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How do we innovate out of our global health challenges?

January 12, 2012

Anita M. McGahan is Associate Dean of Research, Director of the PhD Programs, Rotman Chair in Management, and Professor of Strategic Management at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. She is also cross appointed to the Munk School of Public Affairs at the University. In addition, Dr. McGahan is a Senior Associate at the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at Harvard University, the Chief Economist at the Massachusetts General Hospital Division for Global Health and Human Rights, and a past president of the Academy of Management's Business Policy & Strategy Division. Dr. McGahan holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School, where she received highest academic honors as a Baker Scholar. She also spent several years at both McKinsey and Morgan Stanley. Dr. McGahan's research has focused on models of industry evolution and the evolution of competitive advantage. She is currently pursuing a long-standing interest in the inception of new industries and in the implications for comparative advantage and international development particularly in global health. Dr. McGahan is also a member of an expert panel convened to assess Canada's Strategic Role in Global Health, Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. IN PARTNERSHIP

Directors Education Program

December 20, 2011

As a director, your primary objective with the board is to create and protect value for the organization. This is accomplished by guiding strategy, monitoring financials, and overseeing the management of human resources and risk. In the process of fulfilling this role, however, directors are continually challenged by information gaps, time squeezes, and the social dynamics that can be encountered in the boardroom.

The ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program has been specifically designed to help directors overcome these challenges by introducing activities and processes that assist them in fulfilling their role. Below are the program details and dates.

Program Dates:

• Module 1 – Mar 9 - 11, 2012
• Module 2 – May 11 - 13, 2012
• Module 3 – Jun 22 - 24, 2012
• Module 4 – Sep 21 - 23, 2012

For more information and how to apply:
http://www.icd.ca/dep/index.html

Globe and Mail: Beedie to offer an Aboriginal Executive MBA

October 31, 2011

by Jennifer Lewington, Globe and Mail
In a 40-year history of executive MBA education at Simon Fraser University, only 10 aboriginal students came to the program. The abysmal record is typical of the under-representation of First Nations, Metis and Inuit students in higher education in Canada.
Seeking to improve its standing, the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University this week announced a new executive MBA in aboriginal business and leadership for September, 2012.

“People see increasingly that the economic success of the region and the country are somewhat dependent on the success of aboriginal as well as non-aboriginal people,” says Mark Selman, director for the new program, who consulted with aboriginal leaders for several years on its development.

Priced at $48,000, the three-year program aims to meet a growing need for senior-level management education for aboriginal managers and entrepreneurs as First Nations communities take greater control of their land and resources and establish new businesses. The program is also open to managers of non-aboriginal businesses increasingly keen to learn how to interact effectively with First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities.

Through in-classroom and online studies, students will learn core management concepts and principles and examine issues from a First Nations perspective.

About 70 people have expressed interest in the program, but the first class will be limited to 30 students, most from the Vancouver area, says Prof. Selman.

Students accepted into the program typically will have an undergraduate degree in a non-business discipline and seven to 10 years of work experience, but there could be exceptions for candidates with significant work experience and no undergraduate degree.

Prof. Selman hopes to attract corporate donors to fund scholarships for the program.

jlewington@bell.net
Click here to read the complete article on the Globe and Mail website.

Come for Breakfast with a Lift

August 25, 2011

No matter what roles a person plays in life - business manager, parent, friend, neighbor, and so forth - we all want to have a positive impact, but often, despite our best intentions, we're tripped up by subtle psychological states we're not even aware of. It doesn't have to be that way. This breakfast session will combine cutting-edge social science and real-world examples to describe four mindsets that help people become aware of the unconscious ways you're holding yourself and others back. This goes beyond merely wielding positive influence, with lift, by your very nature, you become a positive influence.
	Ryan Quinn teaches and conducts research on change management, with specific interests in how conversations organize and re-organize our social world. He has studied how conversations influence, innovate, energize, enable collective performance, create learning, and create courage. He teaches in the full-time and executive MBA programs as well as in Executive Education. He has consulted for Fortune 500 companies, private firms, start-up businesses, non-profits, and government institutions, and is a principal at Lift Consulting. He is also involved in the Darden/Curry Partnership for Leaders in Education's Turnaround Specialist program and Wallace Foundation program, helping to train principals and other educators who are attempting to transform public schools in which students are not achieving academic standards.

Now accepting applications for the 3rd CIOCAN Leadership Development Program starting September 2011

July 25, 2011

“The quality of the instruction was first class, and the overall cohesiveness of the program was impressive.  The amount of prep and assignment work struck the right balance - not so onerous that you were dreading the next class.  I have come away with many new insights and will definitely recommend the program to colleagues...in fact, I already have!” Director, Business Solutions, Information Services (previous program participant)

This popular program, offered in partnership with the CIO Association of Canada, is geared towards aspiring CIOs – focusing on developing the strategic business and leadership skills that will take their careers to the next level. While the program is designed for the direct reports of CIO members, interested individuals already in a CIO-role are also welcome to apply. Over the course of seven weeks, participants broaden their technological and strategic perspective through interactive and engaging sessions as well as networking with peers, MIS thought leaders and senior CIOCAN members.

Find out more here or apply for the program.

SFU launches Americas MBA program with top business schools

April 5, 2011

FIA (Brazil), ITAM (Mexico) and Vanderbilt University (USA) team up with SFU's Beedie School of Business to partner on new executive program focused on the Americas

VANCOUVER-- Four of the most widely respected graduate business schools in North and South America are partnering to offer an innovative new Master of Business Administration program for international executives starting in August 2011.

Called the Americas MBA for Executives, the two-year degree program provides 60 students with the opportunity to study management issues in each of the four largest economies in the Americas.

Participating schools include:

• FIA Business School, Fundação Instituto De Administração, São Paulo, Brazil
• ITAM, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, Mexico City, Mexico
• Simon Fraser University, Beedie School of Business, Vancouver, BC, Canada
• Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management, Nashville, Tenn., USA

The program grew out of a recognition that global businesses are increasingly aligning their operations around all of the Americas, not just particular regions such as Central, North, and South. It also responds to a growing need among companies and students for business instruction focused more deeply around issues specific to the Americas markets.

According to Daniel Shapiro, Dean of SFU’s Beedie School of Business, the Americas MBA for Executives is a reflection of Canada’s economic present and future in a regional and international context. “This is an exciting initiative that addresses head-on those areas that will define business in the 21st century,” he said.

“This is a program that recognizes the growing prominence of the Americas as a cohesive economic entity,” said Colleen Collins, Associate Dean of Graduate Programs at SFU’s Beedie School of Business. “We have brought the top scholars in cross-cultural management, global competitiveness and new ventures together to give students a unique perspective on international management.”

The highly selective program begins with each school assembling no more than 15 students to participate in the Americas MBA curriculum. During their first year, students will remain at their home school as part of its executive or part-time MBA program. Then during the second year, students from all four schools will be grouped together in cross-cultural study teams, which will embark on a yearlong, global capstone strategy project. The teams will also rotate together to each campus to engage in class work, local business practices, cultural events, as well as have face-to-face time for their project work. Each school will offer programming that draws on its core strengths:

• First in Canada, the Americas MBA candidates will take on cross-cultural communications and business strategy. The study groups will also begin their yearlong capstone project here.
• Next they go to Brazil, where the Americas MBA students will learn about sustainability, how global markets operate, and bottom-of-the-pyramid product development.
• From there it’s on to Mexico City, where the Americas MBA participants tackle the topics of international trade and investments, and learn how to navigate the large family-owned businesses that are prevalent in the region.
• The Americas MBA students will spend their final on-campus visit in the U.S. focused on launching venture capital-based projects and how to nurture innovation.

“Free trade has opened many exciting new opportunities throughout the Americas in recent years. Since Vanderbilt’s first Executive MBA trip to Mexico City in 1997, we have watched our client (sponsoring) companies move from distinct divisions in North America and Latin America to a comprehensive Americas approach,” said Tami Fassinger, Associate Dean of Executive Programs at Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School.

While the schools all provide a similar level of academic rigor and share a common educational philosophy, each institution will determine admission and tuition requirements for its Americas MBA program applicants. Classes and coursework will be in English, though applicants with foreign language skills and international business experience will be given preference.

Upon completion of the program, students will receive a joint “Americas MBA” certificate awarded by the group of four schools, in addition to the degree conferred by their home school.

“This program is all about taking a deep dive into the Americas, which is an increasingly important market for rising executives,” Fassinger said. “The Americas certificate from four top universities, on top of an MBA from a leading university in the region, is the icing on the cake to help our Americas MBA graduates be successful in ex-pat roles anywhere in the Americas.”

For more information about curriculum and other program details, visit:

http://beedie.sfu.ca/emba/americasmba

FIA Business School created the first Executive MBA in Brazil in 1993, and has the only fully Brazilian Executive MBA ranked among the best in the world by the Financial Times. Accredited by the London-based Association of MBAs (AMBA), FIA was chosen in December 2010 as “the Most Innovative Business School in South America,” by European CEO magazine. For more information, see www.fia.com.br.

ITAM, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, was the first Latin American business school accredited by AASCB, and is one of fewer than 50 schools also to have accreditation from EQUIS and AMBA. With a world-class research institute in finance and economics, it is among the best business schools in Latin America as ranked by America Economia. and has been a leading player in Mexico’s executive education space for more than three decades. To learn more, see www.itam.mx.

Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business is home to Canada’s first Executive MBA program, founded in 1968. Accredited by AACSB and EQUIS, the school is a global leader in international business teaching and research. Visit www.beedie.sfu.ca.

The Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management is ranked as a top institution by Bloomberg Businessweek, The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, Financial Times and Forbes. Accredited by AACSB and SACS, Vanderbilt’s 60-credit, two-year EMBA Program started in 1978. For more news about Owen, visit www.owen.vanderbilt.edu.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Brazil:
James Wright
FIA Business School
+55 11 3091-5848
jamest@fia.com.br

Canada:
Derek Moscato
SFU Beedie School of Business
+1 778-782-5038
derek.moscato@sfu.ca

Mexico:
Tabata Fernández
ITAM
+52 55 56284014
carla.fernandez@itam.mx

USA:
Amy Wolf
Vanderbilt University
+1 615-343-2634
amy.wolf@vanderbilt.edu

Hiring: gut feelings or hard numbers? SFU Beedie's Michael Brydon and Peter Tingling weigh in

February 28, 2011

Mike Brydon and Peter Tingling are decision theory specialists at Simon Fraser University’s Faculty of Business, and they have a question they like to ask when giving presentations to senior management groups, especially to human resources managers. “How many here have taken golf lessons to improve their game?” A lot of hands go up. Then they ask: “How many have had instruction to improve their decision making?” No one raises a hand because, as Brydon and Tingling have discovered, all managers, but especially those in HR, consider themselves to be expert decision makers already.

To read the complete article published in the Feb. 18, 2011 edition of the Globe and Mail, click here.

New GPSC program develops leadership and management abilities

February 10, 2011

On February 4, 2011 the General Practice Services Committee (GPSC) will launch its new Leadership and Management Development Program (LMDP) for physician and non‐physician leaders of stakeholder groups involved in the GPSC’s primary care initiatives.

Developed in partnership with and delivered by the Learning Strategies Group (a division of SFU Business), the program is designed to enhance participants’ ability to collaborate with colleagues and community stakeholders in building healthy communities and excellence in primary health care.

For the first two cohorts, physicians engaged in, or planning to engage in, leadership roles within the Divisions of Family Practice will receive priority admission. In subsequent cohorts, it is envisioned that general practitioners will be joined by leaders from specialty care, health authorities, the Ministry of Health Services, as well as partners from non-governmental organizations.

Sessions will be held approximately every 2 months from February 4 to November 26, 2011 at Segal Graduate School of Business in Vancouver and will be delivered in five 2-day modules held on Fridays and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

This program is the latest of the more than 15 GPSC initiatives designed to improve job satisfaction for family physicians and primary health care for patients.

For further information on the program, contact Andy Basi at abasi@bcma.bc.ca.

The GPSC is a partnership between the British Columbia Ministry of Health Services and the British Columbia Medical Association.

Click here to read more about this and other BCMA news.

Ahp-cii-uk: going the right way

January 18, 2011

First Nations and Business Leaders Trade Places to Undo Stereotypes and Discover Common Ground

May 25, 2010

Working with the Industry Council for Aboriginal Business (ICAB), SFU’s Learning Strategies Group helped to put together a leadership exchange where four B.C. CEOs and four First Nations chiefs were paired up, and each leader spent a few days at his or her partner’s workplace.

LSG's Teck Business Education Program Wins Recognition for Learning Excellence

December 16, 2009

Canadian Council on Learning’s (CCL) Sharing the Flame project highlights some of Canada’s most promising practices in learning—giving these initiatives the visibility they deserve and helping others to learn from their success. The newest 2008 Sharing the Flame recognizes effective practices in four key areas: aboriginal learning, adult learning, health-related learning, work and learning.
In the area of Work and Learning, which recognizes workplace learning programs that promote lifelong learning, facilitate career development and upgrade employee skills, the Teck Business Education Program designed and delivered by the Learning Strategies Group, won recognition for its learning excellence.

For more information please click here.

LSG's Partnership with Executive Foundation Lund (EFL), Sweden

November 24, 2009

“We see many similarities in our client structure and there are a number of Swedish companies operating in your region”, says Pia Sander, Managing Director for EFL. “SFU Business is a leader in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility, which is of particular interest to us, as well as their experiences in China.” For LSG and SFU Business the partnership will mean access to leading edge thinking around innovation and entrepreneurship, where Lund is at the forefront internationally.

Kristina Henriksson, Director at LSG, sees many advantages with international collaborations of this kind… “Not only are we able to leverage each others’ specialist expertise for the benefit of our School’s clients and students, but it also helps us stay creative to help address global business issues, by exposing us to a different outlook and management perspectives.”

SFU Business Names Sustainability Entrepreneur-in-Residence

November 19, 2009

SFU Business has become one of the first university business schools in Canada to appoint a sustainability entrepreneur-in-residence.

Boyd Cohen, a former SFU Business assistant professor and green entrepreneur, has returned as an adjunct professor to take up the new appointment.

Link to Story

LSG's Industry Council for Aboriginal Business (ICAB) Leadership Exchange

November 19, 2009

SFU News – November 19, 2009 Canada’s first leadership program to place senior executive officers at meetings on aboriginal reserves and get First Nations chiefs into executive suites kicked off earlier this month.

The Leadership Exchange program, created by SFU’s Learning Strategies Group (LSG) in partnership with the Industry Council for Aboriginal Business (ICAB), is the first to pair aboriginal and non-aboriginal business leaders so that they can experience each other’s work and cultural environments. The goal: to develop deeper business relationships based on mutual respect and understanding....

Link to story

SFU Means Business: Looking ahead to the knowledge economy

November 16, 2009

Vancouver’s physical location on the Pacific Rim leads us to look both east and west; our location in time means we are moving away from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-based one. It’s a period of rapid change in the business world, a period that requires new thinking from sophisticated and innovative managers. SFU’s Faculty of Business Administration is poised to develop these managers while solidifying its position as a conduit between east and west...(download Pdf - Feature Story DS November 09)

LSG Launches "Aboriginal Leadership Exchange", in partnership with the Industry Council for Aboriginal Business (ICAB)

November 9, 2009

The Learning Strategies Group, in partnership with the Industry Council for Aboriginal Business (ICAB), launched the pilot of a unique exchange program that provides Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal senior leaders with the opportunity to learn about each other’s workplaces, social environments, and decision-making processes to help facilitate better business relationships.

We are excited to be working with ICAB on this innovative pilot project, it’s a first in Canada and it provides us with a unique opportunity to design and facilitate a safe experience through which Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal senior leaders can experience each other’s work and cultural environments to develop important insights into how their roles, responsibilities, motivations and values influence decision-making processes.

Participants in the pilot cohort are:

• Chief Kim Baird, Tsawwassen First Nation
• Ian Anderson, President, Kinder Morgan Canada
• Chief Willie Charlie, Chehalis First Nation
• Donald McInnes, Vice-Chairman and CEO, Plutonic Power Corporation
• Chief Harold Aljam, Coldwater Indian Band
• Graeme Barrit, President, Coast Hotels and Resorts

Kristina Henriksson, Executive Director, Learning Strategies Group - kristina_henriksson@sfu.ca - 778.782.5255

McKinsey Survey: Top Nonmonetary Incentives that Motivate and Retain Employees – Leadership and Learning Opportunities

November 9, 2009

The economic slump offers business leaders a chance to more effectively reward talented employees by emphasizing nonfinancial motivators rather than bonuses. A recent McKinsey survey indicates that executives find some nonmonetary rewards motivate employees better than cash bonuses do. In particular, the survey identified that a chance to lead projects and participate in leadership and learning opportunities as top motivators and a powerful ways of inspiring employees to make a strong contribution at a challenging time. Such opportunities also develop the employees leadership capabilities, with long-term benefits for the organization. One HR director in the basic-materials industry explained that involvement in special projects "makes people feel like they're part of the answer – and part of the company's future." A leading company from the beverages industry, for example, selected 30 high-potential managers to participate in a leadership program that created a series of projects designed and led by the participants. "Now is the time to swim upstream and invest in our high potentials," said the HR director, when launching the program this year.

The survey concluded that while monetary rewards certainly have an important role to play, business leaders would do well to consider the lessons of the crisis and think broadly about the best ways to engage and inspire employees. A talent strategy that emphasizes the frequent use of the right nonfinancial motivators would benefit most companies in bleak times and fair. By acting now, they could exit the downturn stronger than they entered it.

Link to article

Professor Leyland Pitt Receives Honorary Doctorate

November 9, 2009

Professor of Marketing, Leyland Pitt will be receiving an honorary doctorate (PhD Honoris Causa) on November 9^th awarded by the Lulea University of Technology, Lulea, Sweden. This honour is in recognition of Leyland's work in the areas of eCommerce and Internet Marketing in general, and specifically for his contributions to the establishment and development of the PhD programs in marketing and eCommerce within the Division of Industrial Marketing, eCommerce and Logistics at the Lulea University of Technology.

SFU Ranked #1 in Maclean's University Rankings

November 6, 2009

Award-winning students and faculty and a significant commitment to research activity and library spending combined to help SFU win top spot for the second year in a row in the 2009 annual Maclean’s ranking of Canada’s comprehensive universities.

The comprehensive category includes 11 universities that have a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs and professional degrees as well as significant research activity.

The rankings consider a variety of factors, including expenditures on student services, scholarships and libraries, student/faculty awards, student/faculty ratios and the number of national faculty research grants.

Last year, SFU tied for first place with the University of Victoria. This year, UVic placed second, followed by the University of Waterloo in third place.

Maclean’s published complete details of this year’s rankings in its Nov. 5 issue, including a full insider’s guide to Canadian post-secondary education.

Click here for more information.

Leyland Pitt Awarded Grant to Investigate Apps

October 27, 2009

Marketing Professor, Leyland Pitt has received a seed grant from the Advanced Practices Council (APC) of the Society for Information Management to investigate “iApps in U-Space: Developing Customer Service Applications for Smart Phones”, with Iris Junglas, University of Houston.

The Advanced Practices Council is a forum for senior IT executives who commission exclusive research and share cross-industry perspectives.

This grant is awarded for a proposal that is to be developed into a presentation for an SIM/APC meeting to take place in Atlanta, GA in January 2010. If the SIM/APC committee thinks the project should go on to the pilot stage, Leyland and his co-author will receive additional funding with further funding possible on a subsequent round of presentations and evaluations.

For more information on the “iApps in U-Space” proposal, click here.

Ian McCarthy's Canada Research Chair Renewed

October 26, 2009

The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology), formally announced 181 Canada Research Chairs newly awarded or renewed in 45 Canadian universities. As part of that announcement, Associate Professor Ian McCarthy's Canada Research Chair in Technology and Operations Research has been renewed for five years.

The formal announcement can be found here:
http://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/media-medias/releases-communiques/2009/september-septembre-eng.aspx
About Canada Research Chairs:
The Canada Research Chairs program stands at the centre of a national strategy to make Canada one of the world's top countries in research and development.

Chairholders aim to achieve research excellence in engineering and the natural sciences, health sciences, humanities, and social sciences. They improve our depth of knowledge and quality of life, strengthen Canada's international competitiveness, and help train the next generation of highly skilled people through student supervision, teaching, and the coordination of other researchers' work.

BC HRMA Interviews Rick Colbourne, Executive Director of LSG

October 15, 2009

The British Columbia Human Resources Management Association (BC HRMA) interviews Rick Colbourne, Executive Director of the Learning Strategies Group.

Link to the Interview

BC HRMA Article by Rick Colbourne

May 9, 2008

The British Columbia Human Resources Management Association featured an article titled "Strategies for Learning and Leading into the Future" by Rick Colbourne, Executive Director of the Learning Strategies Group.

Adam Cotterall Nominated as "Rising Star" by BC HRMA

February 28, 2008

Adam Cotterall, Associate Director at the Learning Strategies Group, was nominated as a finalist for the annual British Columbia Human Resources Management Association (BC HRMA) "Rising Star Award". Please join us in congratulating Adam.

More information