In this audio lecture, Michael Pollan and John Mackey take their year-long blog discussion live in front of an audience of Berkeley foodies. In response to Pollan's critiques of Whole Foods' practices, Mackey describes some of agriculture's less savory practices, lays out his vision for a more sustainable and humane food system, and unveils Whole Foods' new consumer-education initiatives.
Starbucks has taken environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility seriously in its work with coffee farmers. In this audio lecture, Dennis Macray discusses how the United States' leading coffee retailer is reshaping its business practices and reinventing the international coffee trade.
Patagonia has found corporate social responsibility to be a profitable strategy. In this audio lecture, Yvon Chouinard, founder, offers a slew of counterintuitive business tips on how to save the environment while making money. This self-proclaimed "reluctant business man" reveals himself to be a business visionary.
Microfinance is bringing the world's poor the kind of service that used to be reserved for bank customers in developed countries. Drawing on the work and philosophy of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, Alex Counts talks in this audio lecture about microfinance's social and financial impact to an audience of Stanford MBA students.
In 2005, Wal-Mart's CEO announced a corporation-wide environmental sustainability initiative to go green. The company would take drastic measures to cut down on waste, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions, thus generating savings that would be passed on to the customer. Andrew Ruben, who spearheads the effort supported by consultant Jib Ellison, explains to a Stanford MBA audience in this University podcast why Wal-Mart is engaging in sustainability.
Nonprofits and corporations can achieve their goals by working together. In this panel discussion, 2007 Nonprofit Boot Camp panelists describe the various forms of partnerships between nonprofit and for-profit organizations, their benefits, and their pitfalls. They talk about how to start and develop successful partnerships from the perspective of people who have sat on both sides of the table.
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.
Alice Tepper Marlin created some of the most innovative models for corporate social responsibility. Her energetic work over decades has helped provide concrete research and practical methods for bringing companies, investors, consumers, and workers together to address issues of environmental and economic justice worldwide. In this audio lecture, Tepper Marlin traces her own history from her early days on Wall Street to her ongoing work in the not-for-profit sector, providing blueprints for social entrepreneurs.
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 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.
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.
The corporate world is oftentimes approached for favors, but very few evolve into mutually beneficial alliances between nonprofits and private-sector companies. As described in this audio lecture, First Book's Kyle Zimmer and Disney executive Kathy Franklin explain what it takes to build a successful long-term strategic relationship.
