General Management

- April 1, 2025
- Article
How to Build a Life: You Can Do Leisure Better, Seriously

By: Arthur C. Brooks
- April 1, 2025
- Article
How to Build a Life: You Can Do Leisure Better, Seriously

By: Arthur C. Brooks
- March 2025 (Revised March 2025)
- Case
Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena: Ticket to a Greener Future

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Jacob A. Small

CEO Tim Leiweke reviewed the process by which his newly formed Oak View Group had managed a major rebuild of a landmark arena in Seattle which attracted a National Hockey League franchise and major entertainers concerned about sustainability. Challenges included politics around the bidding process, the need for construction innovations, and rising standards to make the Climate Pledge Arena among the world’s greenest. Amazon bought the naming rights through its Climate Pledge Alliance, with founder Jeff Bezos insisting on a carbon zero plan, which added electricity uncertainties and further cost escalations. Leiweke had to manage his investors and find the resources and innovations to complete the project without public funding and then deal with further challenges of operating at carbon zero, including waste management, food, cooking, packaging, and community benefits such as free public transportation included with a ticket. Was the venture successful, and from whose perspective? Leiweke wanted to inspire many similar projects. What kind of leadership and partnerships were required for a project with this climate impact?
- March 2025 (Revised March 2025)
- Case
Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena: Ticket to a Greener Future

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Jacob A. Small

CEO Tim Leiweke reviewed the process by which his newly formed Oak View Group had managed a major rebuild of a landmark arena in Seattle which attracted a National Hockey League franchise and major entertainers concerned about sustainability. Challenges included politics around the bidding process, the need for construction innovations, and rising...
- March 2025 (Revised March 2025)
- Case
Good for the Seller, Good for the Buyer and Good for Society: Sampo-yoshi, Sustainability and Trust at ITOCHU

By: Sandra J. Sucher and Bethelehem Y Araya

In 2024, ITOCHU CEO Masahiro Okafuji was at a crossroads. As the thirteenth CEO since ITOCHU’s founding in 1858, he had fueled the company’s growth since 2011 by bringing ITOCHU’s founding philosophy of Sampo-yoshi (good for the seller, good for the seller and good for society) from the past to a live force in the present to produce industry-leading profitability and a top-10 market capitalization while using the strengths of ITOCHU as a general trading company to further the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). Yet with injunctions against ESG investing in the US and pullbacks from climate commitments by oil majors, manufacturers, investment firms, and governments, Okafuji had to decide whether staying close to the wishes of customers and society—a key feature of Sampo-yoshi—required changing course. In recognition of its role in sustainability, ITOCHU had been selected by DJSI (Dow Jones Sustainability Index) World and DJSI Asia Pacific as first among Japan’s top 5 trading companies for 11 years and was in the top 5% of S&P Global ESG Score among trading companies and the distribution sector. In 2023, ITOCHU had 52 active projects to advance SDGs, initiated and managed through its eight division companies to pursue business opportunities from ammonia-fueled marine transport, integrated waste management for municipalities, residential energy storage systems, to textile recycling, a socially responsible supply chain for sourcing raw rubber, and a novel scalp-cooling system that helped women with breast cancer stave off hair loss from chemotherapy treatment. “I think the most challenging task is to achieve further growth even amidst our currently expanding revenues,” he said. “We can’t keep up this kind of growth by just doing the same thing as before.”
- March 2025 (Revised March 2025)
- Case
Good for the Seller, Good for the Buyer and Good for Society: Sampo-yoshi, Sustainability and Trust at ITOCHU

By: Sandra J. Sucher and Bethelehem Y Araya

In 2024, ITOCHU CEO Masahiro Okafuji was at a crossroads. As the thirteenth CEO since ITOCHU’s founding in 1858, he had fueled the company’s growth since 2011 by bringing ITOCHU’s founding philosophy of Sampo-yoshi (good for the seller, good for the seller and good for society) from the past to a live force in the present to produce...

About the Unit

The General Management Unit is concerned with the leadership and management of the enterprise as a whole. This concern encompasses:

the personal values and qualities of effective general managers and enterprise leaders;
the philosophies, values, and strategies that inform successful enterprises; and
the relation of enterprise to the broader community and other external constituencies.

The Unit's work is conceived and carried out principally in four interest groups, each of which has its own leadership, research agenda, and teaching programs:

Management Policy and Process
Management Information Systems
Society and Enterprise
Leadership, Values, and Corporate Responsibility

Recent Publications

How to Build a Life: You Can Do Leisure Better, Seriously

By: Arthur C. Brooks

April 1, 2025 |
Article |
The Atlantic

Citation

Louis E. Caldera on the Panama Canal and DEI Under Trump's Administration

By: Louis Caldera

25 Mar 2025 |
Other Presentation |
Faculty Research

Citation

How to Build a Life: To Make Someone Happy, Ask for Help

By: Arthur C. Brooks

March 20, 2025 |
Article |
The Atlantic

Citation

How to Build a Life: How to Avoid the Creative-Narcissist Trap

By: Arthur C. Brooks

March 13, 2025 |
Article |
The Atlantic

Citation

Kering Eyewear

By: Rohit Deshpandé and Nicole Zelazko

March 2025 |
Teaching Note |
Faculty Research

This teaching note provides comprehensive documentation of how to use the Kering Eyewear case.

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Conglomerates; Business Subsidiaries; Global Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Product Marketing; Product Positioning; Distribution; Product; Luxury; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Fashion Industry; Retail Industry; United States

Citation

Purchase

Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena: Ticket to a Greener Future

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Jacob A. Small

March 2025 (Revised March 2025) |
Case |
Faculty Research

CEO Tim Leiweke reviewed the process by which his newly formed Oak View Group had managed a major rebuild of a landmark arena in Seattle which attracted a National Hockey League franchise and major entertainers concerned about sustainability. Challenges included politics around the bidding process, the need for construction innovations, and rising standards to make the Climate Pledge Arena among the world’s greenest. Amazon bought the naming rights through its Climate Pledge Alliance, with founder Jeff Bezos insisting on a carbon zero plan, which added electricity uncertainties and further cost escalations. Leiweke had to manage his investors and find the resources and innovations to complete the project without public funding and then deal with further challenges of operating at carbon zero, including waste management, food, cooking, packaging, and community benefits such as free public transportation included with a ticket. Was the venture successful, and from whose perspective? Leiweke wanted to inspire many similar projects. What kind of leadership and partnerships were required for a project with this climate impact?

Citation

Educators

Purchase

How to Build a Life: The Ultimate German Philosophy for a Happier Life

By: Arthur C. Brooks

March 6, 2025 |
Article |
The Atlantic

Citation

Good for the Seller, Good for the Buyer and Good for Society: Sampo-yoshi, Sustainability and Trust at ITOCHU

By: Sandra J. Sucher and Bethelehem Y Araya

March 2025 (Revised March 2025) |
Case |
Faculty Research

In 2024, ITOCHU CEO Masahiro Okafuji was at a crossroads. As the thirteenth CEO since ITOCHU’s founding in 1858, he had fueled the company’s growth since 2011 by bringing ITOCHU’s founding philosophy of Sampo-yoshi (good for the seller, good for the seller and good for society) from the past to a live force in the present to produce industry-leading profitability and a top-10 market capitalization while using the strengths of ITOCHU as a general trading company to further the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). Yet with injunctions against ESG investing in the US and pullbacks from climate commitments by oil majors, manufacturers, investment firms, and governments, Okafuji had to decide whether staying close to the wishes of customers and society—a key feature of Sampo-yoshi—required changing course. In recognition of its role in sustainability, ITOCHU had been selected by DJSI (Dow Jones Sustainability Index) World and DJSI Asia Pacific as first among Japan’s top 5 trading companies for 11 years and was in the top 5% of S&P Global ESG Score among trading companies and the distribution sector. In 2023, ITOCHU had 52 active projects to advance SDGs, initiated and managed through its eight division companies to pursue business opportunities from ammonia-fueled marine transport, integrated waste management for municipalities, residential energy storage systems, to textile recycling, a socially responsible supply chain for sourcing raw rubber, and a novel scalp-cooling system that helped women with breast cancer stave off hair loss from chemotherapy treatment. “I think the most challenging task is to achieve further growth even amidst our currently expanding revenues,” he said. “We can’t keep up this kind of growth by just doing the same thing as before.”

Keywords: Sustainability; Trust; Japan