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Product cover image for JetBlue: Relevant Sustainability Leadership (A)

JetBlue: Relevant Sustainability Leadership (A)

Serafeim, George; Freiberg, David

Product #:118030
Supplier:Harvard Business School
Discipline:Accounting
Setting:United States
Details:Case (PDF) • 26 pages • 2017-10-17 (Rev: 2022-10-17)

Subjects:

AccountingChange managementEnvironmental sustainabilityFinancial statementsInnovationLeadershipManagement philosophyMission statementsFinance and investingStrategyBusiness and societyLeadership and managing peopleManagementCorporate strategyFinance and investingAccounting

Industries:

Transportation and distribution

Geography:

United StatesNorth America
Your Price:$12.40

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In 2017, JetBlue, the airline founded on the mission to "bring humanity back to air travel", was considering becoming one of the first companies to report its sustainability performance according to the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) standards. SASB standards identified climate change, labor issues, and corporate governance issues as important considerations for companies in the airline industry. Despite operating as a smaller player in an industry dominated by few legacy competitors, JetBlue leadership saw the company as a driver of industry progress. However, would the adoption of SASB standards help JetBlue achieve the goal of "relevant sustainability leadership?" How developing metrics and improved performance on material sustainability issues could be used as an instrument for change management? Should Sophia Mendehlson, the Chief Sustainability Officer, integrated Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) metrics in the regulated fillings as in the 10-K, in separate sustainability reporting mediums, or as a separate report? JetBlue believed sustainability was more than simply a risk mitigation tool. Was it?

Learning Objectives

To illustrate the financial materiality of sustainability metrics and how sustainability could be part of a firm's strategy To showcase the need for standardized metrics and how metrics can be used to drive change To examine the change management process leading to sustainability leadership To examine how disclosure strategy might drive changes in ownership structure To highlight practices for creating whole-firm buy-in for integrating sustainability as a core tennant of the firm
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Case Study: JetBlue: Relevant Sustainability Leadership (A) (English version) | Ivey Publishing