2012 Conference Sessions
Social Impact as Strategy
In the past, organizations have viewed social impact as exogenous to traditional business models and strategies. Increasingly, however, organizations are adopting social impact and corporate responsibility as core to their business strategies. This session, led by Greg Hills T’00, a Managing Director at FSG, seeks to explore the notion of social impact as strategy. What’s in it for leaders of traditional for-profit businesses? How will the notion of “shared value” change the way companies think about their CSR and overall strategies? Who are the major stakeholders and what are the tradeoffs, synergies, and opportunities involved in this broader approach to strategy?
To learn more about Shared Value prior to the session, read on: FSG Shared Value
>> View speakers
To learn more about Shared Value prior to the session, read on: FSG Shared Value
>> View speakers
Investing for Impact
Impact investing is increasingly viewed as a solution by investors who no longer believe that there is a ‘binary choice’ between investing for maximum returns and donating for social causes. The panel will investigate this emerging trend, considering what defines impact investments, how to measure social progress, and the track record and strategic outlook for successful and impactful investing in the future. Can the hybrid of philanthropy and private capital make a difference to help address the world’s pressing social and environmental problems while continuing to drive financial returns? Will impact investing become mainstream and is it sustainable in uncertain times?
>> View speakers
>> View speakers
Driving Change in the Energy Sector
The energy sector continues to mobilize to meet growing demand within the context of persistent economic, political, and technological change. Increasing public awareness of sustainability has combined with significant cost savings potential to drive corporate initiatives, yet uncertainty in the public sector continues to grow. At the same time, energy economics are changing as increased shale gas production drives down prices, oil sands become economically viable, and technological advances enable renewables to grow in both political and practical importance.
This panel will seek to investigate the forces that may drive change in the energy sector – including corporate social responsibility, policy, the environmental movement, and technological innovation in traditional and new industries – as well as where those changes may lead in the long-term.
>> View speakers
This panel will seek to investigate the forces that may drive change in the energy sector – including corporate social responsibility, policy, the environmental movement, and technological innovation in traditional and new industries – as well as where those changes may lead in the long-term.
>> View speakers
Trading Profit for Health Equality:
The Challenges of Meeting Demand for Clinical Therapies in Developing Countries
This health care panel is intended to provide a forum for discussion about how leading pharmaceutical companies consider the trade-off between investing in new drug therapies and prioritizing the health needs of vulnerable, underserved populations. In today’s highly complex and rapidly evolving health care environment, organizations are facing many challenges both at home and abroad. Pharmaceutical companies are facing the waning of the blockbuster drug model and a rise in generic competition. Furthermore, the most promising products in the pipeline are being designed for smaller patient populations with highly specialized conditions. As companies invest resources in the research and development of these new specialty drugs with high profit potential, large populations around the world continue to suffer from treatable ailments. Prevalent conditions such as AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis can be treated with drugs that are commonly available in the United States. However, patients in developing nations do not have easy access to basic treatments. As a result, several large pharmaceutical companies and associations have begun to call attention to the need to improve health equity and therapy access around the world.
>> View speakers
>> View speakers
Lunch and Closing Remarks
Please join us for a sit-down lunch to cap off the 2012 Tuck Business & Society Conference. Tuck students will provide reflections on each of the conference sessions and discuss how different businesses and industries are addressing the need for socially responsible strategies. Additionally, closing remarks will share reflections on the evolution of the conference over the past ten years and how the BSC has helped bring together current and future business leaders, industry experts, and community stakeholders to discuss the responsibilities and opportunities that businesses face in today’s society.