Publications

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22 Dec 2020
Cold Call Podcast

Dove: Maintaining a Brand with Purpose

September 2019 (Revised June 2021)
Case

Dove and Real Beauty: Building a Brand with Purpose

By: Mark R. Kramer, Myriam Sidibe and Gunjan Veda

Unilever subsidiary Dove soap became a "brand with a purpose" and created shared value when the company decided to launch a Campaign for Real Beauty to combat the artificial media-driven stereotype of female beauty that causes appearance anxiety in women and girls... View Details

Keywords: Stereotype; Body Image; Female; Self-Esteem; Brands and Branding; Mission and Purpose; Advertising Campaigns; Gender; Resource Allocation

08 Feb 2022
News

Deep Purpose with Ranjay Gulati

2022
Book

Purpose + Profit: How Business Can Lift Up the World

By: George Serafeim

The roadmap and best practices to reap the enormous value that can emerge when your business prioritizes social and environmental goals—such as climate change, diversity and inclusion, and sustainability—right alongside the pursuit of profit.

We not only... View Details

Keywords: ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance; Profitability; Business And Society; Organizations; Mission and Purpose; Goals and Objectives; Social Issues; Environmental Sustainability; Value Creation; Organizational Change and Adaptation

27 Mar 2023
News

Striking the Balance Between Profits and Purpose

March 2023
Case

Ownership Works: Scaling a Profitable Social Mission

By: Ethan Rouen, Dennis Campbell and Andrew Robinson

Pete Stavros was on a high after his latest experiment with employee ownership. As the head of industrial investments for KKR, Stavros orchestrated the sale of CHI Overhead Doors, which turned into KKR’s best investment in more than two decades and created $360 million... View Details

Keywords: Employee Ownership; Knowledge Sharing; Nonprofit Organizations

01 Mar 2004
Lessons from the Classroom

Mission to Mars: It Really Is Rocket Science

In a recent case study, professor Alan MacCormack and research associate Jay Wynn swung for the moon—Mars, actually. After two high-profile missions to Mars failed in 2000, MacCormack wanted to understand... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

27 Oct 2020
Cold Call Podcast

Growing a Manufacturing Company with a Social Mission

Keywords: Manufacturing

17 Oct 2011
News

How ‘Hybrid’ Nonprofits Can Stay on Mission

Comment

Public Purpose and Accountability in the Indian State

By: Akshay Mangla

Keywords: Accountability; India; Corporate Accountability; Public Sector; India

Read Now

April 2025
Supplement

Columbia's Final Mission (B)

By: Amy C. Edmondson, Richard M. Bohmer and Michael A. Roberto

Pre-abstract: Instructors should consider the timing of making videos available to students, as they may reveal key case details. View Details

01 Mar 2013
News

A Mission in Motion

Since its beginnings 20 years ago, the HBS Social Enterprise Initiative has been a focal point for applying innovative business practices to drive sustainable, high-impact social change. Conceived by John Whitehead (MBA 1947), the SEI was founded at HBS View Details

Keywords: summary

Program

Growing as a Purposeful Leader

leader able to deal with increasing demands and complex challenges Lead in an era in which the mission of leaders has broadened considerably Change the way you think about your company View Details

June 2010 (Revised September 2010)
Case

Atlantis Paradise Island Resort & Casino: Improving Performance with a New Vision and Mission

By: Lynda M. Applegate and Gabriele Piccoli

Atlantis Paradise Island adopted a new vision and mission to provide its guests and employees an enhanced brand experience. The dilemma Atlantis faced was how to integrate the new vision and mission into all the brand touch points in order to improve customer... View Details

Keywords: Change Management; Customer Satisfaction; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Employee Relationship Management; Brands and Branding; Service Delivery; Mission and Purpose; Performance Improvement; Accommodations Industry

January 2022 (Revised August 2022)
Case

Jackie Robinson: Changing the World

By: Robert Simons and Max Saffer

This case traces the rise of Jackie Robinson from the poor streets of Pasadena, California to one of the most famous people in America after he overturned the color barrier in baseball. The case describes how as a youth he excelled at basketball, football, baseball,... View Details

Keywords: Diversity; Power And Influence; Personal Characteristics; Values And Beliefs; Mission And Purpose; Sports; Entrepreneurship; Leadership; Leading Change; Personal Development and Career; United States