This case describes a policy maker who is reviewing evidence on the financial and social impact of giving low-income families access to high-quality preschools. In doing so, the case presents details of the oft-cited Perry Preschool study, which used a randomized experiment design for impact evaluation and cost-benefit analysis of one such programme.

This case describes how an intrapreneur helped Credit Suisse launch a commercially viable impact investing business in Asia. It specifically details the investment strategy and process for a new impact fund aligning social impact objectives with commercial goals of the bank. It also presents two new investment opportunities needing evaluation.

In the eight years since doing his MBA, John Wood has had a stellar career with Microsoft, where he is considered a rising star. But John feels a sense of purpose is missing from his corporate career.

Having had a successful career in advertising, Trevor Field wanted to give back to society by establishing a social enterprise addressing the problem of access to clean drinking water among poor communities in South Africa. His solution involved an invention called the “PlayPump”, a merry-go-round that pumped water from deep under the ground every time that children spun the carrousel.

Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) is a global initiative integrating Unilever’s commercial and sustainability-related agenda. In this context, Unilever is reviewing the progress so far of its new “Perfect Village” initiative in Vietnam, which seeks to build a financially viable rural business that also makes a positive social impact.

This exercise helps students learn about and develop first-hand insights into the pros and cons of commonly employed approaches for causal inference and impact assessment.

LOLC Microcredit, a microfinance company within the LOLC group in Sri Lanka, has been serving the financial needs of the base of the pyramid through micro-leasing and group lending. The question now is whether to grow the existing business, use diversification to increase impact or prioritize its expansion into Myanmar.

Schneider Electric has focused primarily on urban customers in the energy management space. The question is the extent to which it should prioritise rural opportunities for meeting the energy needs of the bottom of the pyramid, and whether these initiatives can be transitioned from subsidised social responsibility projects to self-sustaining businesses.

By 2011, Schneider Electric has built a substantial uninterruptible power supply business in India by adapting global products. But another power backup opportunity - the inverter sector - is more India-specific. The question is whether to prioritize this and, if so, whether to build it organically or by acquiring an Indian competitor.

Singapore's economic success has come from continually upgrading its business environment. To sustain this, the government is now nurturing knowledge-intensive clusters like biomedical sciences. However, Singapore remains over-dependent on foreign multinationals and talent, and efforts to boost local innovation and entrepreneurship have had mixed success. What should Singapore do next?