Alumni Association

Slowing Introductions of New Electronic Products
Reduces E-Waste
Some types of regulations governing disposal of electronic waste can reduce the world's mountains of devices waiting to be recycled, while they also slow the rate of new product introductions, says GSB Professor Erica Plambeck. Slowing Introductions of New Electronic Products Details

Foster a More "Giving" Identity to Rouse Donors
and Volunteers
How nonprofits ask for support can make their potential donors more generous with both their time or money, says GSB Professor Jennifer Aaker. The trick is to help the donor develop a more giving identity - for instance helping them see themselves as the kind of people who support a specific cause. Foster a More "Giving" Details

The Psychology of Giving
Research shows that spending time and money on others makes people happy - so why don't more people donate to or volunteer for nonprofits? GSB Professor Jennifer Aaker offers insights into the phenomenon and shares lessons nonprofits can use to create compelling ways for more people to give. Psychology of Giving Podcast

The Profit in Nonprofit
The first online peer-to-peer microcredit marketplace, Kiva is one of the fastest-growing nonprofits in history. But its nonprofit status was not inevitable. Learn why Kiva chose to be a 501(c)(3), what this tax status buys the organization, and how being a nonprofit poses challenges. SSI Review, Summer 2009 Profit in Nonprofit Details

Space Junk: What Goes Up Must Come Down
Enforcing existing rules requiring space programs to take out their own trash could stem the growing threat of millions of dollars worth of orbiting satellites colliding with space junk, say Stanford researchers. The rules are already on the books; they are merely being ignored, says GSB Professor Lawrence Wein. Space Junk Details

Should Charities Ask for Time Before Money
Asking would-be donors for their time, not their money, is a better way for charities to increase donations, says GSB Professor Jennifer Aaker. Asking donors first to volunteer their time can positively shift their willingness to give both time and money. Should Charities Ask for Time Details

Can Business Add Value to the Educational Field?
Download a podcast of alumni and Social Entrepreneurs Michael Dougherty, MBA '88, chairman and CEO of Kindermusik, and Alan Tripp, MBA '85, CEO and founder of InsideTrack and founder of SCORE!, discuss how to leverage for-profit models to offer high caliber education. Can Business Adding Value to the Educational Field? Details

The High Price of Global Warming
Business school is not the usual venue for discussing global warming, but Jacques Dubois, chairman of reinsurance giant Swiss Re America Holding Corp. and this year's von Gugelberg Memorial Lecturer on the Environment, believes that it ought to be. The High Price of Global Warming Details

Related Link
Jackson Library Hot Topic: "Climate Change"
Current articles covering this topic with direct links to the articles are available on the GSB's Jackson Library Website. Use these Hot Topics to stay up to date on major issues affecting this area of research and ideas. Jackson Library's Hot Topic "Climate Change" Details

Institute for the Environment
The GSB is one of ten schools and institutes within the University that have joined together to exchange ideas and foster interdisciplinary research on the environment. Professor Erica Plambeck has been the primary GSB faculty representative for the Institute. Joining her are three additional GSB Professors William Barnett, Stefan Reichelstein and Seungjin Whang. the Institute for the Environment Details

Aligning Needs and Goals Crucial to Nonprofit Groups
A foundation must understand the environment in which it is doing work and build a good team internally to achieve success. At the helm of the $1.4 billion James Irvine Foundation, Jim Canales spends much of his time focusing on one thing: alignment. Aligning Needs and Goals Crucial to Nonprofit GroupsDetails

Foundations Must Play a Role in Policing Themselves
Speaking as part of the Philanthropy Discussion Series, Susan Berresford, the president of the Ford Foundation, urged foundations to make their industry accountable, warning that if the nonprofit community itself doesn't address the question of legal and professional standards, others will. More details Foundations Must Play a Role in Policing ThemselvesDetails

Architectural Leader William McDonough Calls for 
An End to Designed Obsolescence
The presence of regulations governing how we design common things like buildings or a television set are a sign of design failure William McDonough, the architect who designed a factory roof covered with grass, told a Business School audience. Calls for An End to Designed Obsolescence Details