Promoting Corporate Social Responsibility
Creating positive social impact is no longer reserved for non-profits and charitable organizations. Over the past decade, businesses have begun to assume a larger role in their local, national and global communities. The double, or even triple, bottom line of economic, social and environmental return for shareholders and stakeholders is slowly changing the way business is done. Research has demonstrated that employees are more motivated and productive when they find meaning through their work. Additionally, many companies are seeing corporate social responsibility not as a separate part of their business but as a crucial activity in understanding and addressing social issues that could have long-term implications for their own viability.
We welcome the opportunity to engage with the private sector to explore innovative ways to create social value for its stakeholders around the globe.
Unique Solutions for the Private Sector
Spurring Economic Growth
Goldman Sachs "10,000 Women" initiative is an example of a company who has made a commitment to social impact. Wharton and Goldman Sachs are working together to leverage business as a force for good:
- 10,000 Women is a five-year investment by Goldman Sachs to provide 10,000 underserved women around the world with a business and management education. 10,000 Women operates through a network of more than 70 academic and non-profit partners to develop locally relevant coursework for students and to improve the quality and capacity of business education.
- 10,000 Small Businesses is a $500 million initiative that will unlock the growth and job-creation potential of 10,000 small businesses across the United States through greater access to business education, financial capital, and business support services. It is based on the broadly held view of leading experts that a combination of education, capital, and support services best addresses the barriers to growth for small businesses. It is now operating in New York and Los Angeles and will continue to expand to communities across the country.
- Wharton has been pleased to collaborate on both of these initiatives by developing curriculum, generating new and relevant entrepreneurial business cases, training local faculty and creating a Knowledge@Wharton portal for disseminating information across the partner institutions.
