Stories
Stories
Sustaining Business And Society For The Long Term

Professor Rebecca Henderson
“Doing well by doing good” has rapidly gained
momentum in recent years as business leaders,
investors, and stakeholders have deepened their
understanding of the double bottom line. To help
managers combine their values and their work, support
the mission of their companies, and drive change, HBX
introduced the online certifi cate program Sustainable
Business Strategy in June 2018. Led by Rebecca
Henderson, the John and Natty McArthur University
Professor, the program showcases the role faculty
research plays in course development and teaching.
Henderson has spent much of her career focusing on
how organizations respond to large-scale technological
shifts, most recently in regard to energy and the
environment.
“Sustainable Business Strategy is designed to
empower decision makers on the ground to be
purpose-centered leaders while achieving business
success,” Henderson says. “It can also help
companies rethink their role in society and the power
they have to make a difference in ways that go beyond
fi nding business opportunities.”
Participants set their own schedules during the interactive three-week course, which uses short videos and
multimedia cases to spark discussions about the critical role that business can play in solving some of the world’s
biggest problems. The 20 hours of content Henderson developed highlight a variety of companies, some of which
feature in cases she and Professor of Business Administration George Serafeim teach in their MBA elective
Reimagining Capitalism: Business and Big Problems. Joining Henderson and Serafeim for the HBX course are
several faculty members from across Harvard who are experts in law, government, and fi nance.
Among the topics explored are alternative governance styles, multistakeholder partnerships, values-driven
leadership, fi duciary duties, and the blurring of lines between government and business. Three cases focus on
issues encountered by Unilever—one of which examines how the multinational conglomerate deals with uncertainty,
including predicting government regulations, the costs of clean energy technology, and customer demand for
products and services.
Another case looks at Norsk Gjenvinning, Norway’s largest supplier of recycling and environmental services, which
was purchased by a private equity fi rm in 2012. Upon discovering rampant corruption in the organization and the
industry at large, the new owners implemented a transparent strategy to identify and solve the problems, ultimately
leading to improved effi ciency, reduced costs, and an expansion of clientele.
The course also considers the role of startups through the experiences of two graduate students who founded
Transatomic Power in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a company that aims to revolutionize the nuclear energy industry.
In addition, participants discuss alternative governance styles and shareholder value maximization in the case
on King Arthur Flour in Norwich, Vermont—an employee-owned, certifi ed B-corp on a mission to further people’s
passion for baking through environmentally sound practices.
“Sustainability is so much bigger than just climate change. It’s about sustaining societies and even businesses for
the long term,” Henderson says. “Solving the enormous challenges facing our world will require business leaders
who understand how business can effect change and who have the courage and vision to be catalysts both within
their fi rms and across entire industries and regions.”