Economists, Business & Nonprofit Leaders Look at How We Measure Success

Aspen Institute's Annual Business & Society Forum explores what we measure and what it says about  our priorities

NEW YORK, Oct. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For two days—October 26-27—leaders from business, government and the nonprofit sector will explore the ways we measure progress, looking at issues that range from the validity of GDP as an indicator of how well a country is doing to the purpose of the firm and its relation to its stakeholders and to societal challenges such as healthcare, the environment and building a sustainable future.

The opening session of the day-and-a-half program, which will take place at NYU's Stern School of Business, will feature a discussion with 2002 Nobel Laureate in Economics and Princeton psychologist, Daniel Kahneman; Chairman and CEO of The Vanguard Group, Bill McNabb; and the holder of the first endowed chair in Buddhist Studies in the West, Columbia University Professor Robert Thurman.  Erik Schatzker, anchor and editor-at-large for Bloomberg Television, will moderate Tuesday evening's discussion.

Wednesday's program will take place at Bloomberg LP headquarters.  Discussions on day two will range from a look at what makes a successful capital market to the indicators of a successful business to designing a sustainable world and a look at governmental programs and the progress of civil society.  The final panel of the day will turn to personal views of success. Speakers on October 27th include:

• Gary Hirshberg, CE-Yo of Stonyfield Farms
• David Korten, best-selling author of When Corporations Rule the World
• Dr. James A. Kowalski, Dean of the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine
• Marissa Mayer, Vice President, Google
• Ranji Nagaswami, Chief Investment Advisor, New York City Mayor's Office of Pensions & Investments
• Steve Rohleder, Group Chief Executive, Accenture
• Leo Strine, Jr., Vice Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery
• David Walker, Founder & CEO of the Comeback America Initiative (recent former CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation)

A full list of speakers can be found at www.AspenInNYC.org.

Accenture is a major funder of the 2010 Aspen in New York Business & Society Forum.  Additional Funding is provided by the Alcoa Foundation and the Ford Foundation.  Bloomberg Television is the major media partner, with additional media support from CSRwire and Magaskawee.

Event updates will be featured at www.twitter.com/AspenBizEd and #bizforum10 on www.twitter.com.

The Aspen Institute Business and Society Program is dedicated to developing leaders for a sustainable global society. Through dialogues and path-breaking research, we create opportunities for executives and educators to explore new pathways to sustainability and values-based leadership. www.aspenbsp.org

The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs, and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, D.C.; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland's Eastern Shore. It also has an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

SOURCE The Aspen Institute