the 360º corporation

360 corp cover

In a nutshell

Companies are increasingly facing intense pressures to address stakeholder demands from every direction: consumers want socially responsible products; employees want meaningful work; investors now screen on environmental, social, and governance criteria; “clicktivists” create social media storms over company missteps. CEOs now realize that their companies must be social as well as commercial actors, but stakeholder pressures often create trade-offs with demands to deliver financial performance to shareholders. How can companies respond while avoiding simple “greenwashing” or “pinkwashing”? Suggesting that the shared-value mindset may actually get in the way of progress, bestselling author Sarah Kaplan shows in The 360° Corporation how trade-offs, rather than being confusing or problematic, can actually be the source of organizational resilience and transformation. This book lays out a roadmap for organizational leaders who have hit the limits of the supposed win-win of shared value to explore how companies can cope with real trade-offs, innovating around them or even thriving within them. (Now also in Italian and Brazilian editions!)

Early reviews of The 360º Corporation

Winner! Responsible Research in Management Book Award in 2023!

Finalist in Association of American Publishers 2020 Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE) Awards!!

Finalist, Best Book, Social Issues in Management, Academy of Management 2022.

The Financial Times says: “But what to do when these increasingly popular ethical demands conflict with financial performance? Or when a consumer wants workers to be paid more but the product they make to stay at the same price? Addressing these paradoxes is at the heart of Kaplan’s book, a guide that aims to topple economist Milton Friedman’s dictum that ‘the social responsibility of business is to increase its profits’. Instead, Kaplan urges us ‘to look at the stakeholders that surround companies from all directions, all 360 degrees’, from the workers in a clothes factory to the community exposed to its waste products. Only then, Kaplan argues, will companies be able to consider innovative ways to respond to these seemingly intractable trade-offs.”

In Forbes: The 360º Corporation is “a more realistic road map for creating the corporation of the future.”

Porchlight Books picks The 360º Corporation as an Editor’s Choice! “Social issues and our humanity are always going to be at the heart of business, because business can’t even begin to think about making financial profit without considering what social profit it might exist to make, what human needs or desires it might meet. At the same time, we might be desiring too much materially, and oversaturating the world with cheap stuff. We can either let those issues whither and stagnate within our organizations and society, or honor and improve them by looking at them honestly and clearly and talking about them openly. I believe Sarah Kaplan has contributed something great to the conversation.

BizEd magazine calls The 360º Corporation: “a new way to view corporate responsibility” and Soundview Executive Book Summaries calls it “a book to watch”!

“The 360° Corporation: From Stakeholder Trade-offs to Transformation is Sarah Kaplan’s comprehensive guide for managers, CEOs, and corporate leaders to learn how to negotiate the interests of shareholders and other stakeholders—from workers and consumers to government regulators and civic groups—that corporations must serve today.”—Marina Gorbis, Executive Director of Institute for the Future; author of The Nature of the Future: Dispatches from the Socialstructured World (as reviewed in Stanford Social Innovation Review).

“Using organizational realities, this book puts leveraging tradeoffs instead of romanticizing shared values at the center stage of managerial decision-making. The 360° Corporation offers rare insights on how to combine humility, inspiration, and aspiration in business. A must-read for anyone interested in the potential of companies to do more than generate profits.” —Johanna Mair, Professor at the Hertie School of Governance, co-Director of the Global Innovation for Impact Lab, Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society

“As business leaders, we evaluate and make trade-offs every day. Kaplan has prepared a cogent guidebook to help turn these events into strategic opportunities to capture value. The 360° Corporation outlines the critical criteria and a process of inquiry needed to make better business decisions, especially in today’s ever-changing stakeholder environment.” —Dave Stangis, Chief Sustainability Officer and Vice President of Corporate Responsibility, Campbell Soup Company

“If you want to understand the keys to truly great corporations today, read Sarah Kaplan’s The 360° Corporation. Based on more than a decade of research and work with the world’s most innovative creative companies, Kaplan shows how the key to sustainable and enduring success lies in effectively engaging all stakeholders and managing complex tradeoffs. A must-read for CEOs, directors, executives, and future business leaders.” —Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class

“Bestselling author and award-winning researcher Sarah Kaplan offers a wise guide for business leaders facing nearly impossible demands and tough choices in their environments today. Rather than simply looking to manage trade-offs or seeking fast win-wins, she reveals how companies can take a more difficult but ultimately transformational path: embracing the tensions to co-create new models with their key stakeholders.”—Dr. Tanya Menon, co-author of Stop Spending, Start Managing: Strategies to Transform Wasteful Habits

“Today, sustainability is on the agenda in every boardroom. Most executives have come around to the idea that corporations need to do more than just maximize profit—but they don’t know how. Sarah Kaplan’s book provides a clear roadmap to this goal. As she says, there are no simple solutions here; however, she sets out the tensions and trade-offs with clarity and with many fascinating examples. This book is essential for executives and advisors who are looking to take corporate purpose and sustainability seriously.” —Julian Birkinshaw, Professor and Deputy Dean, London Business School, co-author of Fast/Forward: Make Your Company Fit for the Future

“There is a burning need for companies to engage with a variety of stakeholders, but doing so is costly and creates thorny tradeoffs. So how do we do it? This profoundly important book provides a fresh perspective on that question. It’s a brilliant, indispensable guide for business leaders—and anyone else hoping to shape the role of corporations in society.” —András Tilcsik, Canada Research Chair in Strategy, Organizations, and Society, University of Toronto, co-author of Meltdown

Published by Stanford University Press in English,  Egea Editore in Italian and by Benvirá in a Brazilian edition)

To support local bookshops, purchase at bookshop.org.

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How to achieve the promise of corporate purpose

360º Corporation, Blogs and op-eds

January 21, 2024

Sarah Kaplan writes for Rotman Management Magazine that pursuing corporate purpose can’t just be in the words but...

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Re-Imagining Traditional Stakeholder Theory: A Roundtable Discussion

360º Corporation, Multimedia

July 14, 2023

Sarah Kaplan participated in a Sorenson Impact roundtable on corporate purpose and being a business in the 21st...

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The best books about stakeholder capitalism

360º Corporation, Blogs and op-eds

March 28, 2022

Sarah Kaplan describes for Shepherd 5 great books about stakeholder capitalism that you should read....

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Svilupparsi anche dai conflitti

360º Corporation, News

March 18, 2022

The Italian edition of 360º Corporation is reviewed by the Pirelli Foundation....

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Rotman School Professor Honoured with Governance Achievement Award from The Governance Professionals of Canada

360º Corporation, News

November 5, 2021

Sarah Kaplan is recognized for impact on corporate governance reform with the Peter Dey Governance Achievement Award....

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360º Governance: Leadership Guidelines for a World in Crisis

360º Corporation, Blogs and op-eds

September 3, 2021

Sarah Kaplan and Peter Dey write in the Rotman Management Magazine about governance in the 21st century....

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The purpose of a corporation is not simply to make money

360º Corporation, Blogs and op-eds

August 16, 2021

Sarah Kaplan and Peter Dey write for the Globe and Mail that Corporate boards cannot afford to be laggards in a...

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Capitalism and Management Research: The Worst of Times, The Best of Times

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August 5, 2021

The 360º Corporation reviewed in the Academy of Management Review!...

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Over 4,000 enrollments to date! The 360º Corporation: Tools for Achieving Corporate Purpose

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June 27, 2021

Check out my new course on Coursera that will give you the tools you need for sustainability and social responsibility....

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Sarah Kaplan Presents at the 2021 HBS Gender and Work Symposium

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June 4, 2021

Sarah Kaplan discusses “Race, (Stakeholder) Capitalism, and Democracy” at Harvard University....

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Teaching Complex Management Challenges

360º Corporation, Blogs and op-eds

April 1, 2021

Sarah Kaplan is interviewed about her Aspen award-winning course, The 360º Corporation....

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TVO’s The Agenda: Where are the directors in a world in crisis?

360º Corporation, Multimedia

March 11, 2021

In the mid-1990s, corporate Canada adopted a new set of guidelines to inform the structure of their boards of...

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Where are the directors in a world in crisis?

360º Corporation, Blogs and op-eds

February 22, 2021

Peter Dey and Sarah Kaplan write for the Globe and Mail about the new competencies required for boards of directors in...

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Path-breaking report! 360º Governance: Where are the Directors in a World in Crisis?

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February 19, 2021

Peter Dey and Sarah Kaplan propose 13 guidelines for corporate boards to address the challenges of the 21st century....

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The 360º Corporation course wins Ideas Worth Teaching Award from Aspen Institute!

360º Corporation

February 19, 2021

The Aspen Institute awards courses that have an impact on business and society. They have long recognized the power of...

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Financial recovery goes hand in hand with social responsibility

360º Corporation, Blogs and op-eds

November 6, 2020

Sarah Kaplan and Rod Lohin write for The Toronto Star about how company health is not just financial....

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Administrative Science Quarterly reviews The 360º Corporation!

360º Corporation

September 8, 2020

For those interested in an overarching, approachable, and engaging overview of corporate social responsibility, and...

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How To ‘Build Back Better’ after COVID-19

360º Corporation, Blogs and op-eds

September 2, 2020

Sarah Kaplan explains how, in the midst of the pandemic, companies need to redesign, reorient, and realign....

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Why Social Responsibility Produces More Resilient Organizations

360º Corporation, Blogs and op-eds

August 28, 2020

Sarah Kaplan writes for Sloan Management Review that companies have more staying power when management decisions...

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Are we letting this crisis go to waste?

360º Corporation, Blogs and op-eds

August 18, 2020

In this editorial in The Hill Times, Sarah Kaplan writes that we can use this crisis to create our own rebirth. This...

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360 gradi: oltre la responsabilità sociale dell’impresa

360º Corporation, News

August 6, 2020

Great review of L’Impresa à 360º in Sviluppo & Organizzazione describing it as a pragmatic approach to...

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Brazilian edition! A Empresa 360°

360º Corporation

August 4, 2020

Como Levar em Conta os Interesses de Todos os Stakeholders e Conduzir Sua Empresa Por Um Caminho de Transformação...

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Deck Chairs On The Titanic: The Impoverished B-School Response To A Changing World

360º Corporation, Blogs and op-eds

July 28, 2020

Sarah Kaplan writes for Poets & Quants that business schools are not adapting to new social realities. Our society...

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Business Models for a better world. A Disruptive Conversation with Sarah Kaplan.

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July 16, 2020

Sarah Kaplan talks with Keita Demming for the Disruptive Conversations podcast....

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Build Back Better After COVID-19: Why Corporations Need a Radical Redesign

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June 11, 2020

Sarah Kaplan appears with Soo Min Toh and Ken Corts to talk about how the COVID crisis creates opportunities for...

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The Work Ahead: Business Confronts the COVID-19 Challenge

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June 9, 2020

Sarah Kaplan appears in an Atlantic Live event to discuss COVID, inequality, and building back better....

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Fare il bene per lavoro: Per crescere serve coinvolgere tutti, questa è la lezione per le aziende del futuro

360º Corporation

June 8, 2020

Non si possono fare solo compromessi: servono iniziative in grado di produrre cambiamento. Perché, come spiega Sarah...

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Italian launch of L’impresa à 360º!

360º Corporation

June 4, 2020

Egea Editore launches the Italian translation with a new preface by Gianmario Verona, Rector of Bocconi University....

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The 360º Corporation featured in Corriere della Sera

360º Corporation

June 3, 2020

Full page feature previewing the launch of L’Impresa à 360º.  “Sostenibilità: Cambiare costa la...

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What it means for businesses to ‘build back better’ after COVID-19

360º Corporation, Blogs and op-eds

May 15, 2020

The health and economic crisis has prompted pro-employee changes at some companies. Sarah Kaplan argues in Fast Company...

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The upside of trade-offs

360º Corporation, Blogs and op-eds

May 1, 2020

“strategy+business” features The 360˚ Corporation: about how leaders can turn stakeholder scrutiny to...

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Pandemic should force corporate boards to think beyond the bottom line

360º Corporation, Blogs and op-eds

March 26, 2020

Peter Dey and Sarah Kaplan write that maybe this crisis is, when it comes to corporate governance, a blessing in...

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It’s 2020 and the world is on fire — it’s time for business to propose radical climate change solutions

360º Corporation, Blogs and op-eds

March 15, 2020

Sarah Kaplan writes for the Toronto Star that companies need to act more urgently to pursue social justice....

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The latest business essential? Social Purpose

360º Corporation, News

March 12, 2020

Sarah Kaplan is quoted in the Director Journal about what it means for companies to pursue “purpose.”...

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End Growth, Save the Planet?

360º Corporation, Multimedia

February 25, 2020

Sarah Kaplan appears on TVO’s The Agenda with Steve Paikin to talk about the environmental risks of economic...

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The 360º Corporation is a finalist in Association of American Publishers PROSE book awards for scholarly excellence!

360º Corporation, News

February 12, 2020

The annual PROSE Awards recognize books of extraordinary merit that make a significant contribution to a field of study...

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Why the ‘business case’ for diversity isn’t working

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February 12, 2020

Sarah Kaplan writes for Fast Company that the business case leads only to incremental, not transformational change...

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World’s biggest money manager sees profit potential in climate change action

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January 17, 2020

Sarah Kaplan speaks on the CBC Front Burner podcast about corporate social responsibility....

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Creating A Purpose-Driven Corporation

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January 15, 2020

In Forbes: The 360º Corporation is “a more realistic road map for creating the corporation of the future.”...

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Financial Times reviews The 360º Corporation!

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October 26, 2019

Addressing these paradoxes is at the heart of Kaplan’s book, a guide that aims to topple economist Milton...

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4 mistakes companies make in corporate social responsibility

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October 26, 2019

This video clip from the Toronto book launch of The 360º Corporation highlights the solutions for companies seeking to...

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SiriusXM interview on The 360° Corporation: Using Trade-Offs as a Source of Innovation

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October 23, 2019

In this interview, Kaplan says, “The first mistake that companies make is not knowing what their trade-offs are.”...

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Sarah Kaplan presents to Ivey Business School about The 360° Corporation

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October 20, 2019

Kaplan’s talk focused on the role businesses have played in creating global problems and the necessity and...

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Porchlight Books highlights The 360º Corporation as an “Editor’s Choice”!

360º Corporation

September 30, 2019

Sarah Kaplan explains why social responsibility, rather than being an add-on or ancillary consideration, must be baked...

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A Better Way to Be Better

360º Corporation

September 30, 2019

Interviewed by Liisbeth, Kaplan argues that the business case for social responsibility justifies the status quo. It...

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How good deeds can boost your company’s stock price

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September 24, 2019

Sarah Kaplan is quoted in The Globe and Mail saying that expecting corporate CSR to justify itself financially is...

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The limits of the pursuit of profit

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September 23, 2019

The Financial Times consults Sarah Kaplan on how companies in search of greater purpose can innovate around trade-offs....

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Book launch event in Toronto!

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September 20, 2019

Full house on Sept. 26 for a launch event and reception for The 360º Corporation. “We have a lot of crises –...

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TVO’s The Agenda: The end of shareholder primacy

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September 20, 2019

Sarah Kaplan participates in a panel discussion on The Agenda about the US Business Roundtable announcement repudiating...

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TVO’s The Agenda: A holistic view of corporations

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September 20, 2019

Sarah Kaplan appears on The Agenda to discuss The 360º Corporation and the transformational possibilities of engaging...

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The Business Roundtable has repudiated shareholder primacy; where does Canada stand?

360º Corporation, Blogs and op-eds

September 16, 2019

Sarah Kaplan writes for The Globe and Mail that corporate Canada may be slipping behind on social responsibility. This...

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Press release on The 360º Corporation

360º Corporation

September 12, 2019

New Book Provides a Roadmap For Companies to Address Demands from Multiple Stakeholders....

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The 360° Corporation will give leaders the confidence to start and follow through with a transformative change

360º Corporation

September 10, 2019

Rotman School features “The 360º Corporation”: stakeholder trade-offs as creating the potential for...

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How corporations are stepping up to tackle crises when governments won’t

360º Corporation, Blogs and op-eds

September 10, 2019

Sarah Kaplan writes for The Conversation that corporations can be part of the system of checks and balances for social...

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Capitalism under pressure: Why CEOs rethink corporate purpose

360º Corporation, News

September 3, 2019

The Christian Science Monitor consults Sarah Kaplan on how CEOs who recently embraced a “stakeholder” business...

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Are companies right to abandon the shareholder-first mantra?

360º Corporation, Blogs and op-eds

August 27, 2019

Sarah Kaplan is invited by the Financial Times to explain why the Business Roundtable announcement is a good first step...

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Review in SSIR: How Corporations Can Balance Demands From Shareholders and Consumers

360º Corporation

August 21, 2019

Stanford Social Innovation Review notes: The 360° Corporation is a comprehensive guide for managers, CEOs, and...

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Taking stakeholders, rather than Milton Friedman, seriously: Beyond “shared value” approaches for corporate social responsibility

360º Corporation, Blogs and op-eds

August 14, 2019

My Stanford Press blog post on The 360º Corporation. “For decades, we have mythologized Milton Friedman’s 1970...

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The 360 Corporation is on the BizEd July-August Bookshelf!

360º Corporation

August 8, 2019

“Today’s corporations must consider the stakeholders that surround them from all sides, writes the University...

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Zen And The Art Of Small Town Revitalization

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August 8, 2019

Forbes discusses the value of creating a 360 Corporation for rural economic development....

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Inequality as an innovation challenge: preview of The 360º Corporation

360º Corporation, Multimedia

June 30, 2019

Speaking at Rotman Management Magazine’s “Short Talks: Art of Change” event in May 2019, Sarah Kaplan discusses...

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First Review! “The 360º Corporation: Sarah Kaplan on embracing stakeholder trade-offs to achieve social good”

360º Corporation

June 10, 2019

Review by Peter Chadwick of IEDP: “…finding ways to innovate around these trade-offs can be a source of...

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Thought Leader Interview: Sarah Kaplan

360º Corporation, Featured

June 10, 2019

“Every business model — from the corner store to a large corporation — contains implicit trade-offs between...

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