The SDE4 is the first new-build net-zero energy building in Singapore and the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) flagship sustainability project. The building demonstrated that net-zero performance is achievable in a dense, tropical climate. Beyond energy neutrality, SDE4 integrates passive design, hybrid cooling, extensive solar panel arrays, and rainwater harvesting, while prioritising occupant health and wellbeing. NUS further positioned the building as a living laboratory, embedding research, teaching, and industry engagement into its daily operation. Notably, SDE4 demonstrates how green buildings can generate broader environmental and social value, ranging from reduced embodied carbon and water use to health benefits and knowledge sharing, beyond direct cost savings. The case will enable students to understand and compute the integrated environmental and social value of SDE4.

Samsui Supplies & Services Private Limited provided 1.8 million meals annually to long-term care facilities in Singapore through the company’s flagship project, Samsui Central Kitchen. In April 2018, the director felt that the time was right to expand the project. To gain support for scaling up Samsui’s initiatives and maximizing the social impact the company was delivering, the director needed to quantify the value generated by the company’s corporate social responsibility initiatives in a clear and simple way. Students need to: 1) evaluate the efficacy of a CSR initiative with a strategic approach that uses a firm’s capabilities to create benefits for society, add value to the business, and ensure tight links to core business values; 2) analyze the outcome of integrating inherent core competencies and ascertaining its scalability; 3) acquire skills to formulate a comprehensive CSR framework that aligns well with both the external market trends and the fundamental values of the organization; and 4) build an SROI model to evaluate the effectiveness of CSR efforts.

In 2012, the founders of food wholesale company FoodXervices Inc. Pte. Ltd. identified a gap between food wastage and food insecurity in Singapore. To reduce this gap, they established a charity arm, The Food Bank Singapore Ltd., which operated as a liaison, collecting near-to-expiry, excess, and unwanted food products from food suppliers, retailers, and restaurants for distribution to beneficiary organizations. In April 2018, the founders were considering integrating these two now-mature entities to take advantage of potential internal and external synergies. Students will help to: 1) identify the possible benefits and costs of integrating a for-profit company with an independent non-profit organization; 2) outline possible ways of integrating two independent entities without jeopardizing the interests of relevant stakeholders; and 3) use a logic model to evaluate different integration strategies, and recommend an optimum strategy.