David Rubenstein on Leading the Parade

David Rubenstein on Leading the Parade

The D.C. denizen reflects on his time in Jimmy Carter’s White House, recalls how he got into leveraged buyouts, and shares why he thinks you're not working hard enough if you never fail.

Latest Stories

Idea Stories Opensearch
October 01, 2009
Written

Cost of Reducing CO2 Emissions Could Plunge

A study says the financial impact of regulating coal-fired power plants under a cap-and-trade system will be much less than previously projected.
Climate & Sustainability
September 01, 2009
Written

You Can’t Buy It If You Don't Know It Exists

Research says that rock bands can lose as much as 40% of their potential sales because consumers don't know about them.
Marketing
September 01, 2009
Written

Courting So-So Customers Can Be Good for Business

Marketers lavish attention on their best customers, but it may be more cost effective to increase spending on the occasional consumer.
Marketing
Exploring Auction Models for Peer-to-Peer Lending
September 01, 2009
Written

Why Are Some Geographic Areas So Entrepreneurial?

A professor of organizational behavior says working with former entrepreneurs makes individuals more likely to start their own businesses.
Entrepreneurship
Exploring Auction Models for Peer-to-Peer Lending
September 01, 2009
Written

How Good Are Commercial Corporate Governance Ratings?

Research casts doubt on the value and validity of the ratings of governance advisory firms.
Corporate Governance
August 01, 2009
Written

India's Slums Represent Complex Political and Social Issues

How slums are run depends on a variety of factors, such as their ethnic makeup, political connections, and how long they have been established.
Economics
Rubina Ali, who acted as young Latika in the film "Slumdog Millionaire" shows mehndi painted on her hands in the slum she resides in. (Reuters photo by Arko Datta)
August 01, 2009
Written

Foster a More “Giving” Identity to Rouse Donors and Volunteers

A study looks at the relationship between self-image and charitable giving.
Marketing
Exploring Auction Models for Peer-to-Peer Lending
August 01, 2009
Written

Being Jilted Can Make You Yearn More — or So You Think

Rejection increases people’s motivation to pursue that elusive objective. But there’s a catch.
Career & Success
July 01, 2009
Written

Services Market Is Key to Open Source Software

Researchers explore the key factors in the decision to create open source software.
Technology & AI
June 01, 2009
Written

Specializing Can Mean Bigger Sales

A study suggests that focus pays off.
Marketing
June 01, 2009
Written

Why Seeking Common Ground Can Backfire

Research shows that conversations between people seeking common ground can influence which ideas and people gain cultural prominence.
Culture & Society
May 11, 2009
Written

Management Values that Count

Stanford Graduate School of Business Dean Robert L. Joss recalls powerful lessons from his grandfather, a dairy farmer.
Leadership & Management
Exploring Auction Models for Peer-to-Peer Lending
May 01, 2009
Written

On Being Part of the Changing Business Landscape

Oracle CFO explains his long career path — through booms and busts and times of struggle — to working in tech.
Career & Success
May 01, 2009
Written

Leadership Is Responsibility, Not Power

Stanford GSB Dean Robert L. Joss delivers the year's last View From The Top lecture. He plans to continue teaching after leaving the dean's office.
Leadership & Management
Exploring Auction Models for Peer-to-Peer Lending
May 01, 2009
Written

Top Bottling Exec: "There's Still a Lot of Room for Local Breweries"

Jose Antonio Fernandez, head of the largest bottler in Latin America, explains the "Most Interesting Man" ads and other competitive strategies.
Leadership & Management
April 01, 2009
Written

Self-Identified Multiracial Individuals Realize Real Benefits

A group of scholars look at the issues surrounding identifying one's self as multiracial.
Opportunity & Access
April 01, 2009
Written

Jeffrey Pfeffer: Time to Detox the Work Environment

A professor of organizational behavior says companies spend too much time on polar bears and not enough on people.
Leadership & Management
April 01, 2009
Written

Credit Default Swap Clearing Plan Won't Work

A finance professor explores a regulation of credit default swaps.
Finance & Investing
April 01, 2009
Written

Small Islands, Big Economic Lessons

Barbados and Jamaica experienced very different growth trajectories after independence. A scholar explores why.
Economics
Exploring Auction Models for Peer-to-Peer Lending
March 01, 2009
Written

Jennifer Aaker: The Happiness-Time Connection

Why many effective consumer marketing campaigns focus on experiencing, rather than possessing, a product.
Marketing
A woman in Central Park, New York. (Reuters photo by Lucy Nicholson)
March 01, 2009
Written

Eric Schmidt: "Change Happens when Things are Hard"

The Google chairman and CEO explains why, even though the job market is ugly, 2009 is an excellent year to be a new graduate.
Leadership & Management
Exploring Auction Models for Peer-to-Peer Lending
March 01, 2009
Written

Turning on The Light For Customers on Tiny Incomes

Two Stanford GSB alumni explain their D.light Design venture, a company specializing in affordable off-grid lighting.
Entrepreneurship
March 01, 2009
Written

Lawrence Wein: A Proposal to Slow the Buildup of Space Junk

Space debris is a big problem. Here's how to solve it.
Operations & Logistics
February 01, 2009
Written

Most Gamblers Are Just Out for Fun

Research shows that, while gamblers do exhibit many irrational behaviors, for most its just simple entertainment.
Marketing