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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(1,174)
- People (3)
- News (224)
- Research (745)
- Events (3)
- Multimedia (7)
- Faculty Publications (453)
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- 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
Gulati, Ranjay. "How a Defined Purpose Drove Unilever’s Turnaround." Inc.com (October 16, 2023).
- May 2009 (Revised November 2009)
- Case
Ralph Nader: When Purpose and Legacy Collide
By: Nitin Nohria and Umaimah Mendhro
This case tells the story of Ralph Nader's leadership, from his success as a crusader for consumer interests and active public participation in the political process to his controversial campaigns for the U.S. presidency. View Details
Keywords: Values and Beliefs; Government and Politics; Leadership; Personal Development and Career; Reputation; Public Opinion; Public Administration Industry
Nohria, Nitin, and Umaimah Mendhro. "Ralph Nader: When Purpose and Legacy Collide." Harvard Business School Case 409-117, May 2009. (Revised November 2009.)
- 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
Khanna, Tarun, Krishna G. Palepu, and Vidhya Muthuram. "Tata Group in 2021: Pursuing Profits through Purpose." Harvard Business School Case 124-047, November 2023.
- 2015
- Chapter
Managerial Responsibility and the Purpose of Business: Doing One's Job Well
By: Nien-he Hsieh
Business managers routinely make decisions that significantly affect the lives of others in both positive and negative ways. In the light of these wide-ranging effects, much scholarship has been devoted to specifying the responsibilities of managers of for-profit... View Details
Hsieh, Nien-he. "Managerial Responsibility and the Purpose of Business: Doing One's Job Well." Chap. 5 in Ethical Innovation in Business and the Economy, edited by Georges Enderle and Patrick E. Murphy, 95–118. Studies in Transatlantic Business Ethics. Northhampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2015.
- 03 Feb 2018
- Op-Ed
How to Heed BlackRock's Call for Corporate Social Responsibility
attempt to incorporate a social purpose frequently have to deal with competing market demands that still push them to focus exclusively on financial performance. We must take action to create an ecosystem... View Details
Keywords: by Julie Battilana
- 2022
- Book
Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies
By: Ranjay Gulati
This book offers a compelling reassessment and defense of purpose as a management ethos, documenting the vast performance gains and social benefits that become possible when firms manage to get purpose right. Few business topics have aroused more skepticism in recent... View Details
Keywords: Purpose; Business And Society; Organizations; Mission and Purpose; Performance Effectiveness; Organizational Culture
Gulati, Ranjay. Deep Purpose: The Heart and Soul of High-Performance Companies. New York: Harper Business, 2022.
- September 2023 (Revised September 2024)
- Technical Note
Measuring and Managing Social Impact
By: Brian Trelstad, Gerald Chertavian and Susan Pinckney
A brief overview of how to measure social impact at nonprofits, social organizations, and impact investments. View Details
Keywords: Analysis; Change; Transformation; Decision Making; Cost vs Benefits; Decision Choices and Conditions; Decisions; Forecasting and Prediction; Public Sector; Entrepreneurship; Social Entrepreneurship; Fairness; Entrepreneurial Finance; Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Policy; Innovation and Management; Knowledge Acquisition; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Goals and Objectives; Growth and Development Strategy; Growth Management; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques; Management Practices and Processes; Resource Allocation; Measurement and Metrics; Standards; Strength and Weakness; Mission and Purpose; Success; Performance; Performance Evaluation; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Strategic Planning; Programs; Risk and Uncertainty; Social Enterprise; Non-Governmental Organizations; Social Issues; United States
Trelstad, Brian, Gerald Chertavian, and Susan Pinckney. "Measuring and Managing Social Impact." Harvard Business School Technical Note 324-017, September 2023. (Revised September 2024.)
- 27 Jul 2009
- Research & Ideas
Social Network Marketing: What Works?
Therefore, the advertising-based business model has had only limited success on social networking sites. If the purpose of advertising is to influence consumers' purchases, our research shows that there is... View Details
- Research Summary
Governance, Accountability, and Performance for Social Enterprise
By: Dutch Leonard
This project examines the relationship between governance structures, accountability relationships, and performance outcomes for social enterprises. Most previous work in this area has examined these topics separately, or in pairs; the purpose of this project is to... View Details
- 2014
- Chapter
Corporate Social Responsibility and Multinational Corporations
By: Nien-he Hsieh and Florian Wettstein
A central question that arises from the perspective of global ethics is what standards ought to apply to the activities of multinational corporations (MNCs). This chapter surveys the contemporary theoretical literature on this question. The first section provides... View Details
Keywords: Multinational Corporation; Multinational Firms and Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Standards
Hsieh, Nien-he, and Florian Wettstein. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Multinational Corporations." Chap. 19 in The Routledge Handbook of Global Ethics, edited by Darrel Moellendorf and Heather Widdows, 251–266. London: Routledge, 2014.
- 02 Aug 2022
- Research & Ideas
6 Strategies for Building Socially Responsible—and Profitable—Companies
A dozen years ago, Harvard Business School Professor George Serafeim wondered why some companies operated with an eye toward the greater good, while most did not. Back then, he always got the same response: Corporate leaders thought social and environmental practices... View Details
Keywords: by Lane Lambert
- May 2025 (Revised June 2025)
- Background Note
Social Enterprise in Latin America
By: Brian L. Trelstad and Karina Souza
This research note provides an overview of the social enterprise ecosystem in Latin America, exploring current dynamics across key markets, including country-specific insights on Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Central America. In a region characterized... View Details
Keywords: Latin America; Brazil; Mexico; Argentina; Colombia; Chile; Impact Investing; Developing Countries and Economies; Social Entrepreneurship; Emerging Markets; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Mission and Purpose; Ownership; Social Enterprise; Business Strategy; Equality and Inequality; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry; Information Technology Industry; Latin America; Brazil; Mexico; Argentina; Colombia; Chile; Guatemala; Central America
Trelstad, Brian L., and Karina Souza. "Social Enterprise in Latin America." Harvard Business School Background Note 325-117, May 2025. (Revised June 2025.)
- 01 Jun 2010
- Sharpening Your Skills
Sharpening Your Skills: Social Reporting
accountability demands. HBS professor Alnoor Ebrahim examines the tradeoffs inherent in a range of accountability mechanisms. Key concepts include: Accountability is not simply about compliance with laws or industry standards, but is more deeply connected to... View Details
Keywords: by Staff
- 15 Sep 2008
- Research & Ideas
The Coming Transformation of Social Enterprise
sense when the for-profit and nonprofit parts are tightly linked by a common purpose or platform. For example, in health care several very successful social entrepreneurs have created a hybrid model where... View Details
Keywords: by Roger Thompson
- 26 Apr 2022
- Book
What Does Your Business Stand For? Why Building Trust Starts with Purpose
purpose” as a way to build trust and in so doing achieve both impressive economic results and positive social impact. The book demonstrates how purpose-driven business leaders find success by clearly articulating a View Details
Keywords: by Ranjay Gulati
- December 2013 (Revised May 2015)
- Supplement
Land Acquisition in India: Public Purpose and Private Property (C)
By: Laura Alfaro, Lakshmi Iyer and Rachna Tahilyani
Keywords: India; Special Economic Zones; Land Markets; Land Politics; Industrial Development; Land Reform; Developing Markets; Developing Countries; Industrialization; Industrial Property; Economic Growth; Developing Countries and Economies; Economics; Economy; Macroeconomics; Social Issues; India; Asia; South Asia
Alfaro, Laura, Lakshmi Iyer, and Rachna Tahilyani. "Land Acquisition in India: Public Purpose and Private Property (C)." Harvard Business School Supplement 714-023, December 2013. (Revised May 2015.)
- February 2009 (Revised October 2012)
- Case
Tata Motors in Singur: Public Purpose and Private Property (B)
By: Laura Alfaro, Lakshmi Iyer and Namrata Arora
In October 2008, Tata Motors canceled their car manufacturing plant in West Bengal state, in the face of widespread farmer protests over land acquisition issues. This meant abandoning a project in which the company had invested $300 million and delaying the launch of... View Details
Keywords: Business Exit or Shutdown; Rights; Emerging Markets; Property; Business and Government Relations; Conflict and Resolution; Auto Industry; Manufacturing Industry; West Bengal
Alfaro, Laura, Lakshmi Iyer, and Namrata Arora. "Tata Motors in Singur: Public Purpose and Private Property (B)." Harvard Business School Case 709-029, February 2009. (Revised October 2012.)
- September–October 2020
- Article
Social-Impact Efforts That Create Real Value
By: George Serafeim
Until the mid-2010s few investors paid attention to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data—information about companies’ carbon footprints, labor policies, board makeup, and so forth. Today the data is widely used by investors. How can organizations create... View Details
Keywords: Sustainability; Sustainability Management; ESG; ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance; ESG Disclosure; ESG Disclosure Metrics; ESG Ratings; ESG Reporting; Social Impact; Impact Measurement; Social Innovation; Purpose; Corporate Purpose; Corporate Social Responsibility; Strategy; Social Enterprise; Society; Accounting; Investment; Environmental Sustainability; Climate Change; Corporate Strategy; Mission and Purpose; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Financial Services Industry; Chemical Industry; Technology Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Pharmaceutical Industry; North America; Europe; Japan; Australia
Serafeim, George. "Social-Impact Efforts That Create Real Value." Harvard Business Review 98, no. 5 (September–October 2020): 38–48.
- January 10, 2022
- Article
The Secret Ingredient of Thriving Companies? Human Magic
By: Hubert Joly
The traditional corporate approach to motivating people has been a combination of carrots and sticks: a system of financial incentives designed to mobilize everyone around a plan designed by a few smart people at the top. Multiple studies have confirmed that, for any... View Details
Keywords: Meaning; Purpose; Organizational Culture; Employees; Motivation and Incentives; Performance
Joly, Hubert. "The Secret Ingredient of Thriving Companies? Human Magic." Harvard Business Review (website) (January 10, 2022).
- January 4, 2019
- Article
How Companies Can Balance Social Impact and Financial Goals
By: Marya L. Besharov, Wendy K. Smith and Michael Tushman
It’s notoriously difficult for a business to manage two separate-but-equal goals—making money and creating social value at the same time, for example, or managing an existing business at the same time that you invent a new one. Most attempts at managing these... View Details
Keywords: Goals and Objectives; Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Profit; Decision Making
Besharov, Marya L., Wendy K. Smith, and Michael Tushman. "How Companies Can Balance Social Impact and Financial Goals." Harvard Business Review (website) (January 4, 2019).