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Special issue Harvard BiGS-CoBS Magazine
COMPANIES & PURPOSE: Purpose-driven business and its imprint on employees, profit, society, and planet



Special Harvard Institute for Business in Global Society - Council on Business & Society issue:
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Companies & Purpose
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Welcome to the very special issue magazine co-published by The Harvard Business School Institute for Business in Global Society and the Council on Business & Society:
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COMPANIES & PURPOSE: Purpose-driven business and its imprint on employees, profit, society, and planet
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In this second collaboration, Harvard BiGS & CoBS offer you 106 pages of insights and 24 articles from globally recognised faculty and prominent business leaders from around the world to propose a truly global and also regional perspective on the ever-important issue of purpose and its impact on corporate value, employee motivation, society, and planet.
This special issue kicks off with an introductory Editorial by Prof. Debora Spar, Senior Associate Dean, Business and Global Society at Harvard Business School, and Adrian Zicari, Academic Director of the CoBS, and professor of Accounting at ESSEC Business School.
Three sections follow: Companies & the changing landscape, Leading by example – purposeful businesses, and Global Perspectives on Companies & Purpose.
Section 1 highlights include exploring the role that business plays in solving social problems, how companies can manage the dual mandate of profit and purpose, the purpose ecosystem and how private actors and stakeholders help companies reach the SDGs, and finally business for good – an update on the shifting landscape since the 2019 pledge by 181 US CEOs
Section 2 includes a focus on the increasing interest in company ownership and how it brings wealth to the wider base, the strategic nature of integrity in corporate governance and purpose, caregiving and companies – how it boosts corporate value and workforce motivation, and corporate business coopetition as a strategy for building a better world.
Section 3 explores the bigger picture and features, among other super insights, innovations from the global south that combine profit and purpose, the move beyond the business case for equality, reframing sustainability as purpose, and a focus on Latin American CEOs and responsible leadership that impacts business and society.
So, as this seemingly exceptional year of change, complexity and challenge moves on, we hope you enjoy this special issue co-developed by two of the world’s most influential actors in responsible business at the crossroads of society and planet. We’d be delighted to hear from you – your feedback, comments and ideas – and please feel free to join in the debate either by contacting us through this website, or through the contact details on page 2 of this magazine.
Kind regards,
The Harvard BiGS-CoBS Editorial Team​​​
Global Voice Magazine #32
Message in a Bottle: Giant steps are what it takes
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The Special Summer Issue: Global Voice #32
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Message in a Bottle: Giant steps are what it takes
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Welcome to this very special summer issue of the Council on Business & Society’s Global Voice magazine #32 – Message in a Bottle: Giant steps are what it takes.
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This issue brings together the outstanding articles from the winning, runner-up and finalist students who took part in the CoBS Student CSR Article Competition, as well as faculty research-based insights from the CoBS schools.
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“Giant steps are what it takes” – indeed a message that runs throughout the 3 sections included in this 209-page magazine.
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CSR, Leadership, and Purpose tackles the ever-important – and perhaps in these present and complex times – even more important issue of addressing the need for business to have greater purpose than simply profit. In the end run, not only does a wider purpose inspire employee commitment and wellbeing, it has a positive impact on the health of our planet and, as research reveals, corporate value and increased profit. In this section too, students tackle how politicians can learn from business leaders to ensure stability, positive direction, and benefit for society in today’s unsure times. And finally, diversity and inclusion comes under the spotlight – criticized and challenged by some, seen as an essential ingredient in modern business and society by others.
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Section 2 – Business, Trade Conflict, and Sustainability – dives into geopolitics and the trade wars marking 2025, to analyse the impact of these on global sustainability initiatives. Here, sustainability is seen as a tool to encourage an ethical and fair strategy for business, society and planet rather than a hindrance to business growth. Linked to this, what are companies doing to take inspiration from nature, innovate, and reverse the decline in biodiversity? The articles featured in this section reveal much more than we might think!
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The final section Ethical AI, Business, and Society compares the dimensions of technology as threat or saviour for many aspects of our current and future world. How should we ethically manage data and analytics in terms of employee performance? How do we protect employees and society while using AI to help solve our problems? What darker side to AI and data does research reveal? And how can humankind ultimately work with tech to positively impact the common good and the environment? There is light ahead, it seems – though responsible and ethical frameworks for this human-machine relationship are urgently required.
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We invite you to download this special issue for your summer reading, reflection, and learning – and also join in the debate by visiting our blog CoBS Insights and leaving your comments. May you have a splendid, peaceful and positive summer ahead!
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White Paper
Reimagining Responsible Leadership Education in a Complex and Changing World
A Special Issue White Paper
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Reimagining Responsible Leadership Education in a Complex and Changing World
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The CoBS, GRLI, and GBSN are delighted to publish this white paper – the fruit of a co-development workshop at Stellenbosch Business School, South Africa. Other partners and key players – UN PRME and the Harvard Business School Institute for Business in Global Society – have been invited to share their thoughts.
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In addition, with the aim of making this publication a “living document” for the wider benefit, we invite all those working in higherEd and with an interest and commitment to business, social and environmental impact to send us their comments and input for future versions of the white paper.
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Discover and download the White Paper, its 4 sections for reflection and with recommendations.
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Click the cover to download
Global Voice Magazine
The Council on Business & Society's quarterly and special issue magazine. The publication features research-based and opinion-piece articles made readable for the student, practitioner and instructor on business and society, management and leadership, sustainability, entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship, CSR, green finance and social and environmental reporting.
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​Download by clicking on the front covers.
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