Center for Social Innovation

What’s Next: The Pepsi Spirit—of Giving Back

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Spring 2009

Pepsi has enrolled more than 27,000 of its U.S. employees in the Wireless AMBER Alert Program.

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

Corporate Social Responsibility, Education

Selling Vs. Selling Out

The author warns that selling a company or organization should not mean selling out as social missions will prove to contribute to long term success.

Resource: Blog Post

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Clicking for Smart CSR

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Winter 2009

National Instrument’s partnerships not only energize science education, but also boost the company’s brand and employee morale. —By Abby Rubin

Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Government

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

Romanticizing the Poor

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Winter 2009

Market solutions to poverty, which include services and products targeting consumers at the “bottom of the pyramid,” portray poor people as creative entrepreneurs and discerning consumers. Yet this rosy view of poverty-stricken people is not only wrong, but also harmful. —By Aneel Karnani

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

Corporate Social Responsibility, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Why I Like Fair Trade… And What it Needs

Good Capital invests in socially responsible Adina.

Resource: Blog Post

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Patagonia Keeps a Close Eye on Its Supply Chain

Seen as a leader in sustainable business practices, Patagonia tracks every step in the manufacture of its products to be sure there are "no unintended consequences of our actions," says founder Yvon Chouinard.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Government, Human Rights, Leadership, Nonprofit Management

Japanese Alumni Test Their Post-Disaster Leadership Mettle

As Japan shifts from disaster relief to rebuilding, GSB alumni see opportunities for change and renewal.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Nonprofit Initiative Mentors Women Entrepreneurs In Emerging Markets

Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women program is helping women in 22 countries in the developing world start and grow businesses, Dina Habib Powell, who oversees the effort told a business school audience.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment, Government, Leadership

McNutt Describes How Cowboys, Engineers, and Scientists Plugged the BP Oil Leak

When oil began gushing into the Gulf of Mexico last year, scientists, engineers, and operations workers all had different ideas about what to do. The biggest lesson may have been getting these different groups to work together, Marcia McNutt of the USGS told a Stanford Graduate School of Business audience.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Cause Marketing, Nonprofits, Philanthropy & Responsible Investing, Corporate Social Responsibility, Nonprofit Management

The Science of Getting People to Do The Right Thing

For the movers and shakers of this world who could use some practical, cost-effective solutions for encouraging donations, volunteerism, social activism, and other responsible, caring, and pro-social behaviors, Frank Flynn reviews the latest findings. To receive Flynn's highlights, sign up for the quarterly prosocial highlight.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Corporate Social Responsibility, Nonprofit Management

The Greening of Wal-Mart

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Spring 2008

For much of its history, Wal-Mart’s corporate management team toiled inside its “Bentonville Bubble,” narrowly focused on operational efficiency, growth, and profits. But now the world’s largest retailer has widened its sights, building networks of employees, nonprofits, government agencies, and suppliers to “green” its supply chains. Here’s how and why the world’s largest retailer is using a network approach to decrease its environmental footprint—and to increase its profitability. —By Erica L. Plambeck & Lyn Denend

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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MBAs Gone Wild

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Spring 2008

Nonprofits must rein in pro bono MBAs. —By James W. Shepard, Jr.

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

Arts, Culture, and Religion, Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Environment

Equal Partners

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Winter 2008

How an ecotourism company and a native community share power in Peru. —By Erin Palm

Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

In Microfinance, Clients Must Come First

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Winter 2008

Few microfinance institutions articulate what, exactly, their ultimate goals are and how to achieve them. If the goal of microfinance is to alleviate poverty, the authors say, then MFIs should focus on helping their clients build successful enterprises, rather than on making more and bigger loans. —By Srikant M. Datar, Marc J. Epstein, & Kristi Yuthas

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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Review: Fugitive Denim

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Winter 2008

From field to factory, Rachel Louise Snyder reveals the real lives behind the making of a pair of jeans. Review by Laura Commike

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

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When More Mission Equals More Money

The more a business focuses on it’s social mission, the more revenue it will generate.

Resource: Blog Post

Topic :

Corporate Social Responsibility, Nonprofit Management

Speaking of Nonprofit Retirees…

Nonprofits need to think seriously about helping their employees’ with post-work survival.

Resource: Blog Post

Topic :

Corporate Social Responsibility, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Selling Vs. Selling Out

The author warns that selling a company or organization should not mean selling out as social missions will prove to contribute to long term success.

Resource: Blog Post

Topic :

Why I Like Fair Trade… And What it Needs

Good Capital invests in socially responsible Adina.

Resource: Blog Post

Topic :

Corporate Social Responsibility, Government

Despite Joining Bailout, BB&T Says it Prefers Free Market

BB&T decides to help with the bailout of the financial market.

Resource: Blog Post

Video/Audio : All | Audio | Video

Topic:

Measuring Corporate Social Responsibility

Companies around the world are trying to figure out how to evaluate their performance--as well as that of their suppliers--on a host of corporate social responsibility (CSR) dimensions in areas such as diversity, community development, and environmental issues. How can CSR influence business initiatives and the value of CSR efforts be measured? In this panel discussion, Stanford 2007 Responsible Supply Chains Conference panelists share lessons and resources.

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Resource: Audio

Topic:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Social Entrepreneurship

Supporting More Social Innovation

[photo - John Elkington, Bill Drayton, Ed Miliband]

How do we foster more social enterprise and innovation? In this panel discussion, panelists John Elkington, Bill Drayton, and Ed Milibrand consider the question. They explore what's needed on the local, regional, national, and international levels, and acknowledge the role that governments and entrepreneurs play in improving the social landscape.

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Resource: Audio

Topic:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Environment

Green for Less

For Wal-Mart, social responsibility includes keeping products affordable to the millions of low- and middle-income consumers who form the bulk of its customer base. In this University podcast, Lawrence Jackson, former Wal-Mart president, brings the perspectives of someone who grew up in inner city Washington, D.C., to ask a Stanford audience at the 2007 Responsible Supply Chains Conference whether pushing for social and environmental responsibility in business is a racially and economically segregated movement.

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Resource: Audio

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Energy Efficiency in Transportation - Part 2

Amory Lovins continues his discussion on environmental sustainability through a focus on energy efficiency in transportation. In this University podcast, he presents the business case for lighter, more slippery vehicles and criticizes automobile manufacturers for not fully embracing the radical changes necessary to transform the commercial transportation industry.

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Resource: Audio

Topic:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Human Rights

Fighting Corruption at Every Level

Many countries that should be thriving are dragged into poverty and strife by the burden of corruption. The loss goes far beyond the sums that change hands dishonestly; the true price must take the ensuing opportunity costs into account. In this audio lecture, Peter Eigen describes strategies that can be used by companies, governments, and citizens to break the cycle of corruption and lift themselves to more efficient, fair, and honest dealings.

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Resource: Audio

Topic:

When Corporate Responsibility Means Going Local

McDonald's has migrated to India, and with it, a commitment to corporate social responsibility. In this university podcast, executive Abhijit Upadhye discusses how the introduction of the "golden arches" into the subcontinent over the past six years has resulted in the creation of local opportunities in the areas of agriculture and food production, storage, and transportation.

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Resource: Audio

Topic:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Opportunities In Environmental Area

How do environmental challenges create growth opportunities, new markets, and innovation? Two Goldman Sachs managers discuss how their investment firm is making the financing of corporate deals contingent upon the incorporation of increasingly stringent environmental criteria.

Resource: Video

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Academic vs. Real World Ethics

Dilemmas such as selling other nations scanners that can tell the sex of an unborn child or kerosene heaters without safety features were debated during a discussion with Stanford's Professor David Brady.

Resource: Video

Topic:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Environment

Stanford's Guatemala Service Learning Trip, 2008-8

Global Management Perspective: According to Tom Mercer, the trip "gets you out of the classroom" and into practical situations. It also "... gives perspective of how to deal with global management."

Resource: Video

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Stanford's Guatemala Service Learning Trip, 2008-5

The trip embodies the goals of the Stanford Graduate School of Business. For Joseph, the global trip "helps me put face and story for my passions."

Resource: Video

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Stanford's Guatemala Service Learning Trip, 2008-3

Getting Passionate About the Supply Chain: On a 3-hour bus ride, students debated the coffee supply chain and what could be done. For John Joseph, it "was fun to see how passionate they were about it."

Resource: Video

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Stanford's Guatemala Service Learning Trip, 2008-2

From Bean to Cup-of-Coffee Complex: Students first thought the coffee supply chain was boring. The more they experienced Guatemala, the more they realized the story was far more complex.

Resource: Video

Topic:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment, Human Rights

Stanford's Guatemala Service Learning Trip, 2008-1

On a service learning trip to Guatemala, John Joseph, MBA '08, and classmates visited small producers right up to the Starbucks' organization, as well as NGOs like As Green As It Gets.

Resource: Video

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Stanford's Guatemala Service Learning Trip, 2008-6

Environment and the Supply Chain: MBA student Tom Mercer, Class of '07, got a chance to see different views on the supply chain from varied perspectives: the corporate perspective (Starbucks), as well as those of individual coffee farmers.

Resource: Video

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Stanford's Guatemala Service Learning Trip, 2008-11

The trip to Guatemala gave Sarah Garrett, MBA '08, the opportunity to discover where that cup of coffee that she enjoys daily comes from, seeing the whole process from the farmer growing the beans to the final step of getting that cup of coffee from the servers at Starbucks.

Resource: Video

Case Studies : All | Academic Cases

No Results Found

Topics:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment, Social Entrepreneurship

Gardenburger

The CEO of Gardenburger, a seller of veggie burger products and other food alternatives to meat, considers the company’s advertising strategy. He aims to take the company from the small health-food niche to the consumer mainstream.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Healthcare

Exubera and NICE

This case details the 2006 decision by the United Kingdom to deny coverage for a new form of inhaled insulin. In doing so, it highlights the challenges to innovators in managing conflicts over the costs, benefits, and risks of new technology.

Resource: Academic Case

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Disclosure Dilemma: Financial Reporting of Contingent and Environmental Liabilities

The case discusses U.S. and international accounting guidance regarding the disclosure of contingent and environmental liabilities.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Social Entrepreneurship

Overstock.com and Worldstock

Worldstock, Overstock.com’s socially responsible initiative, which marketed handicrafts produced by developing nation artisans to the United States, was suffering losses. Some stakeholders wondered if Worldstock would be shut down or spun off if the situation did not improve.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Government

San Diego Padres: PETCO Park as a Catalyst for Urban Redevelopment

The San Diego Padres’ ballpark was the first integrated sports facility/development project ever attempted. While it proved to be a huge success for the Padres, San Diego, and taxpayers, there were many obstacles that had to be overcome.

Resource: Academic Case

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The Nonmarket Environment of Google

With Google's rapid international growth, came a number of nonmarket challenges including privacy issues in both the United States and European Union, the spectrum auction, intellectual property, corporate social responsibility, and business practices in China.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Models of Corporate Governance: Who's the Fairest of Them All?

This case explores the various corporate governance systems that have been adopted in the United States and abroad. It examines issues of control, director and auditor independence, board structure, and more.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Healthcare

Gilead Sciences (A): The Gilead Access Program for HIV Drugs

Gilead Sciences designs a strategy for delivering an AIDS drug to developing nations in Africa. This first part of the case describes the organization's initial considerations.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Healthcare

Gilead Sciences (B): Implementing the Gilead Access Program for HIV Drugs

Gilead Sciences designs a strategy for delivering an AIDS drug to developing nations in Africa. This second part of the case explores the company’s experience with a distribution program.

Resource: Academic Case

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Industrial Products AG Thailand (B)

A shipment of industrial products gets waylaid by customs in Thailand, with a charge of smuggling. When the project manager refuses to pay an extortionary fee and is reported to officials, the company manager must figure out how to defuse the situation.

Resource: Academic Case

Topic :

Corporate Social Responsibility, Healthcare

GlaxoSmithKline and AIDS Drugs Policy

In Africa, GlaxoSmithKline had to determine how to address the AIDS crisis while maintaining business viability. The case details the interventions of Stanford business alumnus Jean-Pierre Garnier to set the public tone for the company and its worldwide operations.

Resource: Academic Case

Topic :

Corporate Social Responsibility, Healthcare

Newmont in Peru

This case describes events with Peruvian intelligence chief Vladimiro Montesinos, his network, and his interventions in affairs of the Newmont Mining Corporation. It provides an inside view of how business gets done where the rule of law is subordinated to political influence.

Resource: Academic Case

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Notes on AIDS and the Pharmaceutical Industry

These notes discuss the AIDS epidemic including history, treatment, drug pricing, and economics.

Resource: Academic Case

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Cisco Corporate Philanthropy

As the Cisco Foundation, an outgrowth of Cisco Systems, moves beyond its start-up phase, the director of corporate philanthropy wants to assess the philanthropic program’s results. She hopes to evaluate whether the Foundation effectively drew on the company’s core strengths, and whether costs to shareholders had yielded benefits to Cisco and its grantees.

Resource: Academic Case

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AES in Nigeria

The U.S. energy company AES is in the process of entering the Nigerian market through the acquisition of a controlling equity interest in a power generator project. How does AES juggle its core values and company culture in entering this new environment?

Resource: Academic Case

Research Papers : All

Topics:

Building Sustainable Organizations: The Human Factor

Although most of the research and public pressure concerning sustainability has been focused on the effects of business and organizational activity on the physical environment, companies and their management practices profoundly affect the human and social environment as well. This article briefly reviews the literature on the direct and indirect effects of organizations and their decisions about people on human health and mortality.

Resource: Research Paper

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Who's with Me? False Consensus, Brokerage, and Ethical Decision Making in Organizations

Organization members overestimate the degree to which others share their views on ethical matters. That is, a high level of "betweenness centrality" increases an individual's estimates of agreement with others on ethical issues beyond what is warranted by any actual increase in agreement.

Resource: Research Paper

Topics:

Business, Socially Responsible Business, Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment

Don't Tweak your Supply Chain - Rethink It End to End

The article examines environmental issues related to supply chains and supply chain management. Attempts to introduce sustainable practices into supply chains often meet with unexpected financial or environmental costs.

Resource: Research Paper

Topics:

Socially Responsible Business, Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment

Modern Management: Good for the Environment or Just Hot Air?

Establishments in better managed firms are significantly less energy intensive. Better managed firms are also significantly more productive. These results suggest that management practices that are associated with improved productivity are also linked to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Resource: Research Paper

Topics:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Government, Nonprofit Management

Morally Motivated Self-Regulation

Self-regulation is the private provision of public goods and private redistribution. This paper examines the scope of self-regulation motivated by altruistic moral preferences that are reciprocal and stronger the closer are citizens in a socioeconomic distance.

Resource: Research Paper

Courses : All

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The Business World: Moral and Spiritual Inquiry through Literature: POLECON 349

This course uses novels and plays as a basis for examining the moral and spiritual aspects of business leadership and of the business environment. The literature covered illuminates the character of business people and the cultural contexts of values and beliefs in which commercial activities take place in a global economy.

Resource: MBA Course

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The Paths to Power: OB 377

Understanding the processes of power and influence in organizations is critical for leaders. This course aims to teach students how to to diagnose and analyze power and politics in organizational situations, show students how to exercise power effectively, and help students come to terms with the inherent dilemmas and choices involved in developing and exercising influence.

Resource: MBA Course

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Leadership Perspectives: OB 363

This course examines the concept of principled leadership and the various ways leaders try to institutionalize values within their organizations. Through assigned readings, interactive lectures with visiting executives, and weekly small group discussions, students learn how leaders implement their principles, and reflect on their own values and career aspirations.

Resource: MBA Course

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Ethical Issues in Biotech Industry: GSBGEN 522

This course focuses on the bioscience industry (biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, genomics, and vaccine). The emphasis is on the ethical and social challenges of running companies in these areas.

Resource: MBA Course

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Work and Family: GSBGEN 376

This course examines the strategies that highly educated women and men use to combine work and family. It also explores how managers can help others achieve balance in these two areas.

Resource: MBA Course

Innovators : All

Topic :

Government Programs, Nonprofits, Social Policy, Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment, Government

An interview with Jeremy Sokulsky (MBA '04)

Jeremy Sokulsky is working with government land managers, environmental regulators and private conservation investors to restore Lake Tahoe clarity.

Resource: Alumni

Topic :

Arts, Culture, and Religion, Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Education, Human Rights, Social Entrepreneurship

An interview with Dave DeForest-Stalls (EPNL '07)

Dave DeForest-Stalls wants to help kids stay out of gangs. He's providing mentorship and hip ways to keep youth on the straight and narrow.

Resource: CSI Affiliates

Topic :

Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Environment, Government, Nonprofit Management, Social Entrepreneurship

An interview with Court Gould (EPNL '06)

Court Gould is pushing for Pittsburgh to grow sustainably. He's working hard to inform decision makers about to accomplish that most effectively.

Resource: CSI Affiliates

Topic :

Arts, Culture, and Religion, Philanthropy & Responsible Investing, Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Education, Environment, Government, Healthcare, Nonprofit Management, Social Entrepreneurship

An interview with Ruth Bolan (EPNL '06)

Ruth Bolan is giving voice to indigenous peoples of the Pacific Island. She funds documentaries that bring their culture and challenges to millions of viewers.

Resource: CSI Affiliates

Topic :

Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Education, Human Rights, Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing, Social Entrepreneurship

An interview with Daniel Grossman

Daniel Grossman's Wild Planet creates toys that parents love as much as kids. His aim is to inspire learning and inventiveness.

Resource: Alumni

Topic :

20 Years of Business Partnership at EDF

What happens when the nation's largest fast-food chain and a leading environmental advocacy group partner to reduce food packaging waste? Sharing the lessons learned from the groundbreaking success story of an NGO-business model that began 20 years ago and led way for other cross-sector partnerships in sustainability, Environmental Defense Fund's Gwen Ruta and McDonald's Bob Langert, with host Jerry Michalski, kick off The Future of Green open call series.

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Resource: Audio

Topic :

Environmental Sustainability in Supply Chains

How can a company put environmental sustainability into its DNA? In this university podcast, Joao Paulo Ferreira, VP of operations and logistics, talks about Natura Cosmetics Brasil's supply chain and its challenges to embed sustainability concepts into the way it is designed and operated. He discusses the company's culture of collaboration with indigenous communities, NGOs, and other organizations.

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Resource: Audio

Topic :

Corporate Social Responsibility with Cotton Farms

With corporate social responsibility as a business imperative, Levi Strauss has evaluated how well its suppliers are doing on making cotton production more sustainable. In this university podcast, executive Michael Kobori discusses the company's efforts to support organic cotton farming that reduces water use and relies less on child labor, particularly in Uzbekistan.

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Resource: Audio

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