Toronto News: Schulich Grad Becomes CEO, Ryerson Promotes Women in Business, and more…
Toronto business schools have seen another exciting week of community contributions from faculty and graduates. We’ve laid out some of the high points.
We Need to Talk About Career Gaps—LinkedIn
This week, Rod Bolger wrote an article for LinkedIn on the “RBC Opt-In: Women’s Career Continuation Program: at Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management. The article’s author is also the CFO of RBC, the company that sponsors this program. The Opt-In program allows women who have stepped away from their careers to continue their education and regain their footing in the workforce. The program allows these women to network and further their education on topics like leadership and personal branding.
“At RBC, we believe an inclusive workforce spurs innovation, and that in turn fosters a strong economy and helps our communities prosper. The bottom line: we need women—as half of the world’s talent pool—to be able to fully participate in the workforce. We can each do our part to listen and learn from those who have the diversity of perspective and experience that a career gap brings.” -Rod Bolger
Read more about the RBC Opt-In: Women’s Career Continuation Program here.
Sprout Wellness Appoints New CEO—HRT News Desk
Sprout Wellness Solutions, which provides resources for ensuring holistic employee wellness in corporate settings, has announced that Andrew Zimakas will take over as CEO. Zimakas has been serving as interim COO at the company for a number of months. Zimakas earned his MBA at York University’s Schulich School of Business. After earning his MBA, he worked in senior positions at several large companies, including Microsoft and LoyaltyOne.
“I’m incredibly excited to be leading such a talented and committed team at Sprout; It’s a great fit, given that we are a purpose-driven organization with a leading-edge solution that is at the intersection of two of my passion areas: technology and health and wellness.”- Andrew Zimakas
Read more about Sprout Wellness Solutions here.
China Poised to Take Lead in Artificial Intelligence Race—The Globe and Mail
Avi Goldfarb and Daniel Trefler, economists at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, have written a soon-to-be-published paper tackling questions about AI’s impact on the future of international trade. The researchers note that China is fast becoming an AI giant with Silicon Valley-level tech advances and growth.
Though the researchers believe China’s innovations will be useful to Canada, they also anticipate harmful consequences as a result of China’s rise to AI superpower. For example, there may be no room for AI companies from smaller countries like Canada once China achieves dominance.
Read more about China’s role in AI here.
DeGroote Professor Workplace Policy Helps Shape New Law, and More -Toronto News
This week, Toronto business schools discuss substantial contributions to the workplace, researchers from DeGroote and Ryerson have each worked to make workplaces more just and equitable, and a new book by Rotman professors gives practical tools for incorporating AI into business.
Doing Right By Employees Ultimately Pays Off – McMaster Brighter World
Research from Isik Zeytinoglu, professor of human resources and management at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business, has shown that treating employees well may be a shrewd move for employers. Dr. Zeytinoglu, whose research influenced the World Health Organization’s WHO Healthy Workplace Framework, has been touting the benefits of a healthy relationship between employers and workers for over 30 years. The Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, which came into effect at the beginning of April, had many benefits and protections for workers, including a requirement that part-time and temp employees must receive the same pay as full-time staff for the same work.
“In the long term, equity helps society, the community, and the economy,” Zeytinoglu said. “Throughout history, there have been employers who considered fairness and behaved justly toward their workers, and they are the ones who have prospered.” It is no coincidence that the new law aligns with much of Zeytinoglu’s research; in fact, the government consulted the professor during the bill’s formative stages.
Read more about the new bill and Zeytinoglu’s work here.
These Are the Workplace Gender Equity Tactics That Actually Work – Canadian Business
This week, professors at Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management, Martin Fabro and Chris MacDonald, wrote an article on gender equity for Canadian Business; a follow-up to one the authors wrote in late March, “A Seven-Step Plan To Improve Gender Diversity At Any Company.” While the first piece offered actionable instructions to improve gender diversity, Fabro and MacDonald focused their follow-up on which of the most popular gender diversity tactics were rooted in evidence-based practices.
The Ryerson researchers explored which gender equity practices helped to either, “actively improve gender diversity (and in particular to increase the number of women in leadership roles), and to reduce underlying gender bias and discriminatory attitudes within the organizational culture.”
Learn more about improving gender equity in the workplace here.
PREDICTION MACHINES: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence – Rotman New Releases
In their new book, PREDICTION MACHINES: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence, Ajay Agrawal, Joshua Gans, and Avi Goldfarb took on the task of theorizing the possible role of artificial intelligence in business. In the past, the possible effects of AI on business seemed so vast, they were difficult to tackle. Agrawal, Gans, and Goldfarb demystify AI, by re-framing it as a prediction tool.
“More than just an account of AI’s powerful capabilities, PREDICTION MACHINES shows managers how they can most effectively leverage AI, disrupting business as usual only where required, and provides businesses with a toolkit to navigate the coming wave of challenges and opportunities.”
A book launch was held at the Rotman School of Management on April 16.
You can read more about PREDICTION MACHINES here.
