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All HBS Web
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- Faculty Publications (155)
- 2017
- Working Paper
Why and How Investors Use ESG Information: Evidence from a Global Survey
Using survey data from a sample of senior investment professionals from mainstream (i.e., not SRI funds) investment organizations, we provide insights into why and how investors use reported environmental, social, and governance (ESG) information. The primary reason...
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Keywords:
Investment Management;
Sustainability;
ESG;
ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Performance;
Investment Fund;
Investment Strategy;
Corporate Accountability;
Activist Shareholder;
Engagement;
Environment;
Climate Change;
Customers;
Customer Satisfaction;
Employee Engagement;
Global Warming;
Investment;
Decision Making;
Environmental Sustainability;
Performance Expectations
Serafeim, Georgios. "Why and How Investors Use ESG Information: Evidence from a Global Survey." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 17-079, February 2017.
- February 2017 (Revised June 2017)
- Case
ExxonMobil: Business as Usual? (A)
By: George Serafeim, Shiva Rajgopal and David Freiberg
Climate change was becoming an important societal and business issue as more governments were introducing climate change related regulations and investors became increasibly worried about stranded assets within oil and gas firms. In September 2016, the U.S. Securities...
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Keywords:
Oil & Gas;
Oil Prices;
Oil Companies;
Asset Impairment;
Predictive Analytics;
Sustainability;
Environmental Impact;
Innovation;
Disclosure;
Accounting;
Valuation;
Climate Change;
Renewable Energy;
Environmental Sustainability;
Financial Reporting;
Energy Industry
Serafeim, George, Shiva Rajgopal, and David Freiberg. "ExxonMobil: Business as Usual? (A)." Harvard Business School Case 117-046, February 2017. (Revised June 2017.)
- February 2017 (Revised June 2017)
- Supplement
ExxonMobil: Business as Usual? (B)
By: George Serafeim, Shiva Rajgopal and David Freiberg
The case presents ExxonMobil's response to growing pressure to disclose how climate change will impact their business. This includes multiple asset impairments and losing a proxy vote to shareholders to increase climate change related reporting. Supplements the (B)...
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Keywords:
Oil & Gas;
Oil Prices;
Oil Companies;
Asset Impairment;
Predictive Analytics;
Sustainability;
Environmental Impact;
Innovation;
Disclosure;
Accounting;
Valuation;
Energy Sources;
Ethics;
Corporate Disclosure;
Governance Compliance;
Climate Change;
Financial Reporting;
Energy Industry;
United States
Serafeim, George, Shiva Rajgopal, and David Freiberg. "ExxonMobil: Business as Usual? (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 117-047, February 2017. (Revised June 2017.)
- September 2016 (Revised December 2018)
- Case
Joan Bavaria and Multi-Dimensional Capitalism
By: Geoffrey Jones and Seema Amble
The case examines the career of Joan Bavaria, a pioneer of socially responsible investing and founder of Trillium Asset Management and Ceres, the nonprofit organization advocating for sustainability leadership. It describes her personal journey from art student and...
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Keywords:
Integrated Corporate Reporting;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Personal Development and Career
Jones, Geoffrey, and Seema Amble. "Joan Bavaria and Multi-Dimensional Capitalism." Harvard Business School Case 317-028, September 2016. (Revised December 2018.)
- Article
ESG Integration in Investment Management: Myths and Realities
By: Sakis Kotsantonis, Christopher Pinney and George Serafeim
The authors’ aim in this article is to set the record straight on the financial performance of sustainable investing while also correcting a number of other widespread misconceptions about this rapidly growing set of principles and methods.
Myth Number 1:...
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Keywords:
ESG;
Sustainability;
Investment Management;
Finance;
Corporate Social Responsibility;
Integrated Corporate Reporting;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Investment;
Environmental Sustainability;
Corporate Governance
Kotsantonis, Sakis, Christopher Pinney, and George Serafeim. "ESG Integration in Investment Management: Myths and Realities." Journal of Applied Corporate Finance 28, no. 2 (Spring 2016): 10–16.
- September 2016
- Article
The Effect of Target Difficulty on Target Completion: The Case of Reducing Carbon Emissions
By: Ioannis Ioannou, Shelley Xin Li and George Serafeim
Targets are an integral component of management control systems and play a significant role in achieving desirable performance outcomes. We focus on a key environmental performance objective—reduction of carbon emissions—as a setting in which to examine how target...
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Keywords:
Sustainability;
Target-setting;
Management Accounting;
Management Accounting And Control Systems;
Control Systems;
Sustainable Development;
Environment;
Goals and Objectives;
Climate Change;
Management Systems;
Accounting;
Environmental Sustainability
Ioannou, Ioannis, Shelley Xin Li, and George Serafeim. "The Effect of Target Difficulty on Target Completion: The Case of Reducing Carbon Emissions." Accounting Review 91, no. 5 (September 2016): 1467–1492.
- 2016
- Working Paper
Shareholder Activism on Sustainability Issues
By: Jody Grewal, George Serafeim and Aaron Yoon
Shareholder activism on sustainability issues has become increasingly prevalent over the years, with the number of proposals filed doubling from 1999 to 2013. We use recent innovations in accounting standard setting to classify 2,665 shareholder proposals that address...
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Keywords:
Sustainability;
Activism;
Activist Investors;
Activist Shareholder;
Corporate Social Responsibility;
Environment;
Corporate Performance;
Corporate Accountability;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Performance;
Environmental Sustainability;
Corporate Governance;
Business and Shareholder Relations;
Investment Activism
Grewal, Jody, George Serafeim, and Aaron Yoon. "Shareholder Activism on Sustainability Issues." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 17-003, July 2016.
- March 22, 2016
- Article
The Globalization of Corporate Environmental Disclosure: Accountability or Greenwashing?
By: Christopher Marquis, Michael W. Toffel and Yanhua Zhou
This article is a layman summary of "Scrutiny, Norms, and Selective Disclosure: A Global Study of Greenwashing," published in Organization Science 27, no. 2 (March–April 2016): 483–504.
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Keywords:
Reporting;
Environmental Performance;
Civil Society;
Corporate Disclosure;
Integrated Corporate Reporting;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Civil Society or Community;
Environmental Sustainability
Marquis, Christopher, Michael W. Toffel, and Yanhua Zhou. "The Globalization of Corporate Environmental Disclosure: Accountability or Greenwashing?" Work In Progress (American Sociological Association blog) (March 22, 2016). (Reprinted as Environmental disclosure: corporate accountability or greenwashing?” LSE Business Review, June 9, 2016.)
- March 2016 (Revised April 2019)
- Technical Note
ESG Metrics: Reshaping Capitalism?
By: George Serafeim
In the past twenty-five years, the world had seen an exponential growth in the number of companies reporting environmental, social and governance (ESG) data. Investor interest in ESG data also grew rapidly. A growing belief that increasing levels of social inequality...
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Keywords:
Capitalism;
Sustainability;
Accountability;
Corporate Social Responsibility;
Responsibilities To Society;
Environment;
Social Impact Investment;
ESG;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Environmental Sustainability;
Measurement and Metrics;
Integrated Corporate Reporting;
Corporate Accountability;
Accounting;
Economic Systems
Serafeim, George, and Jody Grewal. "ESG Metrics: Reshaping Capitalism?" Harvard Business School Technical Note 116-037, March 2016. (Revised April 2019.)
- March–April 2016
- Article
Scrutiny, Norms, and Selective Disclosure: A Global Study of Greenwashing
By: Christopher Marquis, Michael W. Toffel and Yanhua Zhou
Under increased pressure to report environmental impacts, some firms selectively disclose relatively benign impacts, creating an impression of transparency while masking their true performance. We identify key company- and country-level factors that limit firms' use of...
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Keywords:
Disclosure Strategy;
Disclosure;
Environmental Performance;
Environmental Strategy;
Environment;
Symbolic;
Reporting;
Corporate Disclosure;
Integrated Corporate Reporting;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact
Marquis, Christopher, Michael W. Toffel, and Yanhua Zhou. "Scrutiny, Norms, and Selective Disclosure: A Global Study of Greenwashing." Organization Science 27, no. 2 (March–April 2016): 483–504. (Formerly titled "When Do Firms Greenwash? Corporate Visibility, Civil Society Scrutiny, and Environmental Disclosure.")
- Article
Integrated Reporting and Investor Clientele
By: George Serafeim
In this paper, I examine the relation between Integrated Reporting (IR) and the composition of a firm's investor base. I hypothesize and find that firms that practice IR have a more long-term oriented investor base with more dedicated and fewer transient investors....
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Keywords:
Integrated Reporting;
Sustainability Reporting;
Long-term Investing;
Short-termism;
Accounting;
Integrated Corporate Reporting;
Environmental Sustainability;
Investment;
Corporate Governance
Serafeim, George. "Integrated Reporting and Investor Clientele." Journal of Applied Corporate Finance 27, no. 2 (Spring 2015): 34–51.
- May 2015 (Revised May 2017)
- Case
Colgate-Palmolive Company: Marketing Anti-Cavity Toothpaste
By: John A. Quelch and Margaret L. Rodriguez
In October 2013, Colgate-Palmolive Company, the world's leading oral care company, was about to launch its new Colgate® Maximum Cavity Protection™ plus Sugar Acid Neutralizer™ toothpaste in Brazil. Oral care category accounted for 46 percent of Colgate's $17.4 billion...
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Keywords:
New Product Management;
Consumer Segmentation;
Global Marketing;
Corporate Social Responsibility;
Healthcare;
Sustainability;
Health Care and Treatment;
Environmental Sustainability;
Marketing;
Segmentation;
Product Development;
Product Launch;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Product Positioning;
Consumer Products Industry;
Brazil;
United States
Quelch, John A., and Margaret L. Rodriguez. "Colgate-Palmolive Company: Marketing Anti-Cavity Toothpaste." Harvard Business School Case 515-050, May 2015. (Revised May 2017.)
- May 2015
- Teaching Note
Aviva Investors
By: George Serafeim
Keywords:
Responsibility;
Responsibilities To Society;
Sustainability;
Sustainability Reporting;
Corporate Social Responsibility;
Corporate Sustainability;
Activist Investors;
Investment Management;
Investment Strategy;
Corporate Accountability;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Integrated Corporate Reporting;
Environmental Sustainability;
Investment Activism
- March 2015 (Revised February 2017)
- Case
Shanghai: GDP Apostasy
By: George Serafeim
Balancing economic growth alongside environmental sustainability and social inclusion was becoming increasingly important in China. The case describes Shanghai's decision to abandon growth of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as its primary metric of measuring success....
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Keywords:
China;
Gdp;
Measurement;
Measurement Problems;
Accountability;
Sustainability;
Sustainable Development;
Strategy Execution;
Strategy;
Balanced Scorecard;
Strategy Map;
Macroeconomics;
Measurement and Metrics;
Corporate Accountability;
Accounting;
Environmental Sustainability;
Development Economics;
Corporate Governance;
Shanghai
Serafeim, George, Rebecca Henderson, and David Freiberg. "Shanghai: GDP Apostasy." Harvard Business School Case 115-042, March 2015. (Revised February 2017.)
- November 2014
- Article
The Impact of Corporate Sustainability on Organizational Processes and Performance
By: Robert G. Eccles, Ioannis Ioannou and George Serafeim
We investigate the effect of corporate sustainability on organizational processes and performance. Using a matched sample of 180 U.S. companies, we find that corporations that voluntarily adopted sustainability policies by 1993—termed as High Sustainability...
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Keywords:
Sustainability;
Sustainability Management;
Sustainability Research;
Sustainability Reporting;
Sustainability Targets;
Corporate Social Responsibility;
Corporate Accountability;
Reporting;
Corporate Governance;
Investor Clientele;
Investor Communication;
Stock Market;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Environmental Sustainability;
Performance;
United States
Eccles, Robert G., Ioannis Ioannou, and George Serafeim. "The Impact of Corporate Sustainability on Organizational Processes and Performance." Management Science 60, no. 11 (November 2014): 2835–2857.
- 2014
- Chapter
Promoting Corporate Sustainability through Integrated Reporting: The Role of Investment Fiduciaries and the Responsibilities of the Corporate Board
By: Robert G. Eccles, J. Herron and George Serafeim
This book is a comprehensive reference work exploring recent changes and future trends in the principles that govern institutional investors and fiduciaries. A wide range of contributors offer new perspectives on dynamics that drive the current emphasis on short-term...
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Keywords:
Governance;
Integrated Corporate Reporting;
Institutional Investing;
Financial Services Industry
Eccles, Robert G., J. Herron, and George Serafeim. "Promoting Corporate Sustainability through Integrated Reporting: The Role of Investment Fiduciaries and the Responsibilities of the Corporate Board." Chap. 31 in Cambridge Handbook of Institutional Investment and Fiduciary Duty, edited by James P. Hawley, Andreas G.F. Hoepner, Keith L. Johnson, Joakim Sandberg, and Edward J. Waitzer, 403–415. Cambridge University Press, 2014.
- July–August 2014
- Article
Sustainability in the Boardroom: Lessons from Nike's Playbook
By: Lynn S. Paine
One surprising role of Nike's corporate responsibility committee is to provide support for innovation. More and more companies recognize the importance of corporate responsibility to their long-term success—and yet the matter gets short shrift in most boardrooms,...
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Keywords:
Corporate Governance;
Corporate Accountability;
Globalized Firms and Management;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Environmental Sustainability;
Apparel and Accessories Industry;
Sports Industry
Paine, Lynn S. "Sustainability in the Boardroom: Lessons from Nike's Playbook." Harvard Business Review 92, nos. 7/8 (July–August 2014): 87–94.
- May 2014 (Revised March 2017)
- Case
Unilever's Lifebuoy in India: Implementing the Sustainability Plan
Unilever's new Global Brand VP must not only revitalize Lifebuoy soap's sagging market performance, but simultaneously impact the health of one billion people worldwide. The latter challenge comes from Unilever's new CEO who has introduced the Unilever Sustainable... View Details
Keywords:
Multinational Management;
Corporate Social Responsibility;
Strategy Implementation;
Marketing Strategy;
Mission And Purpose;
Change Management;
International Business;
Global;
Fast-moving Consumer Goods;
Soap;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Health Care and Treatment;
Environmental Sustainability;
Global Strategy;
Developing Countries and Economies;
Beauty and Cosmetics Industry;
Health Industry;
India
Bartlett, Christopher A. "Unilever's Lifebuoy in India: Implementing the Sustainability Plan." Harvard Business School Case 914-417, May 2014. (Revised March 2017.)
- May 2014 (Revised January 2015)
- Case
The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board
By: Julie Battilana and Michael Norris
In 2014, as the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) has just brought former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on as chairman of the board, Jean Rogers, founder and CEO struggles with how best to ensure the nonprofit's financial sustainability while...
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Keywords:
Sustainability;
Sustainability Reporting;
Reporting;
Environmental Sustainability;
Accounting;
Accounting Industry;
United States
Battilana, Julie, and Michael Norris. "The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board." Harvard Business School Case 414-078, May 2014. (Revised January 2015.)
- 2014
- Working Paper
The Role of the Corporation in Society: An Alternative View and Opportunities for Future Research
By: George Serafeim
A long-standing ideology in business education has been that a corporation is run for the sole interest of its shareholders. I present an alternative view where increasing concentration of economic activity and power in the world's largest corporations, the Global...
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Keywords:
Corporate Social Responsibility;
Corporate Governance;
Environment;
Environmental And Social Sustainability;
Sustainability;
Sustainability Reporting;
Sustainability Research;
Sustainability Targets;
Corporate Performance;
Corporate Accountability;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact
Serafeim, George. "The Role of the Corporation in Society: An Alternative View and Opportunities for Future Research." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 14-110, May 2014.