Institute for Business in Society

The questions we find ourselves asking in response to COVID-19 are complicated and colossal. But the act of asking questions together is a powerful activity for any community — and creates new possibilities for starting to overcome chaos. It is a crucial form of action that helps us creatively solve the problems before us.

The actions taken by retail health clinics — small primary care clinics located within retail outlets like Walmart’s Care Clinics or CVS’ MinuteClinic — will have a significant impact on public safety, and their actions may prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from overwhelming the U.S. health care system. Darden Professor Dennie Kim explains.

Minority-owned banks offer a valuable function in providing equitable support to minority communities and small-businesses. While they receive some government benefits, they also receive criticism for the support and a perception they’re “risky.” Is that criticism founded? Research analyzes actual outputs and inputs.

Mandated by the Constitution, the U.S. Census Bureau counts the nation’s residents every 10 years. The data determine seats in the House and federal funds for local communities, as well as inform practical research. Examples from Darden: studies on poverty and race, allocation of opportunity zones, and the effect of technology on rich and poor.

From the Civil War and Reconstruction to Martin Luther King Jr. and Richard Nixon to Jay-Z and Killer Mike: Darden experts discuss the history of minority depository institutions, the integral service they provide diverse communities and the challenges that still exist.

The U.S. is in the midst of a health care crisis. How patients and communities are cared for is inexorably tied to dollars and cents, and medical and business ethics are both necessary to address the crisis. How can health providers connect the two? Stakeholder theory.

Call it a win-win-win: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation honored Kroger for its Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative, which works to end hunger in its local communities and food waste in its entire company — victories for multiple stakeholders and the environment. Here’s how the initiative’s doing just that.

Darden experts provide a practical, step-by-step guide to dealing with identity theft, a phenomenon prevalent with the at-risk population of people who are incarcerated. Greg and Tierney Fairchild wrote a case on the matter for the Resilience Education program they founded to educate prisoners.

Stakeholders don’t just respond to companies’ harmful practices — they respond to perceived harm. Darden Professor Andy Wicks examines how companies should respond to stakeholders’ responses. For example: Assembly Bill 5. Are Uber drivers employees or contractors? Stakeholders and the company disagree.

Opportunity zones offer investors the chance to reduce capital gains taxes by investing in areas high in poverty. But the legislation came with a small window of opportunity, and critics see a lack of visible development thus far. What’s the greatest chance of success for residents and investors? How can the challenges be overcome?