Business & Society Institute Teaching

What is a corporation? How do corporations maintain legitimacy, acquire resources, and build partnerships as they create, confront, and sometimes attempt to solve complex global problems? This course is about the corporation in global society, including its culpabilities, responsibilities, and possibilities.

Professor Wes Longhofer

In this course, students will learn how businesses leverage information dynamics to manage the risks and opportunities presented by political systems.  The class examines government regulation of industry, activist and public interest groups, the role of lobbying and campaign contributions in the policymaking process, ethical frameworks of corporate political strategy, and other related topics.  Examples and cases will be drawn from the United States, developed democracies, and emerging markets.

Professor Suhas Sridharan

NEW course preparing climate-smart BBA and MBA students with focus on sustainability measurement and reporting.  

Professor Usha Rackliffe

This course surveys the evolving role that social purpose organizations, their leaders (both management and board of directors), and critical stakeholders play in delivering social impact. These purpose-driven organizations, which make up the $6 trillion social solution economy, encompass an array of business models that range from traditional nonprofits to for-profit companies and hybrid organizations focusing on social outcomes.  We will also cover the importance of key actors in the sector, including foundations / grant makers, charities, service providers, B corps, impact and ESG investors, government entities, and social enterprises.       

Brian Goebel

Randy Martin

Certified B Corporations balance purpose and profit. Numbering more than 4,000 globally, they represent the gold standard for responsible corporations as their legal governance along with transparent certification audits requires them to address workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment alongside the interest of their shareholders. The Institute partners with B Local Georgia to deliver a 3 credit Directed Study taught by Brian Goebel for business school students and other Emory students (grad and undergrad) to learn about B Corporations by working as consultants with Atlanta-area companies on their certification journey. 

Brian Goebel

This course is designed for undergraduate business students who want to examine the impact(s) that business and markets have (and might have) in one important global industry sector. The course should also appeal to non-business students who want to explore perspectives on how culture and society merge with current and potential business and market practices. Students that complete the course are invited to apply to participate in a follow-on directed study which provides an opportunity to work directly with specialty coffee farmers in Central America via one of the Grounds for Empowerment workshops.

Professor Peter Roberts

This directed study course examines specialty coffee markets and shows how improved business acumen can empower women coffee farmers who work in Central America. Students will read and discuss topics related to specialty coffee, storytelling and financial planning. As they become familiar with these topics, students will also learn about the specific Grounds for Empowerment Learning Modules. During virtual workshop sessions with Central America-based coffee producers and with experienced professional mentors, students will work with the Grounds for Empowerment team to facilitate each module, support mentors, and guide producers through the various exercises. Post-workshop, students will help complete the workshop deliverables including farm stories, financial analyses, and seed grant applications. Because they work directly with producers, students must be fluent in Spanish.

Professor Peter Roberts

On average, Americans spend 30% of their time at work. In some sense, our work can define us, such that our economic opportunities, quests for fulfillment, and general happiness are heavily affected by what happens at work. Although many life outcomes are determined by workplace experiences, many employees face workplace disadvantages based on their demographic group membership.

In this course, we will explore the ways in which race, and to a lesser extent, gender and class, shape economic opportunity and general well-being at work. Further, we will learn how organizations and employees attempt to manage bias and discrimination in organizations. Finally, we will explore tactics students can use to disrupt bias in the workplace.

Professor Erika Hall

Around the world, the number of critical and unsolved social issues related to income inequality and climate change is rising. At the same time, traditional government, nonprofit and business sectors are having difficulty marshaling the financial, human, and organizational resources required to effectively address them all. To meet these needs, more and more impact-oriented enterprises are emerging to integrate business principles, market-based solutions and/or private investment capital to produce meaningful and scalable societal benefits. For these impacts to be larger and more reliable, we need to better understand the social entrepreneurs who develop ‘innovative solutions to society’s most pressing social problems.’ We also need to understand the impact investors who are ‘putting capital into companies, organizations and funds with the intention to generate measurable social and environmental impact alongside a financial return.’ This course discusses the evolving role played by businesses and other business-like organizations that purposefully seek to generate positive societal impacts, while elaborating the major challenges that they face.

Professor Peter Roberts

This cross-listed course focuses on an array of social issues and the role capitalism plays in both the cause of those challenges along with their potential solution through new ideas and organizations scaling through the support of the growing global impact investing market which was valued at $502 billion in 2019.

Professor JB Kurish

This experiential course which is part of Philanthropy Lab National Network introduces undergraduate students to the role of philanthropy in solving public problems, particularly with regard to inequality and urban development in Atlanta. Students put learning into action by making $50K-$75K in philanthropic grant investments in Atlanta area nonprofit organizations working to tackle inequity. 

Brian Goebel

Tene Traylor

This trip is designed for Full-Time MBA and Evening MBA students and explores coffee farms and their communities (including cooperatives), visit social enterprises / social entrepreneurs, tour colonial cities, and participate in outdoor adventure activities (volcano hikes and more). MBA students receive course credit and can enroll through their program office.  Travel module suspended due to COVID19 travel restrictions.

Professor Peter Roberts