Publications

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22 Nov 2021
Blog Post

Class of 2021 Career Choices

The HBS class of 2021 weathered quite a few setbacks with the rapid changes to their internships in the summer of 2020, some of which were pulled entirely, others that were quickly transitioned to all... View Details

Keywords: All Industries

October 2023 (Revised July 2025)
Case

KOKO Networks: Bridging Energy Transition and Affordability with Carbon Financing

By: George Serafeim, Siko Sikochi and Namrata Arora

The problem was massive: two million hectares of African forests were lost annually to charcoal production for cooking, an area equivalent to 13 times Greater London, resulting in one billion tons of carbon emissions yearly. At the same time, an estimated 700,000... View Details

27 Feb 2006
Research & Ideas

Corporate Values and Employee Cynicism

planes all over the country, meeting face-to-face with every employee to explain the situation and the changes that would have to take place. Rather than feeling bitter or disenchanted, employees rallied... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

19 Feb 2014
Research & Ideas

Racist Umpires and Monetary Ministers

otherwise." In the cases of umpires and ministers, Parsons's work falls under the broader category of incentive research. "They are about what causes people to behave in predictable ways, and how... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Sports; Information; Publishing

February 2010 (Revised April 2011)
Case

The Political Economy of Carbon Trading

By: Forest L. Reinhardt, J. Gunnar Trumbull, Mikell Hyman, Patia McGrath and Nazli Zeynep Uludere

Global climate change is an increasingly prominent political and business problem. Design of market-based systems to reduce carbon emissions has proven difficult. More broadly, national attempts to comply with the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol present both... View Details

Keywords: Policy; International Relations; Risk Management; Agreements and Arrangements; Business and Government Relations; Natural Environment; Pollutants; Climate Change; Environmental Sustainability; Public Administration Industry

28 Mar 2023
Cold Call Podcast

BMW’s Decarbonization Strategy: Sustainable for the Environment and the Bottom Line

Keywords: Re: Shirley Lu; Transportation; Auto; Battery

February 2023
Case

Germany, Europe, and Green Industrial Revolution

By: Gunnar Trumbull and Jonathan Schlefer

In 2023, Germany was racing to master yet another industrial revolution: this time in green technology. Could it transform its manufacturing and industry in time to sustain internationally competitiveness, especially with the United States and China; reach carbon... View Details

Keywords: Economy; Economic Growth; Success; Leadership; Problems and Challenges; Germany

May 9, 2024
Article

Business Education Is Broken: Here Are Strategies to Fix It

By: Andrew J. Hoffman

Business schools have lost their way. Students are schooled in a system that, having raised the standard of living for millions of people over centuries, is now facing systemic failures in both the environmental and social domains—failures that market forces cause and,... View Details

Keywords: Education Reform; Business And Society; Climate Change; Equality and Inequality; Environmental Sustainability; Business Education

Read Now

08 Sep 2022
Book

Gen Xers and Millennials, It’s Time To Lead. Are You Ready?

‘The requirements have changed’ In a world where business is reckoning with issues like climate change, racial inequities, and gender bias, “we’re going through a massive transformation in leadership,”... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert

11 Jul 2017
First Look

First Look at New Ideas and Research, July 11

the world that will exist at that time. The navy is clear eyed about the challenges climate change poses. It knows that the effects of a warmer world will expand the geographic scope of its mission View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

April 1994 (Revised March 1995)
Case

China (C): Energy and the Environment

By: Richard H.K. Vietor

Describes energy and environmental policy in China during the period 1980-1993. China has implemented ambitious plans for electrification and the substitution of fossil fuels (mostly coal) for biomass. The environmental consequences of these changes, at the local and... View Details

Keywords: Energy Generation; Environmental Sustainability; Policy; Pollutants; Climate Change; Business and Government Relations; Globalization; Energy Industry; China

Professor Toffel is the Senator John Heinz Professor of Environmental Management. His research examines how companies are addressing climate change (especially decarbonization) and other environmental and working condition issues in their operations and supply... View Details

Fast Answer

Sustainable investing and ESG resources

provided to CDP by companies responding publicly to an information request sent by CDP on behalf of its signatory investors. Datasets include Climate Change Data, Supply Chain Data, Water Data, Forests Data,... View Details

January 2022
Case

Fueling a Cleaner Future: ACWA Power and Green Hydrogen

By: Dennis Yao and Alpana Thapar

In January 2020, Paddy Padmanathan, president and CEO of ACWA Power, was reflecting on the company’s sixteen-year record of success and thinking about its future growth plans. Founded in 2004, ACWA Power was a Saudi Arabian developer, owner, and operator of power and... View Details

Keywords: Green Hydrogen; Energy; Climate Change; Supply Chain; Business Model; Growth and Development Strategy; Green Technology; Projects; Alliances; Environmental Sustainability; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Energy Industry; Saudi Arabia; Middle East; North Africa

28 May 2024
In Practice

Job Search Advice for a Tough Market: Think Broadly and Stay Flexible

deploy with experience that suits client needs. In this increasingly complex world, there is no shortage of client demands for digital transformation, emerging artificial intelligence (AI) applications, renewable energy, risk mitigation, pricing/yield management, View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

01 Oct 1998
News

A Long and Winding Road

It hardly seems possible, but 25 years have passed since our class left Soldiers Field. At the time we were a bit dazed by the political and social upheaval around us, yet confident that our hard-earned MBA credential would stand us in... View Details

Keywords: Wayne R. Vibert (MBA 1973)

11 Jun 2024
In Practice

The Harvard Business School Faculty Summer Reader 2024

As the vacation season looms, Harvard Business School faculty members share recommendations for a little light reading. Spoiler alert: Lessons in Chemistry tops two of their beach-read lists. For those whose brains can’t—or won’t—turn off, HBS faculty also suggest some... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

2021
Working Paper

Science-Based Carbon Emissions Targets

By: David Freiberg, Jody Grewal and George Serafeim

We examine the effect of voluntarily adopting a standard for setting science-based carbon emissions targets on target difficulty and investments to achieve those targets. We find that firms with a track record of setting and achieving ambitious carbon targets are more... View Details

Keywords: Target; Targeting; Target-setting; Target Efficiency; Management Control Systems; Management Accounting; Environment; Environmental And Social Sustainability; Climate Change; Environmental Management; Environmental Accounting; Environmental Sustainability; Management Analysis, Tools, and Techniques