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In 2019, Nike and other brands were accused by the media, human rights advocates and organizations, and members of the U.S. government of potentially having supply chain ties to human rights violations of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang, China. Nike had spent decades investing in improving its supply chain reputation, building trusted partner relationships with suppliers, and taking bold steps to publicly act as a leader in corporate responsibility. But now the company was again being forced to respond to an accusation of failing to uphold human rights due to alleged forced labor. Were any of Nike's long-standing manufacturing partners willingly or unwillingly employing slave labor or using raw materials obtained through slave labor? Nike had oversight of its suppliers to adhere to the International Labor Organization standards, but how much influence did the company have over the Chinese government to follow them? If the accusations were true, should Nike leave China as a supply base and market?

Blockchain is a digital, distributed, immutable ledger designed to build trust among parties without requiring an independent, third-party arbitrator or intermediary. The technology has potential to improve a variety of industries, including the complex, fragmented, analog food supply chain. In this case study, the fictional director of food safety at Walmart, Frederick Durmot, seeks to leverage blockchain for supply chain safety and transparency. The key dilemma is how to make Walmart's blockchain implementation successful. While food safety improvements may alone represent a win for the company, blockchain could also have major impacts on supply chain efficiency, product design, and social and environmental issues. The major risk to consider is unwanted scrutiny due to heightened transparency in the supply chain.

Industrial agriculture feeds the modern world but its practices, such as monocropping and use of chemicals, have caused significant damage to the environment and food supply. Regenerative agriculture, in contrast, is a set of holistic farming practices that is gaining in popularity as a method for not only increasing crop yields but also renewing the land. Business inputs vary greatly between the two: industrial production requires more complex machinery and external inputs, while regenerative agriculture relies on the Earth's natural processes, but is dependent on additional labor costs. This case explores a U.S. farm founded in 1866, White Oak Pastures, and the business acumen of current proprietor Will Harris III. Students will analyze the organization's financial costs and risks, environmental impacts, change management, and potential for growth with innovative revenue streams.

Stripe, a San Francisco-based financial and software as a service (SaaS) company, is launching a platform to encourage its clients to invest in carbon removal technologies. The new platform, Stripe Climate, allows clients to divert a percentage of their credit card revenue to fund carbon removal companies. The case asks students to justify Stripe's decision to enter the carbon removal investing space by launching a product that does not generate any profit. Should Stripe, a fintech services company, be entering the carbon removal technologies industry? The case introduces students to different carbon offset and removal strategies that companies have deployed, which can lead to robust discussion about the effectiveness of corporate approaches to climate change solutions. Additionally, this case provides background for rich debate on the role of the private sector in taking leadership roles to address climate change.

Imperfect Foods is a grocery delivery company providing lower-cost items that may have aesthetic shortcomings and would typically be discarded. Despite its laudable anti-waste goals, Imperfect Foods has received significant pushback from the sustainability community. Critics are concerned that the for-profit organization is diluting its goal of reducing food waste by incentivizing overproduction. The director of public affairs for the company must soon deliver a communications strategy to Imperfect Foods' executive team that addresses critics' claims that the company is harming the environment by commoditizing "ugly" foods and working closely with industrialized farms that can profit from overproduction. The case presents a robust opportunity for students to debate whether or not a private company can focus on purpose and profit simultaneously.

In 2018, the Seattle City Council unanimously voted 9-0 for a tax that would require companies whose annual revenue surpassed $20 million to pay the city $275 per employee per year. The tax money would then be used to combat homelessness in Seattle. In response, Starbucks Senior Vice President John Kelly released a statement: "There's no reason why one of the wealthiest cities in the world should have children sleeping in cars. But the solution is not to funnel more money through a city council that has thus far failed to show it can spend it effectively." Ultimately, Starbucks, Amazon, and other large Seattle-based companies mounted a campaign to put a tax-repeal referendum on the ballot. The controversy grew, and less than a month after unanimously approving the tax, the City Council voted 7-2 to repeal it. Starbucks has been very public in its commitment to being socially responsible and a good citizen of the communities in which it operates, so how would customers react to the company not wanting to pay local taxes to support social initiatives?

High-speed rail (HSR) is a high-performance transportation technology that is time competitive with airplanes and automobiles, and is an environmentally preferable alternative due to its low carbon dioxide emissions. Brightline is a Florida HSR system in Phase II of its development and aims to connect West Palm Beach and Orlando. As construction continues, Brightline needs to determine to what extent it should target the leisure and business traveler segments when Phase II launches. Given a limited marketing budget and high upfront investment, it is critical for the company to gain ridership quickly and establish a foothold in relevant consumer segments. This decision is contingent on evaluating not only consumer characteristics and needs for each market segment, but also pricing strategies and potential incentives Brightline could offer.

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) was founded in 2010 to develop a common set of sustainability standards for the apparel, footwear, and home textile industries. The organization was an example of pre-competitive collaboration, a strategy in which companies within an industry band together to tackle shared challenges. The SAC created the Higg Index to help companies, organizations, and consumers better evaluate and track value chain and product sustainability performance for both environmental and social issues. By providing visibility and transparency across apparel industry value chains, the tool allowed companies to benchmark their performance with peers and identify areas for improvement. However, companies using the Higg Index were not allowed to publicly publish their Higg ratings before a fully developed third-party verification program was established, delaying the very transparency that the tool intended to promote and opening the SAC up to criticism. The case opens with Sean Cady, the newly appointed chairman of the SAC board of directors, pondering how to respond to requests for greater Higg Index transparency from Human Rights Watch, a non-governmental organization.

This case analyzes the University of Michigan (U-M) Endowment Fund's capability and potential responsibility to divest from fossil fuels. Similar educational institutions, such as the University of California system, had cut fossil fuels from their portfolios, posing the question of whether U-M President Mark Schlissel would be able to do the same amid the university's stakeholder pressures. The university endowment managed $12.4 billion through 235 investment managers operating independently. A central question in the case is whether agents of a public university can shift to make more socially responsible investments while still delivering the desired revenue. President Schlissel had committed to carbon neutrality, but the university was still far from achieving the goal.

This case examines the technology of Ring, Inc. and how the technology is used by customers and law enforcement agencies. While Ring and its partners report that its camera-equipped smart doorbell and related technology (working in tandem with local police departments) have improved public safety, there is increasing concern from critics about breaches of privacy, infringement on civil rights, and racial biases inherent in the algorithms of facial recognition. This case provides an opportunity to identify the responsibility of companies with disruptive technology in a non-regulated industry, and also the role of companies that provide public services when a gap appears in the government's provision of those services.

This case focuses on the rising trend of CEO activism, especially as it relates to business extending its impact on democracy. The case centers on the contentious political issues of gun violence, gun rights, and gun control. Students will follow the protagonist and develop strategies to support Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, who took a stance on gun control by reducing gun and ammunition sales after a mass shooting in 2019 at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas. Building on CEO activism, the case also focuses on further steps that corporations can take to influence public policy.

In the wake of a mass killing in San Bernardino, California, in December 2015, the FBI requested that Apple unlock an iPhone used by one of the shooters. Thus began a dilemma for both Apple and the FBI, each of them with storied histories that intertwined data and individual rights to privacy. Apple faced a fundamental question made more difficult by the competing interests of a publicly-traded company: what is the best action for society and the public good? What precedent would Apple be setting if it complied with the FBI's request? If the company refused to comply, would it be standing in the way of preventing further attacks?

In 2017, Amazon began its search for a second headquarters location. From 20 finalists, after a bidding process that lasted nearly a year, Amazon selected two locations: Long Island City in the borough of Queens, New York City; and Arlington, Virginia. There were many stakeholders with varied opinions about the location, especially in New York. Progressive politicians, led by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, argued against the New York City location, as did most City Council members. But New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo were in support of the deal, which they brokered. The case asks students to put themselves in the shoes of Amazon's director of economic development, as she and her team make a final recommendation to move forward with the New York deal or pull out.

This case describes DuPont's sustainable seaweed program, in partnership with the New England Aquarium, and discusses the changing market landscape for seaweed: an undervalued ingredient widely used in much of the world's food supplies, fertilizers, industrial gums, pharmaceuticals, biofuels, plastic, and more. Seaweed production is rapidly expanding around the globe and is projected to generate 500 million tons of dry weight by 2050, accounting for approximately 10% of the world's supply of food. Conflict over marine resources is also increasing, as multiple users and maritime industries vie for space, including offshore renewable energy, aquaculture, tourism, transportation, and shipping. After DuPont developed the first sustainable seaweed standards in 2018, the company announced its efforts to move toward a circular economic business model. The case challenges students to determine whether DuPont should lead a pre-competitive collaborative initiative to refine and share its sustainability standards with other seaweed companies. But would this threaten Dupont's competitive advantage?

Facebook, the world's largest social media company, boasted a worldwide reach with over 140 million companies using the Facebook app, 100 billion messages shared every day, and 70 international offices. With such reach and efficient ability to communicate to people instantly, the company had the potential to be used to sabotage the validity of information consumed daily and even threaten American democracy. This case is about the challenging business decisions that Facebook experienced in response to government and organizations' pressure for more regulations. Government pressure to regulate Facebook's political ads grew prevalent after it became public knowledge that foreign governments (particularly Russia's) manipulated social media to influence the 2016 elections. Russian political actors used a comprehensive set of tools to infiltrate public debates, hack confidential emails of campaign staff, and systematically manipulate Facebook and Twitter to spread misinformation to specific demographics of voters. While Russian operatives strategically targeted their false messages, Facebook and Twitter did not have sufficient mechanisms to prevent the impact of fake news. Students will explore the role of social media companies in regulating political speech and the potential for the spread of misinformation.

This case outlines various investment options for the CEO of JUST, Inc., Josh Tetrick, as he attempts to capture market share in the protein industry of the future. JUST, Inc. is a plant-based alternatives company and has been successful with a diverse portfolio of product offerings including JUST Egg. Trends such as worldwide population growth, rising global income, and increased ethical/environmental concerns suggest an ongoing demand for protein, but not from traditional meat. So, Tetrick weighs four main options: clean meat, plant-based meat, insect proteins, and the status quo of continuing product development in the plant-based alternatives space. Students will weigh the benefits and challenges of each option.

Plastic has become essential to global day-to-day activities, yet it is also causing extreme environmental degradation. Many leaders in the plastics industry are starting to question its sustainability. This case presents insights into the future of the plastic packaging industry. Students will follow Sander Defruyt of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) and his New Plastics Economy initiative that aims to engage industry-leading companies-such as Amcor, Danone, SC Johnson, Coca-Cola, and L'Oreal-to work toward a common goal of creating a circular economy and reducing unsustainable plastic packaging. The case highlights how a circular economy is not possible within the current system and that industry actors need to rethink the entire plastics market to implement sustainable changes.

Neste, a Finnish oil company, has established itself as a key player and early mover in the renewable fuel market since its patent of NEXBTL renewable diesel in 1996. As new transportation regulations put stricter limits on emissions, renewable fuels become increasingly important. Students are placed in the role of Neste CEO Peter Vanacker to analyze both the current and future state of the renewable fuel industry and determine Neste's strategy. How should Neste position itself as the sustainability leader in fueling transportation sector industries including road, aviation, and maritime shipping?

It was mid-March 2019 and General Mills had just announced its commitment to advance regenerative agriculture practices on one million acres of farmland by 2030. It was an ambitious initiative but Kevin O'Donnell, General Mills' global director for sourcing & operations sustainability, was focused on advancing this holistic method of farming in order to protect and enhance the world's natural resources. Still, he wondered if his company could do more. He kept thinking about the 2018 Responsible Business Summit in New York City where he heard former Unilever CEO Paul Polman speak about a novel concept called pre-competitive collaboration. O'Donnell thought this notion had the potential to enable an even more sustainable agricultural supply chain, not only for General Mills, but the entire cereal industry. Could he and his team successfully integrate pre-competitive collaboration into the regenerative agriculture initiative?

In this case, the CEO of A.P. Moller - Maersk, one of the world's largest container shipping companies, considers whether competition or collaboration is the right solution to tackle the industry-wide challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. While the shipping industry plays a significant positive role in global trade, it also has a negative impact on the environment due to immense greenhouse gas emissions. Should Maersk collaborate with other industry players through the Getting to Zero Coalition? If so, could Maersk maintain its leading position in the industry? This case study reviews the history, regulation, and impacts of the global ocean freight market and asks students to weigh the costs and benefits of competing versus collaborating to solve the industry-wide emissions problem. In the context of market-transformation, this case provides a unique example of a mature industry adapting to evolving environmental requirements.