Center for Social Innovation

Löscher: Siemens Needed a New Corporate Ethic

Doing Business Better

A national debate over the behavior of ousted Hewlett-Packard chief executive Mark Hurd had just made headlines. Advance publicity for Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, a movie about greed writ large, was picking up volume. And political pundits were arguing daily over what it meant for candidates to be perceived as either pro- or antibusiness as midterm elections approached. Stanford GSB students reflect on Wall Street's bruised reputation.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Leadership

Siemens AG needed a new set of corporate leaders and standards to recover from one of the worst scandals in corporate history, says Peter Löscher, the CEO brought in to reform the firm.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Government Programs, Education

Ashoka Founder Drayton: Helping the Social Sector Change the World

While businesses have worked for hundreds of years to improve quality and reduce costs, the social sector has failed to make similar improvements in programs such as education or welfare, says Bill Drayton, founder and CEO of Ashoka, the world's oldest support organization for social entrepreneurs.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Hsieh of Zappos Takes Happiness Seriously

Since taking over as CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh has vowed to do whatever it takes to keep his employees, customers, and vendors happy. He told a business school audience his strategy leads to profits in the end.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Global Issues, Government, Leadership

Business Guys’ Unexpected Fame: They Wrote the Tea Party ‘Bible’

Two GSB alums who wrote about leaderless organizations find their ideas have resonated with groups ranging from the Tea Party to environmental organizations.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Nonprofits

Research: Put at Least One Egg in Another Basket

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Fall 2010

For-profit companies preach and employ diversification—and it would behoove nonprofits to have diverse revenue portfolios, as well. Research shows that nonprofits relying primarily on donations experience more financial volatility over time than those who also pursue other income sources.

Global Issues, Government Programs, Social Policy, Government

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

Put the People to Work

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Fall 2010

SERVING COUNTRY AND COMMUNITY: Who Benefits from National Service? by Peter Frumkin & Joann Jastrzab

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

Nonprofits, Nonprofit Management

The Law of Networks

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Fall 2010

The Innocence Network, an international collaboration of pro bono legal and investigative organizations, grows rapidly and flexibly.

Global Issues, Government Programs, Government

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

Research: Receiving Aid, Receiving Respect

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Fall 2010

Senior citizens don’t hesitate to speak up for their Social Security benefits. Why don’t poor people flock to the polls to make known their opinions on welfare? A recent study shows that experience with government programs directly affects levels of civic engagement.

Business, Global Issues, Socially Responsible Business, Environment

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

Research: Unsoiled Reputations

Stanford Social Innovation Review: Fall 2010

As it turns out, family values play an important role in the socially and environmentally responsible practices of big businesses. According to recent research, family firms pollute less than nonfamily firms—and experts say that’s due to the family values that these firms were founded upon.

Nonprofits Can Work Smarter With Volunteers

Resource: Stanford Social Innovation Review Article

Topic :

Healthcare

Clout-Sourcing

Social media is helping people self-assemble for social action.

Resource: Blog Post

Topic :

Nonprofit Management

It’s important to treat volunteers as valuable assets.

Resource: Blog Post

Topic :

Arts, Culture, and Religion

Social Media: Means vs Ends

Should social media communities be focused on the means or the ends?

Resource: Blog Post

Topic :

Corporate Social Responsibility, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

BoP 101: Essential Reading for Those Interested in the Base of the Pyramid

Pivotal pieces that have influenced the “base of the pyramid” theory as a way for business to alleviate global problems.

Resource: Blog Post

Topic :

Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Fundraising Focus Critical During Slump

Time to turn to fundraising fundamentals.

Resource: Blog Post

Video/Audio : All | Audio | Video

Topic:

National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness month - are you ready? Natural disasters and acts of terrorism can occur at any given moment. FEMA administrator Craig Fugate encourages Americans to plan ahead in this audio interview hosted by Karl Matzke. Fugate speaks on the shared responsibility of individuals, business, and government to help maintain resiliency after a disaster strikes. Fugate points to valuable resources from Ready.gov that help individuals and businesses prepare and protect themselves for emergency situations.

You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Education, Social Entrepreneurship

Educational Entrepreneurship

Educational entrepreneurs have made great strides, but they still have a long way to go. In this panel discussion from the NewSchools Summit 2010 conference, several prominent educational reformers, both local and national, share their wisdom. They discuss the radical change in education in New Orleans post-Katrina, the investment strategy and results of the NewSchools Venture Fund, and why it's important to have a political strategy to match your educational goals.

You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Business, Corporate Social Responsibility

The Role of Business in Disaster Response

Following the 2004 Asian tsunami, the business community saw a need to better coordinate how the private sector works with nonprofit and government relief and aid agencies to respond to disasters. In this audio interview, host Karl Matzke speaks with the Partnership for Disaster Response Chair and Brinks Co. CEO Michael Dan about how the Partnership leverages member companies' expertise and capabilities to accelerate on-the-ground support to address the most critical needs in time of crisis.

You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment

Environmental Sustainabililty and Water Supply

Is there a world water crisis? Yes, says water expert Peter Gleick in this audio lecture at the annual Conradin von Gugelberg memorial lecture on the environment at Stanford Graduate School of Business. To the list of environmental sustainability matters plaguing our planet, we can add the fact that we don't have enough fresh, clean water to do what we need to do, he asserts, which results in disease and death in many areas of the world. Gleick outlines the nature of the crisis and offers some answers.

You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Education, Social Entrepreneurship

Closing Achievement Gaps

Closing achievement gaps in public education is one of the most important civil rights issues of the century. In this panel discussion at the NewSchools Summit 2010 conference, education experts consider how activists and entrepreneurs may draw on lessons from the civil rights movement to address this critical social justice concern.

You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Environment, Government, Leadership

Al Gore: Leaders Must Supply Vision, Values & Goals

The Stanford Graduate School of Business View from the Top Series hosted former Vice President Al Gore where he spoke to over 600 students on leadership, solutions for the climate crisis, and sustainable capitalism.

Resource: Video

Topic:

Cutting Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Perspectives from California

California, the ninth largest economy in the world, recently launched a new carbon cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Mary Nichols, chair of the California Air Resources Board, leads this program that could provide a model to support other regional or national efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Resource: Video

Topic:

US-wide Carbon Policy: Two MBAs' Perspectives

As part of the annual Conradin Von Gugelberg Memorial Lecture on the Environment, Mike Volpe, MBA '13, and Jake Saper, MBA '14, lay out an argument for a US-wide carbon policy.

Resource: Video

Topic:

Education for Everyone

Co-founder Andrew Ng, also the Director of the Artificial Intelligence Lab and an associate professor in computer science at Stanford, presented at the Leading Education By Advancing Digital (LEAD) Symposium held at the Stanford Graduate School of Business in September 2012.

Resource: Video

Topic:

James Sweeney: A Sustainable Energy System

James Sweeney, director of Stanford's Precourt Energy Efficiency Center, discusses green cities at a Stanford GSB conference.

Resource: Video

Topic:

L'entreprenariat social au chevet des plus démunis

L'entreprenariat social est une démarche récente dans l'hexagone mais pratiquée de longue date dans les pays anglo-saxons. Il s'agit pour les entreprises de concilier l'approche économique et innovante avec des objectifs sociaux et culturels. Dans cet enregistrement audio, Eric Lesueur de Veolia Eau donne son point de vue sur cette économie sociale et solidaire. Il nous livre la vision de Véolia Eau, son expérience au Bangladesh et répond aux questions de l'économiste, Jean-Pierre Ponssard.

You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Economic Development, Education, Social Entrepreneurship

Developing Through Mobile Phones

"People can learn from mobile phones," says Sara Chamberlain, Head of Interactive for BBC World Trust and developer. She launched BBC Janala to "raise the language skills of 25 million people in Bangladesh by 2017". She speaks with host Sheela Sethuraman about how 3 million people already started learning English with in some cases the most basic handsets. According to Chamberlain, making English accessible affordably could be "a ticket out of poverty" for the people of Bangladesh.

You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Environmental Sustainability and Clean Energy

A new green industrial revolution is necessary to improve America's competitive position, reduce dependence on oil, and mitigate climate change. So says Secretary of Energy and Nobel in Physics winner Steven Chu in this talk at Stanford University. Chu talks about the scientific realities of global warming, technology solutions to address it, and how such efforts may stimulate the U.S. economy.

You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.

Resource: Audio

Topic:

Gaming for the Greater Good

What if games were used to solve real-world problems?

Resource: Video

Topic:

Leadership

Leading an Industry Turnaround: Lessons from Government Interventions at GM and Chrysler

How did an Obama administration task force turn around the auto industry?

Resource: Video

Case Studies : All | Academic Cases

Topics:

Nonprofit Management

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:

Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

The Shea Value Chain Reinforcement Initiative in Ghana

In 2009, software giant SAP funded an initiative that aims to reinforce the shea nut and butter value chain in Ghana. The program, which also involves microfinance organizations PlaNet Finance, Grameen Ghana and Maata-N-Tudu, uses microfinance, education, and information technology to improve the conditions of shea women. Since enrolling in the program, women have seen significant improvements in income. This case study examines program progress to date and makes recommendations for program improvements using a value chain development framework.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Health Care, Economic Development

Can Oil Filters Improve Health Care?

For millions of people across Africa, motorcycles can be a key to effective health care. A well-maintained fleet of vehicles and motorcycles to connect patients, medical expertise, and medicine is sometimes the most vital link in the health delivery supply chain. A new case written for the Stanford Global Supply Chain Management Forum describes one successful program.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Kiva.org and the Power of Storytelling

This case details the founding story of Kiva, with particular focus on the way that Jessica Jackley and Matt Flannery have stayed true to the original mission by telling authentic stories about entrepreneurs in East Africa, and how those stories have influenced lenders and fellows.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

The "Tipping Point" and Green Dot Public Schools

Green Dot is charter management organization that is bringing high-performance to Los Angeles, an area traditionally plagued by dismal graduating case. This case explores Green Dots the advantages and disadvantages of transformative strategy to reach a 'tipping point' in Los Angeles' educational community.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

The Siebel Foundation and the Meth Project

This case details the innovative work of business executive Tom Siebel, who launched the Meth Project in 2005 to 'unsell' meth to first time users in Montana. The program used an innovative research-based marketing campaign and has since scaled to other states.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Healthcare

Canary Fund and the San Jose Grand Prix (B): Results of the First Race

The Canary Fund supports the development of methods for early cancer detection. This second case presents the results of the sponsorship created to raise funding and awareness.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Healthcare, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

The Kinetics and Michael J. Fox Foundations (B): New Directions

The Kinetics and Michael J. Fox Foundations both support research on Parkinson’s disease. This second case explores how these two organizations collaborate toward a common mission.

Resource: Academic Case

Topics:

Environment, Nonprofit Management

Wild Salmon Center

The Wild Salmon Center was created to provide anglers access to excellent fishing in return for funding research and conservation. The case discusses the Center’s efforts to protect the pristine watersheds of the Kamchatka Peninsula by developing ecotourism to raise funds for conservation.

Resource: Academic Case

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:

Government

Transparent Markets: Promoting Public Values Through Private Enterprise

Luis Moreno Ocampo, an attorney who had fought human rights abuses in Argentina, views corruption in public procurement as the next major human rights issue. He established a company to collect and distribute information on public procurements to make the entire process more transparent.

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 :

Nonprofit Management, Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Portfolio Management in the Nonprofit Sector: Measuring Performance and Optimizing Results Across Multiple Programs

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has approved a $110 million nursing initiative to improve patient care in hospitals. The case addresses how the Foundation can determine which grants to make under the initiative, and how it may most effectively allocate funds.

Resource: Academic Case

Topic :

Economic Development, Social Entrepreneurship

Grameen Bank

Grameen Bank lent hundreds of millions of dollars to millions of poor entrepreneurs in Bangladesh. Managing Director Muhammad Yunus faced tremendous challenges brought about by political upheavals and natural disasters in this country.

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

Topic :

Notes on AIDS and the Pharmaceutical Industry

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

Resource: Academic Case

Research Papers : All

Topics:

Arts, Culture, and Religion

Growing Church Organizations in Diverse U.S. Communities 1890-1906

The authors examine the classic question of how religious diversity in a community affects church membership in a period of high growth and social change.

Resource: Research Paper

Topics:

Bad Preparation Puts Community College Students at Risk

Students heading for the nation’s community colleges are less likely to be prepared for the demands of college than their classmates heading for schools with competitive admissions standards, says education professor Michael Kirst. Lack of preparation means a higher dropout rate and poses a real threat to the future qualifications of the U.S. labor force.

Resource: Research Paper

Topics:

Teachers' Preferences for Where They Teach May Disadvantage Urban Schools

New teachers overwhelmingly want to teach in school districts near where they grew up, say researchers, thus creating a “cycle of poverty” for some urban schools where few graduates go on to earn teaching degrees. It’s not just that teachers prefer teaching higher-performing kids, it’s that they want a school like the one they attended, says Susanna Loeb, associate professor in the Stanford School of Education. (June 2005)

Resource: Research Paper

Topics:

Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Entrepreneurship

The paper presents a theory of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and shows that CSR is costly when it is an imperfect substitute for personal giving. The paper demonstrates, however, that entrepreneurs, not shareholders, bear that cost.

Resource: Research Paper

Topics:

Strategic Activism and Nonmarket Strategy

This paper focuses on private politics, activist strategies, and nonmarket strategies of target organizations of NGO activism. A formal theory of an encounter between an activist organization and a target is presented to examine strategies for lessening the chance of being a target and for addressing an activist challenge once it has occurred.

Resource: Research Paper

Courses : All

Topic :

Healthcare

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

Topic :

Nonprofit Management

Strategic Management of Nonprofits: STRAMGT 368

This course surveys strategic, governance, and management issues facing a wide range of nonprofit organizations in an era of venture philanthropy and social entrepreneurship. It introduces students to core managerial issues in the nonprofit sector, such as development/fundraising, investment management, performance management and nonprofit finance.

Resource: MBA Course

Innovators : All

Topic :

Kate Surman, MBA '04

Kate Surman, MBA '04, Administrative Director of Strategic Operations, Stanford Hospital & Clinics, discusses how she has leveraged the Public Management and Social Innovation certificate to take her career into a new direction.

Resource: Alumni

Topic :

Economic Development, Social Entrepreneurship

Farm to Cup Merger Emphasizes Partnership & Economic Empowerment

[photo - Farm to Cup - Root Capital Lending]

A grassroots student effort led by Caroline Mullen, MBA ’12, Catha Mullen, MBA ’13, and Monica Lewis, MBA ’12, now has even more impact through a merger with Pachamama Coffee Cooperative.

Resource: Alumni

Topic :

Water World

Leading a Social Innovation Study Trip lands Robyn Beavers, MBA '10, in a new industry.

Resource: Alumni

Topic :

Economic Development, Healthcare

Jeremy Sokulsky, MBA '04

Jeremy Sokulsky, MBA '04, President, Environmental Incentives, discusses how he's drawing upon the tools and training he received from the GSB to help make a difference.

Resource: Alumni

Topic :

Cross-Sector Effort Helps People See Better

Vision care is something that is practically taken for granted in the United States, but that’s not the case throughout much of the world. Some 300 million around the globe suffer from correctable vision loss, leading, as Ashanthi Mathai, MBA '04, says, “to people accepting their vision impairment and adjusting their lives around it.” The result? A lower quality of life, restricted job options, and even further economic distress.

Resource: Alumni

Topic :

Economic Development

Changing Lives By Changing Mushroom Farming And Consumption In Rwanda

Sustainable farming requires growing enough product to sell at a reasonable price in reachable markets. Entrepreneur Laurent Demuynck hopes to increase the yield of mushrooms for Rwandan farmers, thereby making this nutritious, but expensive, food a staple in the country.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Philanthropy, Responsible Investing

Gratitude: The Gift that Keeps on Giving

Expressions of gratitude motivate others’ prosocial behavior. When people are thanked for their efforts, they experience stronger feelings of social worth, which inspires them to engage in further helpful acts. In short, gratitude proves to be the gift that keeps on giving because it makes others feel valued.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Economic Development

West Bank Program For Children Takes Holistic Approach

An investment banker looks to build a sustainable model for alleviating poverty in a Middle East village.

Resource: News Article

Topic :

Khan Academy Founder Finds Simplicity Appeals In Online Education Experimentation

YouTube tutor Salman Khan tells how his commitment to help a cousin with a difficult math lesson led not just to a successful, free, online tutoring service but to an organization whose educational mission attracts highly-productive workers without exorbitant pay packages.

Resource: News Article

Topic :