Stanford Graduate School of Business (USA)
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A Note on Getting the Most Out of Your Board Meetings
Dodson, D; Pohlmeyer, SCase SGSB-E631-EEntrepreneurshipIn your first year as chief executive officer (CEO), you will encounter a host of management challenges and opportunities—all of which can be navigated more skillfully if you can tap into the insights and perspectives of a handful of seasoned operators and investors. For this reason, your board can have a significant impact on the company’s performance. Unfortunately, CEOs often get far less value out of their boards in the first few years than...Starting at €8.20
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Tipping Point Community
Meehan, W; McNichols, M; Foroughi, JCase SGSB-SI116-EInnovation and ChangeIn early 2016, Thomas Laffont, then-chairman of the board at Tipping Point Community, a nonprofit organization fighting poverty in the San Francisco Bay Area, gathered with over two dozen fellow board members for a retreat to discuss, among other things, the future of the fast-growing organization. In the 11 years since its founding, Tipping Point had raised nearly $120 million and impacted the lives of more than 600,000 people in need. In 2016...Starting at €8.20
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GuideStar
Meehan, W; Drabkin, DCase SGSB-SI121-EInnovation and ChangeWhen Jacob Harold became head of the Hewlett Foundation’s Philanthropy Program, he began to see GuideStar as much more than just a website. GuideStar was the result of founder Arthur “Buzz” Schmidt’s vision of bringing transparency and accountability to the world of nonprofits. At its core, the organization compiled information that U.S. nonprofits submitted on their IRS filings into an easy to use database. It supplemented that information wi...Starting at €8.20
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Branch Metrics: "Failing" into the Idea
Mandelbaum, F; Pohlmeyer, SCase SGSB-E586-EEntrepreneurshipThis case explores the Branch Metrics’ cofounders’ early days as a team and their pursuit of a viable idea for their startup. The three original cofounders, who met in business school, transformed their business concept entirely several times before finding the idea for Branch Metrics. Starting with a fitness collar for dogs, then starting over with developing a mobile application for low-cost, high-quality photobooks, and ultimately developing a...Starting at €8.20
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2016 Search Fund Study: Selected Observations
Kelly, P; Dodson, D; Grousheck, IH; Pohlmeyer, S; Rosenthal, SCase SGSB-E605-EEntrepreneurshipSince 1996, the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies (CES) at the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) has conducted a series of studies on the performance of search funds. These studies endeavor to gather data and gain insight into all known search funds. The studies aggregate the characteristics of search funds, present their principals’ backgrounds, and evaluate the investment returns generated by first-time search funds to their origina...Starting at €8.20
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GuideStar - Teaching Note
Meehan, W; Drabkin, DTeaching Note SGSB-SI121TN-EInnovation and ChangeWhen Jacob Harold became head of the Hewlett Foundation’s Philanthropy Program, he began to see GuideStar as much more than just a website. GuideStar was the result of founder Arthur “Buzz” Schmidt’s vision of bringing transparency and accountability to the world of nonprofits. At its core, the organization compiled information that U.S. nonprofits submitted on their IRS filings into an easy to use database. It supplemented that information wi...Starting at €0.00
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East College Preparatory School
Meehan, W; Luedtke, PCase SGSB-SI13-EBusiness Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility, EntrepreneurshipEastside College Preparatory School was founded in 1996 to give students in the economically depressed communities of East Palo Alto and Menlo Park a viable option for high school education. This case describes the formation, management, and challenges of Eastside. It focuses on fundraising, performance measurement, faculty recruiting, growth, and managing culture.Starting at €8.20
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San Francisco Symphony
Meehan, W; McNamee, M; Soulon, DCase SGSB-SM63-ECorporate GovernanceThe San Francisco Symphony is a major U.S. orchestra that took on ancillary activities as part of its mission to bring the best in music to the Bay Area. Despite increasing costs, SFS posted surpluses for 15 consecutive years. However, by the end of 1993 SFS faced a shift in its financial fortunes; forecasts indicated annual budget shortfalls of $25 million in total deficits by the end of the 1999-2000 season. In 1994, SFS had just signed a “supe...Starting at €8.20
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GiveWell: Real Change for Your Dollar
Meehan, W; Drabkin, DCase SGSB-SI122-EInnovation and ChangeIn 2007 a group of eight friends wanted to give. With so many charities out there, the friends wanted to know which ones were doing the most good. They had two basic questions: (1) what did the charitable organization do with donors’ money and (2) what evidence existed that charity’s activities were helping people? After conducting an exhaustive search, the group concluded that useful information to answer their questions was not publically ...Starting at €8.20