Publications

November 2016
Article

Corporate Sustainability: First Evidence on Materiality

By: Mozaffar Khan, George Serafeim and Aaron Yoon

Using newly available materiality classifications of sustainability topics, we develop a novel dataset by hand-mapping sustainability investments classified as material for each industry into firm-specific sustainability ratings. This allows us to present new evidence... View Details

Keywords: Sustainability; Investments; Corporate Social Responsibility; Accounting; Corporate Reporting; Regulation; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Integrated Corporate Reporting; Investment; Corporate Governance

Web

Podcast - Business & Environment

earlier in 2020. Uncovering and Pricing Climate Risk 07 JUL 2020 | Climate Rising How do managers within the different sectors of financial services identify and value climate risk? Professor View Details

Web

Business & Environment - Faculty & Research

Integrated Reporting and Investor Clientele By: George Serafeim In this paper, I examine the relation between Integrated Reporting (IR) and the... View Details

13 Nov 2015
News

If CEOs Care About the Long Term, Why Don’t They Talk About It?

Web

Europe - Global

the integrity of family relationships. Did the expansion of the family branches in G3—where cousins and siblings might find themselves at odds—further complicate the path forward? June 2025 Case Transforming a Titan (A) By: View Details

June 2012
Article

Short Termism: Don't Blame the Investors

By: Francois Brochet, George Serafeim and Maria Loumioti

The article presents research on executives and corporation investor relations. A study is conducted of the language used by executives in conference calls discussing earnings with investors and financial analysts. A correlation was found between the use of language... View Details

Keywords: Financial Management; Business Earnings; Managerial Roles; Investment; Agency Theory; Communication Strategy; Business and Shareholder Relations

Register to Read

September 2023 (Revised November 2023)
Case

Seeds of Innovation: GALY's Quest to Cultivate the Future of Agriculture in the Lab

By: George Serafeim and Michael Norris

In 2023, Luciano Bueno, CEO and founder of plant cell culture agriculture company GALY, was considering the best path forward for his company as he planned to pitch Series B investors. GALY, founded in 2019, aimed to produce cotton and other crops from cells grown in... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Green Technology; Goods and Commodities; Growth and Development Strategy; Science-Based Business; Entrepreneurship; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Business Startups; Decisions; Technological Innovation; Production; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Technology Industry; Boston; Sao Paulo

Editorial

Elon Musk's Unusual Compensation Plan Isn't Really About Compensation at All

By: George Serafeim

Earlier this year, Tesla shareholders approved likely the largest compensation package ever awarded to a CEO—for a CEO who clearly doesn’t need the money. Elon Musk is already incredibly rich and also doesn’t seem particularly motivated by further wealth. So why do it?... View Details

Keywords: Tesla; Elon Musk; Innovation; Investor Communication; Investor Relations; Short-termism; Long-termism; Disruption; Executive Compensation; Business and Shareholder Relations; Communication Intention and Meaning; Mission and Purpose

Register to Read

Web

Research - Global

external multi-sector coalitions to help preserve... June 2025 Case Transforming a Titan (A) By: George Serafeim and Lena Duchene Dimitri Papalexopoulos, fourth-generation CEO... View Details

25 Jun 2015
News

Responsible investment: Vice versus nice

2022
Article

Which Corporate ESG News Does the Market React To?

By: George Serafeim and Aaron Yoon

Using a dataset that classifies firm-level ESG news as positive and negative, we examine how stock prices react to different types of ESG news. We analyze 111,020 firm-day observations for 3,126 companies and find that prices react only to issues identified as... View Details

Keywords: ESG; ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance; ESG Ratings; Social Capital; Environment; Sustainability; CSR; Stock Price; Stock Market Expectations; Materiality; Market Reaction; Environmental Sustainability; Governance; Social Issues; Performance; News

SSRN

Find at Harvard

20 May 2014
First Look

First Look: May 20

Corporate and Integrated Reporting: A Functional Perspective By: Eccles, Robert G., and George Serafeim Abstract—In this paper, we present the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

April 2019 (Revised July 2019)
Case

Aperture Investors

By: Krishna G. Palepu, George Serafeim and David Lane

Aperture Investors is a startup investment firm that seeks to disrupt the asset management industry through competitive differentiation by charging investors primarily when its portfolio managers outperform the marketplace. Headed by Wall Street veteran Peter Kraus and... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Talent and Talent Management; Investment; Investment Funds; Asset Management; Recruitment; Selection and Staffing; Marketing Channels; Emerging Markets; Partners and Partnerships; Motivation and Incentives; Financial Services Industry

18 Mar 2014
First Look

First Look: March 18

https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=46779 Working Papers An Analysis of Firms' Self-Reported Anticorruption Efforts By: Healy, Paul M., and George Serafeim... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

13 Mar 2015
News

If Greece Embraces Uncertainty, Innovation Will Follow

February 2012
Case

First Quantum Minerals vs. Eurasian Natural Resources

By: George Serafeim

The case describes the battle between First Quantum Mineral (FQM) and Eurasian Resources over mines in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). After FQM's license to operate was revoked by the government of the DRC, Eurasian bought the rights over the mines that were... View Details

Keywords: Governing and Advisory Boards; Business and Government Relations; Corporate Governance; Natural Environment; Risk and Uncertainty; Government and Politics; Mining Industry; Congo, Democratic Republic of the