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NGO Conference Highlights Move To Corporate Responsibility
By
Karen Martell
February 18, 2005
Panelists at International NGO conference held on February 11-12
at Stanford highlighted the trend towards corporate responsibility
and social impact among top business schools and corporations.
The conference featured an array of panelists in sessions titled “Inspiring
Career Paths” and “What to Expect Working in an NGO.”
Graham Freeman, one of the first panelists, co-founded Cernio,
a socially responsible for-profit technology services company.
Freeman said, “I believe that social responsibility should
play a prominent role in our professional lives.”
Bill McKenna served as an example of a mid-career professional
approaching the social sector. Armed with a law degree and a
Masters in Management from Northwestern University, as well as
a Masters in International Policy Studies, McKenna has paired
his extensive business and law experience with his growing interest
in international NGOs and development.
McKenna advised, “The for profit sector is very applicable
to the social sector.”
Anietie Ekanem, a Stanford graduate whose parents emigrated
from Nigeria, founded Wireless Africa. He combined his consulting
background, experience with corporations and start up companies,
and his passion for Africa to provide health, government, and
educational services to African countries using wireless technology.
After years working in the technical for profit sector Ekanem
wanted more of a social impact. “I wanted to play a role
in job and wealth creation in Africa,” said Ekanem.
Laura Loker, a Senior Consultant at the Foundation Strategy
Group, entered the business world after completing her BA in
Business Administration at the University of Michigan. She went
on to get an MBA with a certificate in Public Management and
a Masters in International Policy Studies from Stanford.
Loker, an international health consultant, utilized her skills
on a two-month trip to Tanzania, where she worked with an African
social marketing NGO focused on public health initiatives. “My
work is fulfilling and exciting, I love knowing that I can help
thousands of people,” said Loker.
These panelists suggest that business schools and corporations
around the country have a growing awareness of corporate responsibility
and the social sector.
This shift may be attributed to the changing business climate.
In the early 1970s, there were 7000 multinational enterprises
where as today there are more than 60,000. In addition, the public,
non-profit, and private sectors are increasingly interdependent.
“Companies today must reconcile their role in society
and not only respond to shareholder concerns but to the expectations
of all key stakeholders for sustainable business successes and
societal well being,” said Bradley K. Googins, Executive
Director of Center for Corporate Citizenship.
StartingBloc, a non-profit organization founded in the wake
of the Enron, Tyco, and WorldCom scandals seeks to educate future
business and civic leaders on responsible and sustainable business
practices.
“Private sector leaders and social entrepreneurs must
create collaborative working engagements and partnerships to
further social and financial return on investment,” said
Martin Hanlon-Smith, founder of StartingBloc.
In response to StartingBloc’s creation, Robert L. Nelson,
Director of the American Bar Foundation, said, “At a time
when public and government leaders are increasingly skeptical
about the ethics of business and professional organizations,
it is exciting to see StartingBloc taking an initiative in the
field of corporate social responsibility.”
Richard Schmalensee, Dean of MIT Sloan School of Management,
expressed, “It would be a tragedy if recent scandals made
our bright, idealistic youth hostile to business.”
This shift towards corporate responsibility is also evident
among top business schools.
Stanford’s Graduate School of Business is one of 11 academic
institutions recognized for its pioneering work in developing
a curriculum that prepares students to manage complex issues
relating to business and society. Stanford’s Public Management
Program (PMP) offers students cutting-edge knowledge and hands-on
experience to apply business principles to social and environmental
issues.
The University of North Carolina (UNC) offers the Sustainable
Enterprise Initiative where students mentor urban students while
others assist inner city businesses.
The University of Michigan offers dual degrees in environmental
management with the School of Natural Resources and Environment,
enabling students to intern in Africa.
At graduate business schools around the nation 1,300 MBA students
have founded 100 chapters of Net Impact: New Leaders for Better
Business, a business student organization devoted to social and
environmental responsibility.
According to the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Initiative
for Social Innovation through Business (ISIB), a program of the
Aspen, “Social issues are clearly making inroads into business
school programs.”
Contact Karen Martell at martelka@stanford.edu
