The Knight Management Center Case Solution And Analysis, HBR Case Study Solution & Analysis of Harvard Case Studies

Dean of the Faculty of Business, Stanford University (GSB), Bob Joss, must decide whether to make the new school campus LEED certified. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and was awarded the environmental certification of the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED was a system in which projects earn points for satisfying specific green building criteria. In addition to the added cost of creating a campus LEED certified, which was considered as about $ 11 million, but it was very difficult to assess, Joss had to take into account the different views school teachers, alumni, students and administration. Although many of the high school and the students were in favor of certification, teachers are generally against it. Stanford administration was strongly opposed to pursuing LEED certification. There are several arguments for the certification of LEED. First, GSB would take the lead in the field of sustainable development, which will teach students about the importance of the role of sustainability in business and serve as a model for the business community. It will also give GSB competitive advantage in attracting students to the school. There were also arguments against pursuing LEED certification. Will environmental issues put before the practical day-to-day operational functions, such as having sufficient light and air conditioning? Some believe that the LEED system itself was flawed, with a rigid system of point that they believed a nominal state of the environment, and not real. In addition, the administration of Stanford argued that the school had its own set of sustainability standards that are rigorous, but more suitable for campus buildings than the system LEED. "Hide
by Jake Kraft, Kathleen Kavanaugh, Baba Shiv Source: Stanford Graduate School of Business 15 pages. Publication Date: January 4, 2010. Prod. #: RE135-PDF-ENG