Changes to an organization’s structure are tangible but don’t necessarily bring about any concrete results. Consider the example of the UK’s National Health Service. It regularly reorganizes but doesn’t change much. “The reason is simple,” says Professor Henry Mintzberg in an interview with Business People.
Gillian Stein (BCom’00)’s great-grandfather founded the Toronto-headquartered electronics business Henry’s in 1909, but she never envisioned becoming the company’s CEO. Growing up, she had seen how stressful running the company could be for her father Andrew, who had a heart attack at the age of 47. “I always had a ton of respect and passion and admiration for the business but it wasn’t something I wanted for myself,” says Stein. “I changed and the business changed.
In 2024, elections will be held in over fifty countries, with more than 2 billion voters eligible to head to the polls. But the rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools could be a game-changer. Tools like ChatGPT allow for the rapid creation of disinformation, and deep fake videos can make it difficult to know what is actually real.
Despite being a lucrative revenue source for the government, the Société des Alcools du Québec (SAQ) monopoly is under scrutiny for limiting consumer choices, especially for premium spirits like high-end bourbons. Exclusive distribution rights mean that if SAQ doesn’t stock a particular brand, it won’t be available in Quebec's retail outlets.
Despite commitments to implement the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) by 2027, Canada’s strides in regulating crypto-assets remain sluggish. CARF establishes a standardized reporting system for crypto-assets across 48 nations with the aim of tracking specific asset types and transactions while defining relevant tax jurisdictions.
Saloua Benkhouya (BSc’04, MBA’11) has been elected as President of the Board of Directors of the Women in Finance Association in Quebec (AFFQ), an organization dedicated to women in the financial services sector. Benkhouya has been an active member of AFFQ since 2016, previously serving as secretary and a member of the audit and risk management committee.
Camila Sabogal Cuadros (MBA '24) has been recognized as one of Poets and Quants' 2024 Best & Brightest MBAs. Hailing from Lima, Peru, Sabogal has demonstrated exceptional leadership as the 2023 President of the Desautels Graduate Women’s Association (DGWA) and as a Senior Strategy Consultant at Monitor Deloitte post-graduation.
On May 1, ۲ݮƵ University's 6th annual Black Grad Gala, hosted by the Black Students’ Network, honoured the Class of 2024's Black graduates. Approximately 50 graduates from various faculties were celebrated on stage, each receiving Kente stoles in recognition of their achievements. Notable speakers included Associate Professor Momar Ndao and Black Grad Valedictorian Yasmine Elmi, a McCall MacBain Scholar in the Faculty of Science and incoming ۲ݮƵ medical student.
This year, the DataSphere Lab was privileged to welcome two exceptional students through the Integrated Management Student Fellowship (IMSF) program: Chloe You, a third year student studying Finance and Statistics, and Ruo-Ying, a Business Analytics major.
Bachelor of Commerce student Nikki Tye is the recipient of the ۲ݮƵ Collaborative for AI & Society (McCAIS)’s Undergraduate Research Award (McURA) for Summer 2024. The $8,700 award, aimed at promoting interdisciplinary AI research in society, recognizes Nikki's project on "Protecting the Amazon Forest from Illegal Activity through Image Recognition and Operations Research: A Partnership with JungleKeepers and Peruvian Indigenous Communities."
2024 is shaping up to be a big year for François Cauchon (BCom’22). Cauchon will be representing Canada at the summer Olympic Games in Paris. "It is a surreal feeling," Cauchon, who battled through knee, back and ankle injuries before being named to Canada’s 14-member fencing team, tells CBC. "For every amateur and professional athlete, The Olympics is the holy grail of sports."
Extroverted people often take naturally to leadership roles – but they don’t always do enough listening. Introverted leaders may listen more, but sometimes lack the ability to inspire. A combination of the two personality types could yield the best results, according to Associate Professor Karl Moore. “The downside of extroverted leaders is that they often like to talk more than listen,” says Moore in an article in Scientific American.
This April, ۲ݮƵ Desautels undergraduate students proudly showcased their contributions at the 2024 Integrated Management Student Fellowship (IMSF) Showcase Day. Held at the ۲ݮƵ Faculty Club, the event highlighted the 2023-2024 cohort’s research and projects, all of which relate back to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
۲ݮƵ University's McCall MacBain Scholarships has announced its fourth cohort of recipients, beneficiaries of a landmark $200 million gift made in 2019 by ۲ݮƵ’s 20th Chancellor John McCall MacBain and his wife Marcy. This year’s scholarships will enable 30 students to pursue a funded master’s or professional degree at ۲ݮƵ while participating in mentorship, coaching, and a leadership development program.
When it comes to ethical behaviour in business, there are many shades of grey. Parsing them requires a strong ethical compass, and the Laidley Centre for Business Ethics and Equity, founded in 2022 with a gift from David Laidley (BCom’67), is helping the next generation of business leaders do exactly that. Thanks to a generous gift from Lester J. Fernandes (MBA’82), a new research Chair in Business Ethics endowment will help expand the Laidley Centre’s footprint.