Patagonia Sur and One Goal

By Hai The most important thing that I have learned from the Patagonia Sur case is that when the company is at an early stage, it is important for the company to set just one goal and devote itself to a path to achieve it. It is better to focus on one goal rather than […]

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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, […]

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1366 Technologies: Slow and Steady Doesn’t Win

By Anonymous In our discussion of 1366 Technologies Inc., we analyzed some of the pros and cons of the company applying to receive Department of Energy loan guarantees. Many of us in the class were skeptical of the loan program and apprehensive about the terms and conditions required by the DOE. Additionally, with the application […]

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The Threat and Mitigation of Regulatory Risk – Revisiting EnerNOC

By Ben B. Despite the lower costs of power generation due to decreased natural gas prices – a theme we have discussed many times in the course – EnerNOC seemingly navigated 2013 successfully, with a positive operating profit for the first time since 2010. By the time the company announced its 2013 financial performance, EnerNOC’s […]

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Spreading Yourself too Thin – The Case for Cash vs. Profits

By Efosa After the Patagonia Sur case, I was left conflicted. Warren Adams’ value proposition, as it related to land appreciation was profitable; however, the decision to delve into other businesses and to diversify so early was confusing. Additionally, Adams was potentially targeting, with an entirely different business model, five different business segments, namely sustainable […]

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Brightsource and the search for a reduced carbon powered world

By Eleanor Supporting the development of the world community and subsequent growing energy needs, while at the same time attempting to minimize the impacts of global climate change caused by fossil fuel consumption is one of the most complex issues of the 21st century. How can emerging nations grow their economies while avoiding the legacy […]

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Materials and Moonshots: Should Dow Chemical’s sustainability strategy be molded after Google X?

By Ryan Fletcher Dow’s sustainability strategy is at a critical juncture; after the trendsetting success of its 1995-2005 and 2005-2015 sustainability goals, the company faces a difficult yet important decision. Should a structured approach around metrics, similar to what has been successfully implemented across the past 19 years, be continued, or could a more principles-based […]

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CSR and sustainability agendas: a big distraction?

By Flavia In the face of growing uncertainties at their core businesses, are corporations pursuing sustainability and CSR agendas seeking for comfort? My hypothesis is that for large companies such as Nestlé and Dow, to pursue these agendas might help drive the company, employees and other stakeholders towards something less threatening. While top executives might […]

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It can be difficult for fragmented industries to become sustainable in the short-run when profit-maximizing agents can build a competitive advantage and capture cost-conscious customers

By Anonymous For the last few sessions, we have been discussing the business case and social value of sustainability. I would however like to argue that that is not always the case. Sustainability initiatives, if run in isolation can hurt industries in the short run. My hypothesis is that sustainability efforts by an individual company […]

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The Central Valley: Does It Need Bigger Farms?

By Gideon To some extent, the Woolf Farming case and the story of the Woolf family call to mind a romantic image of the family famer in America. But the tragedy the case discusses – the California drought and its impact on the many family businesses in the area – may actually reinforce the case […]

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