Keystone XL: Politicians’ inability to balance social, environmental, and economic implications of decisions

By Samantha T. Given the senate’s ruling against the Keystone pipeline last month, I thought it would be an appropriate topic to discuss. While the entire continent is crisscrossed with oil and gas pipelines, none has drawn more attention than Keystone XL which hopes to connect the oil sands of Alberta, Canada to the oil […]

Continue reading →

Silence on the Climate Front

By Alex Auden Schendler from the Aspen Skiing Company was adamant about the need to get Fortune 500 CEOs to speak more openly about climate change. Through this comment I’d like to explore some key reasons why CEOs aren’t going on record with a firmer stance on climate change. It’s my hope that elucidating some […]

Continue reading →

Dear Mr. Liveris: Please Join the Fight Against Climate Change

By Anonymous. Earlier this month, Auden Schendler, the Vice President for Sustainability at Aspen Skiing Company, posed a scenario to our class: “imagine you are working a large company and your CEO asks whether the company should join the fight against climate. What do you recommend? Should the company speak out about climate change?” In […]

Continue reading →

Most Commented through November 26

By John Macomber These posts have received the most comments through the second submission for groups A and B.   New comments may want to build on these. As you think about last posts and comments, here are some popular tags that have spanned several posts, also generating a lot of interest (although not concentrating comments […]

Continue reading →

A Potential Strategy to Improve the CSR “Lobby’s” Chance of Winning the Battle for Hearts/Minds in the Corporate World

By Gideon Lowin Introduction CSR advocates should certainly take heart with the increasing adoption of CSR initiatives around the world; but traction with early adopters does not guarantee success across the broader private sector. Even as they celebrate wins with early adopters, CSR promoters must turn their attention to the challenge of encouraging more widespread […]

Continue reading →

Is there a link between investing in sustainability and financial outperformance?

By Kayley L. The Nestle and Dow cases served as examples of how some large corporations increasingly view investing in sustainable business practices as a source of innovation and an opportunity to develop a long-term competitive advantage and manage risk. However, as we discussed in the Nestle case, the magnitude and timing of the pay-off […]

Continue reading →

Chief Sustainability What?? The Evolution of the CSO and Making the Business Case.

By Jeremy A month ago I sat in front of a Fortune 1000 CEO and to explain why his company needed a Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) and how his bottom line could be improved. His ask: come back with a proposal and with the business case. Throughout our class discussions with Professor Henderson about CSOs, […]

Continue reading →

Whole Foods: do “values matter”?

By Carl I stopped by Whole Foods on Tuesday and saw their new marketing banners plastered around the store: “Values Matter” they say. In class we had a heated argument on this topic, particularly on whether Whole Foods was even still adhering to the values upon which they were founded. I argue they have held […]

Continue reading →

Shared value and fiduciary duty: the harder tests are yet to come

By Anonymous Our recent cases on Nestle, Whole Foods, and Dow have danced around the idea of “doing well by doing good”. Whether you believe it’s social values or financial motives that drove these businesses to take the steps they did, the gains of their strategies are undeniable. We stopped short, however, of examining generalizable […]

Continue reading →