Submit a Project

I was extremely pleased with our team. They worked very hard to provide us some excellent recommendations. Our entire department was impressed by them.
—Rohini Barreto, Manager, Global Responsibility, Gap Inc.

Our most popular course, Strategic CSR & Projects, offers major firms such as HP, Levi Strauss, and Wells Fargo the opportunity to tap the energy, ideas and expertise of our students who come into the class with experience and skills in sectors as diverse as business, policy, engineering and environment.

In the fall, the course is offered to undergraduates.

In the spring, the course is offered to MBAs.

>>Submit an MBA project for Spring 2012

In the years we’ve offered this course, we’ve learned a few things that will ensure that companies who submit projects will not only receive a good end product, but a transformative one. Successful projects will challenge students to:

30% of the companies we engage are Fortune 500. Over 20% are Corporate Responsibility’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens.

Examine an issue, problem, or decision that is central to your company’s corporate responsibility and sustainability strategy
Work with an enthusiastic and engaged company liaison
Tackle a well-scoped project that asks for new data and ideas, instead of affirming a previously-formed strategy
For MBA student teams, put to use their great analytical skills, whether quantitative or qualitative
For undergraduate student teams, utilize their creativity and/or analyze the market segment they represent

Corporate responsibility and sustainability projects address a variety of issues, but here are a few that past projects have touched on:

• Corporate Responsibility as Business Strategy	• Business & the Environment
• Supplier Relations	• Branding and Communication strategies
• Socially Responsible Investing	• Community Engagement
• Industrial Benchmarking	• Employee Rights
• Social Entrepreneurship	• Stakeholder Engagement
• Reporting	• Supply Chain Sustainability
• Social Auditing	• And many more!

This course is usually oversubscribed with project demand outweighing student supply.

Student Team Profile

Each team will have the following:

2-3 students enrolled in a class about the theories, frameworks and best practices in corporate responsibility
Supervision and evaluation by Kellie McElhaney or Kevin Sweeney, experts in corporate responsibility and sustainability strategy
Support from an experienced Graduate Student Instructor, bringing significant corporate responsibility and strategic management expertise

Liaison Profile

Successful projects hinge on a client liaison that is engaged and available throughout the project and can:

Provide initial project descriptions and participate in project scope refinement
Serve as the primary company contact for students
Provide students with access to data/contacts within the company
Provide students with periodic structured project check-ins and guidance
Provide feedback on written reports/detailed slide decks of final analysis and recommendations

They were a fun, dynamic, and smart group of students who had a true passion for the project - I really appreciate their work and their interest in the project and our company.
—Marilee McInnis, PR Manager, Southwest Airlines

Project Deliverables

You can expect the following deliverables from your student team:

Written report (or in detailed slide deck format) with data, benchmarking, and recommendations
Oral presentation and slides with data, benchmarking, and recommendations

Many companies will also bring their student team on-site for broader management team presentations and discussions.

Company Benefits

Assessment by an outside, objective team of students immersed in corporate responsibility as part of their business curriculum
Leading-edge research, recommendations, and written/oral presentation to company liaison(s)
Close look at Haas MBAs/Undergrads as potential hires
Stronger relationship between your company and the Haas School of Business
Reputational lift associated with providing educational support of future business leaders

“There is no better prepared, resourced and networked body of faculty and students. They have helped us to re-evaluate our own programs, exposed us to new ideas and thinking and have recommended how we take advantage of our assets going forward.”
—Gary Elliott, VP Corporate Marketing, HP

Examples of Past Projects

E-BAY INC: RECOMMEND WAYS TO REDUCE THE SHIPPING & PACKAGING IMPACTS OF EBAY TRANSACTIONS

MBA students worked with eBay to identify and prioritize significant business opportunities for the company to reduce the shipping and packaging impacts of every eBay transaction. Because there are millions of transactions each and every day, both the scale and the potential impact are significant.

DISNEY CONSUMER PRODUCTS: DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE PAPER PRODUCT GUIDELINES

Undergrad students helped Disney Consumer Products understand options for reducing the environmental impact of the division’s purchase and use of paper—for its products, packaging and office use. A team of Disney execs came from Southern California to hear the final presentation. The students conducted a significant amount of primary research, including interviews with environmentally responsible paper vendors, certification programs, relevant NGOs and competitors.

THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY: CONDUCT MARKET ANALYSIS OF FOAM INSULATION PRODUCT

MBA students studied the intersection of business, environment and policy with this project. Dow asked the team to define a market strategy for its recently-formed Energy Efficiency business unit, specifically in regards to the environmental benefits of polyurethane (PU) foam insulation as well as looming legislation that would severely hinder the production of PU as it currently stands.

GAP INC: DEVELOP A SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY

MBA students developed a social media strategy for the retailer that will drive customers and Gap Inc. employees to their social responsibility website, increasing awareness of Gap’s social responsibility program. The team benchmarked other companies employing social media to drive stakeholders to their social responsibility programs and interviewed Gap employees to integrate this strategy into its existing communications.

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES: CREATE ‘GREEN’ POSITIONING

MBA students considered whether it’s possible to be a “green” airliner. The team evaluated the benefit and long-term, strategic value of SWA’s environmental efforts, especially in relation to its competitors.

TARGET CORPORATION: IDENTIFY CUSTOMER SHOPPING BAG STRATEGIES

Undergrad students conducted a landscape analysis of how major retailers across the globe are promoting reusable bags. The team gave Target a set of recommendations on how the company could change its current policies.

Project Submission

The Center gives priority to projects from our Corporate Partners for 2011/2012. For non-corporate partners, we offer a fee-for-service model of $10,000 per staffed MBA project and $5,000 per staffed undergrad project. All funding supports public education and the Center’s mission to build a community of business leaders committed to corporate responsibility and sustainability.

If you would like to submit a project for Spring 2012 please e-mail Will Morrison (will_morrison@haas.berkeley.edu ) by January 10, 2012.

Please note that the number of project proposals often exceeds the number of student groups in the class. Student teams bid on projects, and we cannot guarantee that your project will be staffed.

For more information about projects or becoming a Corporate Partner, contact Program Manager Will Morrison at (510) 643-7185 or will_morrison@haas.berkeley.edu.

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