Corporate governance

Managers should make environmental investments for the same reason they make other investments: because they expect them to deliver positive returns or to reduce risks.

There are plenty of reasons to be disappointed with the Copenhagen climate talks that start today: the meeting will not result in a binding agreement, the timeframe for such an agreement is potentially years away, and of course, neither the US nor China has committed to binding reductions. While all this is certainly disappointing, the […]

Leadership transitions go awry with alarming frequency, often the result of an emotionally charged power struggle between the CEO and his would-be heir. Four practices, however, can help successors defuse the crisis—and make it to the top.

And in some cases the boards themselves will have to change.

An evidence-based way to estimate social and environmental returns

A new initiative, the International Sustainability Standards Board, holds promise.

In this era of globalization, countries find themselves increasingly competing with each other for a share of trade, investment, and tourism. Country brands provide an opportunity for creativity and differentiation: Spain, India and New Zealand, for example, all successfully built brands that greatly boosted local tourism. Moving forward, country brands — just like corporate brands […]

Factor social benefits and the use of resources into a company’s value.

Do you know the difference between a high-quality carbon project and one that risks your reputation?

Are we finally at a tipping point?

If you are the leader of a large organization (or only of yourself) who cares about improving the world, here’s a question you should consider: How will you participate in the global solution networks that are increasingly managing to address the world’s problems? A global solution network is a group of independent parties that have […]

Just a few years ago, the U.S. stock market was the envy of the world. Thanks to new technology, friendly regulation, and the innovativeness of the financial...

What's the best way to lift people out of poverty? The social entrepreneurs in the new "impact sourcing" industry believe the answer is providing work,...

As an opening post on Harvard Business.org, I figure no topic could be more appropriate than the change happening at Harvard, among other places. I’m talking about the big shift in what business schools are teaching students and, more importantly, what those future business leaders want from their employers. According to a recent article in […]

As American companies and unions mobilize to organize Political Action Committees (PACs) with an eye to the upcoming mid-term elections, it is worth taking a step back to ask: Does it pay to donate to political candidates? Such a question might seem touchingly naïve, but in reality, the empirical evidence on this issue is much […]

A consensus is emerging that there has been a shift in the attitudes and values of the U.S. work force and that this shift has been accompanied by increased dissatisfaction with many aspects of work. The evidence for this shift and disaffection has emerged from two camps: systematically recorded observations from case studies and surveys […]

They’re good at building ties to the local community.

“Did I find it frustrating as the White House Chief of Staff? Toughest job I ever had, but…if you find it unpleasant to cope with a complex problem that is simultaneously the business of four or five Cabinet departments, several public interest groups, and the Congress, and one that the President will finally decide, then […]

The big global meeting going on in Copenhagen (called COP15) is all about reducing carbon emissions in order to combat climate change. But is climate change the only reason your business should reduce energy use and carbon emissions? Hardly. But first, let’s get out of the way the “scandal” about hacked emails from climate scientists, […]

Different personalities require different approaches.