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Transformational Gaming: Zynga's Social ...

Werhane, Patricia ...

Case

Transformational Gaming: Zynga's Social Strategy (A)

Werhane, Patricia H.; Mead, Jenny; Hartman, Laura P.; Christmas, Danielle

E-0360 | Published May 11, 2012 | 3 pages Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

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In January 2009, Mark Pincus, founder and CEO of the immensely popular and successful Zynga Game Network met with his sister Laura Hartman, DePaul University business ethics professor, to discuss building a new brand of corporate social strategy. Pincus wanted to find a way that Zynga could have a greater social impact on the world. He and Hartman talked about creating a new social strategy that would naturally flow out of Zynga's success in developing highly profitable interactive social games. The two of them wondered whether it was possible for one company to develop a strategy that would both be profitable and engender social change.

1. Define the traditional conception of corporate social responsibility and distinguish it from social strategy. 2. Distinguish the concepts of philanthropy, charity, volunteerism, corporate social responsibility, and social strategy. 3. Explain why it is vital for each stakeholder involved in a sustainable socially strategic endeavor to have a vested interest. 4. Discuss the role that for-profits can play in poverty alleviation. 5. Identify some of the hurdles that for-profits face in engaging in profitable partnerships or sustainable socially strategic endeavors to alleviate poverty. 6. Describe the role that social networks and new media have played in developing or expanding corporate social strategies for contributing in this arena. 7. Identify several metrics available to which a decision-maker can point to in connection with social strategies using online networking that may affect bottom-line profitability.