A conviction that runs throughout Weatherhead’s core curriculum is that today’s pressing environmental and social challenges are business opportunities—chances to make a profit while making a difference. This notion has made an immediate impact outside the academy, too, as our faculty’s research has helped more than 20 large businesses shift to greener, more responsible practices, from the way they source supplies to the standard of living their employees may expect.

A business can become sustainable if it seeks renewable resources and recognizes the social and environmental impact of its activities. Under the umbrella of Sustainable Enterprise, Sustainable Business and Social Entrepreneurship are emerging as twin engines of commerce in the new century. Sustainable Business aims to integrate world betterment into industry supply chains and strategy development, while Social Entrepreneurship seeks to improve societal conditions through entrepreneurship and other business models. Many corporations are just starting to experiment with social responsibility, but at Weatherhead, we have long been interested in researching and teaching the triple bottom line: business viability, human well-being, and environmental sustainability.