Can businesses deliver strong returns to shareholders while also promoting the health of people and the planet? In this audio lecture recorded at Bridging the Gap, the 2005 Stanford Net Impact conference, Gary Hirshberg, the phenomenally successful pioneer of the organic foods industry, utters a resounding yes.
Have you ever thought about launching your own social venture? Are you curious if you have what it takes to become a social entrepreneur? What funding sources are available to you? What are the challenges of running a social venture? This panel discussion brings together people from both sides of the "start-up" fence—those who started with large financial backing and those who had none.
Three social-venture experts share the process and tools they use to evaluate the impact and viability of aspiring change-makers' ideas in this panel discussion from Bridging the Gap, the Stanford 2005 Net Impact Conference organized by the Stanford Graduate School of Business. A must-hear for anyone planning on starting a social or environmental enterprise.
Oil dependence is an unnecessary problem, argues Amory Lovins, an internationally recognized expert in energy policy. In this audio lecture, Lovins demonstrates how, by the mid 2040s, the United States could reduce its need for oil completely and strengthen its economy in the process. Addressing the 2005 Stanford Net Impact conference audience, he talks about the fundamental shifts that the American society needs to undergo to make this scenario a reality.
Can business add value to the education field? Pioneers and market leaders who have built successful businesses around the many unmet needs in education talk about the business opportunities in education today in this panel discussion from Bridging the Gap, the Stanford 2005 Net Impact conference organized by the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Many companies now acknowledge the financial benefits of socially responsible behavior over the long term. Such commitments, however, are managed with levels of involvement spanning from a centralized CSR office to a fully integrated approach calling on all mainstream operating departments in the organization. This panel discussion explores strategies to advance corporate social responsibility in large companies.
As the market demands more products and services that address social and environmental issues, what are the various challenges faced by green companies in securing capital funding? How will initial investments affect the future success of these companies? Discover how venture capitalists envision the role of capital markets in green companies in this panel discussion from Bridging the Gap, the Stanford 2005 Net Impact conference organized by the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
From clean water to disease control and global climate change, a new breed of business people is designing sustainable solutions to promote international development and reduce global poverty. Hear from the leaders in this panel discussion about how they are applying business discipline to improve livelihood in many different nations.
Vyomesh Joshi is an executive vice president at Hewlett-Packard who has helped lead the company to success over the past 25 years. In this audio lecture, Joshi discusses how HP is integrating social and environmental responsibility into its bottom line with efforts such as a program to retrieve and recycle 200 million pounds of used inkjet and LaserJet printer cartridge paraphernalia each year.
In this panel discussion, entrepreneurs in the field of education talk about how to work with the market and apply business practices and frameworks to the problem of urban education reform. Their lessons have relevance in areas ranging from teaching to administration, and from recruitment to organizational design.
In the past few years, several international reporting standards have emerged. But are they actually changing corporate behavior? With particular emphasis on labor standards, this panel discussion explores the effectiveness of current efforts to monitor and improve labor conditions abroad, the role of verification groups, and practical challenges faced by companies in implementing guidelines.
Do you want to have a measurable social impact without giving up a challenging and rewarding career path? Speakers provide a range of perspectives on high-quality jobs in the nonprofit sector. The panel discussion, from Bridging the Gap, the Stanford 2005 Net Impact Conference organized by the Stanford Graduate School of Business, dispels the myth that MBAs going into nonprofits can't have successful, high-profile careers.
Measuring the social impact created by philanthropic projects has forever been the nonprofit sector's philosopher's stone. This panel discussion, at the Stanford 2005 Net Impact Conference sponsored by the Stanford Graduate School of Business, highlights innovative examples of measurement systems and explores some of the complex problems that arise when attempting to apply metrics to social impact.
For years, many believed that socially responsible investments could simply not hold up to traditional investments. In this panel discussion from the Stanford 2005 Net Impact Conference, organized by the Stanford Business School, social capital market experts dispel the myths associated with socially responsible investing, and look toward the future of what is to come as more and more funds offer social choices.
DaVita is the largest independent provider in the United States of dialysis services to people with chronic kidney failure. In 2000, DaVita was being investigated by the SEC and sued by shareholders. In this audio lecture recorded at Bridging the Gap, the Stanford 2005 Net Impact conference, Kent Thiry explains how building community and shared values bumped DaVita's market capitalization to $3 billion and turned it into a leader in its field.
