Social impact in business schools: a case study of a whole-of-community program

Purpose This paper presents a longitudinal case study of a health prevention initiative delivered through a university-based whole-of-community program. Drawing on 14 years of data, it applies the Theory of Change (ToC) to demonstrate how behavioural interventions evolve from individual-level change to whole-of-community impact. Design/methodology/approach The ToC framework is applied retrospectively, demonstrating its inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and impacts from published evaluations, reports to funders and internal monitoring data. The case study examines a whole-of-community initiative featuring six components: facilitated workshops; a hybrid program of online modules and classroom activities; educator resources; professional development; parent workshops and take-home materials; and a social media campaign. Findings The study shows how business school research achieves social impact by embedding prevention within a multi-stakeholder system. Over 14 years, the initiative evolved from pilots into a whole-of-community program embedded in the education ecosystem. Behavioural science was translated into practice through iterative design, gamification and co-creation. Outcomes progressed from individual change to systemic impacts. Practical implications The case provides a transferable framework for translating and embedding behavioural research into community infrastructures and demonstrates how business school research informs education systems and national debates on youth substance use. Originality/value This study refines ToC for whole-of-community, institutionally embedded interventions and demonstrates the value of longitudinal case analysis for understanding how social impact evolves over time.