Main

April 23, 2013

Yale China India class

Great themes- urbanization and sustainability. Nice website!

April 17, 2013

Shut up and listen!

A great TED talk by Ernesto Sirolli about "appreciative inquiry" and social entrepreneurship.

September 21, 2011

Brazilian green polypropylene

Braskem announces green polypropylene unit to be operational 2nd half 2013. Working with Fundação Espaço Eco, consulting from DOM Strategy Partners. Also the Akatu Institute. Currently making sugarcane plastic bottles for Natura, Odwala, P&G among others.

August 10, 2011

Natural Capital Project

Quantifying the value of ecosystems in NYT, website, U of MN contributing

June 13, 2011

new Brazil Without Misery program

An attempt to move 16M Brazilians out of poverty by 2014.

April 13, 2011

B Corps

Legal structure for socially responsible corps.

March 9, 2011

Entrepreneurial Design for Extreme Affordability

A great looking capstone class at Stanford on BOP innovation

craigconnects

The founder of Craig's List starts a nonprofit, built on making connections.

February 16, 2011

Saleforce Foundation

A decent, simple model for corporate giving/social responsibility.

January 31, 2011

Pepsi Refresh Project

Instead of Super Bowl ads, community grants. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/31/business/media/31pepsi.html?hpw I wish there was more connection to Pepsi's mission, but what is their mission?

January 29, 2011

Google's dot org

What happens when they decide to spend 1% of profits on philanthropy? http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/business/30charity.html?ref=technology

Year Up

and other approaches to unemployment problems. Building cultural awareness is a great educational skill. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/beyond-the-business-suit/

social entrepreneurship trends

Ashoka's view on trends: participative, sector agnostic http://ashoka.org/story/ashokas-amy-clark-trends-look-2011

January 24, 2011

Teaching social entrepreneurship

NYT article on b schools teaching social entrepreneurship, includes Yale SOM. Go Tony!

November 30, 2010

Richard Branson on enlightened capitalism

Doing good pays. Involved employees work harder. Involved consumers are more loyal. Equitable supply chains are more stable." http://www.economist.com/blogs/theworldin2011/2010/11/sir_richard_branson_and_enlightened_capitalism

November 12, 2010

Full Cycle

Great social venture, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atximyxbjgI plus they use bikes.

November 11, 2010

Ashoka

is launching a new chapter in the Twin Cities http://usa.ashoka.org/fellows-map

November 8, 2010

Rise of the 'citizen consumer'

How can organizations authentically support causes? http://content.usatoday.com/communities/kindness/post/2010/11/carol-cone-to-corporate-america-cause-marketing-as-we-know-it-is-dead/1

October 17, 2010

Equator Initiative

The UN awards prizes for sustainable ventures. Treetap uses latex from rubber coop to as a material for bags.

October 14, 2010

triple bottom line and Natura

Only up to 2005, but good background on Natura

August 24, 2010

Arcimoto and Clean Tech Open

Alternative electric vehicle Arcimoto is gaining credibility through external validation from 2010 Cleantech Open Business Competition

October 30, 2009

Brazil, sustainability and competitive advantage

2004 article from knowledge@Wharton, good quote from Sergio Braga, coordinator of the Center for Sustainability Studies (CES) at the Getulio Vargas Foundation. and their energy dilemma

October 27, 2009

Energy for the base of the pyramid

Ashoka study with relevance to Brazil

September 10, 2009

Green Palm oil

Good case on how certification can sustain rain forests. NYT article Indonesia and SE Asia focused, but refernce made to soybeans and the Amazon. Interesting role of NGOs, GreenPeace in particular.

July 8, 2009

Tom's Shoes

Wonderful socially responsible business model. How do you sell shoes online?

February 26, 2009

US Mexican border gun sales

This NYT article surfaces some amazing and tragic stakeholder issues. What would Milton Friedman say? Focus on behaviors that are unethical, yet still legal.

January 15, 2009

sweatshops

Nicholas Kristof op ed piece from NYT 1 15 09. Good short video.

November 18, 2008

Patagonia clothes recycling

Great infrastructure issues and running packs strategy. Note counter example about Mark and Spencer

July 15, 2008

Lift Kids

Lift Kids is an interesting business based non profit addressing at risk kids in extreme poverty.

February 15, 2008

t shirt twist

Just when you though there was nothing new to do with t shirts:

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/007836.html

socially responsible t shirt recycling with heavy consumer awareness and website/ social networking play

February 5, 2008

global innovation insights

Nice Christensen like observation about global strategy. Good emphasis on role of social contributions.

http://www.aperianglobal.com/publications_newsletter.asp

January 18, 2008

TechnoServe social entrepreneurship

From NYT article on Google.org philanthropy plan:

The second initiative, called “the missing middle,� refers to the missing middle class in Africa and South Asia and the missing middle level of financing between microcredits and hedge funds.

Microcredit funds currently provide families with three or four or five days of livelihood, Dr. Brilliant said. “No country,� he said, “has ever emerged from poverty because of microcredit. Jobs make that possible. China did it with manufacturing, India did it with outsourced call centers.�

To that end, DotOrg has awarded $3 million to TechnoServe to find worthy entrepreneurs and help them build credit records and get access to larger markets.

December 12, 2007

innovative chocolate

Chocolate in Beta Testing, Offered by a Wired Founder

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/10/technology/10chocolate.html?em&ex=1197608400&en=f2de9b220307ee3c&ei=5087%0A

Nice case, trial and error learning, web of relationships

December 3, 2007

Amazon's kindle ebook

Kindle ebook may be a way to dissect an innovation strategy: divergence in publishing, trial and error learning, web of relationships, social responsibility trend. This is a long article- a shorter one may be more appropriate for a case.

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1851

November 14, 2007

Lulumon Clothing setbacks

Possible case about an innovative clothing line, supposedly with seaweed. Good way to discuss setbacks, perhaps the web of relationships.

http://select.nytimes.com/mem/tnt.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntget=2007/11/14/business/14seaweed.html&tntemail0=y&oref=slogin

November 8, 2007

Amory Lovins hypercar

Good video on 100 MPG concept car that resells energy back to the grid.

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/09/04/video-rmis-hypercar-a-100-mpg-suv-featuring-amory-lovins/

October 31, 2007

Cisco CSR award

Nice explanation on what to do and why to do it. Credible independent verification of CSR efforts by Clinton Foundation

http://www.news.com/Good-for-business,-good-for-society/2008-1036_3-6212067.html

I like this innovation quote:

"Jobs will go where there is the best-educated work force, the right infrastructure, and a focus on innovation and supportive governments."

September 24, 2007

theculturalconnection.com

Interesting case involving multicultural networks, team building.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2007/07/13/ypwr.intv.sumaya.kazi.cnn

http://www.examiner.com/a-457829~Sumaya_Kazi__An_online_world_for_young__ethnic_professionals.html

http://www.theculturalconnect.com/home

http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2007/02/05/smallb1.html

September 12, 2007

coffee suppliers

Great article about differentiation through the supply chain. Also nice examples of social entrepreneurship and sustainability.

To Burundi and Beyond for Coffee’s Holy Grail, By PETER MEEHAN
Published: September 12, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/12/dining/12coff.html?ex=1190260800&en=d62e65553a27dbce&ei=5070

website for counter culture:

http://www.counterculturecoffee.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

Bikes to Rwanda, related nonprofit:

http://www.bikestorwanda.com/

August 27, 2007

China Polution

Good comprehensive article from NYT on pollution situation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/world/asia/26china.html?em&ex=1188360000&en=3a0d26098171c368&ei=5087%0A

Important to get all of the nuance when discussing with students.
-Comparison to US and UK development phase
-US current record on pollution
-conflicting priorities in China
-entrepreneurial opportunities related to the environment
-impact on creative class economy
-political will in China

August 20, 2007

Glee Gum case

This could be an interesting case with social entrepreneurship emphasis.

Glee Gum http://www.gleegum.com/news-confectioner.htm

August 14, 2007

Google Health

Lots of trends and no conclusions in this article about new Google and Microsoft initiatives. Could be a good case about trends, social repsonibility and innovation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/14/technology/14healthnet.html?pagewanted=2&ei=5087%0A&em&en=66c63ffcdb8643a8&ex=1187236800