October 2013 (Revised October 2017)
Case

Bridges Ventures

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Sarah Appleby

Bridges Ventures, a UK-based impact investor with double-digit returns on its investments, is reflecting on its social impact and pondering its future course. View Details

Keywords: Impact Investing; United Kingdom; Financial And Social Return; Social Enterprise; Investment Portfolio; Transportation Industry; Retail Industry; Real Estate Industry; United Kingdom

October 2024
Module Note

Purpose of the Firm

By: Debora L. Spar and Julia M. Comeau

Purpose of the Firm (PoF) is a short module designed to explore how, and under what circumstances, business leaders can harness the power of capitalism and markets to “make a difference in the world” – that is, to address a significant societal problem as a commercial... View Details

Keywords: Social Accounting; Purpose; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Social Enterprise; Mission and Purpose

December 2014
Case

DaVita HealthCare Partners and the Denver Public Schools: Creating Connections

By: John J-H Kim and Christine S. An

In 2011, DaVita HealthCare Partners (DaVita)—a Fortune 500 healthcare services company specializing in kidney dialysis services—and the Denver Public Schools (DPS)—the largest school district in Colorado—forged a plan to incorporate greater intentional focus on culture... View Details

30 Sep 2021
Blog Post

Driving Social Impact Through Consumer Behavior: Nonprofit to Finance to Retail with Nicole Krantz (MBA 2022)

watched her aunt lead her own nonprofit foundation which sowed the seeds for Krantz’s interest in social impact. She then translated this passion to the world of international relations and government at Duke University as an... View Details

Keywords: Retail

11 Feb 2022
News

Consumers Want to Use Their Purchasing Power to Address Ecological and Social Challenges, Says Geoffrey G. Jones

27 Jul 2020
Blog Post

HBS Summer Fellows Respond to COVID-19

The HBS Summer Fellowship Program provides an opportunity for students to develop skills and knowledge while having significant responsibility and high impact. This summer, HBS is supporting a record 162 Social View Details

January 2017 (Revised November 2018)
Case

Vox Capital: Pioneering Impact Investing in Brazil

By: Julie Battilana, Marissa Kimsey, Falko Paetzold and Priscilla Zogbi

Vox Capital was the first certified impact investing fund in Brazil. Founded in 2009, it provides early-stage capital for companies offering innovative and scalable solutions to enhance the lives of low-income Brazilians, while aiming to simultaneously generate... View Details

Keywords: Impact Investing; Social Performance Measurement; Social Entrepreneurship; Investment Funds; Social Enterprise; Brazil

February 2018
Case

Road Rage at the DMV

By: Andrew Wasynczuk, Katherine Baldiga Coffman and Karim Sameh

When Hewlett-Packard Enterprise notified the Rhode Island's Governor's Office that it wouldn't be able to deliver a "fully-functioning" technology upgrade for the Department of Motor Vehicles, both parties had reached a breaking point. While HPE argued that it would... View Details

Keywords: Department Of Motor Vehicles; Hewlett Packard; Hewlett Packard Enterprise; HP; HPE; Dispute Resolution; Litigation; Governor; Government; Dispute; Negotiation Process; Conflict and Resolution; Negotiation; Government and Politics; Technology Industry; Rhode Island

01 Sep 2012
News

Rebel with a Cause

environmental activist and ran for lieutenant governor of Massachusetts (he lost). HBS attracted Massie after he realized that business could be a powerful agent for shaping public policy and creating social good, “the most potent force... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne; social activism; Health, Social Assistance; Health, Social Assistance; Health, Social Assistance; Health, Social Assistance; Health, Social Assistance

10 Aug 2020
Blog Post

HBS Summer Fellows Focus on Racial Equity and Justice

The HBS Social Enterprise Initiative aims to educate, support, and inspire leaders to tackle society’s toughest challenges and make a difference in the world. We are committed to the fight for racial justice... View Details

October 2020 (Revised November 2020)
Case

Wilderness Safaris: Impact Investing and Ecotourism Conservation in Africa

By: James E. Austin, Megan Epler Wood and Herman B. "Dutch" Leonard

In 2018 the majority ownership of publicly owned Wilderness Safaris, the leading high-end ecotourism company in Africa with safari operations in eight countries, was acquired by The Rise Fund, one of the world’s largest private social impact investing funds, and by FS... View Details

January 2024
Technical Note

The ICARUS Principles: What It Takes to Tackle the World

By: Debora L. Spar and Julia M. Comeau

Over the course of the 20th century, most of the world’s major multinational corporations framed their mission around Milton Friedman’s famous mantra: that the sole purpose of the firm is to maximize its shareholders’ profits. Recently, however, growing numbers of... View Details

Keywords: Purpose; Mission; Social Business; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Mission and Purpose; Social Enterprise; For-Profit Firms

Research Summary

Corporate Lobbying Strategy and Foreign MNEs

“U.S. Defense Contracts and the Lobbying Strategies of Foreign MNEs: The Liability of Foreignness and Make-or-Buy Decisions about Political Goods”

Many firms engage in lobbying with the expectation that their lobbying efforts will... View Details

Keywords: Non-market Strategy; Political Strategy; Lobbying; Make V. Buy; Multinational Enterprise; Global Strategy; United States

04 Sep 2019
News

Impact Investing Firm Wins Grant

Keywords: social impact; Finance; entrepreneurship; Finance

April 2013 (Revised November 2015)
Case

Advanced Leadership Pathways: Gilberto Dimenstein and Community Empowerment in Brazil

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Alexandre Naghirniac, Ai-Ling Jamila Malone and Daniella Suarez

In 2011, Gilberto Dimenstein, a well-known Brazilian journalist, created a new model that connected disparate resources to revitalize Sao Paulo. He wanted his model to expand across Brazil and the world. Dimenstein covered many of the social issues facing Brazil as a... View Details

Keywords: Social Change; Websites; Education; Awareness; Marketing Communication; City Innovation; Leadership; Social Enterprise; Social Entrepreneurship; Web Sites; Marketing; City; Brazil

June 2013
Background Note

Venture Philanthropy: Its Evolution and Its Future

By: Allen Grossman, Sarah Appleby and Caitlin Reimers

This note explores the current state of venture philanthropy in the U.S. and its future. Based on interviews with 28 practitioners in the field of philanthropy and a review of the literature since the publication of the article introducing the concept of venture... View Details

Keywords: Philanthropy; Nonprofit; Social Institutions; Nonprofit Organizations; Social Entrepreneurship; Civil Society or Community; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; United States