Publications

17 Jan 2020
Blog Post

Going the Distance for Investment Excellence

financial analyst position with Goldman Sachs in mortgage trading and investment banking—but not until first earning a GMAT score he felt would later secure his acceptance at HBS. “In those seven weeks after graduation I did little but... View Details

October 2022 (Revised February 2024)
Case

Masdar City: Aiming for Sustainable and Profitable Real Estate

By: Boris Vallee and Fares Khrais

Masdar City broke ground in 2008 and was conceived by the Abu Dhabi government to be an international beacon of innovation in sustainable energy and real estate. It was also to be a profitable investment for the government. At first glance, the two goals pulled in... View Details

September 2023 (Revised January 2024)
Case

Icahn Enterprises: Ponzi Scheme or Sound Investment

By: Aiyesha Dey, Jonas Heese and James Weber

Icahn Enterprises, a publicly traded limited partnership founded and operated by famed activist investor Carl Icahn, had earned above market returns for over a decade. Between 2018 and early 2023, it had a compound annual return of 31%. Icahn invested in undervalued... View Details

Keywords: Stock Shares; Investment Return; Business Model; Valuation; Financial Services Industry

01 Dec 2020
News

Find Your Maximum Sustainable Goodness

Edited by Julia Hanna and Jen McFarland Flint; illustrations by Rose Wong In every life there is room to improve—particularly if we redirect our efforts in the direction of greater good for all beings. Professor Max Bazerman’s new book, Better, Not Perfect: A Realist’s... View Details

07 Feb 2018
Video

Material Sustainability Information and Stock Price Informativeness

20 Jan 2020
News

Larry Fink Isn’t Going to Read Your Sustainability Report

22 Apr 2024
Research & Ideas

When Does Impact Investing Make the Biggest Impact?

The idea of supporting social change has propelled impact investing assets to more than $1 trillion. But what if those funds aren’t as impactful as investors expect? Recent Harvard Business School research indicates that while impact... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

01 Jun 2018
News

Sustaining HBS’s Unique Economic Model

multiple revenue sources, continued investments in the campus, and limited debt. The surplus we generate allows us to invest in innovation, self-fund faculty research, and offer generous need-based financial... View Details

01 Dec 1999
News

Buffett Preaches Investment Discipline

When Warren Buffett speaks at HBS, it's always standing room only in Burden Auditorium. The cavernous hall fills up early, reverberating with the mounting excitement of a revival meeting. When the 69-year-old investment sage finally takes... View Details

March 2023 (Revised May 2023)
Case

Tribal Councils Investment Group of Manitoba Ltd.

By: David L. Ager

In the Fall of 2014, Heather Berthelette, the recently appointed COO of Tribal Councils Investment Group of Manitoba Ltd. (TCIG), was preparing a recommendation to the Board of Directors about whether to dissolve the company and return any remaining funds to the seven... View Details

Keywords: Indigenous Communities; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Social Enterprise; Economic Growth; Investment Banking; Canada

29 Oct 2018
Working Paper Summaries

Public Sentiment and the Price of Corporate Sustainability

Keywords: by George Serafeim

10 Nov 2003
Research & Ideas

The Hard Numbers on Social Investments

Global developed, financed, owned, and operated environmentally sustainable energy generation and electric distribution facilities in Central America. In 1992, seven IC members invested $1.4 million in the... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Salls

22 Oct 2009
News

Investing in Clean Energy

Keywords: John Doerr, MBA '76; Administration of Environmental Quality Programs; Government; Utilities

December 2011 (Revised May 2015)
Case

Aviva Investors

By: George Serafeim

The Aviva Investors case describes the challenge of integrating sustainability considerations into the strategy and business practices of companies and into the decision making process of the investment community. Steve Waygood, Chief Responsible Investment Officer at... View Details

Keywords: Investing; Investment Management; Shareholder Activism; Disclosure; Stock Exchanges; Sustainability; Sustainable Development; Sustainability Reporting; ESG; ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance; Social Impact; Activism; Investment; Management; Business and Shareholder Relations; Environmental Sustainability; United Kingdom

June 2024
Teaching Plan

Sustainable Finance at Itau BBA

By: George Serafeim

Teaching Plan for HBS Case No. 123-036. View Details

09 Apr 2025
Video

Schneider Electric | How digital solutions are accelerating sustainability in buildings

16 Jul 2020
News

Q&A: Harvard impact investing expert on proposed ESG rule

April 2019 (Revised December 2019)
Case

Exporting Livability: Investing in New Urban Centers

By: John D. Macomber and Essie Alamsyah

Can Singapore urban design, policy continuity, and system of laws be exported outside of Singapore to accelerate the effective development of new urban agglomerations? Nina Yang, CEO of Sustainable Urban Development at Ascendas-Singbridge, a large real estate company... View Details

Keywords: Urban Development; Projects; Design; City; Business and Government Relations; Expansion; Real Estate Industry; China; Singapore