Barnes & Noble Bankruptcy Index: The best place to learn if and when B&N is going out of business

Borders, the nation’s second-largest book chain, is as it was written on yesterday's NYT editorial, "teetering on the brink of a bankruptcy filing." We assume that Border's bankruptcy is inevitable, but what about Barnes & Noble, the nation's largest book chain? Will they follow Borders and go into bankruptcy and if so, when?

We follow closely the future of bookstores, both independent and big chains, as we see them as a viable part of the book industry and we also believe they can take an important part in making this industry more sustainable.

So we decided it's time to follow B&N even more closely in an effort to provide an estimate that is more than just a guestimation and is based on a number of parameters that together provide an indication on the state of B&N and how close or far they are from bankruptcy.

Therefore we're launching today a B&N Bankruptcy Index that is based on 10 parameters, which receive a grade between 1-10 (1 - worst grade, 10 - best grade). Hence we receive a 0-100 point index scale, which we divide into several ranges as follows:

90-100: B&N is in an excellent shape. Couldn't be better!
80-89: B&N is doing great. Bankruptcy is no longer a real threat.
70-79: B&N could do better and has to be cautious of bankruptcy.
60-69: B&N doesn't look good and bankruptcy is becoming a real threat.
50-59: Bankruptcy is a clear and present danger.
49 and less: Red alert! Bankruptcy is just around the corner and is likely to happen within a short time frame.

Starting today, we'll provide you every Wednesday an update on each one of the parameters included in the B&N Bankruptcy Index and will analyze the trend. So here we go:

1. Confidence of the stock market in B&N
This parameter will look at the performance of the B&N stock (symbol: BKS) in the last week. The performance of B&N's stock is an indication of the confidence the market has in the ability of B&N to maintain a viable business.

So let's look at last week's figures:

1/19: $16.81
1/25: $16.49
Change: -1.90%

As you can see, there wasn't much of a change in B&N's stock price over the last week, and actually it's doing OK so far this year (it started the year at a stock price of $15.42). Also technical indicators for the stock are Bullish and S&P gives BKS a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold rating. Therefore this week's grade for this parameter is: 8

2. What analysts say on B&N
Matt Fassler, B&N Analyst, Goldman Sachs wasn't very optimistic on the Digital Book World (DBW) conference earlier this week: Across the board, even for B&N, losses have exceeded expectations. Economics of digital business for B&N look worse than they should. Historically the big box retail books business wasn’t a great business for the shareholders... For B&N going private wouldn’t solve any of their major issues. Expect to see a downsizing of the number of stores and store sizes as the continued growth of ebooks continues. A painful downsizing over the next few years but the industry will continue to exist.

Not very encouraging I have to say and therefore this week's grade for this parameter is: 6

3. New strategy to regain sales in the brick and mortar stores
Just like Borders, B&N still doesn't have a a clear and comprehensive strategy that will transform their brick and mortar stores from a liability back to an asset.

Adding more toys, games and other merchandise is OK and might generate more cash (although as Matt Fassler, B&N Analyst, Goldman Sachs noted on DBW,"repurposing square footage very hard to do") but in any case it is not a substitute for a real strategy that will address the weaknesses of the current business model and offer a new vision for the stores.

B&N knows very well their business environment is changing. As Robert Wienstein mentioned last week on Seeking Alpha, B&n made a statement in its last annual report about "repositioning its business from a store-based model to a multichannel model.....". They definitely do a good job on the online channel (see parameter 8), but when it comes to the brick and mortar stores B&N still haven't come out with anything that looks like a winning strategy. Therefore this week's grade for this parameter is: 4.5

4. What B&N is saying about itself
This parameter will examine quotes and statements from B&N on its financial state, strategy and other related issues. Here's a quote we found on the Washington Post's article from last week 'Borders struggles amid rapid changes in book sales': Even Barnes & Noble, which analysts say is better run than Borders, feels the stress of steering a business whose customers' bookmarks are increasingly digital. "Sometimes I want to shoot myself in the morning," joked Leonard Riggio, founder and chairman of Barnes and Noble.

Although a joke, it's still not encouraging to hear it from Riggio and it gives you a sense of how serious B&N's problems are. Therefore this week's grade is: 6

5. Steps B&N is taking
Last week Publishers Weekly reported that B&N laid off about 45 to 50 positions in the buying group. Cuts included included merchandising VP Bob Wietrak and small press and vendor relations director Marcella Smith." Publishers didn't like it as PW reported - "Publishers were shook by the news with the larger publishers wondering who would oversee merchandising, while smaller presses questioned who would be looking out for their interests. The growth in digital is great, one publisher noted, but added "someone has to be in charge of getting books into the stores.""

MOBYLIVES tried to answer the question "What possessed B&N to not only fire such important employees, but to do it in such a cynical (or is it desperate) bad-publicity-be-damned style?" and explained that "It remains a mystery, but there is a general consensus that it has something to do with B&N being shaken by what’s happened to Borders, and by how the big houses aren’t racing to save Borders, either. That would mean that B&N was eradicating some big salaries as part of a nascent streamlining program in case its fortunes suddenly turn, too."

We believe that even if it helps cash flow in the short run, this step does not look very beneficial in long-term view and above all reflects the lack of clear strategy at B&N when it comes to their brick and mortar stores. In all this step doesn't help stakeholders to regain confidence in the company. Therefore this week's grade of this parameter is: 5

6. Competitors
This parameter will mainly look into Borders and how its problems affect B&N. Let's start first with the positive side - As Karen Dionne wrote on the Daily Finance earlier this week, if Borders' 600 retail outlets, which command roughly 10% of the bricks-and-mortar retail book market, were to close, analysts predict that B&N would pick up 18% of the Borders market, i.e. about 2% of the books retail business.

On the less positive side, when Borders gets into trouble, it doesn't reflect well on B&N, as both are experiencing serious problems and addressing similar changes in the book retail business, as the Washington Post's article described it:

Now, Borders confronts the limitless, more efficient supply chain of Amazon's online emporium. Borders, which helped a generation of readers learn the pleasure of diving into a book for hours at a stretch, now competes for the attention of readers who dip into a few pages on an iPad, open Facebook, read some more, then tweet random thoughts. Printed books don't need a power outlet or a data plan, yet for some people, their utility seems to be fading.

In all, Borders' struggling actually show that bankruptcy, which once was unthinkable when you talked about the big book chains, is now a possibility and even more than that also for B&N. Therefore our weekly grade for this parameter is: 6

7. Financial strength
B&N's latest financial report was published on November 2010 for its second quarter, which ended Oct. 30. The report included the following data:

Total sales (for the quarter) - $1.9 billion (including sales of Barnes & Noble College Booksellers)
EBITDA (for the quarter) -$46 million
Net loss (for the quarter) - $12.6 million, or $0.22 a share
Cash and cash equivalents - $30.16 million
Net working capital (Current assets - current liabilities) - $75.8 million
Current Ratio (Current Assets / Current Liabilities) - 1.037
Debt Ratio (Total Liabilities / Total Assets) - 0.795
Equity Ratio (Shareholders' Equity / Total Assets) - 0.20

This is what we got until the next report will be published on February and it definitely could be worst. It looks like B&N still has the financial strength to survive. This parameter's grade is: 7.5

8. Strength of the ebook business
This maybe the part of the business B&N is most proud of with the thriving Nook and the growing sales at BN.com. Not everyone share the same thoughts - Matt Fassler, B&N Analyst, Goldman Sachs noted on DBW that "economics of digital business for B&N look worse than they should."

B&N also suffered a setback earlier this week when it was reported that the company is phasing out the Nook 3G due to lack of demand.

More over, B&N still haven't found the way to translate its success to become a dominant player in the e-book market to support sales in its stores. If B&N wants to continue and be more than just a successful online business, it must find the way to do it. This week's grade is: 7.5

9. Sense of urgency
Maybe B&N think they still have time, especially now after they had successful holidays sales,but this is not the case of course and if we can learn something from the Borders' case, it's how fast things go bad when your reach a certain tipping point of financial distress or distrust of your stakeholders (consumers or publishers for example). Therefore this parameter will try to look into B&N's sense of urgency.

Right now it seems though can be closer than it looks and when one block falls, the others tend to fall very quickly afterwards. Every day that goes by without taking serious steps is increasing the chance for bankruptcy, with our without a new buyer.

The case of Borders is definitely unfortunate, but B&N can still avoid taking the same path. I'm not sure if these lessons alone will save B&N, but I'm certain that if B&N will avoid them, they are significantly increasing the chances that they will follow Borders. The week's grade is: 6

10. General feeling
This parameter will be an indication of our impression of all the materials read and analyzed for this index. Our feeling this week is not very good given how B&N is handling the situation so far, although we believe the alarming bells are not ringing yet. Therefore this week's grade is: 7

This week's Barnes & Noble Bankruptcy Index: 63.5 points

As you can see, this week's index is set at 63.5 points, which translates into the scale of 60-69: B&N doesn't look good and bankruptcy is becoming a real threat. Definitely not a good starting point, but we'll have to see in the next couple of weeks if we're going up or down to determine if B&N is heading towards a bankruptcy or getting away of it. See you next Wednesday.

To view the weekly changes in the index visit Barnes and Noble Bankruptcy Index on our website.

You can find more resources on the future of bookstores on our website at www.ecolibris.net/bookstores_future.asp

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Working to green the book industry!

Green book of the week - Make It in America: The Case for Re-Inventing the Economy

Just in time for the State of the Union Address we have a guest book review of a book that I'm sure President Obama could use for citations in his upcoming speech tonight. This post was written by Daniel Fielding of the Green Technology Blog.

Make It in America: The Case for Re-Inventing the Economy by Andrew Liveris

Book review by Daniel Fielding

There is a tremendous potential for growth in the production of new products designed to help save energy and reduce our carbon footprint: batteries for hybrid/electric vehicles, cheap solar cells for the masses.

These are the ideas within the pages of Dow Chemical chairman and chief executive officer Andrew Liveris’ new book, "Make it in America: The Case for Re-Inventing The Economy”. The book was recently released in paperback, but in the future, it says environmentally friendly e-ink devices will be more common.

Liveris goes on to explain why production is of such central importance to revitalizing the economy of the United States, as well as maintaining American competitiveness in domestic and global markets.

In the book's introduction, Liveris writes that the manufacturing sector of the economy is capable of producing jobs, value, and domestic growth in ways that the service sector cannot. The new sector, according to Liveris, is in the manufacturing and research of green technology domestically within the United States.

He addresses the intricacies within his 240-page book published by Wiley and Sons Inc.

"It isn’t the economic downturn that got us here. The recession only unmasked deeper, systemic problems, among them the fact that America has, for decades, neglected the things that matter most to its economic health and long-term strength, The manufacturing sector has created some of the world’s most important innovations, that built the middle class, has eroded – in part due to reasons beyond our control, in part because of our own neglect. As a result, we haven’t just lost millions of jobs we haven’t just lost the tools to create long-term prosperity. We’ve lost an important part of our national identity."

Liveris makes a case against neoliberalism, arguing against purely free market principles. Liveris believes that solely abiding by free market principles is not enough to put the United States back into a position of leadership and prosperity, governmental intervention is necessary.

"Of course, stimulating demand is a critical first step toward building a vibrant renewable energy sector. But it is just a first step government policies must also reduce risk and uncertainty for manufacturers in this area. I’m often asked, given the uncertainty around renewables, how Dow has managed to jump with both feet into the business of solar and battery technologies. The answer is simple. We had help.

"There was far too much risk, far too many unknowns, for us to enter the market to this degree. But the federal government and the state of Michigan came to us and provided investments. They removed enough of our uncertainty. With this guarantee of governmental support, the Dow board looked at my proposal to build two new plants in Midland, and approved it in nanoseconds.”

Andrew Liveris has 30-year career with Dow Chemical. He has worked in marketing, manufacturing, new business development, sales, and management. A large portion of his career was spent in Asia. He was the general manager for Dow’s operations in Thailand, and then was promoted to the head of all Asia-Pacific operations. He began his career with Dow in 1976 in Australia.

He has been a member of Dow's Board of Directors since February 2004 and was elected as Chairman of the Board effective April 1, 2006.

This post was written by Daniel Fielding, a freelance writer who focuses on gadgets and the environment. He is the lead editor for Shades of Green, a Green Technology Blog.

The future of Independent bookstores (or: 5 comments on 'Small Bookstores Struggle for Niche in Shifting Times')

Julie Bosman wrote an interesting article (Small Bookstores Struggle for Niche in Shifting Times) on today's New York Times, on the search of Independent bookstores for the right ways to secure their future in times when even a giant bookseller like Borders finds it difficult.

The article was following the American Booksellers Association’s Sixth Annual Winter Institute last week, which was an opportunity for indie booksellers to "to learn, network, and just have fun". According to Bosman more than 500 independent booksellers debated their next step in this event.

The future of bookstores and especially independent bookstores (whose stores, according to the article, account for about 10% of the industry’s retail market overall) is one of the issues we're following and addressing for a long time, as we believe this would have an important influence on how the book industry will look like in the future.

Here are five thoughts on the issues brought up in the article (each comment starts with the relates quote from the article):

1. "At a workshop on Thursday, dozens of booksellers debated the finer points of alternative business models, like the addition of a cafe. Is it worth the trouble, one person asked? How do you figure out how much to charge for scones and lattes? And even if nonbook business attracts attention, how much profit will follow?“At a certain point, I begin to feel like we don’t need more P.R.,” said Roxanne Coady, the president and founder of R.J. Julia in Madison, Conn. “We need sales.”" - Roxanne Coady is right. Sales is the bottom line, but to get there indie bookstores need to provide customers with value. Value is what will eventually get customers back to stores and generate sales. Once this value was based on service and the sense of community. Apparently today this is not enough and there's need in ingredients to the 'value' indies provide.

Can coffee or vine sales be that ingredient? They can definitely help to strengthen the sense of community or be sort of a 'foot in the door' to get customers in the store, but then bookstores will have to start specialize in wine or coffee, which may not be easy at all. I'm not saying bookstores shouldn't sell more products other than books, but from a specialization point of view my estimate is that bookstores might do even better if they collaborate with the local wine or coffee shops, offering then coupons with special discounts on books for example, for their customers, and on vine/coffee for the bookstores' customers.

My feeling is that without a monetary incentive, the store's value won't be valuable enough for customers no matter what products they store will add.

2. "One challenge for booksellers, they said, was finding the balance between selling their core product without overwhelming it with the presence of coffee, baked goods, gifts and other merchandise." - True. I believe that some of the stores that will choose to focus on coffee, baked good, gifts and other merchandise will eventually find that they do well with these products and will become a coffee shop or a gift shop that also offers some books instead of a bookstore that offers coffee or some gifts.

3. "Naftali Rottenstreich, an owner of Red Fox Books in Glens Falls, N.Y., said it would be difficult to get customers to think of independents as places to buy books online.“The mindset right now is, that’s Amazon or that’s BarnesandNoble.com,” he said. “There’s a transformation that has to take place, and I think it will happen in time.”" - He's right. The problem is that even if this mindset will change then there's a small chance this platform will bring new customers to the stores. Online sales in their current settings won't help brick and mortar sales as it doesn't provide customers with any incentive to go to the stores and buy there books and therefore doesn't help the bookstores' owners in figuring out how to transform the stores back to an asset.

4. "“We know now that in the world of physical bookselling, bigness is no longer viewed as an asset,” said Mitchell Kaplan, owner of Books & Books, which has independent stores in South Florida, Westhampton Beach and the Cayman Islands. “It’s about selection and service and ambiance."" - I would rate them in this order: Ambiance, service, selection. Atmosphere is maybe the most important thing - if you go to a bookstore where the service is great, but the atmosphere is not very welcoming or you're feeling like you're in a book warehouse, or it's just not fun to be there, most chances are you won't come back. On the other hand, if you go to bookstores like Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn, where you feel at home the minute you walk in, there's a pretty good chance you'll come again no matter what.

Service is also very important part of the value proposition of the store and shouldn't be ignored. When it comes to selection, it's a tough call because as an indie bookstore you will never be able to compete with Borders or B&N, not to mention Amazon, so maybe it should be about meeting a minimum level of selection to maximize the chance customers will actually find books they look for.

5. “We have to figure out how we stay in the game,” said Beth Puffer, the director of the Bank Street Bookstore in Manhattan. “You have to rethink your whole business model, because the old ways really aren’t going to cut it anymore.”" - I couldn't say it better myself. Finding the right strategy, focusing on the way to revive sales in the brick and mortar business, is key for success. Any bookstore that doesn't make it its first priority will be left behind and eventually go out of business, and it's true not just for independent bookstores, but also for the big chains like Barnes & Noble and Borders.

More related articles:

We love Greenlight Books but think they might be wrong about the future of independent bookstores

5 reasons why independent bookstores shouldn't count too much on Google Editions

Is there a future for Barnes & Noble and Borders bookstores? Is it a green one?

Can monetary incentives + local benefits generate a brighter future for independent bookstores?

You can find more resources on the future of bookstores on our website at www.ecolibris.net/bookstores_future.asp

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

We have a winner in the giveaway of Barney Stinson and Matt Kuhn's audiobook 'The Playbook'

We had a giveaway of Barney Stinson and Matt Kuhn's audiobook 'The Playbook' following the review of this funny audiobook. We asked you to share with us the best way become a ladies’ man just like Barney Stinson and we have a winner!

The winner is Cassie who wrote: "Hmm...I'd say be every girl's best guy friend, and be too confident!" Congrats Cassie! You won a copy of the audiobook 'The Playbook'! This prize is courtesy of of the publisher, Simon & Simon audio. Thanks also to all the other participants. Please keep checking our green reviews and giveaways.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

The Other Side of Apple (and not the one you're gonna like..)

This is the title of a report released yesterday by the Institute of Environmental and Public Affairs (IPE), an independent Beijing-based non-profit organization. In the report, Apple is accused of "ignoring hazardous and unhealthy conditions at the factories in China where its components are assembled."

The report is not just about Apple. It outlines findings from a group of 36 non-governmental organizations into environmental and health practices among technology companies that are operating in China. Out of the 29 global technology companies that were ranked, Apple was ranked last.

Apple was not the only company the report cited as failing to act or respond to environmental and social concerns - Nokia, LG, SingTel, Sony, and Ericsson also fared poorly in the survey. But the groups said Apple was the worst, for "dodging" questions from the public and requests from environmental groups for investigations.

This was a bit of a surprise for the authors. “We originally thought that Apple, as a corporate citizen, would take a leadership role, but now we feel they ended up as the most obstructive,” Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Environmental and Public Affairs said in a phone interview to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Examples? Here's one: "among the examples cited in the report is Wintek Corp. which in 2009 is alleged to have used poisonous chemicals in the production of screens for Apple [touch screens for the iPhone and iPad] that resulted in workers being hospitalized for nerve damage. In a regulatory filing in May, Wintek said it stopped using the chemical, N-Hexane, and all workers were getting adequate treatment. Apple has not acknowledged Wintek as a supplier, Ma said."

And what does Apple say in response? “Apple has had an extensive supplier auditing program since 2006 and we have lots of information available through our website,” said Jill Tan, a Hong Kong-based spokeswoman for Apple.

The issues Apple has with its suppliers as well as its limited willingness at best to address them are not new to those who followed the wave of worker suicides last year at Foxconn, Apple's primary China supplier, last year. Again and again we see that although Apple seems to be generally transparent and progressive in their approach to social responsibility (see Apple's Supplier Responsibility Report), they are not willing to answer tough questions and be fully transparent when it comes to criticism on their operations.

My guestimation is that it is connected to Apple's (and Steve Job's) general lack of willingness to acknowledge that they might do something that is not perfect or god forbidden wrong, no matter what the issue is. This sort of hubris is definitely not the culture you would expect from an innovative and creative company like Apple.

And if you think Apple should be excused because all the companies behave this way - think again. BT and HP, for example, ranked highly in IPE’s list of technology companies because they have responded to environmental problems and worked with suppliers to ensure better compliance, according to Ma.

You can learn more about the report from this video published by IPE:



More articles on this issue:

Is the iPad manufactured at a modern sweatshop?
Can the iPad be "green" if it is manufactured in a sweatshop?

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting Sustainable Reading!

Where readers buy their ebooks? Week 7 of our 10-week e-book purchasing survey

We're on week 7 of our 10-week ebook experiment. Like all experiments, it began with a question: Where will readers look to buy their ebooks? Following the launch of Google eBookstore, its collaboration with independent bookstores and with Amazon, B&N, Borders and other bookstores fighting on their market share, the competition between ebook retailers is getting fierce.

Our assumption is that many readers will look for e-books using a search engine and will buy from one of the first results of their search. So we randomly chose 10 books of the New York Times’ 100 Notable Books of 2010 and googled each title with the word ebook and wrote down the first two results we got. We redo it every Thursday for 10 weeks and will see if there are any changes in the search results.

Here are the results for week 7. In brackets you'll see the last week's results. If they were the same we just wrote 'same'. And if you click on the titles, you will be forwarded to the first place on the title's search):

1. Girl by the Road at Night by David Rabe
1st place: Simon & Schuster (same)
2nd place: Simon & Schuster (same)

2. The Long Song by Andrea Levy
1st place: Amazon.com (same)
2nd place: Amazon.com (same)

3. The New Yorker Stories by Ann Beattie
1st place: Amazon.com (same)
2nd place: Amazon.com (Simon & Schuster)

4. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
1st place: Powell's Books (Amazon)
2nd place: Amazon.com (Powell's Books)

5. Big Girls Don't Cry by Rebecca Traister
1st place: Simon & Schuster (same)
2nd place: Barnes & Noble (Simon & Schuster)

6. The Price of Altruism by Oren Harman
1st place: Kobo (same)
2nd place: Amazon.com (same)

7. INSECTOPEDIA by Hugh Raffles
1st place: Amazon.com (same)
2nd place: Amazon.com (same)

8. Country Driving by Peter Hessler
1st place: Goodreads (same)
2nd place:Barnes & Noble (same)

9. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
1st place: Random House (same)
2nd place: eBooks.com (eBookMall)

10. Hitch 22 by Christopher Hitchens
1st place: Amazon.com (same)
2nd place: Atheist Movies (Barnes & Noble)

Here's the summary of the results:

	Amazon		B&N		Publishers		Others
	1st	2nd	1st	2nd	1st	2nd	1st	2nd
week 1	6	3	1	2	3	4	0	1
week2	6	4	1	3	3	3	0	0
week3	6	2	1	2	3	4	0	2
week4	6	3	2	1	2	4	0	2
week5	5	4	1	2	2	3	2	1
week6	5	3	0	2	3	3	2	2
week7	4	5	0	2	3	1	3	2

We give 2 points for 1st place and 1 point for 2nd place:

		Amazon		B&N		Google		Publishers		Others
week 1		15		4		0		10		1
week 2		16		5		0		9		0
week 3		14		4		0		10		2
week 4		15		5		0		8		2
week 5		14		4		0		7		5
week 6		13		2		0		9		6
week 7		13		2		0		7		8

So what do have here? Amazon is still performing well in the first place, but the real news is the growing power of the 'Others' segment, which is now the second one after Amazon with 8 points. You can find under 'Others' bookstores (Powell's Books), online bookstores (eBooks.com), dedicated e-reader bookstores like Kobo and the occasional blog (Atheist Movies this time).

Conclusions? We're still 3 weeks far from ending our experiment, but the growing presence of smaller players may suggest that only few weeks but it looks like the competition is getting stronger, which means that when we talk about books that are not brand new, even if they're bestsellers, than it's getting easier to small players to take larger pieces of the pie on the account of the bigger players, especially from the big chains - B&N and Borders, which looks like they're getting weaker and weaker. Anyway, it's certainly getting more interesting! See you next Thursday.

You can find all the survey results so far at www.ecolibris.net/buying_ebooks.asp

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

The green book of the week - The Sustainable MBA: The Manager’s Guide to Green Business

The first thought I had in mind when I read "The Sustainable MBA: The Manager’s Guide to Green Business" by Giselle Weybrecht was that I wish this book would have been published 10 years ago when I was an MBA student. Since that can't happen, I can only wish every current MBA student, from those in Harvard to those taking MBA classes online, will get to read it and learn valuable lessons about green business.

As an adjunct professor in the University of Delaware's Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, teaching MBA and undergraduate students sustainability and green business, I find this book a great resource to both young and old graduates who are looking to better understand how to integrate sustainability in their organization.

This is not just a useful book, but also one that makes you think about the basics of sustainability and how much it makes sense for business in so many levels, creating opportunities, increasing revenues and decreasing costs and risks. If you need a mirror to how unsustainable the current business world is and a guide showing you how exactly you can change it, no matter what area you're operating in, this is your book.

We wanted to learn more about the book and asked the author, Giselle Weybrecht, for an interview. You can read it just after the details on the book and the author.

About the book:

The Sustainable MBA: The Manager’s Guide to Green Business provides the knowledge and tools to help you “green” your job and organization, to turn sustainability talk into action for the benefit of your bottom line and society as a whole.

The Sustainable MBA is organized like a business school course – allowing you easy access to the relevant information you need about sustainability and Accounting, Economics, Entrepreneurship, Ethics, Finance, Marketing, Organizational Behaviour, Operations and Strategy.

Based on more than 100 interviews with experts in business, international organizations, NGOs and universities from around the world, this first of its kind guide brings together all the pieces of the business and sustainability puzzle including;

❑ The basics on what sustainability is, why you should be interested, how to get started, and what a sustainable organization looks like.

❑ A wide range of tools, guidelines, techniques and concepts that you can use to implement sustainability practices.

❑ Tools and tips on how to “green” your job, including how to sell these ideas to your team, how to make green choices as a consumer and how to organize green meetings.

❑ A survey of the exciting trends in sustainable business happening around the world.

❑ A wealth of links to interesting resources for more information.

To see a full Table of Contents and a sample chapter click here

About the author:

Giselle Weybrecht is the author of ‘The Sustainable MBA: The Manager’s Guide to Green Business’ published by Wiley in 2010 (www.thesustainablemba.com). The book aims to educate the next generation of business leaders about sustainability issues, whether these be students or business executives. Prior to this she worked for many years with the United Nations internationally in sustainable development including with the UN World Water Assessment Programme at UNESCO. She has also worked with government, NGOs, business and with social entrepreneurs around the world in sustainability.

Giselle holds an undergraduate degree from Queens’ University in Canada in political science and development studies and an MBA from London Business School and is a graduate of the Beahrs Environmental Leadership Programme at University of California Berkeley. Today she writes, speaks and does consulting relating to embedding sustainability into business schools and businesses internationally and developing engagement and training programs to ensure that students and employees know what sustainability is all about and how they can be part of making their businesses more sustainable.

And now to the interview with Giselle:

Hello Giselle. What difference do you see between the time when you were MBA student and today when it comes to embedding sustainability in business schools?

My answer to this question really depends on the day you ask it. Some days I feel that things are completely different for these new classes of MBA students. They have access to a greater number of electives, courses, clubs, speaker series, and conferences, all focused on topics related to sustainability. I regularly speak with faculty and deans who are really committed to these issues and embedding them into the curriculum.

There is definitely a growing interest in business schools about these issues. However, there are other days, when I take a closer look at some of these initiatives or speak with the students taking part in these events, that I realize that the majority of MBA students are still graduating with very little knowledge about what sustainability means to business, why it is important and how to implement it. The embedding part is taking a lot longer than I would have liked.

Do you think business schools are moving forward faster or slower than the business world itself when it comes to sustainability?

Business schools are moving much slower than the business world. There are many companies that are really pushing the boundaries when it comes to sustainability. They are exploring what it means to their core business, their customers and their employees. Business schools are increasingly talking about it but few are really taking a serious look at it in the way that businesses are.

Of all the topics you describe in the book (finance, operations, marketing, etc.) - where do you think we see the most progress?

There is a lot of progress being made in all of the areas described in the book, and there is an increasing number of individuals and organizations working on each of the topics covered. Most companies start with the more straightforward subjects; marketing, operations, strategy. Fewer companies have been looking at topics such as accounting, finance and even organizational behavior, but this is changing rapidly.

When I read your book, the business case of sustainability seems very clear - so how come we don't see more companies that adopt these practices? Is it lack of vision, leadership, policy incentives or there's just not enough interest on the consumers side?

As outlined in the book there are several reasons why businesses move forward in this area. The details of exactly why and how vary depending on the business, the industry, the location. It is up to managers and employees to think strategically about what this has to do with their business, their customers, and their employees in particular. Many managers still think sustainability is a feel good topic, that it is about doing the right thing that it is something you can switch on and off. In reality, sustainability is a complex topic and requires a real commitment.

What would you suggest to managers who want to better understand what sustainability is all about and how they can use it at work? Where should they start (or what's the second step after buying your book)?

Regardless of what your job is there are ways for you to start exploring these issues, and potentially make a real impact through your work. In the book there is a chapter called Getting Started to help employees and managers move forward in this area as well as many tips and tools to get you started. I recommend starting with the book to get a good grasp of the issues and what is happening in this area. Then spend a bit of time looking into what is happening both in your business and in your industry with sustainability. Pick the topics that you feel most affect your business or the job that you do and move forward from there.

What would you recommend to students who are looking for an MBA program? How should they take into account the 'green' factor? Should they prefer programs that focus mainly on green issues (like the programs at Presidio Graduate School)?

For students who decide to do an MBA my suggestion is to make sure you get the strongest business education you can. In order to bring sustainability into business and to make a difference in this area, graduates need to have a sound knowledge of business. During the MBA, there are countless ways to learn about sustainability. Look at schools that provide a good balance of the two.

Do you find yourself more or less optimistic today comparing to what you felt when you started working on this book?

I'm a very optimistic person, although I often get frustrated at how slowly progress happens. I have received an incredible response to the book and what the book is trying to do, by businesses, academics and individuals. Things are picking up in this area, it is very exciting.

What are you currently working on? Any new book on the horizon?

I have a lot of new projects happening at the moment, which include a new book, developing innovative workshops for business and university on sustainability, speaking and strategic consulting work. Keep an eye on my website (www.thesustainablemba.com) for more details about these!

Thank you, Giselle! To learn more about the book visit www.thesustainablemba.com. Last but not least, the book is printed on FSC-certified paper. You can buy it on Amazon (it's also available as an ebook).

Yours,

Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Working to green up the publishing industry!