DeGroote Introduces New Faculty, and More – Toronto News
This week, Toronto business schools have welcomed new faculty, promoted existing faculty, and been cited in popular publications. We’ve given a brief overview below.
The Innovators: DeGroote Welcomes Teresa Cascioli, Alfredo Tan as Industry Professors – McMaster News
McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business has added two new professors to strengthen the school’s commitment to nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship. Professors Teresa Cascioli and Alfredo Tan have committed to a three-year term at the school.
Both Cascioli and Tan have joined the Strategic Management faculty. Cascioli will specialize in entrepreneurship, whereas Tan, a former Facebook executive, will specialize in digital transformation.
Cascioli, who graduated from McMaster in 1983, has long been involved with its growth. In 2008, she won the Wayne C. Fox Distinguished Alumni Award. She has donated upwards of $6 million to the school since graduating. Len Waverman, the Dean of the DeGroote School of Business, says:
“Teresa is someone who’s had great success in business, and she’s still succeeding. She’s a noted entrepreneur, and as we’re pushing more into the innovation and entrepreneurship space, it will be great to have her expertise on hand.”
Though Tan’s path to the field of digital innovation was far from straightforward, he has established himself as a valuable force. According to Len Waverman, Tan, “… is on the frontier of digital innovation, and that helps us be on the frontier as well.”
You can find out more about the new professors here.
How Leaders Can Get Better At Using Data to Make Decisions – Forbes
Forbes recently highlighted an article from the fall issues of Rotman Management—the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management‘s official magazine—discussing the misconception that increased reliance on data analytics to justify business actions has lead to less biased decision-making.
In the case study, Data Analytics: From Bias to Better Decision—which first appeared in the HBR Guide to Data Analytics Basics for Managers—Megan MacGarvie and Kristina McElheran argue that bias is still a major concern, even when data is informing the decision.
The co-authors laid out a few common cognitive traps that decision-makers often fall into. For example, “The Confirmation Trap” occurs when a decision-maker pays more attention to data that aligns with their expectations or existing beliefs. Understanding these cognitive traps may help organizations execute decisions that are truly informed by data analytics, rather than bias.
You can read more about the research here.
Schulich Professor Peter Macdonald Appointed Co-Director of Hennick Centre – yFile
York University has named Schulich School of Business Professor Peter Macdonald as the Co-Director of the Hennick Centre for Business and Law. After graduating from York’s Osgoode Hall Law School in 1985, York practiced law at multinational corporations, acted as a mediator, and eventually returned to York in 2001 to teach business law at Schulich.
On the announcement, Ed Waitzer, Director of the Hennick Centre for Business and Law, says:
“We’re very fortunate to have Peter join us as a co-director of the Centre. As co-director of the JD/MBA program, Peter already plays a key role in, and has made a huge contribution to, many of our programs and priorities. He’s a terrific resource.”
You can learn more about Professor Macdonald here.
