Socially Responsible Business & Mainstreaming

Agenda

• 7:15-7:25: check in – one surprising thing that happened to you this week
• 7:25-7:35: intro to CSR
• 7:35-8:15: discussion led by participants
• summary of readings
• where do these organizations fit in the continuum of CSR?
• 8:15-8:30: roadmap through the end of the quarter, assign trip responsibilities, discuss logistics
• 8:30-8:45: explanation, signups for next week’s assignment
  
• 8:45-9:00: presentation by Mel on youth social entrepreneurs

Signups for organization/speaker profiles

• Lenders for Community Development (esp. IDA program), Gwendy Donaker Brown
• Britt Bravo, Big Vision Consulting
• Heather McLeod Grant, Forces for Good
• Kaiser Family Foundation, Matt James
• Draper Richards Foundation, Jenny Stein (shazad)
• Upwardly Global, Jane Leu
• MAPLight, bios of 3 founding members
  
• People’s Grocery, Brahm Ahmadi
• Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Diana Frappier (Leah Karlins)
• Delancey Street, Mimi Silbert
• BRIDGE Housing, Carol Galante
• PlanetRead, Brij Kothari

Class Notes

1) CSR- Companies donate a portion of profits- too removed from the change they make because they can’t see the impact of their work.
a) Three types of companies- change policies because law forces them to, cares about more than the bottom line (not taking official stance), taking a proactive stance to support mission.
2) Value Creation: Centrality, specificity, pro-activity, voluntarism, visibility
3) Walmart Article
a) Summary of Article- Walmart’s wants to be green
b) Dania’s question- Walmart chooses to be green because it’s profitable. Does this selfish reasons undermine the altruism of their reforms?
c) Walmart- Are they sincere about the green campaign? Does it matter if they are sincere?
d) Examples of change
i) High efficiency Detergent- Use less self space- P&G biggest shipper of water
ii) Sell Fluorescent light bulbs at low costs
iii) Many NGO’s come to the Walmart headquarters. Try to engage the community.
4) Green is the Color of Money Article
a) Summary- Company pretends to be more environmentally conscious that it actually is. Example of PG&E- uses sustainability and green to promote products, but does not really support the mission. Clifbars- does not promote its green stance- but is sincere about the mission
i) Example of false promotion- 84% organic lotion that is 84% water
b) Michael Question- Why doesn’t ClifBar advertise about its sustainable work?
i) Reworked website to promote sustainability cause
ii) Change packaging to make people aware of its socially conscious work.
c) PR managers are weary of advertising because they are afraid of being slammed by environmental groups. Better to work the social message into the DNA of the company, and then promote it after the public accepts it.
d) Wesley Question- What degree should the consumer pressure companies to support green causes?
e) Catherine Question- How to tackle greenwashing?
i) Nonprofit get message out to the media
f) Where does Stanford fall into the social awareness scale
i) Minimum wage- social responsibility, but room to improve
ii) Alternative energy research, green living
iii) Stanford can reduce carbon gas emission by 17%- but it can do more to reduce its impact. Doesn’t assess it’s impact on the environment
5) Next week
a) Jessica Flannery of Kiva will talk next week
6) Trip Logistics
a) Breakfast- Who is a morning person? Dania and Wes
b) BBQ- Wes and Yin Yin- get food. Susan and Wes- Grill
c) Get food on Saturday- Dania and her car
7) Sign up for nonprofit organization to present
a) Lenders for Community Development- Sean
i) Britt Bravo- Belinda
ii) Heather McLeod Grant- Michael
iii) Kaiser Family Foundation- David
iv) Draper Richards-Shazad
v) Upwardly Global-Shelly
vi) Maplight- Yin Yin
vii) People’s Grocery- Dania
viii) Ella Baker Center for Human Rights- Leah
ix) Delancy Street- Susan
x) Bridge Housing- Catherine
xi) PlanetRead-Wes
8) Reporter Guest Speaker
a) Why are you taking this class?
b) What motivates Social Entrepreneurs?
c) What works? The “I’m really smart and going to save you attitude” doesn’t. Requires a strong humility- guest in your world, and I want to help you in your world. Don’t try to convert people, but make their existing world better.
i) Example- freakonomics- grad students who infiltrated a gang
9) What would help you in a guide book? melquiadesiii@gmail.com

Assignment due 3/10

• fill out a briefing sheet on the spring break speaker or organization you signed up for. Tip: fill it out in the Word document first, available here: [speaker] [organization]
  
• Email a copy of the filled out Word doc to Sophia, CC'ing Travis
• Post content to the appropriate wiki page
• Refering to your briefing sheet, prepare a 5 minute presentation on your speaker/organization