This post was written by Chris Howell, a member of the SEMBA Class of 2017.
One of SEMBA’s more impressive elements is the program’s direct connection to so many innovators in the discipline and practice of sustainable entrepreneurship. From our well-connected advisory board to the steady stream of speakers from a range of industries, our network grows by the week.
This week, we had the pleasure of attending a talk and class with Michael Russo, professor of Sustainable Management and head of the Department of Management at University of Oregon’s Lundquist College of Business.
Professor Russo is one of the leading experts and early thinkers on the topic of sustainable business. He has published widely on the challenges and opportunities that mission-driven organizations face as they blend high quality products with social and environmental leadership in a highly competitive and global marketplace. Professor Russo’s current research explores the influences of society, politics, and the natural environment on business strategy.
Take a look at two of Russo’s cases addressing supply chain issues at Seventh Generation (2007) and Guayakí (2016). Also be sure to read Russo’s 2010 book, Companies on a Mission, which explains how mission-driven companies adapt and leverage traditional strategic principles and how the mission-driven business movement is impacting the marketplace.
Seventh Generation: Balancing Customer Expectations with Supply Chain Realities
Michael V. Russo and Dan Goldstein – Lundquist College of Business, University of Oregon – 2007
http://oikos-international.org/publicati…/seventh-generation
Guayakí: Securing Supplies, Strengthening the Mission
Michael V. Russo and Michael Crooke – Lundquist College of Business, University of Oregon – 2016
http://oikos-international.org/publications/guayaki
Companies on a Mission: Entrepreneurial Strategies for Growing Sustainably, Responsibly, and Profitably
Michael V. Russo – Stanford Business Books – 2010
http://www.sup.org/books/extra/…