MIT Sloan School of Management Podcast

Merida Meridian sells all-natural rugs. That's a noble distinction amid a market dominated by petroleum-based rugs. But company owner Hiram Samel, an MIT Sloan Fellows alum, has his sights set higher. He is eyeing the possibility of selling rugs that are "fully sustainable," a distinction that would incorporate an array of values associated with the production and distribution of the rugs. With that in mind, Samel asked a team of students in MT Sloan's Sustainability Lab to determine if a market exists for a sustainable rug. While the team found such a product is not yet viable, team member Basmaa Ali tells correspondent Scott Rolph that Merida and other companies would be well served by preparing for an era when "sustainable" is as valuable on the market as "ergonomic" and "organic."

MIT is working to solve many of the vexing challenges facing humanity. Amid increasing scientific evidence of global warming, MIT thought-leaders are focused squarely on climate change. On this challenge the Institute has work to do at home, according to a team of students working through MIT Sloan's Sustainability Lab. Team member Nick Hofmeister told correspondent Scott Rolph that even though MIT has an array of carbon-reduction opportunities, the famously decentralized Institute faces organizational hurdles. It's an illustration, says Hofmeister, that moving toward more a more sustainable enterprise is about more than identifying opportunities and calculating return on investment.

Sparks fly when entrepreneurial minds collide at MIT, and the repercussions can be felt across the globe. So it is with Spark, an idea incubator run by a number of MIT Sloan alumni and students. The Massachusetts-based organization is working to provide financial support to private schools in India, in the face of the Indian government's unwillingness to invest in its woeful public education system. As part of MIT Sloan's Sustainability Lab this spring, a team of current MIT students developed a model to help Spark determine which private schools to invest in. Correspondent Scott Rolph spoke with team member Ali Wyne on the model the team developed and the growing sense of social responsibility among MIT Sloan students.

A preview of the MIT Sloan Latin American Conference.

Design used to be a priesthood, says IDEO CEO Tim Brown. Art school was the path to the pulpit, and designs were unveiled with the ceremony of a Sunday sermon. But designers today have left the church for a human-centered mode of innovation. At companies like IDEO, design is about getting out into society and understanding how people think and feel about the world. It's about inspiration, ideation, and implementation. Brown described this process in a March 2006 Dean's Innovative Leader Series appearance, presented here. He is introduced by MIT Sloan Professor James Utterback.

Once a laudable goal, Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) is now a growing force across global markets. At last count, there were $4 trillion in such investments worldwide. One in eight investment dollars in the U.S. is connected to environmental, social, and governmental factors. The time is ripe for analysts to help their clients make a profit while making a difference, says Graham Sinclair of KLD Research and Analytics in Boston. Sinclair made this case during a morning-long presentation to MIT Sloan students in March 2007 as part of the Sustainability at Sloan Speaker Series. Here is an excerpt.

Welcome to MIT Sloan Coming Attractions for April 2007. A look ahead at what's happening, on campus and online. Featured stories this month: Student Stories Podcast Series; MIT Sloan Latin American Conference; and Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility.

She grew up in rural central Massachusetts, but her cultural perspective encompasses Octoberfest in Germany and warm sand on Costa Rica's shore. She loves to swim, but she is hardly a fish out of water in a marathon field. She is helping with an MIT Sloan fashion show, but working a trading desk suits her just fine. She is MIT Sloan student Emily Le. Correspondent Scott Rolph speaks with Le this week in the first episode of our Student Stories series.

Carly Fiorina knows tough choices, as the title of her 2006 memoir suggests. As president and CEO of Hewlett-Packard, she made the difficult decision to merge the company with rival Compaq Computer. The decision proved a crucible for the storied HP, and the waves it triggered led to her abrupt firing in 2005. Fiorina stands by the decision. "Sometimes a leader's job is to undertake the difficult job of transformation," she told MIT Sloan students in an October 2006 Dean's Innovative Leader Series appearance, presented here. Fiorina, a 1989 MIT Sloan Fellow, is introduced by MIT Sloan Dean Richard Schmalensee.

Ploy Jensen had been to India before. But her visit to the Taj Mahal and other tourist stops were hardly a precursor to the deep dive into India's emerging technology market and diverse culture that she experienced as part of her Global Entrepreneurship Lab class. Working with a venture capital firm, she and her G-Lab teammates spent time at MIT Sloan last fall analyzing investment considerations for the firm's new Indian startup fund. Their efforts culminated in a trip to India in January that shed new light on their analysis, imbued her with respect for the intelligence and determination of the Indian people, and left her with vivid memories. Jensen, a 2007 MBA student, recounts her G-Lab experience and how it fits into her MIT Sloan education.

Mahatma Gandhi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world." That's not necessarily a quote you'd expect to hear from the CEO of a global service company speaking to business school students. But that's precisely the message Marilyn Carlson Nelson brought to MIT Sloan during her March 2006 Dean's Innovative Leader Series appearance, presented here. Nelson heads the Carlson Companies, a privately held parent corporation of global integrated service companies. She's also a widely recognized leader in corporate social responsibility. Carlson Companies, she said, is very much attuned to the implications of its operations for the environment and people across the globe. She urged students to take the same path, asking them to focus on business models aimed at both profitability and improving the world. "You have a tremendous opportunity to use power for good," she said. Nelson is introduced by MIT Sloan Professor Gabriel Bitran.

What's the purpose of business? BP Group Chief Executive Lord John Browne says it's not just to make money and deliver shareholder value. Nor is it to balance profit-taking with a program of corporate responsibility. Instead, Browne contends, the purpose of business at the highest level is to be part of society and meet society's needs. He elaborated on that contention during his May 2006 Dean's Innovative Leader Series appearance, presented here. Browne is introduced by Richard Schmalensee, John C Head III Dean.

MIT Sloan alum Hiram Samel runs Merida Meridian, a Boston-based manufacturer of distinctive textiles. It's a small company, but a global company, with operations in 20 countries. A 2006 graduate of the MIT Sloan Fellows Program in Innovation and Global Leadership, Samel chose the program's two-year flexible schedule option. It was a great option for a small business owner, he says -- not only because he could accommodate both school and a dynamic business but also because the learning didn't stop when he was back tending to the company.

Good draft picks. Innovative coach. Spirited fans. Grit, hustle, and determination on the field of play. Now you can add analytics to this list of keys to success for a professional sports franchise. Increasingly a powerful tool in distinguishing the best sports franchises, analytics will take center stage at the inaugural MIT Sloan Sports Business Conference on February 10th at MIT. Conference organizers Heather Tow-Yick and Marshal Einhorn, both members of the MBA Class of 2007, explain why they've initiated a sports business conference and how analytics are transforming sports. Learn more at http://www.sloansportsconference.com.

The fast-moving global fashion industry leaves little time for reflection, according to Ruth Sommers, executive vice president of Victoria's Secret Direct and a 2001 graduate of the MIT Sloan Fellows Program in Innovation and Global Leadership. In fashion, instinct can trump analysis, and cross-disciplinary teams demand leaders. For Sommers, a year as an MIT Sloan Fellow was a rare opportunity to pause and focus on growing as a leader and a person. Learn more about the MIT Sloan Fellows Program in Innovation and Global Leadership at http://mitsloan.mit.edu/fellows.