The purpose of this assignment is to investigate how companies individually or in collaboratively employ a Shared Value Strategy enhance their own business and, at the same time address social and global issues.

You may:

1. Choose one company and investigate in depth how they utilize Shared Value Strategies; or

2. Choose one global or social issue and investigate how various companies have addressed this issue through their corporate shared value strategies

3. Choose a shared value initiative where a company has collaborated with NGOs, Government, or other organization to address a social or global issue.

Report: Each student will choose a company or companies that have a Shared Value Strategy addressing a global social issue and write a 6 - 8 page report discussing strategic initiatives undertaken by the organization or organizations and the specific methods for measuring financial costs and social impact.

This paper should draw from a minimum of 5 respected resources, which may be journal articles, books, newspaper articles, websites, etc. Papers are to be written in APA style for referencing. You may include Appendices and Figures in addition to the 6 - 8 pages.

Handout/ Resource Sheet: As part of this assignment each student develops a creative 1-3 page handout for the class that summarizes their research on this company, initiative or global issue and the impact of the Shared Value initiatives. This should be an attractive document that people would want to read. The Handout/ Resource Sheet is worth 5 points.

The handout / resource sheet will be presented and shared in the second Saturday executive session at HU. You should include a minimum of 5 good references (books, cases, or significant research articles) outside of your textbook for this report.

You will need to be highly organized in your presentation, and should rehearse it in advance of the class to ensure the timing (5 minutes). You will do a 5- minute presentation on your topic to your class, sharing your handout. Be prepared for questions from your fellow students and the professor on your topic.

You will be graded on the significance of the resources you choose, your analysis of the company or companies' Shared Value Strategy, and the take-away value of the handout / resource sheet that you provide to the class.

Examples of valuable information for your handout: list of your resources (APA Style), websites that provide further information or display examples to support your topic, graphics that illustrate the impact of the company's initiatives, and your summary of the importance and the implications of the issue you are addressing.

Your handout should show the breadth of your research, and the synthesis of your topic with the theory and materials addressed in the text and sessions of this class, and provide sources that would allow the reader to explore your topic in greater detail. You are welcome and encouraged to consult with the professor on the development of your handout materials.