Rotman Research Promotes Personal Data Advocacy, and More – Toronto News
Canadian business schools have made valuable contributions this week. From providing life-saving researching, to creating ethical programs that will produce ethical leaders, Canada’s top schools are certainly doing their part to better their communities. We’ve laid out some of the high points below.
Western Researchers Study Overdose Antidote in High Schools – The London Free Press
Researchers from Western University Canada’s Ivey Business School and Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry recently joined forces to determine whether supplying high schools with an antidote to opioid overdose would be a cost-effective way to combat Canada’s rising problems. Naloxone prevents the physical effects of consuming toxic amounts of opioids, and having the drug in supply in schools could save lives. However, this solution to rising opioid overdoses would cost money.
The researchers evaluate the cost-effectiveness of implementing a naloxone program in schools, wherein the drug is supplied and the staff is trained in its use. Study authors Greg Zaric and Lauren Cipriano put together a spreadsheet that would allow schools to determine the cost and benefit of starting a program in their specific area.
“We think every school board should be evaluating a program like this using a tool of procedure like this to see if they really are getting the best use of their available funds…there are lots of things that we can do in schools to improve the health and safety of students,” Zaric says, “We want to make sure the portfolio of medical and health interventions that we provide to students is getting us the best possible health impact for the amount of money we’re investing.”
You can read more about the cost of Naloxone programs here.
It’s Time to Pay Consumers For Their Data – The Globe and Mail
Richard Nesbitt and Brian O’Donnell, of the Global Risk Institute in Financial Services, wrote an article for The Globe and Mail that advocates giving consumers more control over how data is used. In addition to his role as CEO of the Global Risk Institute in Financial Services, Nesbitt is an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.
Their article specifically addresses the need for “personal data advocacy.” The co-authors believe an institution should work with people, “to gather, protect, and monetize their personal data.” According to the article, social media sites have made trillions of dollars off of user data, leaving users with none of the benefits and all of the security and privacy risks.
Brian O’Donnell and Richard Nesbitt write:
“With ownership of their data, individuals could then decide how they want their data used. For example, do they want to lock it down, sell it or donate it to a charity or research organization?”
Read more about personal data advocacy here.
What is a Sustainable MBA? – Study International News
York University’s Schulich School of Business’s sustainable MBA was ranked the third best program by Study International News. A sustainable MBA is one that puts environmental and social considerations before the bottom line. Critics claim that traditional MBA’s breed leaders who put their own profit before the welfare of their community. This view is so pervasive, that the ‘evil corporation’ has become a pop-culture trope.
The Schulich MBA is lauded as one of the best in the world when it comes to sustainability education, according to Study International News.
School’s like Schulich, however, are cultivating programs that could change this perspective. Warwick University and the University of Exeter Business School nabbed the first and second rankings. It is clear that Canada is a leader in sustainable MBA’s, with 11 Canadian schools topping the list of the Better World MBA Rankings.
Julia Christensen Hughes, University of Guelph says:
“MBA programs—the most dominant graduate degree in the world—must endeavor to develop the leaders so desperately needed. And this is where Canada can truly lead.”
You can read more about the Schulich sustainable MBAs here.
Rotman and Bocconi Design New Global Executive MBA, and More – Toronto News
Toronto’s best business schools have seen some exciting developments this week. We’ve laid out some highlights below.
New Partnership for a Global Executive MBA Program Announced by University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and SDA Bocconi School of Management – Rotman Media Centre
The University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management is banding together with the SDA Bocconi School of Management to offer a Global Executive MBA (GEMBA). Students in the program have the opportunity to study at seven international business hubs, including Toronto and Milano. This program allows students to graduate with both and MBA from Rotman and a GEMBA from SDA Bocconi. Both institutions are enthusiastic about the opportunities this joint venture will present.
Alongside the Rotman School of Management, SDA Bocconi has recently introduced its brand new, joint GEMBA program.
Ferdinando Pennarola, Director of the SDA Bocconi Global EMBA program, says:
“The program will expand each participant’s global understanding and business skills, as it is delivered through a dynamic blend of classroom discussions, convenient self-paced learning, and valuable interactions with leading businesses around the globe.”
Find out more about the brand new Rotman and Bocconi Global EMBA here.
Courses Spring Up to Train Students in the Business of Bus – The Globe and Mail
As the cannabis industry in Canada expands, so too does the need for acknowledgement of the industry in business education. In response to this need, Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management has banded with the Chang School of Continuing Education to launch a course called The Business of Cannabis.
The creation of the course was spearheaded by Brad Poulos, Academic Coordinator of Entrepreneurship and Strategy at Ryerson. The course deals with the marketing, logistics, sale, and finance aspects of the cannabis business. The non-credit, 39-hour course (coded 420) is designed to help entrepreneurial students get a leg up in a relatively new industry.
Poulos, profiled in the Globe and Mail, says:
“There is a massive influx of people into [cannabis industry] jobs. With any other consumer good, there is already a huge pool of people to pull from, but that’s not the case here. What we’re trying to do is fast-track.”
You can read more about the cannabis course here.
Arcane Wins Prestigious Google Award For Work With Ivey – MARTECHSERIES
Marketing and analytics firm Arcane received the Search Innovation Award at the 2018 Google Premier Partner Awards, for its work with Western University Canada’s Ivey Business School. The award ceremony occurred at The Press Lounge in New York City.
“Over the past year and a half, the organizations have worked together to refine their digital marketing footprint and drive significant growth for their programs,” according to MARTECHSERIES. The award was based on innovative work with Google’s search advertisements. Arcane is the first Canadian agency to receive the prestigious award.
Ron Gallagher, Director of Marketing at Ivey Business School, says:
“I have been impressed by the innovation and impact of our partnership with Arcane. The Google Search Innovation Award is testament to Ivey’s progressive, results-oriented, and highly accountable approach. We are proud to see Arcane recognized for their digital marketing work with Ivey.”
You can find out more about the award and event here.
Ivey Launches New Academy, and More – Toronto News
Toronto’s business schools have seen exciting developments this week. We’ve laid out the highlights below.
Ivey Launches Full-Service Academy to Boost Business Education – Financial Post
Western University Canada’s Ivey School of Business recently launched The Ivey Academy, which, according to News@Ivey, “blends top-ranked university-based executive education with strategic design, talent assessment and leadership coaching to create the first of its kind executive education experience in Canada.” Some features of the academy include: Instructional design and advisory services, talent assessments, and leadership coaches.
Mark Healey, Executive Director of the Ivey Academy, says:
“There’s been a gap in Canada’s learning and development market, with companies typically engaging multiple vendors to deliver competency assessments, learning modules, training content and executive coaching. Combining all aspets of learning with independent expertise across the development journey, we are able to deliver sustained behavior change, not just knowledge transfer, and stronger retention and succession pipelines for organizations.”
You can learn more about the recently launched The Ivey Academy here.
Why Likeability Gets You Hired and Promoted – The Globe and Mail
Dan Richards, Professor at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and author of Getting Clients, Keeping Clients, recently wrote a piece for The Globe and Mail in which he discussed what qualities employers respond to.
First, Richards listed off the more standard characteristics employers appreciate, “the demonstrated ability to produce results, a strong work ethic and being a team player,” but he went on to discuss a trait people rarely list on their resumes: likeability.
Richards cites a study, which finds that when candidates are comparable in every objective area, the more likeable one will get the job a staggering 90 percent of the time. According to The Likeability Factor, it is a skill, and can improve with attention to: “Being seen as friendly, connecting over shared interests, demonstrating empathy, and being genuine.”
You can read more from Richards’ Globe and Mail entry here.
The Top 10 Women in L&D, Serious Games and Virtual Reality – LinkedIn
Dr. Deborah Fels, Professor at the Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management, was named one of the top 10 women in gaming, according to David Chadross, Ph.D. Fels has helped make strides in terms of accessibility of media and technology, including co-creating TerpTube, “a signed language mentoring management system.”
Chadross says:
“Deb runs entirely gamified courses and has done more work in the field of user experience then anyone I have met.”
The article also mentions fellow Ryerson professor, Naza Djafarova, Director of Digital Learning. Fels praises her increasing the revenue of her apartment my $3 million in just a year, spearheading the first large scale conference on serious games.
You can check out the rest of the list here.
Millennial Men Taking on Parental Leave, and More – Toronto News
Toronto’s finest business schools have been contributing to social, political, and scientific advances this week. We’ve laid out the highlights below.
How Testosterone May Be Influencing Men’s Purchasing Decisions – The Globe and Mail
Nature Communications recently published research from Western University Canada’s Ivey Business School that explored the relationship between testosterone levels and luxury brand purchases in men. The study finds that levels of the hormone, typically associated with sex drive and masculine features, could play a role in predicting shopping choices.
The study involved 243 men between the ages of 18 and 55, divided into two groups. The men in one group were given doses of testosterone, and those in the other group received a placebo. Those with higher levels of testosterone were more likely to purchase high-end brands than those with lower levels of the hormone. Researchers posited that this is due to an evolutionary drive to demonstrate high social status, and therefore a high mate value.
According to the study, testosterone, “elevates men’s desire to promote their social status through economic consumption.”
You can read more about the study here.
How Millennial Men Can Champion Workplace Equality – Forbes
Though, externally, it seems society has made remarkable strides toward gender equality, subconscious bias is more difficult to measure. Harvard’s Project Implicit study, however, attempts to gain data about implicit gender bias. Nearly 80 percent of participants were more comfortable associating men with the work and public spheres and women with the domestic spheres than vice versa.
According to the research, working mothers tend to be faced with skepticism surrounding their commitment and ability to do their jobs when they return from parental leave. However, millennial fathers, may have the chance to help alter this perspective. In her Forbes article, Mary Beth Ferrante sites the work of Erin Reid, Associate Professor at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business. Her work explains the concept of breadsharers, or, “husbands who value enabling each partner to pursue their work and family goals.”
Erin Reid, Associate Professor at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business, notes that the more millennial men take parental leave, the more normalized the practice becomes / Photo via gsb.stanford.edu
Milliennial fathers are more open to breadsharing, and could thus influence the way new mothers are seen in the workplace. Ferrante insists that it is essential for men to take their full parental leave in order to challenge implicit bias surrounding the roles of men and women in the workplace and at home.
You can read Ferrante’s full piece on millennial men influencing parental leave here.
What is the Most Democratic and Effective Way to Govern a City the Size and Economic Import of Toronto? – The Globe and Mail
Richard Florida, professor at the University of Toronto’s School of Cities and Rotman School of Management, and Alan Broadbent, Chair of Avana Capital and Maytree, recently co-authored an article for The Globe and Mail that explores Toronto’s future in the wake of Doug Ford’s announcement that he plans to drastically reduce the size of Toronto’s city council.
With different parties vying for a say in how Toronto ought be governed moving forward, the co-authors insisted that, “The province and the country as a whole can’t afford to have an economic entity of this size and economic importance kicked around like a proverbial political football.” Florida and Broadbent advocate for finding a system that would empower the city rather than dividing it.
The two say:
“We need to create a new governance system that enables Toronto to truly govern itself, act on its strengths and address its many problems and challenges. The future prosperity of our city, province and nation depends on it. It’s an issue that must be front and centre in this mayor’s race and beyond.”
You can read more about Toronto’s economic future here.
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.
Ivey Expands MBA LGBTQ Resources, and More – Toronto News
Toronto business schools have been making waves worldwide in recent weeks. Let’s take a look at some of the week’s highlights.
An Alternative to Word-of-Mouth Advertising for Small Businesses – The Globe and Mail
Jared Lenover, digital marketing strategist at McMaster University’s Degroote School of Business, was featured in The Globe and Mail, weighing in on the effectiveness of geo-targeting to promote a local business. Geo-targeting is a form of advertising being offered by little-known platforms like Facebook, wherein a business can use location targeting and demographic data to reach specific social media users who might be interested in or have easier access to the product in question. Julie and Sheldon Harrish, a Toronto couple and owners of the 6ix Cycle spin studio in Toronto, tried geo-targeting and found it to be more effective than word-of-mouth alone. In fact, the small business saw a two percent growth in usage.
According to Lenover, geo-targeting “helps you make your audience more relevant.” Lenover emphasized the benefits of the advertising strategy, asserting that it “does allow the advertiser to be more efficient with their budget.”
Read more about 6ix Cycle and geo-targeting here.
Ivey’s MBA LGBTQ Student Club Connects With Global Organization – News@Ivey
Out & Allied @ Ivey, the LGBTQ MBA student club at Western University Canada’s Ivey School of Business, has joined forces with a global network of LGBTQ MBA students and alumni. The global network, Reaching Out MBA (ROMBA) seeks to inspire LGBTQ MBAs to be leaders in their communities. This connection will give Ivey MBA LGBTQ students the opportunity to participate in networking events, such as the annual ROMBA Conference, wherein they can mingle with industry leaders from around the globe.
“We want applicants considering Ivey’s MBA program to see the environment as safe, supportive, and open. ROMBA is a great organization to give our students access to an important and diverse network.” – Jay Kiew, outgoing President of the Ivey MBA Association (MBAA)
Read more about Ivey’s affiliation with ROMBA here.
DECA Ryerson’s TRSM Students Win Big at ICDC Competition in Washington DC – TRSM News
Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM) is currently celebrating last month’s victory at the (International Career Development) ICDC Competition. The DECA TRSM team traveled to Washington DC from April 10-15 in order to showcase their knowledge and work. DECA is an international network with over 200,000 members, whose aim is to prepare aspiring leaders in high school and college in finance, management, hospitality, and marketing.
The students who went to DC had to place in the top three for their category (Fashion Merchandising and Marketing, Travel and Tourism, Restaurant and Food Service Management, Human Resource Management, and International Marketing) at DECA U Ontario’s Provincials. The students selected competed against upwards of 1,500 students from around the world, and went home with 24 medals and six plaques.
You can read more about DECA Ryerson’s big win here.
