Publications

Educators

2021
Working Paper

The Green Bonding Hypothesis: How Do Green Bonds Enhance the Credibility of Environmental Commitments?

By: Shirley Lu

This paper proposes and provides evidence on a green bonding hypothesis, where green bonds act as a commitment device that subjects firms to institutions holding them accountable to their environmental promises. I find that green-bond issuers face higher climate change... View Details

Keywords: Bonding Hypothesis; Sustainable Finance; Climate Change; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Bonds; Corporate Accountability

SSRN

March 2025
Article

Differentiating on Diversity: How Disclosing Workforce Diversity Influences Consumer Choice

By: Maya Balakrishnan, Jimin Nam and Ryan W. Buell

Companies are facing increased pressure to “walk the talk” on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in their operations. One specific call-to-action from stakeholders is the public disclosure of EEO-1s. Companies with 100+ employees are federally mandated to annually... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Behavior; Corporate Disclosure; Diversity; Employees; Perception

Clubs

Venture Capital & Private Equity Club

Keywords: Investment Banking / Sales & Trading; Venture Capital / Private Equity / LBO

04 Apr 2018
News

Why Big Business Isn't Defending Amazon Against Trump

2009
Other Unpublished Work

When Weak Ties and Social Alternatives Benefit Organizational Commitment: Evidence from Wikipedia

This study examines the social mechanisms reinforcing participant commitment to collaborative work. Previous literature largely fails to acknowledge the wider context of individual workplace commitments, or suggests that multiple concurrent work and life commitments... View Details

Keywords: Social and Collaborative Networks

April 2012 (Revised May 2012)
Case

Merck: Operating Science-Based Business

By: Ananth Raman, Inga Maurer and William Schmidt

Merck is known for its commitment to investing in basic R&D. Are Merck's long-term investments justifiable when the firm faces extreme earnings pressure? View Details

Keywords: Science-Based Business; Management; Research and Development; Business and Shareholder Relations; Operations; Pharmaceutical Industry; United States

Educators

April 2024
Teaching Note

Ferrari: Shifting to Carbon Neutrality

By: Raffaella Sadun

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 723-446. A sports car manufacturer commits to carbon neutrality and to electrifying a large part of its car fleet. View Details

Keywords: Strategic Planning; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Leadership Style; Environmental Sustainability; Auto Industry; Italy

14 Sep 2015
News

Twin Cities' business leaders are the nation's finest

June 2015
Article

Understanding Ordinary Unethical Behavior: Why People Who Value Morality Act Immorally

By: F. Gino

Cheating, deception, organizational misconduct, and many other forms of unethical behavior are among the greatest challenges in today's society. As regularly highlighted by the media, extreme cases and costly scams are common. Yet, even more frequent and pervasive are... View Details

Keywords: Moral Sensibility; Behavior

September 2010
Article

Making Self-Regulation More Than Merely Symbolic: The Critical Role of the Legal Environment

By: Jodi L. Short and Michael W. Toffel

Using data from a sample of U.S. industrial facilities subject to the federal Clean Air Act from 1993 to 2003, this article theorizes and tests the conditions under which organizations' symbolic commitments to self-regulate are particularly likely to result in improved... View Details

Keywords: Adoption; Code Law; Environmental Sustainability; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Organizations; Governance Compliance; Strategy; Motivation and Incentives; United States

Find at Harvard

2014
Working Paper

Higher-Ambition CEOs Need Higher-Ambition Boards

By: Edward Ludwig, Elise Walton and Michael Beer

Over the past years, forward-looking CEOs have adopted a higher-ambition approach to strategy and leadership. These "higher-ambition CEOs" are driven by a sense of purpose that goes beyond achieving financial success. They aspire to build organizations that succeed in... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Leadership Style; Management Teams

SSRN

21 Nov 2023
Cold Call Podcast

Cold Call: Building a More Equitable Culture at Delta Air Lines

Keywords: Re: Linda A. Hill; Air Transportation

October 2024
Case

NextGen CDR Facility: From Davos to Details

By: Peter Tufano, Emily A. Chien and Karina Val

Next Gen CDR is a startup that pools corporate commitments to purchase Tech CDR, which promises to permanently remove and store carbon from the atmosphere to combat climate change. A partnership between South Pole and Mitsubishi Corp., Next Gen has secured initial... View Details

Keywords: Climate Change; Partners and Partnerships; Corporate Governance; Investment; Agreements and Arrangements

Educators

Video

Ghassan E. Nuqul

Ghassan E. Nuqul, Chairman of the Nuqul Group, discusses the energy-efficient technologies and investments in renewable forestry that form part of his group’s commitment to sustainable business. View Details

Mar 2012
Article

Green Rules to Drive Innovation

Incoherent U.S. energy and climate policies have cast a pall over the entire economy and are putting U.S. companies at a serious global disadvantage. The authors offer 10 prescriptions for reforms, two of which they describe in detail. First, they argue that the U.S.... View Details

Article

Contingent Match Incentives Increase Donations

By: Lalin Anik, Michael I. Norton and Dan Ariely

We propose a new means by which non-profits can induce donors to give today and commit to giving in the future: contingent match incentives, in which matching is made contingent on the percentage of others who give (e.g., "if X% of others give, we will match all... View Details

Keywords: Matching Donations; Social Proof; Prosocial Behavior; Charitable Giving; Plausibility; Motivation and Incentives; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving

Find at Harvard

January 2000
Case

greatEntertaining.com

By: Myra M. Hart and Nicole Tempest

GreatEntertaining.com is the result of years of planning, testing, and adapting the concept before committing to launch the business. Focus, value creation, and productive partnerships are key issues. View Details

Keywords: Business Startups; Strategic Planning; Partners and Partnerships; Adaptation; Value Creation; Web Services Industry