Using the "Sustainability Business Case" Data Visualizations

Explore and customize each data visualization ("viz") by interacting with charts, filtering and isolating particular fields and creating a customized visualization to share.

Here are some FAQs to get you started:

Where can I learn more about this data?

How do I view details for each data point?

How do I filter the data for my industry?

How do I sort the data after it has been customized?

What information does the legend give me?

What do the gray dots and gray shading mean?

How can I reset the data visualization to its default state?

Where can I download the raw data?

How can I download a customized set of data?

How can I share these visualizations on my own website?

About the Data

For the third year, MIT Sloan Management Review, in partnership with The Boston Consulting Group, conducted a global survey, to which more than 4,000 executives and managers responded. The analysis in these visualizations is based on a smaller subsample of 2,874 respondents from commercial enterprises, with respondents from academic, governmental and nonprofit organizations excluded. The respondents’ organizations are located around the world; more than 40% do business in at least three regions, led by Europe, North America and Australia/New Zealand. A wide variety of industries are represented. The sample was drawn from a number of sources, including MIT alumni, MIT Sloan Management Review subscribers, BCG clients and other interested parties.

The research report based on the findings of this study, "Sustainability Nears A Tipping Point," is available to read online or for download.

The complete survey, with questions and responses, is available as six-page pdf.

Please note: All data is copyright Massachusetts Institute of Technology. When citing the material, please credit MIT Sloan Management Review and The Boston Consulting Group, and link back to the report, at http://mitsmr.com/sust2012.

Data Points

Hover over an individual data point to reveal explanatory details for that data point.

Filters

Use the dropdown filters to isolate information about an industry across the entire visualization.

Hover over the title of the filter to customize the behavior of the filter:

"Inclusive/Exclusive Option" changes settings of the filter options to include or exclude a particular value.

Sorting the Data

Once you've filtered the data for a particular industry, you can re-sort the data on the x-axis.

Sort ascending: Sorts smallest to largest percentage.

Sort descending: Sorts largest to smallest percentage.

View Data: Reveals underlying data for the visualization.*

* Please note: These visualizations were intended to show trends in responses. Small discrepancies may be due to rounding errors.

Legends

An interactive legend appears on a viz that uses size to indicate concepts such as company size or spending.

Hover over the title of the legend and select "Highlight Selected Items" to use the legend to focus on a particular data group.

Comparing Customized Data to The Average

The gray dots and gray shading that appear on some of the visualizations indicate the average value for that particular data point over all industries and regions.

While you customize your viz, highlighting data for a specific industry and region, the gray dot remains static in order to show how the data specific to your filters compares to the whole.

Resetting The Viz

Use the revert button in the visualization's footer to reset the data to its default state. This will undo any customization you've done to the viz.

Downloading The Raw Data

You can download the data as comma-separated values (CSV) to view in Microsoft Excel and other applications.

You can also access the entirety of the raw data as Tableau Public workbook by clicking on download button in the bottom right-hand corner of the data visualization. You will need to install the free Tableau Public application to view and manipulate the data.*

See "Downloading Customized Visualizations" below to find out how to download a customized subset of data as a CSV file or a text file.

Disclaimer: The data is provided "as is." The user assumes the entire risk related to its use of this data. MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group, Inc. make no representation or guarantee with respect to data provided by either Party for further use by third parties.

* Please note: These visualizations were intended to show trends in responses. Small discrepancies may be due to rounding errors.

Downloading Customized Visualizations

After you've applied filters and other customizations to a data viz, you can share a customized view of the data as an image (png) or a PDF file, or a customized subset of the data as a CSV or text file.

Use the toolbar at the bottom of the data viz to select the format in which to download your customized data.*

*Please note: These visualizations were intended to show trends in responses. Small discrepancies may be due to rounding errors.

Sharing

You can share the interactive data visualization with your network or on your site by using the share tools in the bottom left-hand corner of the visualization. There are options for linking to your facebook and twitter, and for embedding it into your own website.

Please note: All data is copyright Massachusetts Institute of Technology. When citing the material, please credit MIT Sloan Management Review and The Boston Consulting Group, and link back to the report, at http://mitsmr.com/sust2012.