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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(3,324)
- People (3)
- News (482)
- Research (2,277)
- Events (7)
- Multimedia (13)
- Faculty Publications (1,366)
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- Article
The Social Purpose of Corporations
By: Nien-he Hsieh, Marco Meyer, David Rodin and Jens van ‘t Klooster
To think about the purpose of corporations is to think about what corporations are for. In this article, we argue that the concept of a purpose has an important role in thinking about the moral evaluation of corporations. We make three contributions. First, we... View Details
Keywords: Social Purpose; Corporate Purpose; The Corporation; Market Failures; Measurement Of Purpose; Organizations; Mission and Purpose; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Ethics
Hsieh, Nien-he, Marco Meyer, David Rodin, and Jens van ‘t Klooster. "The Social Purpose of Corporations." Journal of the British Academy 6, no. s1 (2018): 49–73. ( DOI: https://doi.org/10.5871/jba/006s1.049.)
- February 2006 (Revised November 2012)
- Case
Corporate Responsibility & Community Engagement at the Tintaya Copper Mine (A)
By: V. Kasturi Rangan, Brooke Barton and Ezequiel Reficco
Located in the highlands of Peru, the Tintaya copper mine has long been a source of intense conflict between local community members and mine operators. The mine, which was owned and managed first by the Peruvian state and later by BHP Billiton, stands on 2,300... View Details
Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Multinational Firms and Management; Agreements and Arrangements; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Business and Community Relations; Non-Governmental Organizations; Conflict Management; Mining Industry; Australia; Peru
Rangan, V. Kasturi, Brooke Barton, and Ezequiel Reficco. "Corporate Responsibility & Community Engagement at the Tintaya Copper Mine (A)." Harvard Business School Case 506-023, February 2006. (Revised November 2012.)
- September 2006 (Revised May 2008)
- Supplement
Corporate Responsibility & Community Engagement at the Tintaya Copper Mine (B)
By: V. Kasturi Rangan, Brooke Barton and Ezequiel Reficco
Engaging local stakeholders and building strong relations has become a strategic imperative for multinational firms in the often politically charged mining, oil, and gas sectors. For BHP Billiton, the world's second largest mining company, its Tintaya copper mine in... View Details
Rangan, V. Kasturi, Brooke Barton, and Ezequiel Reficco. "Corporate Responsibility & Community Engagement at the Tintaya Copper Mine (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 507-030, September 2006. (Revised May 2008.)
- December 2006
- Article
Strategy and Society: The Link between Competitive Advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility
By: Michael E. Porter and Mark R. Kramer
Porter, Michael E., and Mark R. Kramer. "Strategy and Society: The Link between Competitive Advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility." Harvard Business Review 84, no. 12 (December 2006): 78–92.
- 2016
- Working Paper
Does Firm Innovation Affect Corporate Social Responsibility?
By: Rui Shen, Yi Tang and Ying Zhang
This study examines the relationship between firm innovation and CSR. Stakeholders’ concern over transaction-specific investments exacerbates when firms engage heavily in innovation activities. To secure stakeholders’ support, firms adopt CSR effectively as an ex ante... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility; Firm Innovation; Transaction-specific Investments; Firm Risk; Environmental Munificence; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Innovation and Invention
Shen, Rui, Yi Tang, and Ying Zhang. "Does Firm Innovation Affect Corporate Social Responsibility?" Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 16-096, February 2016.
- 2018
- Working Paper
Corporate Sustainability: A Strategy?
By: George Serafeim
We explore the conditions under which firms maintain their competitive advantage through sustainability-based differentiation when faced with imitation pressures by industry peers. We document growing intraindustry convergence on sustainability actions over time for... View Details
Keywords: Sustainability; Corporate Performance; Industry Analysis; CSR; ESG; ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance; Environment; Social Responsibility; Strategy And Execution; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Strategy; Performance; Corporate Strategy
Ioannou, Ioannis, and George Serafeim. "Corporate Sustainability: A Strategy?" Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 19-065, January 2019. (Revised April 2021.)
- 2019
- Working Paper
Rehabilitating Corporate Purpose
In this paper, I address how the ascendance of the theory of shareholder value maximization into the central consciousness of public corporations and its canonization as the only legitimate expression of corporate purpose has contributed to both a widening breach... View Details
Keywords: Capitalism; Justice; Corporate Purpose; Shareholder Value Maximization; Ethical Reciprocity; Economic Systems; Business Ventures; Mission and Purpose; Ethics; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact
Salter, Malcolm S. "Rehabilitating Corporate Purpose." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 19-104, April 2019.
- March 2013
- Supplement
Equitas Microfinance (B): Response to the Andhra Pradesh Crisis
By: V.G. Narayanan, V. Kasturi Rangan and Vidhya Muthuram
Keywords: Business Model; For-profit Firms; Microfinance; Growth And Development Strategy; Corporate Social Responsibility And Impact; Financial Services Industry; Social Enterprise; India
Narayanan, V.G., V. Kasturi Rangan, and Vidhya Muthuram. "Equitas Microfinance (B): Response to the Andhra Pradesh Crisis." Harvard Business School Supplement 113-005, March 2013.
- 2009
- Blog
Harvard Business Online—Marketing Know:How: How Corporate Responsibility Can Survive the Recession
By: John A. Quelch
Quelch, John A. "How Corporate Responsibility Can Survive the Recession." Harvard Business Online—Marketing Know:How (blog). September 22, 2009. https://hbr.org/2009/09/how-corporate-responsibility-c.
- 2019
- Chapter
The Consequences of Mandatory Corporate Sustainability Reporting
By: Ioannis Ioannou and George Serafeim
A key aspect of the governance process inside organizations and markets is the measurement and disclosure of important metrics and information. In this chapter, we examine the effect of sustainability disclosure regulations on firms’ disclosure practices and... View Details
Keywords: Mandatory Disclosure; Mandatory Reporting; Sustainability; Corporate Social Responsibility; Social Impact; Valuation; China; South Africa; Europe; Asia; Regulation; Corporate Disclosure; Integrated Corporate Reporting; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Corporate Governance; China; Denmark; Malaysia; South Africa
Ioannou, Ioannis, and George Serafeim. "The Consequences of Mandatory Corporate Sustainability Reporting." In The Oxford Handbook of Corporate Social Responsibility: Psychological and Organizational Perspectives, edited by Abagail McWilliams, Deborah E. Rupp, Donald S. Siegel, Günter K. Stahl, and David A. Waldman, 452–489. Oxford University Press, 2019.
- 2024
- Working Paper
Catalysts for Climate Solutions: Corporate Responses to Venture Capital Financing of Climate-tech Startups
By: Shirley Lu, George Serafeim and Simon Xu
We study whether incumbent firms increase their product focus on climate solutions in response to venture capital (VC) financing of climate-tech startups. Using large language models to measure a firm's focus on climate solutions, we find that incumbents in similar... View Details
Keywords: Climate Finance; Climate Change; Technological Innovation; Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Private Equity; Environmental Sustainability; Business Startups
Lu, Shirley, George Serafeim, and Simon Xu. "Catalysts for Climate Solutions: Corporate Responses to Venture Capital Financing of Climate-tech Startups." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 25-025, November 2024.
- 2014
- Working Paper
The Role of the Corporation in Society: An Alternative View and Opportunities for Future Research
By: George Serafeim
A long-standing ideology in business education has been that a corporation is run for the sole interest of its shareholders. I present an alternative view where increasing concentration of economic activity and power in the world's largest corporations, the Global... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility; Corporate Governance; Environment; Environmental And Social Sustainability; Sustainability; Sustainability Reporting; Sustainability Research; Sustainability Targets; Corporate Performance; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact
Serafeim, George. "The Role of the Corporation in Society: An Alternative View and Opportunities for Future Research." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 14-110, May 2014.
- April 2008
- Article
Corporate Stakeholder Management: Western & Indian Perspectives: An Overview
By: Shashank Shah and Sudhir Bhaskar
Keywords: Stakeholder Management; Stakeholder Engagement; Business History; Corporate Responsibility; Literature Review; India
Shah, Shashank, and Sudhir Bhaskar. "Corporate Stakeholder Management: Western & Indian Perspectives: An Overview." Journal of Human Values 14, no. 1 (April 2008): 73–93.
- May 2024
- Article
Selfish Corporations
By: Emanuele Colonnelli, Niels Gormsen and Timothy McQuade
We study how perceptions of corporate responsibility influence policy preferences and the effectiveness of corporate communication when agents have imperfect memory recall. Using a new large-scale survey of U.S. citizens on their support for corporate bailouts, we... View Details
Colonnelli, Emanuele, Niels Gormsen, and Timothy McQuade. "Selfish Corporations." Review of Economic Studies 91, no. 3 (May 2024): 1498–1536.
- September–October 2023
- Article
A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats: The Effects of Common Ownership on Corporate Social Responsibility
By: Mark R. DesJardine, Jody Grewal and Kala Viswanathan
Common owners face an incredible investment challenge: managing systematic risk. Because common owners hold shares in multiple firms across an industry, an action (or inaction) by one firm that affects industry peers is felt more severely by common owners than by... View Details
Keywords: Common Ownership; Environmental Sustainability; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Institutional Investing; Corporate Governance; Risk and Uncertainty; Investment Return
DesJardine, Mark R., Jody Grewal, and Kala Viswanathan. "A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats: The Effects of Common Ownership on Corporate Social Responsibility." Organization Science 34, no. 5 (September–October 2023): 1716–1735.
- August 2011
- Teaching Note
The Dannon Company: Marketing and Corporate Social Responsibility (TN) (A) and (B)
By: Christopher Marquis
Teaching Note for 410-121 and 412-047. View Details
Keywords: Food and Beverage Industry
- 2014
- Chapter
Promoting Corporate Sustainability through Integrated Reporting: The Role of Investment Fiduciaries and the Responsibilities of the Corporate Board
By: Robert G. Eccles, J. Herron and George Serafeim
This book is a comprehensive reference work exploring recent changes and future trends in the principles that govern institutional investors and fiduciaries. A wide range of contributors offer new perspectives on dynamics that drive the current emphasis on short-term... View Details
Keywords: Governance; Integrated Corporate Reporting; Institutional Investing; Financial Services Industry
Eccles, Robert G., J. Herron, and George Serafeim. "Promoting Corporate Sustainability through Integrated Reporting: The Role of Investment Fiduciaries and the Responsibilities of the Corporate Board." Chap. 31 in Cambridge Handbook of Institutional Investment and Fiduciary Duty, edited by James P. Hawley, Andreas G.F. Hoepner, Keith L. Johnson, Joakim Sandberg, and Edward J. Waitzer, 403–415. Cambridge University Press, 2014.
- April 2025
- Article
Corporate Ownership and ESG Performance
By: Belen Villalonga, Peter Tufano and Boya Wang
Using a sample of 3083 firms from 62 countries over 18 years, we analyze how the structure and identity of firms' material owners influence their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance. We find that firms with founding families or other individual... View Details
Keywords: ESG; CSR; Family Firms; Social Responsibility; Environment; Sustainability; Ownership; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Corporate Governance; Environmental Sustainability
Villalonga, Belen, Peter Tufano, and Boya Wang. "Corporate Ownership and ESG Performance." Journal of Corporate Finance 91 (April 2025).
- November 2023 (Revised February 2025)
- Background Note
Corporate Climate Targets
By: Willy C. Shih, Michael W. Toffel and Kelsey Carter
Companies that are addressing climate change by mitigating their greenhouse gas emissions often set reduction targets. This note describes several types of widely used carbon reduction targets, including carbon neutral, science based, net zero, real zero, and carbon... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Sustainability; Environmental Strategy; Climate Risk; Target-setting; Climate Change; Environmental Sustainability; Corporate Accountability; Policy; Measurement and Metrics; Strategic Planning; Social Issues; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact
Shih, Willy C., Michael W. Toffel, and Kelsey Carter. "Corporate Climate Targets." Harvard Business School Background Note 624-041, November 2023. (Revised February 2025.)
- January 2019
- Case
Capitalism, Entrepreneurship and Responsibility
By: Geoffrey Jones
This case contains excerpts from prominent business leaders and others expressing their views on the responsibilities, if any, of business leaders to other stakeholders in society. It begins with an excerpt from Andrew Carnegie, the nineteenth century steel magnate, in... View Details
Keywords: Capitalism; Entrepreneurship; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Leadership; Attitudes; Perspective
Jones, Geoffrey. "Capitalism, Entrepreneurship and Responsibility." Harvard Business School Case 319-081, January 2019.