Which HBS Online Business in Society Course Is Right for You?

Business doesn’t exist in a vacuum; it impacts and is impacted by the world around it.

Global politics, community development, social issues, environmental protection, and interpersonal dynamics are all interwoven with business. Understanding how these factors influence your organization—and how you can use business to make a positive impact—can enable you to drive strategic decisions that combine purpose and profit.

Harvard Business School Online offers six courses in the business in society subject area to equip you with social impact skills:

• Global Business
• Sustainable Business Strategy
• Power and Influence for Positive Impact
• Sustainable Investing
• Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability
• Business and Climate Change

Here’s a primer on each course to help you select the best fit.

Which Business in Society Course Is Right for You?

If You Aim to Understand How Political, Social, and Environmental Forces Impact Business

Global Business is a four-week course designed to provide the skills to operate and succeed in international business.

Taught by HBS Professor Forest Reinhardt, the course will teach you macroeconomic fundamentals to inform business decisions. You'll gain tools to assess political and social factors’ impacts on your organization and perspective to interact with other businesses on a global scale.

This course is right if you aim to grow your own business, strategize with big-picture thinking, and make decisions in heavily regulated industries.

Related: Why Study Global Business? 5 Benefits to Consider

If you're interested in focusing specifically on environmental factors' business impact, Reinhardt also co-teaches a course with HBS Professor Michael Toffel: Business and Climate Change. The five-week course teaches you to identify and communicate climate risks and opportunities and implement relevant strategies.

You’ll understand the science, economic impact, and policy implications of climate change and explore how companies in various industries are adapting to and preparing to do business in a changing climate.

For an offering that hones in on the social factors at play in business, explore Power and Influence for Positive Impact. This six-week course, taught by HBS Professor Julie Battilana, will equip you with an understanding of power’s structures and processes within professional relationships, your organization, and society at large.

Sustainable Business Strategy is a great fit if you wish to focus on the relationship between business, the environment, and systemic social issues. This three-week course, taught by HBS Professor Rebecca Henderson, busts the myth that running a purpose-driven business must come at the expense of profit and provides knowledge of business models that drive change.

Related: What You’ll Learn in an Online Sustainability Course

If You Aim to Learn How Your Business Can Positively Impact the Environment and Society

Although Power and Influence for Positive Impact and Sustainable Business Strategy shed light on the forces impacting your organization, they also heavily focus on using power, influence, and strategic thinking and execution to make a positive impact and solve the world’s most pressing challenges.

In Power and Influence for Positive Impact, Battilana stresses that power isn’t just for those at the top and provides instruction for cultivating and leveraging your power for good and holding those in power accountable.

In Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability, you'll dive deeper into accountability, particularly leaders' responsibilities to their customers, employees, investors, and society and how to deliver on them. This six-week course, taught by HBS Professor Nien-hê Hsieh, will help you develop a toolkit for making tough leadership decisions and communicate the "why" behind those decisions.

You'll explore "gray-area situations" and use the reflective leadership model to consider your legal, economic, and ethical responsibilities to stakeholders and your own beliefs and biases that influence your decision-making.

Sustainable Business Strategy is Henderson’s empowering guide to becoming a purpose-driven business leader. You’ll learn how to make the case for sustainability, lead with purpose without sacrificing financially, and craft business strategies that create long-term, positive change.

Finally, Sustainable Investing rounds out our business in society offerings. This six-week course, taught by HBS professors Shawn Cole and Vikram Gandhi, is right for you if you’re a seasoned finance professional or want to enter the world of impact investing.

You’ll learn to identify, measure, and monitor sustainable investment opportunities, analyze cutting-edge implementation strategies, and think critically about the role of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in investment portfolios.

The HBS Online Learning Experience

No matter which course meets your goals, you'll experience the hallmarks of HBS Online, including:

• World-class faculty
• Self-paced online coursework with deadlines
• Engaging, interactive content
• Social interaction with fellow learners
• Real examples of business challenges faced by experts
• The HBS Online Community, a global network of business professionals
• Career growth and a positive return on investment

Take on Global and Societal Challenges

In today's interconnected world, business challenges are complex and have global reach and consequences. That's why HBS Online focuses on topics like global economics, ethical influence, and environmental and social change.

Our business in society courses can propel you toward becoming a more effective and purpose-driven leader. Whether you aim to learn more about the forces influencing your organization or how to leverage your business to make a difference in the world, there’s an HBS Online course for you.

If you still aren't sure which HBS Online business in society course is the right fit, download our free course flowchart to determine which best aligns with your goals. If multiple programs interest you, consider pursuing a Learning Track, which enables you to take three courses within the business in society subject area.

This post was updated on June 5, 2024. It was originally published on July 28, 2022.