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Stanford Graduate School of Business Hosts Net Impact 2005 Conference This Week

Posted on: Monday, 7 November 2005, 18:00 CST

This week the Stanford Graduate School of Business hosts the Net Impact 2005 Conference, the largest annual gathering in the world for MBA students and young professionals focused on corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, international development, and environmental management.

The choice of Stanford Business School, selected from among Net Impact's 100-plus chapters, is yet another recognition of the School's commitment to a business curriculum with an emphasis on social innovation. The School's Public Management Program, founded 34 years ago, was the first of its kind at a leading business school. In recent years, the Business School created the Center for Social Innovation to promote research, teaching, and programs focused on social impact. A biennial report from the Aspen Institute and World Resources Institute recently identified Stanford Business School as the leader among business schools that weave corporate social responsibility issues and cases into their curriculums.

"The Stanford Graduate School of Business is very pleased to be the host site for this important conference," said Dean Robert L. Joss. "As a leading school of management, we know effective social innovation requires good management, and good management requires social awareness and accountability. This conference presents a great opportunity to showcase Stanford's leadership in promoting work at this intersection of management education and social innovation."

Liz Maw, executive director of Net Impact, said she is delighted the Stanford Graduate School of Business will be leading this year's event: "The Net Impact Conference is the only gathering of its kind. This annual conference is an opportunity for emerging business leaders to connect, learn, and take steps toward using their business skills to create a better world."

The theme for the conference, "Bridging the Gap: Leading Social Innovation Across Sectors," is well aligned with the Business School's commitment to advancing social innovation through the sharing of knowledge and collaboration among the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.

This year will be the first time that Stanford has organized the Net Impact Annual Conference. More than 1,200 participants are expected to attend the sold-out conference, which will make it among the largest conferences in Stanford University's 114-year history.

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, now chairman of Generation Investment Management, and Gary Hirshberg, CEO of Stonyfield Farm, are slated to appear as keynote speakers. In all, the conference will feature more than 70 sessions addressing the following themes:

-- Business and the Environment

-- Business in the Nonprofit Sector

-- Corporate Social Responsibility

-- International Development

-- Leadership Development

-- Social Entrepreneurship

-- Socially Responsible Investing

Net Impact represents a new generation of leaders who are committed to using the power of business to improve the world. Its network of 11,000 members spans the globe with more than 100 chapters on five continents in 90 cities and 70 graduate schools. The organization supports the idea that business can both earn a profit and create positive social change. For more information, visit Net Impact's website at www.netimpact.org.

The Stanford Graduate School of Business is a world-class institution known for the excellence of its faculty, students, research, and academic offerings. The School emphasizes four critical elements to developing a managerial mindset: social impact, leadership, entrepreneurial initiative, and global awareness. For more information, please visit the Graduate School of Business website at www.gsb.stanford.edu.

Source: Business Wire

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