Ontario Business Concerns, Leadership, and the Economics of AI – Toronto News
Toronto‘s finest business schools have provided valuable marketplace insight to their communities this week. We’ve outlined some of the high points below.
Ontario Business Bankruptcies Up 39 Per Cent – CBC News
Corporate bankruptcy is on the rise in Ontario. According to Madhu Kalimipalli, Professor of Finance at the Wilfrid Laurier University’s Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, the higher cost of borrowing for corporations could be to blame.
“A lot of these businesses … are the ones who had a tough time servicing their bank loans,” Kalimipalli says in a recent CBC News interview. Kalimipalli posits that the pending NAFTA agreement between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico (CUSMA), as well as the real estate slowdown in the GTA may have also been factors in the corporate bankruptcy rise.
Kalimipalli does not believe the increase in bankruptcies are necessarily cause for alarm. It is possible that the pending U.S. approval of the NAFTA agreement could reverse the bankruptcy trends, as long as government attempts to alter it do not have unintended consequences down the line.
You can learn more about Ontario business bankruptcy here.
Don’t Just Be a Leader, Become a Global Inspiration; Almas Jiwani Delivers a Riveting Keynote Address at Ryerson University – Global Newswire
Almas Jiwani, President of Emeritus UN Women National Committee Canada, recently delivered the keynote speech for the Women in Information Technology Management (WITM) at Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management at the Emerging Leaders Project (ELP). Jiwani spoke about utilizing technological advances to achieve more “sustainable and inclusive” societies around the globe.
In the speech, Jiwani says:
“We have come a long way with technology, and it has changed our world. It has not only changed the way we work, live, and conduct business, but has also helped create a bridge that connects us to millions across the globe. The age of social media has made it possible for today’s leaders to create a bigger impact, and has empowered them with the ability to reach out to people in different and remote parts of the world and be an inspiration to them to learn, dream bigger, and achieve more.”
Jiwani is also CEO of the Almas Jiwani Foundation, which seeks to “empower women, girls and marginalized communities through focused projects that directly address disparities in equality, education, entrepreneurship and energy rights.”
Learn more about Jiwani’s speech and ELP here.
Joshua Gans Weighs In On Marketing Disruption – Forbes
Forbes recently published a comprehensive interview with Joshua Gans, Chair of Technical Innovation and Entrepreneurship Professor of Strategic Management at University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, revisiting some of the themes in his 2016 book The Disruption Dilemma. In particular, Gans speaks about disruption in marketing.
He addresses the future of marketing with advances in AI, saying, “AI can do only a limited range of what we might call cognitive functions,” Gans said, “What it can’t do is exercise judgment and understand what the trade-offs are in decisions.”
According to Gans, exercising judgment in this way is, “an essential part of any creative process.”
Gans is also the Chief Economist at Rotman’s Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), a seed-stage program for tech-based companies. CDL is dedicated to helping innovators grow their ideas and attain the funding necessary to bring their ideas to the marketplace.
You can read more from the full Joshua Gans interview with Forbes‘ Paul Talbot here, and watch Gans’ discuss AI at Rotman below.
BEworks Brings In Lazaridis, Schulich Alum David Lewis, Ph.D.
BEworks, a management consulting firm that applies behavioral science to consulting, has chosen David Lewis, Ph.D., as its Chief Client Officer. Lewis earned his Ph.D. in economics from the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University and an MBA from York University’s Schulich School of Business. The business scholar is optimistic about the opportunities ahead for the company.
“With almost a decade applying behavioral science to business challenges, BEworks is poised for tremendous growth, and I’m thrilled to be joining such a high-energy, passionate team of scientists,” Lewis says.
Though Lewis has held senior positions at companies like UBS Bank and Barclays, his most recent position has been as an Assistant Professor at Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management.
On Lewis’ new role, Kelly Peters, CEO and Co-founder of BEworks says:
“With his breadth of leadership experience and his scientific background, David [Lewis] will help us collaborate even more closely with our clients and introduce BE thinking to a broader range of organizations, further helping us bridge the gap between academia and business.”
“Organizations that embrace scientific thinking can embrace innovation and change faster, and take informed risks with confidence,” Lewis adds.
“With almost a decade applying behavioral science to business challenges, BEworks is poised for tremendous growth, and I’m thrilled to be joining such a high-energy, passionate team of scientists. Our upcoming Summit for Science in Financial Services in September is a testament to BEworks’ leadership in the behavioral science consulting space, as we convene the world’s best-known behavioral scientists to collaborate with business leaders from across North America.”
You can read more about BEworks and David Lewis here. In addition, you can learn more about the current BEworks projects here, with 20 operations across North America.
Earning an MBA in Toronto Without the Full-Time Commitment
Despite the substantial benefits of earning an MBA, for many professionals, the idea of taking an extended detour while they earn their degree may be impractical or even impossible. An accelerated MBA allows motivated students to bring their new knowledge and qualifications to the workforce more quickly. For those Toronto-bound aspiring business school students hoping to earn their degree in a manageable time frame, we’ve laid out the best accelerated MBA programs in Toronto.
Ivey Business School — Western University Canada
Western University Canada’s Ivey Business School boasts an affordable accelerated MBA program. This program is not for everyone, as it exclusive to Ivey grads who have gone through the Honors Business Administration (HBA) undergrad program. However, for recent HBA grads, the AMBA may be an attractive option. According to the school’s website, AMBA tuition is $53,000 for domestic students and $61,000 for international students. Not only do AMBA students earn their degrees faster, but their tuition is 60 percent of the cost of the standard full-time program. In addition to the considerable difference in cost, the AMBA can be completed in just eight months, as opposed to the full-time MBA, which takes one year to complete.
DeGroote School of Business — McMaster University
Students seeking their accelerated MBA from the DeGroote School of Business can commit to a part-time or full-time course load. Full-time AMBAs will earn their degrees in eight months, whereas those on the part-time track may take up to 20 months. Students entering this program must have a minimum of one year of work and continuous managerial or professional experience. For those who don’t meet this qualification, DeGroote makes exceptions for those with one year of internship or co-op experience. This program is limited to applicants from domestic undergraduate institutions. DeGroote’s MBA program is different from many other schools due to its emphasis on hands-on opportunities and work experience. The school achieves this focus through case studies and projects that involve real organizations and situations.
Schulich School of Business — York University
The Schulich School of Business accelerated MBA allows students to skip many of the first year for classes, and essentially dive right into the second year MBA curriculum. Students on this track can complete their degrees in half the time it takes to complete the full-time program, significantly cutting costs. To receive all of the program’s benefits, students must have received a business degree from a Canadian institution within the last ten years, or hold a CPA, CA classification in Ontario. Those who have earned their degrees outside of Canada, and thus do not meet these qualifications, can apply for Advanced Standing Credits, which allows them to waive many of their core first year courses.
Lazaridis School of Business & Economics — Toronto Campus
The Lazaridis School of Business & Economics offers an accelerated Alternate Weekend MBA option. This is an ideal program for those looking to acquire an MBA education while maintaining a full-time career. Those who excel in this track transition to the comprehensive elective stage of the MBA curriculum. This allows motivated students to quickly zero in on their particular interests and specialization. Lazaridis offers nine MBA specializations, including: Accounting, Financial Management, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, International Business Management, Marketing, Operations Management, Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management, Strategic Management, and Supply Chain Management. The accelerated Alternate Weekend MBA program also gives students a break from June through August, so MBAs juggling their professional and academic obligations can focus solely on their career ambitions during this time.
