Simmons College SOM Named One of the 20 Best Socially Responsible MBA Programs in the World!

The Aspen Institute has released its 2010 “Beyond Grey Pinstripes” list of the top 100 MBA programs in the world that integrate social, ethical, and environmental stewardship.  Simmons College School of Management is #15, the only business school in Massachusetts to make the top 20.  Here are links to the official Simmons College press release and the official Beyond Grey Pinstripes list.

Elinor Ostrom – First Woman Nobel Laureate in Economics!

On Monday, Elinor Ostrom became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economics.  The official Nobel press release is viewable here.  Forbes has two excellent articles on Elinor Ostrom’s impact on the world:

• Why Elinor Ostrom Matters – This article reflects on applications of her studies in cooperative arrangements, also known as “The Commons.”
• Elinor Ostrom and the Digital Commons – This article observes Elinor Ostrom’s work in relation to internet communities, the open-access movement, digital repositories, and Net Neutrality.

Entrepreneur Magazine: Simmons College SOM Entrepreneurship Program “One of Nation’s Best”

Entrepreneurship Magazine, in conjunction with The Princeton Review, will be releasing its list of the top 25 graduate entrepreneurship programs in the country in their October issue, and Simmons College is on the list.  Simmons College is one of only two New England colleges listed.  View the full list here.

Top Women at Facebook, Yahoo, and Nike on Work-Life Balance

CNN Money posted “How High-Achieving Women Balance Work and Family” this past Monday. The article features perspectives on work-life balance in high-achievement positions from Sheryl Sandberg (COO, Facebook), Carol Bartz (CEO, Yahoo), and Jean Jackson (Direct-to-Consumer President, Nike).

Warner Bros. Appoints Woman President of Newly-Formed DC Entertainment

The New York Times reported this morning on Warner Bros. revamping their DC Comics company into a more film content-driven DC Entertainment.  Diane Nelson, who was previously well-known for being in charge of the Harry Potter movie franchise, has been appointed president of the company.

Women and the Power of Microfinance

The Women’s Crusade is a featured article in a New York Times Magazine special issue published on August 17th.  The article discusses how microfinance and education aid to women are helping the cause of empowering women across the globe, fighting global poverty, and giving donors more of a return on their investment.  
 
If you enjoy this article, the main author also has a New York Times blog on globalization and human rights called On the Ground.

The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women!

One week ago, Forbes.com released its annual World’s 100 Most Powerful Women List. Forbes discusses the ranking method on the report’s front page:

Forbes’ Power Women list isn’t about celebrity or popularity; it’s about influence. Queen Rania of Jordan (No. 76), for instance, is perhaps the most listened-to woman in the Middle East; her Twitter feed has 600,000 followers.

In assembling the list, Forbes looked for women who run countries, big companies or influential nonprofits. Their rankings are a combination of two scores: visibility–by press mentions–and the size of the organization or country these women lead.

Forbes also released a video on why Angela Merkel, Sheila Bair, and Indra Nooyi are at the top of the list.

Domestic Violence in the Workplace

“Domestic Violence: Your Coworker’s Dark Secret” is a Fortune online article that blew my mind.  First, I was surprised to see that someone in the established media was willing to take on the subject; Second, it’s a well-written, well-researched, and heart-rending article that captivated my attention.  From the article:

Now a small but growing group of CEOs is saying that it’s time for corporate America to confront the issue head-on. Domestic violence affects the bottom line, they say. It threatens workplace safety. As an HR issue, it’s much more volatile and potentially dangerous than drug addiction or alcoholism.

“I’d like to see more done about this,” says Thomas J. Wilson, CEO of Allstate, one of the CEOs who sees it as a major issue affecting employees, customers, or both. At Verizon Wireless, which handled about 100 abuse cases internally in the past year and roughly 225 more through its employee-assistance programs, “the numbers speak for themselves,” says Martha Delehanty, vice president of human resources. “This is an issue we must address.”

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In a study of three large companies spanning 39 states, 10% of workers who responded to survey questions said, “Right now I am going through this,” says Anne O’Leary-Kelly, a management professor who conducted the study.

The article gives stark portrayals of the women who have faced spousal abuse, and seen it spill over into their work lives.  More heartening, however, are the workplaces that have taken the initiative and responded to this blatant disrespect for human lives with an outpouring of support for the abused.

Sustainability in Mergers & Acquisitions

Green trends and sustainable practices are the talk of everyone in business–well, almost everyone until now. Deloitte reports that companies involved in Mergers & Acquisitions haven’t been paying much attention to them. Read their report, “How Green Is the Deal? The Growing Role of Sustainability in M&A”. From the press release:

The “greening” of products and business operations has become a central theme in virtually every industry. In today’s environment, companies that have strong corporate responsibility and sustainability (CR&S) programs in place are likely to be rewarded for their efforts. As CR&S wields growing influence on the strategy and operations of a company, so too will it become an increasingly important aspect of mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

In this paper, we provide an outline of six key areas of focus for executives, and discuss how greater consideration of sustainability related issues, when evaluating potential M&A transactions, can help to improve deal success.

Businessweek’s MBA Issue

This week’s issue of Businessweek is its annual focus on MBA Schools, and it has a fascinating article called “The Millennials Invade the B-Schools.” The opening paragraph sounds like it could be one of our students:

Sara Hochman, 27, has always been interested in environmental issues, so it wasn’t much of a surprise that her first job out of college was as an environmental consultant. But after a few years on the job, she grew frustrated working with clients who didn’t have a clue about sustainability and didn’t care to learn. “They simply weren’t interested,” she says. Part of the problem, Hochman concluded, was that she wasn’t able to make the business case for sustainability. “I needed to beef up my business skills,” she says. So she decided to attend business school, ultimately choosing the University of Chicago. Since enrolling last fall, she has immersed herself in green business activities—including co-chairing the Energy Club and taking a new elective on renewable energy that was added at the urging of Hochman and fellow students.