
Corporate Social Responsibility
Corporate Sustainability at a Crossroads
MIT SMR and BCG’s 2017 sustainability research report offers eight lessons for sustainable business.
Sustainability remains a frequently discussed opportunity for business differentiation. Heralded as “the primary moral and economic imperative of the 21st century,” by Mervyn King, former governor of the Bank of England, it is considered to be “one of the most important sources of both opportunities and risks for businesses.”
MIT SMR and Boston Consulting Group recently completed an eight-year collaboration on the topic of sustainability. Over the course of the program, the partnership produced cutting-edge research on business adoption of sustainable practices and the integration of sustainability into business strategy. We developed detailed analyses of the business cases for sustainability, sustainability-related profitability, and issues around collaboration and investment.
The intersection of sustainability and another powerful market influence, digitalization, however, represents largely unexplored territory. Each has spawned a massive set of research about how it will change management practice, and more broadly, business and society. MIT SMR intends to build on its research on corporate sustainability and digitalization, and is currently looking for a partner to join our research effort.
MIT SMR and BCG’s 2017 sustainability research report offers eight lessons for sustainable business.
Sustainability efforts often get blamed when companies trip up. That’s not fair or logical.
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U.S. employers are lagging at embedding sustainability into their organizations, new research shows.
Exponential growth has been key to technology’s progress. The same is needed for climate action.
A research-based framework can help companies select philanthropic projects that align with their business strategies.
Experts weigh the risks and rewards companies face in taking a public stance on divisive social or political issues.
Business leaders should see themselves as change agents with a key role in fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Experts weigh whether short-term financial pressures will complicate businesses’ environmental sustainability efforts.
Formerly incarcerated people represent an underutilized talent pool that can help employers address workforce shortages.
Lessons from the golden age of Black business can teach today’s leaders how to help Black entrepreneurs prosper.