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Our blog follows the elective Entrepreneurial Design for Extreme Affordability as class members explore ways to manufacture products to meet the needs of customers in the developing world. Details
- What Do We Value?
Who defines what you value? Of course, we would love to think that we alone define our own sense of value. But, it shouldn't surprise you to know that — on a global basis — our definition of what's important is incredibly influenced by statisticians and economists using the equivalent of an abacus to define human progress in the 21st century.
—Chip Conley, MBA '84, founder and CEO of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, writing in the Huffington Post.
- A World of Photos
"In addition to photography serving as an artistic pleasure, it also serves as a mechanism for brainstorming with a huge population of people.”—Steve Jurvetson, MBA ’95, managing director of the venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson, in a March interview. He authors a photo blog, Jurvetson's
Photostream. He holds both MBA and electrical engineering degrees from Stanford. - Things I Believe
"In organizational life, you can have influence over others or you can have freedom from others, but you can't have both at the same time."—Robert Sutton, professor of organizational behavior at the Stanford Business School and professor of management science at the Stanford Engineering school, from "15 Things I Believe," on his blog site.
Voices
What they're saying at the Stanford Graduate School of Business
A digest of speeches, blogs, videos, and essays from the GSB community.
'Our customers have erratic income patterns, a lot on their mind, and a lot of obligations for the short amount of money that they do have, so they are very risk averse … On the manufacturing and production side, we have to be much more careful about quality control than in the good times because everybody is concerned about every penny.'
—Sam Goldman, MBA '07, cofounder and CEO of D.light Design, manufacturing affordable lighting substitutes for kerosene for people who live off the power grid in China, India, and Tanzania. Interview from the Stanford Business Reporter. He is a former Peace Corps volunteer who helped design D.light prototypes for the MBA elective, Design for Extreme Affordability. (Above left with Ned Tozun, both MBA '07)
Call For a Constitutional Convention
"Our [California] Constitution has been amended more than 500 times, leaving it more like the Winchester Mystery House—with rooms and stairways leading nowhere—than a well-reasoned structure of governance. In this system nothing can get done."
—Lenny Mendonca, MBA ’87, director at McKinsey and Co. in San Francisco and chairman of the Bay Area Council, advocates a constitutional convention for California, in an opinion piece for the San Francisco Chronicle.
Financial Institutions Caused this Crisis Says Wells Fargo’s Kovacevich 
The current financial crisis was caused by financial institutions themselves, not by their customers, Richard Kovacevich, MBA ‘67, chairman of Wells Fargo, told the day-long program organized by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research on March 13.
An Optimistic Picture for Developing Countries
"There is, perhaps for the first time in history, a reasonable chance of transforming the quality of life and the creative opportunities for the vast majority of humanity," says Dean Emeritus Michael Spence, describing the report of the Independent Commission on Growth in Developing Countries, which he chaired.
Other Recent Comments
- Green Tech Must First Make Economic Sense Says Khosla
- Google’s Schmidt: 2009 is a Good Year to Be a New Graduate
- Shanahan: Did Wall Street Forget Some Lessons?
- He Engineered a Longer Life for Amtrak
What Speakers Had to Say
A Champion of Women Returning to The Work Force
Brenda Barnes has broken a lot of stereotypes as the CEO of Sara Lee Corp., including making sure corporate America is aware of the hidden talents of women who once stayed at home but who today want to re-enter the work force.
Today’s Market Behavior Shouldn’t Be a Surprise Says Joseph Stiglitz
The Great Depression taught lessons about financial market behavior that were forgotten says economist Joseph Stiglitz who blames both Wall Street and mortgage lenders for the current economic chaos.
Gates CEO Jeff Raikes: Have a Plan But Be Flexible
Gates Foundation CEO Jeff Raikes has taken a circuitous path to lead one of the world’s largest philanthropic organizations. He started out on the farm then fell in love with software development. As his father advised, he’s flexible.
Colombian Vice President Santos Urges Investment, Free Trade
Colombia still has problems with drug cartels but a dramatic drop in violence and greater government investment in education, health, and democratic institutions makes it a good country for corporations to invest, Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos told a Business School audience.
Reflections on a Meaningful Life
George Shultz recounted his experiences 
as a college football player, an economist, a Marine during World War II, a secretary of labor and the treasury in the Nixon administration and President Reagan's secretary of state during Harry’s Last Lecture, reflecting on leading a meaningful life.