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The idea of "doing well by doing good" is so appealing that a slice of the financial industry is focused on persuading people to invest with their values without sacrificing returns. HIP Investor goes a step further, saying companies that are leaders in corporate responsibility outperform their peers. “But can any single model consistently outperform the market?” asks HOW contributor Marc Gunther.

As 40 years of Earth Days pass, it's interesting to note that it is the business community that has backed the cause of climate change more than any other. Politicians have let the issue wane; individuals seem to care less and less about global warming. So why is this happening? In this more connected world, business is taking action for the right reasons, says HOW contributor Thomas M. Kostigen.

HOW contributor Mats Lederhausen sat down with The Business & Legal Quarterly to discuss what corporate social responsibility means, its benefits and disadvantages, and how to launch valuable CSR initiatives. As Lederhausen said: “I view CSR as a core business philosophy that balances the valid needs and desires of all stakeholders in an enterprise. … In reality, CSR is simply good capitalism.”

The trumped-up "Climate Gate" scandal has drawn an inordinate amount of attention, with climate change deniers using fairly innocuous evidence to question the integrity of all climate science. Even if the deniers were right — which they're not — the business case for investing in environmental innovation still holds up, as does the moral imperative, says HOW contributor Andrew Shapiro.