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This course is part of the Business in Society and Strategy track.
Introduction to Sustainable Business Strategy
 

Sustainable Business Strategy

$1,750
Next 3-week session starts April 12th
Apply
Develop the tools and techniques to become a purpose-driven business leader.
3
weeks
7-9
hours per week
3
modules
Self-Paced
with regular deadlines

 This course earns you a Certificate of Completion from HBS Online. What you earn.

Overview
Syllabus
Enrollment
Stories
FAQs
Apply Now

Key Concepts

Understand and analyze the business models that drive change
Communicate the competitive advantages of being a purpose-driven leader to management, leadership, and other key stakeholders
Explore why collective efforts matter and how business can be a catalyst for system-level change in the face of significant global issues, such as climate change and income inequality
Examine the broader environmental, political, and social landscape in which you operate, including the role of government, investors, and customers
Determine what you can do in your career to become a purpose-driven leader

Who Will Benefit

Learn how businesses can effect change, and how you can influence others using a values-driven approach in the for-profit space.
"I am early in my career and am looking for a path to becoming a chief sustainability officer or sustainability manager with a company I can align my values with. This class seemed like the perfect opportunity to give me the right tools to learn more about this field."
Desirée Kaplan
Writer at Green Matters
Identify strategic opportunities and articulate the business case for sustainability to achieve corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals within your or your clients' organization.
"I now have a better understanding of sustainability and which companies are doing it right. I’m armed with talking points proving that sustainability is good for business, the environment, and its people."
Brooks Wallace
Public relations professional looking to learn about sustainable business practices
Take a values-driven approach to business and learn how you can succeed financially while also playing a role in solving some of the world’s most pressing problems.
"The course has completely changed me today. I feel like a new person, with a new thought process, driven by purpose, committed to doing the right thing."
Mayank Dubey
Manager, Marketing Communications at Endress+Hauser

What You Earn

Certificate of Completion

Certificate of Completion

Boost your resume with a Certificate of Completion from HBS Online

Earn by: completing this course

Certificate of Specialization

Certificate of Specialization

Prove your mastery of strategy or business in society

Earn by: completing any three courses within either subject area to earn a Certificate of Specialization

Learn More about what you earn

Syllabus

3 Modules, 20-25 Hours
Download full syllabus
8
hrs
Module 1

The Business Case for Action

Understand the business case for change and how to analyze and assess industry disruptions to develop business models that create shared value.

Highlights

Translating Brand Love to Profits
The Current Energy System
Transatomic: Bringing Nuclear Power to the Forefront
ShowHide Details

Concepts

  1. Lipton Tea
  2. Business Models
  3. Jumping the S Curve and Dealing with Uncertainty

Featured Exercises

  • Business model and stages of disruption identification exercises
  • Team meeting #1
8
hrs
Module 2

Driving Change at Scale: Moving Beyond the Firm

Learn what purpose-driven firms are, the "Wheel of Change," and why businesses must act to solve large global issues, such as climate change and income inequality.

Highlights

Prisoner's Dilemma
Cooperating with External Stakeholders
KAF Continued: The Business Model
What Does the Research Say?
ShowHide Details

Concepts

  1. Infectious Change
  2. Public Goods Problems
  3. Cooperation in the Real Economy
  4. Expanding on Purpose

Featured Exercises

  • Public good simulation game
  • Prisoner’s dilemma analysis
  • Team meeting #2
8
hrs
Module 3

Purpose-Driven Systemic Change

Analyze key stakeholders' roles—including investors and the government—understand why "systems thinking" is necessary, and develop a personal plan for how you can drive change.

Highlights

NG Continued
Changing the Governance
ESG Becomes More Mainstream
Partnering with Allies
ShowHide Details

Concepts

  1. Business and the Broader System
  2. Changing the Rules: Focusing on Governance and Finance
  3. Business & Politics: Driving Systemic Change
  4. Individual Action in Business

Featured Exercises

  • Values and purpose reflection exercises
  • Team meeting #3
Free E-Book

How to Be a Purpose-Driven, Global Business Professional

This guide will equip you with the skills needed to define your purpose, make the case for corporate social responsibility to internal stakeholders, further your education, and help enact change.
Access Your Free E-book

Our Difference

Sustainable Business Strategy provides participants with the knowledge and tools to become purpose-driven business leaders.
Stay active by engaging in a new activity every three to five minutes and participating in team meetings and simulations.
Stay active by engaging in a new activity every three to five minutes and participating in team meetings and simulations.
Description of silent animated video above: Learner completes an interactive question by dragging and dropping choices into two different categories
Get social by collaborating and networking with a global community of peers before, during, and after the course.
Get social by collaborating and networking with a global community of peers before, during, and after the course.
Description of silent animated video above: Learner types an answer in the discussion board in response to a peer's question
Immerse yourself in real-world, case-based examples brought to life by industry-leading experts from companies like Walmart, King Arthur Flour, and Unilever.
Immerse yourself in real-world, case-based examples brought to life by industry-leading experts from companies like Walmart, King Arthur Flour, and Unilever.
Description of silent animated video above: Learner scrolls through video interviews from prominent business leaders

About the Professor

Rebecca Henderson
Sustainable Business Strategy

John and Natty McArthur University Professor
"In this course, we will explore what business can do to help solve the big problems of our time."

Dates & Eligibility

Starting
Apr
12
3 Weeks  $1,750
Application deadline April 3
View weekly calendar
Apply Now
Starting
Jun
14
3 Weeks  $1,750
Application deadline June 5
View weekly calendar
Apply Now
Starting
Sep
13
3 Weeks  $1,750
Application deadline September 5
View weekly calendar
Apply Now
  • Scholarships available
  • Free application
  • No documentation required
  • Confirmation within one week

All applicants must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the course.

Learn about bringing this course to your organization.

Learner Stories

90%
are more self-assured at work after taking an HBS Online course
Rarely does a day go by where I don't see a business leader or company wrestling with the same issues that we discussed in class on the front-page of the Wall Street Journal. These issues are more relevant than ever and top of mind for many of the companies I work for as a consultant. They continue to inform my own personal worldview of capitalism, and my own role in shaping society as a future business leader.
SBS - Kathy Choi
Consultant, Boston Consulting Group
The course shifted my worldview: what the most pressing problems are, who comes up with solutions, and how we get there. Professor Henderson pushed hard for us to think deeply about systemic change when it's easy to be satisfied with small wins. Though the course is focused on the private sector, in my public sector job, I often reference the learnings when considering how best to work with businesses so we can leave the world better than we received it.
SBS - Henry Tsai
Technology & Innovation Policy Advisor, San Jose Mayor’s Office
Read more learner stories
* Source: 2022 surveys and course data
 
All FAQs

Sustainable Business Strategy FAQs

What are the learning requirements in order to successfully complete the course, and how are grades assigned?

+–

Participants in Sustainable Business Strategy are eligible for a Certificate of Completion from Harvard Business School Online.

Participants are expected to fully complete all coursework in a thoughtful and timely manner. This will mean meeting each week’s course module deadlines and fully answering questions posed therein. This helps ensure your cohort proceeds through the course at a similar pace and can take full advantage of social learning opportunities. In addition to module and assignment completion, we expect participation in the social learning elements of the course by offering feedback on others’ reflections and contributing to conversations on the platform. Participants who fail to complete the course requirements will not receive a certificate and will not be eligible to retake the course.

More detailed information on course requirements will be communicated at the start of the course. No grades are assigned for Sustainable Business Strategy. Participants will either be evaluated as complete or not complete.

What materials will I have access to after completing Sustainable Business Strategy?

+–

You will have access to the materials in every prior module as you progress through the program. Access to course materials and the course platform ends 60 days after the final deadline in the program.

At the end of each course module, you will be able to download a PDF summary highlighting key concepts introduced in the course. At the end of the program, you will receive a PDF compilation of all of the module summary documents. We hope the module summary documents will serve as a helpful resource after you finish the course.

How should I list my certificate on my resume?

+–

Harvard Business School Online
Certificate in Sustainable Business Strategy
[Cohort Start Month and Year]

List your certificate on your LinkedIn profile under "Education" with the language from the Credential Verification page:

School: Harvard Business School Online
Dates Attended: [The year you participated in the program]
Degree: Other; Certificate in Sustainable Business Strategy
Field of Study: Leave blank
Grade: "Complete"
Activities and Societies: Leave blank
Description:
Sustainable Business Strategy is a 3-week, 15-20 hour online certificate program from Harvard Business School. Sustainable Business Strategy provides participants with the knowledge and tools to become a purpose-driven business leader. This course explores different business models that companies use to drive change and explains why purpose driven businesses are in the best position to tackle the world’s biggest problems. Participants learn how to influence management and other key stakeholders on the competitive advantages of being a purpose-driven firm, and how to make a difference by integrating values into strategy without sacrificing profit.

The program was developed by leading Harvard Business School faculty and is delivered in an active learning environment based on the HBS signature case-based learning model.

Will there be any team assignments?

+–

Participants will be organized into small teams at the start of the course. These teams will be called upon throughout the course to participate in more personal discussions around specific topics. Team assignments will not be graded, but they are expected to be completed.

 

Related Courses

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4 weeks, 6-8 hrs/week
Apply by March 27
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Professors Shawn Cole & Vikram Gandhi

Evaluate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors, and measure and manage impact investments.

6 weeks, 5 hrs/week
Apply by May 8
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Apply by May 1
$1,750Certificate 
 
All FAQs

Top FAQs

How are HBS Online courses delivered?

+–

We offer self-paced programs (with weekly deadlines) on the HBS Online course platform.

Our platform features short, highly produced videos of HBS faculty and guest business experts, interactive graphs and exercises, cold calls to keep you engaged, and opportunities to contribute to a vibrant online community.

Are HBS Online programs available in languages other than English?

+–

We expect to offer our courses in additional languages in the future but, at this time, HBS Online can only be provided in English.

All course content is delivered in written English. Closed captioning in English is available for all videos. There are no live interactions during the course that requires the learner to speak English. Written English proficiency should suffice.

Do I need to come to campus to participate in HBS Online programs?

+–

No, all of our programs are 100 percent online, and available to participants regardless of their location.

How do I enroll in a course?

+–

All programs require the completion of a brief application. The applications vary slightly from program to program, but all ask for some personal background information. You can apply for and enroll in programs here. If you are new to HBS Online, you will be required to set up an account before starting an application for the program of your choice.

Our easy online application is free, and no special documentation is required. All applicants must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the program.

After submitting your application, you should receive an email confirmation from HBS Online. If you do not receive this email, please check your junk email folders and double-check your account to make sure the application was successfully submitted.

Updates to your application and enrollment status will be shown on your Dashboard. We confirm enrollment eligibility within one week of your application.

Does Harvard Business School Online offer an online MBA?

+–

No, Harvard Business School Online offers business certificate programs.

What are my payment options?

+–

We accept payments via credit card, wire transfer, Western Union, and (when available) bank loan. Some candidates may qualify for scholarships or financial aid, which will be credited against the Program Fee once eligibility is determined. Please refer to the Payment & Financial Aid page for further information.

We also allow you to split your payment across 2 separate credit card transactions or send a payment link email to another person on your behalf. If splitting your payment into 2 transactions, a minimum payment of $350 is required for the first transaction.

In all cases, net Program Fees must be paid in full (in US Dollars) to complete registration.

What are the policies for refunds and deferrals?

+–

After enrolling in a program, you may request a withdrawal with refund (minus a $100 nonrefundable enrollment fee) up until 24 hours after the start of your program. Please review the Program Policies page for more details on refunds and deferrals. If your employer has contracted with HBS Online for participation in a program, or if you elect to enroll in the undergraduate credit option of the Credential of Readiness (CORe) program, note that policies for these options may differ.

 

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