Working in a team of 3 students, we spent the semester investigating, analyzing, and envisioning the future of Socially Responsible Investing and Sustainable Investment Vehicles.

Through our research we found that first and foremost, the term “Socially Responsible Investing” (SRI) lacks clarity, and the definition varies widely depending on who you ask. As the socially responsible and sustainable movements have progressed, the SRI landscape has become more and more cluttered and difficult to navigate.

There is a lack of transparency in the SRI system, stemming from the very definition of what constitutes of Socially Responsible Investment. Historically, SRI investing is an offshoot of values-based investing, and has at its core an issue-base screening system. This means that investors can select investments which filter (in or out) companies that produce alcohol or tobacco, perform testing on animals, have human rights violations, produce toxins, or a multitude of other issues.

Mutual Funds and ETFs are among the most popular vehicles for SRI, as they tend to minimize the exposure and risk of the investor. However, there is a downside – in order to minimize the investment risks, the funds are often composed of huge Fortune 500 companies, selected for being the best in their industry, even if the industry itself may be objectionable. In addition, the algorithms and scorecards used by large investment firms to rate the companies in their funds are often kept secret.

Ultimately, we defined Socially Responsible Investing as “Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs that have been screened in some way to reflect the values of the individual or institution investing in them” but even that is a very vague definition.

We see SRI as a trend that will continue into the future, but without some effort to inject real transparency into the industry, it will continue to be confusing and subject to cries of “greenwashing.”

Our recommendation included adjusting the nomenclature used when describing the industry and the investments from SRI to ESG, standing for Environmental, Social and Governance; the creation of a self-regulating industry council; a glossary of common definitions; and a call for the disclosure of ratings and rationale behind selections for inclusion into SRI funds.

Moving forward, we envision a system of defined and published classification, certification and oversight criteria for ESG investing

Full project report available upon request.

Date: Spring 2010
Class: Capital and Markets
Contributed to: Secondary Research, Writing, Analysis, Concept Development, Ideation

Retooling the YMCA of Silicon Valley

Working in a research group of 6 students, we looked at how a district of disparate YMCA branches could retool to better serve their varied constituencies, and more fully embrace new national YMCA programs and objectives relating to Youth Development, Healthy LIving, and Social Responsibility. Faced with big challenges, such a misunderstood brand, loss of income due to the recession, and a perception of low-quality facilities and programs, how can the YMCA of Silicon Valley take advantage of their situation and right the ship?

Each person in the group examined a different offering area of the YMCA, including food/nutrition programs, fitness programs, and youth development initiatives and compared them to a wide range of traditional and non-traditional competitors.

For example, in the fitness category, competitive analysis rated the facilities, hours, availability of outdoors and kid-friendly activities of the YMCA against the JCC, the Parks & Rec department of Palo Alto, and Equinox Gym.

Each of these analysis groups were charted using a tool called a strategy canvas, and then aggregated to get a general picture of how the YMCA of Silicon Valley stood up against its competition. We also used a SWOT analysis and an ERRC grid to evaluate the organization.

After the research phase, each individual created their own strategy for the YMCA of Silicon Valley. My strategy envisions the YMCA of Silicon Valley as a center of excellence on Youth Development. After all, Youth are our future, and now is the time to invest in them. Bring back the community center; expand on teen leadership development through a youth advisory board, mock trial, model UN, and create volunteer groups around causes kids are interested in.

A short implementation plan was created to accompany the strategy, focusing on a core menu of offerings, removal and transformation of gym facilities into youth development centers, and soliciting and incorporating feedback as the programs evolve.

This project was purely speculative, and included no contact with the YMCA of Silicon Valley by the team.

Full project report available upon request.

Date: Spring 2010
Class: Strategic Management
Contributed to: Secondary Research, Writing, Analysis,  Competitive Analysis, Concept Development, Ideation

IDEO 2.0 to 3.0, the Innovators Dilemma:

Working in a team of 6 students, we examined the classic innovators dilemma: IDEO, the design consultancy is considered a leader among firms, but as new companies and new competition flourish, how does IDEO adapt to stay ahead?

Some of the newest offerings from IDEO are business design and innovation consulting. Our objective was to evaluate these offerings and determine a strategy for IDEO.

First, we identified what IDEO considers important, from their core competencies of product development, design strategy, and innovation consulting; to their business objectives including return on investment and market share; and their values like collaboration, building to think, and having a positive impact with their work.

Using these qualities as a guide, we then charted them against their competition, design consultancies like Frog and Fuse Project, and new-found competitors: traditional business consulting firms like McKinsey. When we charted the analysis, we were very surprised to see that based on our criteria, there was very little difference between design consultancies, business consultancies, and IDEO.

In order for IDEO to stay ahead, it was clear that their new differentiators – business design and innovation consulting – needed to be developed further, through alignment within the company, and the building of resources to support the business design efforts. To do so we proposed the IDEO gym, co-working for business innovation.

The IDEO Gym would allow IDEO to attract entrepreneurs and coach them, building both a talent resource and the business design expertise needed to keep IDEO ahead. By starting small and allowing space to prototype, the space and program can shift and adapt to meet IDEO’s needs.

This project was purely speculative, and included no contact with IDEO by the team.

Full project report available upon request.

Date: Spring 2010
Class: Strategic Management
Contributed to: Secondary Research, Writing, Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Concept Development, Ideation, Project Management

Discover the City

Discover the City is a project which aims to connect new residents with community based businesses in the Washington, D.C. metro area. It is all too easy to move somewhere new and instead of taking the time to learn the neighborhood and its offerings, just go to Target or Walmart to do your shopping.

Discover the City aims to change this behavior, by providing new arrivals with sample baskets of products, in-store events, and custom guidebooks, all tailored to individual tastes. By providing connections to merchants and the community, Discover the City is more than simply a welcome wagon. These baskets do not include coupons, instead they include real products and gift certificates for services in the new resident’s neighborhood.

Based on the principle that business transactions are composed of three steps – visibility, credibility, and ultimately profitability-  Discover the City aims to tackle the first two. The baskets provide small businesses with the visibility they need to the constituents that have the most to gain – new residents. Credibility is achieved through three sub-decisions: is the merchant honest? are they competent? am I inspired to purchase? By trying out the offerings and meeting the merchants, Discover the City helps the new arrival make these determinations, leading to follow-on transactions.

Full project report available upon request.

Date: Fall 2009
Class: Experience Studio
Contributed to: Secondary Research, Writing, Analysis, Financial Analysis, Concept Development, Ideation

Darden Operations Plan for Olive Garden Frozen Food:

Working in a group of 4 students, we developed an operations plan for Darden, parent company of Olive Garden, describing how they could start a frozen food line based on the Olive Garden brand.

We were interested in how a $6.7B corporation, stuck in the declining casual dining market, could further their brand recognition and capture some of the $64.8B frozen food industry. As consumers are more and more changing their dining habits – eating out less frequently and changing the way they shop – this market seemed a prime opportunity for Darden to help it diversify, grow, and become more resilient.

The plan described the state of the industry, and an overall operational strategy, leveraging on the existing infrastructure of Darden – a network of over 2,000 suppliers, existing office space in Orange County, Florida and retail distribution through existing channels. The plan calls for manufacturing of frozen entrees to be done by current vendors, with R&D contracted out to a specialized firm.

In addition the plan described marketing tactics, including re-editing of existing commercials to add in a 5 second teaser for the frozen meals, and attach points to the existing experience. A major initiative was to give coupons to in-restaurant diners, encouraging them to extend their Olive Garden experience to their own kitchens.

A financial projection, calculated using a demand forecast and scaled financial statements from the Darden annual report, shows the endeavor should net approximately $100M in three years.

This project was purely speculative, and included no contact with Darden by the team.

Full project report available upon request.

Date: Fall 2009
Class: Operations and Strategy
Contributed to: Secondary Research, Writing, Analysis, Financial Analysis, Concept Development, Ideation

Tiffany & Co. Marketing Plan:
Working with a team of 6 students, we looked at Tiffany & Co. through the eyes of marketing professionals, seeking to connect the Tiffany brand with the experience of wonder for people 25-40 years old, making less than $100,000 per year. Throughout the process we conducted primary and secondary research, interviewing people about the concept of wonder, and their current impressions of the Tiffany brand and offerings. The end goal was to recommend growth opportunities that connected to the experience of wonder.

Through our research, we found that wonder was created often when a product exceeds a person’s expectations, and those experiences that take an extra moment to enjoy can cause a person to pause and reflect – “to be caught in the moment”. Especially interesting are those experiences that engage the whole body.

We preformed a marketing audit, and discovered opportunities in the “affordable luxury” market segment. Tiffany’s market location as an aspirational brand offers them a perfect pedestal to launch a line of affordable products and create customers for life.

Ultimately, our recommendation was to increase Tiffany & Co.’s presence in the home goods segment, building on their already strong representation in categories such as crystal and china. We propose an extension of this collection to include household linens, branded as the Tiffany Home Collection. The marketing message builds on Tiffany’s mission statement – “Making Every Day More Wonderful.”

We developed a new positioning statement and strategy for Tiffany & Co. in addition to some supporting tactics, including: enhancing customer service to include personal shoppers and stylists focused on home products, hosting special home decorating in-store events, and establishing partnerships with boutique hotels and spas who will exclusively use the Tiffany Home Collection products.

This project was purely speculative, and included no contact with Tiffany & Co by the team.

Marketing Plan presentation available upon request.

Date: Spring 2009
Class: Market Insight Studio
Contributed to: Primary and Secondary Research, Competitive Analysis, Persona Development, Ideation, Concept Development, Project Management

Rethinking Disaster Housing: Interim Community:
In a group of 3 students, acting as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) we developed a new approach to disaster housing – one that goes beyond simply providing shelter and gets the community involved in cleanup and recovery.

The inspiration for the project comes in the form of a quote from the FEMA National Disaster Housing Strategy (January 2009) – “Even if interim housing assistance is well planned, delivered rapidly, and tailored to meet the needs of disaster victims and communities, it will not provide the same level of stability and security that comes with long-term housing.”

It was this challenge that propelled us to think beyond providing shelter and to instead provide a sense of community that accelerated recovery and helped people to get back to their normal lives.

Current solutions – such as the trailers given to Katrina victims – are unacceptable. They are unsustainable, poisonous for long-term use, and have no longevity.

The housing portion of the plan created reusable, stackable shelters out of abandoned steel shipping containers and recycled and recyclable materials. Additional community modules were conceived, forming the basis for a village layout. These include a water supply tank, generator shed, community center, tool library, community kitchen, laundry facilities and a mobile medical van among others.

In lieu of rent for the mobile shelters, a Jobs Corps was created. In order to facilitate clean up and recovery, all able-bodied men and women older than 18 in each household must assist in the cleanup and rebuilding for at least 40 hours per month. Some private sector jobs such as police and fire department work can would meet this requirement. In addition, full time employment through the Job Corps would be available.

Lastly, we described a number of temporary and permanent policy changes that would need to be implemented for the project to take off, including such measures as allowing for rainfall collection and use of greywater systems.

All shelters would be returned, cleaned, and stored once recovery was complete.

This project was purely speculative, and included no contact with the Federal Emergency Management Agency by the team.

Full project report available upon request.

Date: Spring 2009
Class: Sustainability Studio
Contributed to: Secondary Research, Writing, Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Concept Development, Ideation