Publications

October 16, 2023
Article

How a Defined Purpose Drove Unilever’s Turnaround

By: Ranjay Gulati

Keywords: Mission and Purpose; Leadership; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability

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November 2015 (Revised June 2017)
Case

Mission Impossible? Yummy77 Delivers Groceries within the Hour

By: Benjamin Edelman

Yummy77 considers alternative operational models to reduce cost, improve speed, and increase appeal. Can one of these approaches succeed where others have failed? View Details

Keywords: Grocery Delivery; Operations; Platforms; Logistics; Distribution; Food; Food and Beverage Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; China

December 2008 (Revised October 2012)
Case

Special Economic Zones in India: Public Purpose and Private Property (A)

By: Laura Alfaro and Lakshmi Iyer

In 2005, the government of India enacted the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) Act in order to attract investment, generate export revenues, and create manufacturing jobs. However, several planned projects faced difficulties in acquiring land for setting up the SEZ. In... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Development Economics; Economic Growth; Policy; Government Legislation; Property; Business and Community Relations; Business and Government Relations; India

August 20, 2019
Other Article

An Encouraging Step to Reorient Corporate Purpose

By: Peter Tufano

Keywords: Mission and Purpose; Business Education

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25 May 2018
News

An Urgent Mission to Speed Progress Against Cancer

19 Mar 2019
News

HBS Professor Explores the Impact Purpose Can Have On Your Organization

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

04 Jan 2019
News

Beyond the bottom line: should business put purpose before profit?

19 Jan 2022
News

Supercritical’s Mission to Help Tech Reach Net Zero

Keywords: Net zero

27 May 2020
News

Why the SpaceX manned mission is critical to the private space race

20 Jan 2021
News

Mission possible: How start-up thinking can help public projects

January 2020 (Revised December 2020)
Technical Note

What is the Purpose of the Corporation?

By: Rebecca Henderson, Nien-hê Hsieh and Erik Snowberg

19 Aug 2015
Research & Ideas

Codeacademy’s Delicate Work of Adding Monetization Without Crushing Mission

pursuing a double bottom line of being both mission-driven and profitable. Can Codecademy stay true to its mission of always being free and still turn a profit? Jeff Bussgang:... View Details

Keywords: Re: Jeffrey J. Bussgang; Technology

October 2022
Case

Margaret Thatcher: Changing the World

By: Robert L. Simons and Shirley Sun

This case traces the rise of Margaret Thatcher, the daughter of a shopkeeper, from a small industrial town in England to the longest-serving leader in the Western world. The case describes how she became interested in politics at an early age, attended Oxford, and... View Details

Keywords: Politics; Leadership Style; Personal Characteristics; Business ＆ Government Relations; Values And Beliefs; Work-life Balance; Mission And Purpose; Government Administration; Power and Influence; Great Britain; Europe

22 Jan 2018
Blog Post

HBS Peek: Finding a Sense of Purpose

enriching the way I think and act on a daily basis. Moving forward, I know I will always carry with me the purpose to create, the purpose to motivate, View Details

November 2023
Case

Tata Group in 2021: Pursuing Profits through Purpose

By: Tarun Khanna, Krishna G. Palepu and Vidhya Muthuram

October 8, 2021: Tata Sons won a bid to acquire India’s national carrier Air India, marking the airline's return to its original owners after 68 long years. The winning bid of $2.4 billion gave Tata Sons full ownership of the airline and its coveted network of 6,200... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Strategy; Mission and Purpose; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Emerging Markets; Mergers and Acquisitions; Ownership; Air Transportation; Air Transportation Industry; India