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- 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).
- Research Summary
Conceptualizing and measuring environmental sustainability
This research involves developing clarity around the murky construct of environmental sustainability, and improving techniques to measure corporate environmental performance. My prior research in this domain includes View Details
- Research Summary
Corporate Diplomacy
Michael Watkins is defining a top management function of increasing importance: the conduct of corporate diplomacy. Senior executives conduct the business equivalent of international diplomacy when they negotiate to sustain or transform relationships with influential... View Details
- August 1996 (Revised January 1999)
- Background Note
Achieving and Sustaining Superior Profits
A basic premise of strategy is that superior profits occur when a corporation secures favorable positions in attractive industries, and pursues economies of scope across business units. This note draws on research that documents the importance of industry, positioning,... View Details
McGahan, Anita M. "Achieving and Sustaining Superior Profits." Harvard Business School Background Note 797-039, August 1996. (Revised January 1999.)
- December 2012 (Revised October 2013)
- Case
Developing the Materiality Matrix at Telefónica
By: Robert G. Eccles, George Serafeim and Asun Cano-Escoriaza
Telefónica, one of the largest telecommunication companies in the world and headquartered in Spain, has been issuing a corporate sustainability report since 2002. In its 2011 Sustainability report, the company included a "materiality matrix," and was one of only five... View Details
Keywords: Sustainability; Sustainability Reporting; Sustainable Strategy; CSR; Corporate Social Responsibility; Communication Technology; Environmental Accounting; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Telecommunications Industry; Spain
Eccles, Robert G., George Serafeim, and Asun Cano-Escoriaza. "Developing the Materiality Matrix at Telefónica." Harvard Business School Case 413-088, December 2012. (Revised October 2013.)
- January 2007 (Revised January 2008)
- Case
Amanco: Developing the Sustainability Scorecard
By: Robert S. Kaplan and Ricardo Reisen de Pinho
Describes the challenges of using the Balanced Scorecard to implement a triple-bottom-line strategy for delivering excellent economic, environmental, and social performance. The owners and senior executive team of Amanco, a producer of plastic pipe and complete water... View Details
Keywords: Balanced Scorecard; Measurement and Metrics; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Social Issues; Strategy; Construction Industry; Industrial Products Industry; Latin America; Brazil
Kaplan, Robert S., and Ricardo Reisen de Pinho. "Amanco: Developing the Sustainability Scorecard." Harvard Business School Case 107-038, January 2007. (Revised January 2008.)
- 2022
- Chapter
Sustainability for People and the Planet: Placing Workers at the Center of Sustainability Research
By: Julie Yen, Julie Battilana and Emilie Aguirre
Though workers face a series of critical challenges in contemporary work organizations, they are often overlooked in conversations about sustainable business. In this chapter, we argue that prioritizing the rights and well-being of workers is a core dimension of... View Details
Keywords: Environmental Sustainability; Employees; Well-being; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Organizational Structure; Social Issues
Yen, Julie, Julie Battilana, and Emilie Aguirre. "Sustainability for People and the Planet: Placing Workers at the Center of Sustainability Research." Chap. 11 in Handbook on the Business of Sustainability: The Organization, Implementation, and Practice of Sustainable Growth, edited by Gerard George, Martine R. Haas, Havovi Joshi, Anita M. McGahan, and Paul Tracey, 189–214. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2022.
- January 2022
- Article
Why is Corporate Virtue in the Eye of The Beholder? The Case of ESG Ratings
By: Dane Christensen, George Serafeim and Anywhere Sikochi
Despite the rising use of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings, there is substantial disagreement across rating agencies regarding what rating to give to individual firms. As what drives this disagreement is unclear, we examine whether a firm’s ESG... View Details
Keywords: ESG Ratings; Rating Agency Disagreement; ESG Disclosure; Corporate Social Responsibility; Sustainability; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Corporate Disclosure
Christensen, Dane, George Serafeim, and Anywhere Sikochi. "Why Is Corporate Virtue in the Eye of the Beholder? The Case of ESG Ratings." Accounting Review 97, no. 1 (January 2022): 147–175.
- January 2012 (Revised June 2013)
- Case
Dow Chemical: Innovating for Sustainability
Dow Chemical is one of the few major American industrial corporations that was founded in the late 19th century that is still in existence. From its origins producing bromine out of the brine underneath Midland, Michigan, the company has evolved from a diversified... View Details
Eccles, Robert G., George Serafeim, and Shelley Xin Li. "Dow Chemical: Innovating for Sustainability." Harvard Business School Case 112-064, January 2012. (Revised June 2013.)
- March 2003 (Revised July 2004)
- Case
Sustainable Development at Shell (A)
Describes the complex and challenging process by which social and environmental concerns are integrated into the existing strategy of a large, multinational firm. Details the circumstances leading up to a large-scale effort to transform Shell's strategy to take into... View Details
Keywords: Multinational Firms and Management; Corporate Strategy; Environmental Sustainability; Growth and Development Strategy; Energy Industry
Wei-Skillern, Jane. "Sustainable Development at Shell (A)." Harvard Business School Case 303-005, March 2003. (Revised July 2004.)
- 04 Dec 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
Pathways to Materiality: How Sustainability Issues Become Financially Material to Corporations and Their Investors
Keywords: by Jean Rogers and George Serafeim
- July–August 2013
- Article
Building Sustainable Cities
By: John D. Macomber
By 2050 the number of people living in cities will have nearly doubled, to 6 billion, and the problems created by this rampant urbanization are among the most important challenges of our time. Of all resource-management issues, the author argues, water, electricity,... View Details
Macomber, John D. "Building Sustainable Cities." Harvard Business Review 91, nos. 7/8 (July–August 2013): 40–50.
- December 2004 (Revised May 2005)
- Case
Nestle: Sustainable Agriculture Initiative
Swiss food giant Nestle attempts to improve the performance of its suppliers of agricultural commodities to raise quality, lower costs, and contribute to sustainable development. Its initiatives focus first on coffee, cocoa, and milk. Nestle managers assert that the... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Social Issues; Business and Community Relations; Corporate Strategy; Agribusiness; Supply Chain Management; Marketing Strategy; Value Creation; Food and Beverage Industry; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry
Reinhardt, Forest L. "Nestle: Sustainable Agriculture Initiative." Harvard Business School Case 705-018, December 2004. (Revised May 2005.)
- 20 Mar 2013
- Research & Ideas
How CEOs Sustain Higher-Ambition Goals
Michael Beer and his coauthors at the Center for Higher Ambition Leadership, the executives underscored the importance of higher-ambition goals, including engaging with and developing employee and customer commitment, contributing to the community in which they... View Details
Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman
- Teaching Interest
Strategy: Building and Sustaining Competitive Advantage
By: Andy Wu
In the fight for market leadership, your company must be able to build a winning strategy—and execute it seamlessly across multiple business lines. This program prepares you to identify and exploit sources of competitive advantage and implement game-changing... View Details
- August 2010 (Revised September 2011)
- Case
Driving Sustainability at Bloomberg L.P.
By: Christopher Marquis, Daniel Beunza, Fabrizio Ferraro and Bobbi Thomason
Describes the addition of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance indicators to the Bloomberg terminal. The initiative grew out of Bloomberg's broader sustainability initiatives and is an example of how committed employees can create positive social... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Entrepreneurship; Knowledge Dissemination; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Organizational Culture; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Environmental Sustainability; Publishing Industry; New York (city, NY)
Marquis, Christopher, Daniel Beunza, Fabrizio Ferraro, and Bobbi Thomason. "Driving Sustainability at Bloomberg L.P." Harvard Business School Case 411-025, August 2010. (Revised September 2011.)
- August 2021 (Revised March 2024)
- Case
Danaher Corporation (Abridged)
By: Bharat Anand, David J. Collis and Sophie Hood
Between 1985 and 2007, Danaher has been one of the best-performing industrial conglomerates in the U.S. This case examines the corporate strategy of this diversified, global corporation. It describes the firm's portfolio strategy and the Danaher Business System—a... View Details
Keywords: Business Conglomerates; Global Strategy; Multinational Firms and Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Value Creation; Mergers and Acquisitions; Competitive Strategy
Anand, Bharat, David J. Collis, and Sophie Hood. "Danaher Corporation (Abridged)." Harvard Business School Case 722-370, August 2021. (Revised March 2024.)
- March 2003 (Revised July 2004)
- Case
Sustainable Development at Shell (B)
The case describes the complex and challenging process by which social and environmental concerns are integrated into the existing strategy of a large, multinational firm. This case focuses on a specific business within Shell Chemicals, the Close Looped Cleaning... View Details
Keywords: Multinational Firms and Management; Corporate Strategy; Environmental Sustainability; Growth and Development Strategy; Energy Industry
Wei-Skillern, Jane. "Sustainable Development at Shell (B)." Harvard Business School Case 303-072, March 2003. (Revised July 2004.)
- 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.
- 24 Apr 2009
- Working Paper Summaries
Corporate Social Entrepreneurship
Keywords: by James E. Austin & Ezequiel Reficco