Center for Social Innovation

Stanford Scientists Use Microbes to Make 'Clean' Methane

Most methane comes from natural gas, a fossil fuel. Stanford and Penn State scientists are taking a greener approach using microbes that can convert renewable electricity into carbon-neutral methane.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Greening Taiwan's Cities

A key player in creating Taiwan's semiconductor industry explains the role of technology in improving energy efficiency.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Arts, Culture, and Religion, Nonprofit Management

Human-Centric Designs

Stanford GSB students explore ways to reduce health care costs and improve outcomes.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Creating Solidarity Through Unusual Acts of Kindness

What inspires people to act selflessly, help others, and make personal sacrifices? Unusual acts of kindness—like giving something away to someone you don’t even know and getting nothing in return—happens numerous times every day, in the form of blood donation, providing online reviews, and so on. In each case, someone provides a useful good, service, or bit of advice free of charge. In academic circles, this type of giving is referred as “generalized exchange.” Generalized exchange stands in contrast to “direct exchange,” in which payments are made or reciprocity is expected. Professor Frank Flynn and colleagues, Robb Willer and Sonya Zak, looked at these unusual acts of kindness and examined whether generalized exchange systems can create more solidarity than direct exchange systems.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Economic Development, Healthcare

Birth Control Counseling May Reduce AIDS Transmission in Africa, Say Researchers

Family planning counseling could prove to be a cost-effective way to help minimize the number of children born HIV-positive in sub-Saharan Africa, suggests a new study by Medical School researchers, presented this week in Washington, D.C., at the International AIDS Conference.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Stanford Scientists Use Microbes to Make 'Clean' Methane

Most methane comes from natural gas, a fossil fuel. Stanford and Penn State scientists are taking a greener approach using microbes that can convert renewable electricity into carbon-neutral methane.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Human-Centric Designs

Stanford GSB students explore ways to reduce health care costs and improve outcomes.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Arts, Culture, and Religion, Nonprofit Management

Greening Taiwan's Cities

A key player in creating Taiwan's semiconductor industry explains the role of technology in improving energy efficiency.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Creating Solidarity Through Unusual Acts of Kindness

What inspires people to act selflessly, help others, and make personal sacrifices? Unusual acts of kindness—like giving something away to someone you don’t even know and getting nothing in return—happens numerous times every day, in the form of blood donation, providing online reviews, and so on. In each case, someone provides a useful good, service, or bit of advice free of charge. In academic circles, this type of giving is referred as “generalized exchange.” Generalized exchange stands in contrast to “direct exchange,” in which payments are made or reciprocity is expected. Professor Frank Flynn and colleagues, Robb Willer and Sonya Zak, looked at these unusual acts of kindness and examined whether generalized exchange systems can create more solidarity than direct exchange systems.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

The Holy Grail for Nonprofits

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Summer 2011

NONPROFIT SUSTAINABILITY: Making Strategic Decisions for Financial Viability by Jeanne Bell, Jan Masaoka & Steve Zimmerman

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

Research: Making the News

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Summer 2011

The media introduce social movements to the masses, but how do social movements make it into the media?

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Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

Government, Nonprofit Management

Being the Only B

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Summer 2011

The owner of the only certified B Corporation in Kentucky assesses the pros and cons of the certification.

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

Government

Just Instincts

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Summer 2011

THE FAIR SOCIETY: The Science of Human Nature and the Pursuit of Social Justice by Peter Corning

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

The Elusive Craft of Evaluating Advocacy

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Summer 2011

The political process is chaotic and often takes years to unfold, making it difficult to use traditional measures to evaluate the effectiveness of advocacy organizations. There are, however, unconventional methods one can use to evaluate advocacy organizations and make strategic investments in that arena.

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

Government, Nonprofit Management

Giving Sector Making Wrong Turn in Crisis

Scared organizations are hording what they have instead of partnering with others to strengthen and streamline their operations.

Resource: Blog Post

Topic :

Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Dead Men Read No 401(k)s

Wealthy philanthropists are putting off making new gifts, making estates, for the first time, the source of the majority of the year’s top donations.

Resource: Blog Post

Topic :

The Recession’s Effect on How to Appeal to Donors

During these tough economic times, appeals to the heart may replace quantitative metrics in successfully appealing to donors.

Resource: Blog Post

Topic :

Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

T-Shaped People & Philanthropy

For philanthropy to reach it’s potential, bodies of knowledge need to “jump together.”

Resource: Blog Post

Topic :

Arts, Culture, and Religion

Straws and Nets

The author poses the question whether or not there really is a difference between religious organizations taking x percent of a donation for their church and a nonprofit taking money out for operating costs.

Resource: Blog Post

Video/Audio : All | Audio | Video

Topic:

Government

Food Industry and Global Health

Why have American eating habits changed so drastically for the worse in the last half century? What is the appropriate role of government in mitigating these changes? Who can we hold responsible? In this audio lecture, author and former FDA Commissioner David Kessler discusses the marketing strategies of multinational food companies, the scientific realities behind these current trends, and what we might do to change them.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Government, Healthcare

The Role of USCDC Managing Global Health

Successes in global health, such as the eradication of small pox or lowering the rate of infant mortality, take an integrated approach, one that brings countries and agencies together to address the scope and intensity of these problems. In this audio lecture from the 2011 Global Health Series, Donald Shriber of the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) speaks about the agency's role in strengthening health systems through partnerships, innovation, and policy.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Government, Healthcare, Nonprofit Management

The Role of the Voluntary Sector in the Era of Health Reform

Despite falling to number 49 on the list of countries ranked by life expectancy, the United States still spends roughly twice as much on health care per capita as other top-ranked nations. In this panel discussion, Dr. David Shern and Father Larry Snyder discuss the role of the voluntary sector in this period of necessary reform, and what their organizations specifically are doing to improve the quality of American lives.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Leadership, Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Leveraging Business Assets in Nonprofit

Can business be a power for good? Jean Oelwang, CEO of Virgin Unite, would argue yes. Virgin Unite is the nonprofit foundation of Richard Branson's Virgin Group, a conglomerate of more than 400 world-wide companies. In this audio lecture, Oelwang discusses the need to address root causes of social and environmental issues, the unsustainable nature of the growing disparity between rich and poor, and the potential to make a difference by adapting existing product and service innovations.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Investing in Africa

Despite negative media portrayals in the United States, Africa is ranked as a place where it is easier to do business than either China or India. So says Thomas Barry, founder of the Zephyr Management investment firm, in this university podcast. Speaking at the Stanford Africa Forum, Barry outlines what makes Africa an attractive place for investors, pointing to its natural resources and growing workforce.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Environment, Leadership

What It Takes to Be a Remarkable Leader: John Doerr, Venture Capitalist

What are the ingredients for great leadership and entrepreneurship today?

Resource: Video

Topic:

Education, Healthcare, Social Entrepreneurship

New Biodesign Book Tackles Innovation: Prof. Stefanos Zenios

Q&A with Stefano Zenios on his new book, Biodesign: The Process of Innovating Medical Technologies.

Resource: Video

Topic:

Networking Is More Than Lots of Names, Says Heidi Roizen

"Credibility and power don't necessarily translate into a different world," says Heidi Roizen. Sometimes entrepreneurs need to learn new skills to transfter success to another sector.

Resource: Video

Topic:

Leadership

Keeping Talent on Road to Success-Panel

How can major companies keep senior women in the workforce?

Resource: Video

Topic:

Education

Bridging the K-12 Achievement Gap

Faced with the high cost of eliminating the achievement gap, groups are reaching across the aisle to improve public education.

Resource: Video

Topic:

Capital for Early Stage Innovation

The United States has been a global leader to medical technology innovation, however a changing investment environment and tougher regulatory requirements prove unique challenges for early stage innovators. From the 2011 Stanford Graduate School of Business Healthcare Summit, Stefanos Zenios, director of Stanford's GSB Program in Healthcare Innovation convenes a panel of health care investors who give those entrepreneurs starting out a full picture of the product development cycle and how to successfully raise capital.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Education, Government

Addressing the K-12 Crisis

How can the Unites States get its K-12 schools out of their current crisis? In this panel, experts from various fields who are passionate about improving our kids' lives and our nation's future discuss why things are failing, what's working to make them better, and what the best options are, from teacher education to integrating technology. They spoke at the Global Education Conference at Stanford.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Government, Healthcare

Changing Behavior and Changing Policies

The Veteran's Administration, Medicare, and Medicaid make up the largest repository of public health data in the world, and now it's being made available in appropriate forms for the use of patients and innovators alike. Todd Parks, CTO of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, wants to change the fee structure of healthcare from "Fee for Service" to something more efficient, and he's freeing up information on public health so everyone can see and help design better health systems.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Environment, Government

EDF Future of Green Calls

Could it be that Defense takes the lead on climate change initiatives? An important DoD report cited climate change as a top national security concern. On this Future of Green Call, Daniel Kreeger explains how Defense is planning ways to avoid conflict over essential supplies such as clean water, resource consumption and keeping bases safe from predicted coastal flooding. Discussion also includes lessons learned from climate catastrophes and how to respond more quickly and efficiently to crisis.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment, Nonprofit Management, Social Entrepreneurship

Sustainable Excellence: The Future of Business in a Fast-Changing World

Businesses are in the business of business. But they are beginning to be in the business of doing social good as well. As companies shift to incorporate environmental, social, and welfare-based themes into business plans and products, Aron Cramer points out a trend of decreasing poverty and improving the environment as corporations look to increase both profit and human development.

Resource: Audio

Case Studies : All | Academic Cases

Topics:

Breaking New Ground: Using the Internet to Scale

Commissioned by KaBOOM! and authored by Katherine Fulton and alumna Heather McLeod Grant of the Monitor Institute, this case study looks at the challenges KaBOOM! faced and lessons the organization learned while pioneering an online strategy to scale its impact. This strategy involves giving away the nonprofit model online for free to empower others to act on KaBoom's behalf.

Resource: Practitioner Case

Topics:

Environment, Nonprofit Management

Prospect Colleges

Julie and her investor set up a holding company, Prospect Colleges, with which they plan to acquire and operate multiple small schools. As president of the first Prospect college, Julie faces challenges regarding ageism among her employees and whether to give in to her investor’s preference and hire an experienced COO.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Strategic Activism: The Rainforest Action Network

The Rainforest Action Network works to protect the Earth’s rainforests and support the rights of their inhabitants. In April 2003, a new executive director began a review of the organization’s strategy and mission.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Corporate Philanthropy

What are the motivations for corporate philanthropy, and what forms may such philanthropy take? Is philanthropy good business, and can corporate efforts result in effective philanthropy?

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Education, Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

The Sand Hill Foundation

Planned Parenthood is looking for funding to assess the Sand Hill Foundation’s Teen Success Program for replication. Those involved in the program hope to more constructively engage stakeholders in the evaluation process, monitor the program’s impact, and take action on evaluation results.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Economic Development, Nonprofit Management

TransFair USA

TransFair USA, the fair trade labeling arm of the Fair Trade Labeling Organization, faced strategic challenges in 2003. The founder needed to convince uninformed mainstream consumers and skeptical large-scale coffee roasters to buy Fair Trade Certified coffee.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Economic Development, Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

The McKay Foundation: The Fight for a Living Wage in San Francisco

The McKay Foundation played a key role in convening the diverse constituencies that had a stake in the living wage issue. The executive director considered what to focus on next after a city ordinance authorized worker pay increases.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Healthcare

Adiana, Inc., and the Development of a Female Sterilization Device

Adiana’s new female sterilization catheter had proven to be successful in preliminary trials in Mexico. The company president had to make decisions about subject consent and Adiana’s responsibility to participants in further trials.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Environment, Nonprofit Management

Bozeman, Montana, and the Yellowstone Business Partnership

The economy of Bozeman, Mont., has grown rapidly, but concerns have arisen over the development of environmentally sensitive areas, impact on local businesses, and affordability. The Yellowstone Business Partnership could have a role in directing the city’s future.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Healthcare

Merck's US. Managed Distribution Program for the HIV Drug Crixivan

Merck was grappling with how to distribute an HIV drug in limited supply. The decision team had chosen to manage distribution from one source, and was meeting to review the progress and success of its plan.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Philanthropy, Responsible Investing, Social Entrepreneurship

Skoll Foundation: Empowering Social Entrepreneurs

The Skoll Foundation funds individuals and organizations with good ideas that can quickly grow in scale and impact. In 2002, as the leaders looked to the future, they pondered how they could act as leading social entrepreneurs themselves in terms of how they structured the foundation’s work.

Resource: Academic Case

Topic :

Economic Development, Social Entrepreneurship

Unitus (B): Microfinance 2.0 - Reinventing an Industry

Unitus focuses on accelerating the growth of the microfinance industry. While case A examined Unitus options to expand the capital it provides to partners, this second case reveals the decisions Unitus leaders made.

Resource: Academic Case

Topic :

Arts, Culture, and Religion, Nonprofit Management

Circus Oz

Circus Oz, Australia’s premier, international circus, was exploring offering the new development officer position a higher-than-normal salary. The case and its companion videocase cover the organization’s dilemmas around this, and the situation’s resolution.

Resource: Academic Case

Topic :

Corporate Social Responsibility

10b5-1 Plans: Mortgaging a Defense Against Insider Trading

Two executives came under fire for selling a significant amount of Midway stock just weeks before a precipitous decline in the company’s share price. Regulators had to decide whether they had carried out a sophisticated form of illegal insider trading.

Resource: Academic Case

Topic :

A Technical Note on Ethanol as a Motor Fuel

This case provides background on the technology, economic forces, and nonmarket issues that affect ethanol’s supply, distribution, and demand. It also discusses emerging innovations.

Resource: Academic Case

Topic :

Sucker to Saint and Other Views of Our Moral Behavior

Challenges in Renal Care

In 2006, all major U.S. dialysis providers faced ever-diminishing margins and struggled to understand what lay ahead. Change was imminent as Medicare and Medicaid altered the reimbursement landscape, and as private payers became more restrictive.

Resource: Academic Case

Research Papers : All

Topics:

Leadership

Lofty principles matter much less than we think in determining our moral behavior says Professor Benoît Monin. We're more likely to be guided by whether we feel we are a good or bad person or whether we feel others around us are good or bad.

Resource: Research Paper

Topics:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Government, Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Social Pressures Affect Corporate Strategy and Performance

Social pressure plays a major role in determining corporate strategy and performance according to an award-winning paper coauthored by Professor David Baron. The researchers find that social pressure and social performance reinforce each other, greater social pressure is associated with lower financial performance, and financial and social performance are largely unrelated.

Resource: Research Paper

Topics:

Leadership

People in the Minority May Know Themselves Better

One benefit of knowing you're in the minority is a clearer sense of self, says marketing Professor S. Christian Wheeler. Business organizations, which have been shown to improve their decision making when diverse ideas are present, may therefore want to think about more structured ways for encouraging naysayers to speak up.

Resource: Research Paper

Topics:

Health Care

Making Change for Cheap

A car rental agency includes insurance as a default unless you specifically decline it. Facebook sets off a firestorm when it displayed customer purchases by default. Defaults have strategic importance, so don’t let programmers or form designers make decisions on these important components. Effective defaults can effect customer satisfaction and even profits. If you expect most of your customers would prefer a basic product or service configuration, use a mass default such as online retailers offering standard shipping on orders. If you think customers would value options tailored to their preferences, use a personalized default. For example, if a returning hotel customer requested a nonsmoking room for his last visit, make a nonsmoking room the default for future stays.

Resource: Research Paper

Topics:

Health Care

Defaults Make a Difference

Preset actions on forms, web pages and other materials — called defaults — have strategic importance that can make vital differences. They are far too important to delegate responsibility for setting them to programmers or form designers. If you want people to do something in the future, ask them to agree to it now, with an opt-out clause for the future by presetting the default. Giving a preset opt-in choice yields far more positive results than asking users to check a box.

Resource: Research Paper

Courses : All

Topic :

Biodesign Innovation: OIT 581/3

The two-quarter Elective Course series provides lectures from a diverse group of faculty that expose students to the practical aspects of technology invention and development. The class features a presentation or discussion from one of the guest speakers or faculty. Students work in small project teams in the Biodesign prototyping lab or bench space, collaborating with the fellows of the program.

Resource: MBA Course

Topic :

The Power of Social Technology: GSBGEN 358

The goal of this seminar is to investigate how social technology (e.g., blogs, websites, podcasts, widgets, community groups, social network feeds) can change attitudes and behaviors in ways that cultivate social change. We study the strategies and tactics used by companies and causes that have successfully catalyzed social persuasion.

Resource: MBA Course

Topic :

Economic Development

Strategic Thinking in Action - In Business and Beyond: STRAMGT 373

This seminar helps participants develop strategically informed action plans that are imaginative, inspiring, and workable in highly dynamic environments. Through informed debate and the writing and presentation of position papers, participants evaluate and hone their views on the seminar's critical themes.

Resource: MBA Course

Topic :

Social Entrepreneurship: STRAMGT 369

This course focuses on the efforts of private citizens to create effective responses to social needs and innovative solutions to social problems. It equips students with frameworks and tools that will help them be more effective as a social entrepreneur.

Resource: MBA Course

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