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Stanford Business School Launches New Journal on Social Sector Issues

EDITORS

ACADEMIC EDITOR
Stephen R. Barley Charles M. Pigott Professor, School of Engineering, Stanford University

MANAGING EDITOR
Perla Ni

SENIOR EDITOR
Josh Rolnick

ASSOCIATE EDITORS
James A. Phills Jr. Acting Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior and Codirector, Center for Social Innovation, Stanford Graduate School of Business

Walter W. Powell Professor of Education, School of Education; Professor of Organizational Behavior, Stanford Graduate School of Business; and Professor of Sociology, Stanford University

Robert I. Sutton Professor of Management Science and Engineering, School of Engineering; and Professor of Organizational Behavior, Stanford Graduate School of Business

EDITORIAL COUNCIL
David W. Brady Bowen H. and Janice Arthur McCoy Professor of Political Science and Leadership Values, Stanford Graduate School of Business

Jeremy I. Bulow Richard A. Stepp Professor of Economics, Stanford Graduate School of Business

Glenn R. Caroll Laurence W. Lane Professor of Organizational Behavior and Change, Professor of Sociology (by courtesy), School of Humanities and Sciences

Dale T. Miller Morgridge Professor of Organizational Behavior, and Codirector, Center for Social Innovation, Stanford Graduate School of Business

Jeffrey Pfeffer Thomas D. Dee II Professor of Organizational Behavior, Stanford Graduate School of Business

April 1, 2003

STANFORD GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS—Global unrest. Rising unemployment. Rising poverty. Disappearing natural resources. Economic recession. Budget cuts. Shrinking endowments. Impending crisis in education and healthcare.

In the past few years social need has increased dramatically, while resources have steadily diminished. Against this backdrop of increasing pressure in the non-profit sector to do more with less, the Stanford Graduate School of Business will launch a new journal, the Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR), dedicated to covering the best ideas for nonprofit management, philanthropy, and corporate citizenship. The first issue, Spring 2003, will be mailed to subscribers in April.

Published by the School's Center for Social Innovation (CSI), the Review crowns an initiative launched three years ago with the founding of the Center. Significantly expanded last fall, CSI was founded to promote innovative, effective, and efficient solutions to important social problems by adapting business knowledge and experience to challenges faced by the nonprofit sector.

"By establishing the Stanford Social Innovation Review, we hope to provide a bridge between the academic community and practitioners," said Stanford Graduate School of Business Dean Robert L. Joss. "I believe all managers can benefit from a much deeper understanding of business as both a social institution and an economic institution. To that end, we encourage teaching, research and thought at the intersection of the private and social sectors."

According to managing editor Perla Ni, Stanford Social Innovation Review expects to draw readers from among the ranks of nonprofit executives, philanthropists, public policy makers, concerned business leaders, consultants, academics, and students. "Our approach is based on a philosophy of dissolving boundaries and brokering a dialogue between the public, private, and nonprofit sectors with the goal of more effectively resolving social problems," said Ni. "A central feature of our definition of social innovation is that we focus on social needs and problems, rather than sectors. As a result, the Review encompasses a broad range of issues ranging from nonprofit management and corporate social responsibility to philanthropy and public policy."

Subjects addressed in the inaugural issue of the Review include social entrepreneurship, philanthropy, nonprofit governance, private-public partnerships, social change, nonprofit leadership, management, and organizational effectiveness. These subjects are addressed in feature stories and the following departments:

  • "Upfront" comprises six to eight briefs summarizing ideas or survey trends;
  • "Toolkit" spotlights strategies for improving management and attaining the goals of social sector organizations;
  • "Case Study" examines actual management practices and lessons learned in a social-purpose organization; and
  • "From the Frontlines" are first-person essays penned by individuals on the frontlines of social service.

Featured in the premier issue of SSIR is an article by Stanford Law School faculty member Michael Klausner who argues that the "time value of money" argument for foundations to more quickly distribute their assets does not apply to foundations. Another article by Stanford Graduate School of Business professor David P. Baron draws from his expertise in political economy and strategy to examine why sometimes no one wins when companies and activists square off. In "Toolkit" David Whiteman, an associate professor in the Department of Government and International Studies at the University of South Carolina, demonstrates how nonprofits can harness the power of documentary film. Jan Masaoka, executive director of Compasspoint Consulting, writes "From the Frontlines" on how funders are getting lost in the labyrinth of searching for effectiveness.

The increased emphasis at the Stanford Graduate School of Business on the role of business as a social and economic institution has resonated with students, both at the MBA level and among executives. Last year, an unprecedented one in four MBA graduates earned a Certificate in Public Management from the Business School's 32-year-old Public Management Program. In addition, for the third year, the Business School is offering executive education courses for non-profit executives, including Center for Social Innovation fellowships to cover tuition costs. A variety of executive education courses continue to develop and nurture the leadership capability of nonprofit, philanthropic, arts and educational organizations.

The Stanford Social Innovation Review is made possible by the financial support of CSI's investors, including philanthropists Louise and Claude Rosenberg (MBA '52), Susan B. Ford, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and The David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

Inside the Premiere Issue of Stanford Social Innovation Review

  • Stanford law professor, Michael Klausner's provocative rebuttal of former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley's "time value of money" argument for higher foundation payouts.
  • Compasspoint Consulting's executive director Jan Masaoka on what she calls the effectiveness trap.
  • Christine Letts & William Ryan of the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations on their study of high-engagement philanthropy and what grantees say about money, power and performance.
  • The Ford Foundation's Susan Berresford's candid thoughts on social change, misconceptions about foundations and the challenge of long-term funding.
  • Management guru and Stanford professor Robert Sutton on "weird" management practices that will spark innovation in your nonprofit.
  • Lessons from the success of American franchises: how to propel social programs to scale by Jeff Bradach, co-founder of the Bridgespan Group.
  • Stanford Graduate School of Business professor David Baron on strategies for activists and companies. When should activists boycott? When should companies fight and when should they negotiate?

More information on these and other articles are available online: www.ssireview.org. A one-year subscription is $69.