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Spreadsheet Supplement for case 209064

The carbon market has emerged in response to concerns about global climate change. This note characterizes the market in 2008, describing each segment and how it operates.

In late 2007, EcoSecurities had to decide whether to undertake a new Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project in China. EcoSecurities was an aggregator of carbon credits and also invested directly in projects that produced carbon credits. Governments and firms required to cut their greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol could use carbon credits to fulfill part of their compliance obligations. As demand for UN-issued carbon credits rose, the UN approval process had become increasingly burdensome. The Ventilation Air Methane Project was an opportunity to break into a new sector with large potential, and the economics and risks of the project needed to be assessed.

Spreadsheet Supplement for case 208151

Following the sudden resignation of Sir John Browne, Tony Hayward, BP CEO, must decide how global climate change management will figure into BP's corporate strategy. Climate change management was a major part of BP's strategy under Browne: In 1997 Browne broke from his colleagues, publicly declaring that global climate change was a serious problem and pledging BP to play a significant role in the search for solutions. BP successfully reduced its own carbon emissions, and championed cap-and-trade style regulation over taxation or command-and-control. Despite this progress, as the climate issue gains in political prominence and the Kyoto Protocol nears expiration, Hayward must consider what actions to take in BP's business strategy and in the political arena to manage ongoing climate risk.

Climate change will affect everything businesses do, as government efforts to mitigate carbon emissions cause their prices to rise steeply. This special edition of Forethought takes a hard-nosed look at the risks and opportunities of climate change. Michael E. Porter and Forest L. Reinhardt argue that the effects of climate change on companies' operations are now so tangible and certain that the issue is best addressed with the tools of the strategist, not the philanthropist. Reinhardt also posits, in another article, that success in a carbon-constrained world will be determined by innovation and acumen, requiring companies to make bold moves. Peter Schwartz explains that firms that do business in vulnerable regions can advance their interests if they help those areas adapt to global warming. Daniel C. Esty notes increasing pressure on corporations to reduce emissions, predicting that companies that fail to do so will face grave consequences. Andrew J. Hoffman says that corporations need to know what regulatory issues are at stake--and where. Alyson Slater of Global Reporting Initiative discusses the challenges and benefits of voluntary disclosure. Auden Schendler cautions companies buying up renewable energy certificates that they could end up tarnishing their green credentials. Theodore Roosevelt IV and John Llewellyn explain that virtually any firm in any sector can reap the benefits of investors' surging demand for green business ideas. Vicki Bakhshi and Alexis Krajeski show how climate change will affect businesses in the midterm. Maria Emilia Correa describes a key plank of the strategy at Masisa, a company in Chile, that is engaging B2B customers in efforts to become greener. Mark Way and Britta Rendlen explain why insurer Swiss Re is persuading employees to reduce their carbon footprints. HBR also provides a forecast of the extreme climate phenomena likely to occur in the future, and their expected repercussions on industry, agriculture, and settlements.

Presents data on opportunities to conserve energy in buildings, which account for about a third of all energy use. Encourages readers to think about the impediments to energy efficiency in the buildings sector and the ways in which entrepreneurs can profitably surmount the obstacles.

Describes the economics, technology, and politics of the oil sands industry, focusing on one of the industry's leading firms. Oil sands deposits in Alberta represent a potentially vast reserve of hydrocarbons, but the extraction, refining, and transportation challenges are formidable, and the environmental consequences of large-scare oil sands development potentially severe. Encourages students to examine Suncor's strategic positioning and cost structure, and the challenges that the firm's leaders confront as of 2007.

Marco Suter, Executive Vice-Chairman, UBS Board of Directors, carefully studied the chart on his desk. It showed the public commitment of major financial institutions to help mitigate global warming. Evidently, UBS lagged behind its competitors. The graph was part of a report that environmental specialists and senior executives at UBS had compiled. It suggested the company adopt a more progressive policy on climate change. Suter thought about the options that the working group had generated. These ranged from stabilizing the company's current carbon emissions to complete carbon neutrality. The UBS Corporate Responsibility Committee would meet early next week. Suter wondered which option he should support.

In 1995, Hiroshi Okuda, president of Toyota Motor Corp., considers whether to push for a more aggressive launch of the Toyota Prius--an automobile that incorporates Toyota's new and technically advanced hybrid power train. This launch decision allows discussion of the importance of the Prius in Toyota's overall product strategy and explores issues ranging from market structure to competitive advantage and competitive dynamics.

Examines the corporate strategy of German energy giant E.ON. The firm is vertically integrated, horizontally diversified across electricity and natural gas, and active in numerous countries in Europe as well as in the United States. Explores the costs and benefits of the company's choices about its vertical, horizontal, and geographical scope. Considers the risks of economic regulation, increasing concerns about environmental externalities from carbon emissions and nuclear power, and political and price risks in upstream markets for fossil fuels.

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In October 2005, Urs Riedener, head of marketing at Swiss retailer Migros, is contemplating the company's competitive position. Primarily a retailer for foods and near-foods products, the cooperative Migros, with close to 600 retail outlets in Switzerland (but only four outside its domestic market), is facing stiffer competition, both from existing competitors (such as Coop) and new arrivals (such as hard discounters Lidi and Aldi). Riedener and Migros management have so far always had faith in Migros' position in the marketplace, built around its governance structure (the customers were also the owners, creating a close link between the retailer and the market) and its emphasis on never selling harmful products. Socially, ecologically, and ethically produced products were key aspects of Migros' product offering. Riedener knows that Migros benefited from a unique position--and he wants to make sure that Migros defends it from both new and old competitors.

Swiss food giant Nestle attempts to improve the performance of its suppliers of agricultural commodities to raise quality, lower costs, and contribute to sustainable development. Its initiatives focus first on coffee, cocoa, and milk. Nestle managers assert that the initiatives deliver both private benefits (better quality and reduced costs to the firm) and social benefits (higher incomes for farmers, better environmental quality in farming regions). Questions include the ways in which these programs create value for shareholders, the manner in which they should be marketed, and their efficacy in addressing social issues.

The National Parks Conservation Association seeks to help the U.S. National Park Service increase its efficiency by incorporating principles of business management so that American national parks will be better managed. Its efforts raise fundamental questions about the roles of government, firms, and nonprofits in a mixed capitalist economy as well as the appropriate differences in managerial practices across sectors.

Examines the economics of the oil and gas industry with a focus on 1998 through 2001. Discusses the rationale behind using a growth in scale as a means to increase profitability and to gain competitive advantage. Also examines the classic strategic implications of vertical integration and questions the necessity of remaining vertically integrated in today's markets. During 1998-2001, the industry structure changed dramatically with the occurrence of a wave of merger activity. Set at the end of 2001, as BP's chief executive, Lord John Browne, ponders the company's future. BP set off the merger activity in 1998 with its combination with Amoco. Other major oil concerns quickly followed suit. Several large and dominant firms, termed "supermajors," separated themselves from the rest of the competitors. Although a large number of independent specialty firms also exist, the supermajor firms no longer believe them to be direct competitors. After the case discussion, students should be able to: 1) understand the basic economics of the oil and gas industry, 2) analyze the rationale behind vertical integration strategies, 3) analyze why the industry restructuring occurred, and 4) understand the economies of scale of the supermajor firms as well as the potential problems their immense size could create.

Several investment firms and mutual funds position themselves as providers or facilitators of opportunities for socially responsible investment. This case addresses the impact of these firms on publicly traded companies. Focuses on managers at ABB, a large multinational based in Switzerland that has tried to be a leader in integrating principles of sustainable development into its business strategies. ABB's managers now need to decide what sorts of relationships they would like to have with the firms in the socially responsible investment community and the extent to which they ought to take the preferences of these firms into account in tailoring their business strategies.

In the United States, genetically modified corn and soybeans are now widely grown and consumed. In Europe, however, they have been dubbed "Frankenstein foods," shunned by packaged food manufacturers, and subjected to a host of governmental restrictions. This case provides information on the economics and politics of agricultural biotechnology. It emphasizes the divergent attitudes in the United States and Europe about how the technology ought to be regulated and highlights the resultant strategic dilemmas for companies in the business, including DuPont, Monsanto, and Novartis. Students can analyze the technology and its regulators from both a normative public policy standpoint (i.e., asking what sorts of regulatory institutions would enhance social well-being) and the point of view of positive political economy (i.e., asking how the regulatory system is likely to evolve given the current institutional setup and the interests of the various public and private players). Raises questions of how firms can develop strategy under conditions of extreme regulatory risk.

Thanks to the development of the Kyoto Protocol--an international plan to limit carbon dioxide and other so-called greenhouse gases in the atmosphere--global warming is beginning to assume a prominent position on the agendas of business executives. Although weather patterns aren't going to change overnight, new regulations designed to curb climate change may themselves disrupt the flow of business. Faced with such a complex problem, however, many executives have wondered where to begin. A sensible way to start is by taking a close look at the risks--and the inevitable opportunities--associated with shifts in the weather, potential regulatory changes, and the battle over public opinion. Forward-looking companies in a range of industries, from energy to insurance to automobiles, are already seeking ways to mitigate the effects of the weather on their operations, shape any regulatory regime that governments may devise, and inform the public about their efforts to reduce the problems associated with climate change. Companies that calculate the risks and opportunities effectively--as they would for any other part of the business--will be able to make wise investments that allow them to survive the coming storms.

The debate on business and the environment has typically been framed in simple yes-or-no terms: "Does it pay to be green?" But the environment, like other business issues, requires a more complex approach--one that demands more than such all-or-nothing thinking. Managers need to ask instead, "Under what circumstances do particular kinds of environmental investments deliver returns to shareholders?" This article presents five approaches that managers can take to identify those circumstances and integrate the environment into their business thinking. These approaches will enable companies with the right industry structure, competitive position, and managerial skills to reconcile their responsibility to shareholders with the pressure to be faithful stewards of the earth's resources. Some companies can distance themselves from competitors by differentiating their products and commanding higher prices for them. Others may be able to "manage" their competitors by imposing a set of private regulations or by helping to shape the rules written by government officials. Still others may be able to cut costs and help the environment simultaneously. Almost all can learn to improve their management of risk and thus reduce the outlays associated with accidents, lawsuits, and boycotts. And some companies may even be able to make systemic changes that will redefine competition in their markets. All five approaches can help managers bring the environment down to earth. And that means bringing the environment back into the fold of business problems and determining when it really pays to be green.