He sits on the boards of several companies as well and has worked with numerous nonprofit organizations. His leading-edge research has directly influenced the strategies and competitiveness of individual firms and the nation. More recently, he has helped to identify the key drivers of innovation, which has now become the basis of global competition. His insights are directly relevant to understanding the vital ingredients for success in a host of industries, including pharmaceuticals. A successful economy depends on people who feel safe at work, who are healthy, and who have a sense that if they work hard, they will have the opportunity to do better.
Productivity is also consistent with a clean environment.
Ending the Stalemate. A further result of Porter's society-focused research was the establishment of the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to putting his theories about urban economic development into practice. Throughout his career, Porter has maintained a high profile in the Business School's MBA and Executive Education Programs. A course he created, Competition and Strategy, is a core requirement for Harvard MBA students. An all-state football and baseball player while growing up in New Jersey, Porter played intercollegiate golf as an undergraduate at Princeton, where he studied aerospace and mechanical engineering.