Schulich Alum Shares His Experience, and More – Toronto News
Toronto’s business schools have seen some exciting developments from students, alumni, and faculty this week. Let’s take a look at some of the high points.
Alumni Stories: Michael Zanella – MMgt – Schulich School of Business
A Schulich School of Business alum was recently profiled on his time in the school’s new 12-month Master’s of Management program.
Michael Zanella, a 2017 graduate, who turned his education into a role with Ceridian Dayforce as an Implementation Consultant Associate. You can watch his full interview below.
Wine, Beer, Spirits Brand-Builder WX Names Michael Lukan CFO – North Bay Business Journal
Michael Lukan was recently named the official new CFO of WX Brands, a company that creates wine, beer, and spirits. Lukan, an alum of Western University Canada’s Ivey Business School, co-founded Wine Hooligans in 2013. He has also worked at Purple Wine Company and Sonoma Wine Company. With news of the Lukan’s arrival at the company, WX Brands President and CEO Peter Byck says, “His well-rounded experience and entrepreneurial mindset will make him a great asset for WX Brands to continue to build on our tremendous growth.”
Regarding his new role, Lukan says, “Peter and the WX team have positioned the company for tremendous growth by delivering an exceptional customer experience and I’m looking forward to helping realize this opportunity.”
You can read more about Lukan and WX Brands here.
What Is Less Scary in the Dark? – Scientific American
Ping Dong, a Professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, and Chen-Bo Zhong, Professor at the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management, recently conducted a study that examined the, “impact of visual darkness on people’s perceived risk of contagious-disease transmission.” The researchers predicted that the darkness would make people feel more separate or insulated from one another, so they would be less squeamish about the germs of those around them. In fact, the study concluded that being in a darker environment would make subjects reduce their caution when it came to unethical behavior, of which might include cheating on one’s significant other and other acts of selfishness.
Their research showed that perceived risk of contracting airborne illnesses decreased when participants were in more dimly-lit rooms, as well as when they were wearing sunglasses. “In addition,” writes Scientific American writer Cindi May, “visual darkness increased participants’ perceived distance from the confederate, and this increase in distance mediated the reduction in perceived risk of contagion in the dark. Their fear of non-contagious diseases did not depend on the lighting.”
You can read more about the duo’s research here.
The End of Non-Compete Clauses, and More – Toronto News
Representatives from some of Toronto’s strongest business schools have made many contributions to help better their communities this week. Check out some best stories from the week.
Restaurant Brands International to Review ‘No-Poach’ Franchise Agreements – Vancouver Courier
Restaurant Brands International, one of the largest global quick service restaurant companies, indicated that it may be re-thinking the ‘no-poach’ clause in employee contracts. ‘No-poach’ clauses (also known as non-compete clauses) prevent employees from one franchise location from moving to different competing franchise location within the same chain. Experts, including Maurice Mazerolle, Associate Professor at Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management, believe the clause prevents wage growth for people working in this field.
Restaurant Brands International, which operates Canadian-mega chain Tim Horton’s, may be ditching its “no-poach” clause for its employees.
“In theory, in a tight labour market it basically means you’re not going to be able to bid up wages to compete for those experience workers,” Mazerolle said in an interview with the Vancouver Courier.
Restaurant Brands International owns Canada staple Tim Hortons, as well as Burger King and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, with franchises in the U.S. and Canada. Representatives from the fast-food giant have said that they will be consulting their franchisee advisory boards to discuss changing the ‘no-poach’ clause in employee contracts.
You can read more about ‘no-poach’ franchise agreements here.
Medicine by Design and Creative Destruction Lab Partner to Accelerate the Commercialization of World-Class Research in Regenerative Medicine – Medicine by Design
Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), a seed-stage program for science and tech companies that was launched University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management in 2012, has partnered with Medicine by Design to support the monetization of and nationwide access to regenerative medicine. CDL Executive Director Sonia Sennik said:
“The Creative Destruction Lab has a strong history of supporting health-based companies, and we are very excited to deepen this area of focus through our Health Stream. By partnering with Medicine by Design, we can expand a successful model to include companies on the cutting edge of cell therapy and regenerative medicine.”
Medicine by Design’s regenerative medicine initiative perfectly complements the CDL’s commitment to providing resources for health innovators. The CDL has locations in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Halifax, and New York City.
Read more about the partnership here.
Recycling Provides Manufacturers With Economic Advantages, Study Say – Indiana University
Gal Raz, associate professor at Western University Canada’s Ivey Business School, and Gilvan C. Souza, professor at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, co-authored a study that appeared in Production and Operations Management. In the study, “Recycling As A Strategic Supply Source,” the researchers investigated how recycling could provide lucrative resources for companies in today’s changing supply market. The researchers found that recycling can prove to be a wise fiscal decision for companies in the metal cutting tool and inserts industry.
“Because you become your own supplier—you sell your products and you collect them and you recycle them—it gives you your own source of raw materials,” Souza said. The professors’ research showed that recycling can protect companies from changes in the market. According to Souza, recycling “insulates you from the volatility of the market, at least partially. You’re still buying some portion of your raw materials from the commodity market, which is volatile, but if that’s a smaller and smaller portion, then that’s a significant benefit.”
Read more about the recycling study here.
July MBA Application Deadlines Are Coming Up
Yes, it’s finally summertime and the livin’ is easy, but that doesn’t mean you can sleep on these upcoming MBA application deadlines. Take a look at which programs have deadlines coming up, and get these applications in now so you can hurry back to the beach and work on that tan! Continue reading…
Ivey Promoting Women in Business, and More – Toronto News
It has been an exciting week for Toronto’s top business schools. Below, we’ve laid out some of the week’s highlights.
Business-Women: Forging A Path From Campus to Community – Western Gazette
Western University student Alina Huang started the business Illuminate, which provides resources for high schoolers aspiring to be entrepreneurs. Illuminate has partnered with Western University’s Ivey Business School, as well as Deloitte and Concentra Bank. Though she uses “white, male aliases” to avoid bias in her online business, she has found Western’s environment nurturing and inclusive.
In fact, Western offers Propel, an “accelerator and co-working space” that “offers entrepreneurs an inclusive space with mentorship, resources and potential for product testing on the student market.”
You can read more about Huang and Western’s approach to inclusivity here.
What Sector Is Brewing the Next Financial Crisis? – The Insurance & Investment Journal
The Insurance and Investment Journal recently featured an article which referenced a forum held at the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management last March. The forum featured Richard Sylla, Stern School of Business professor, who posited that there will be another financial crisis, as has been the pattern for nearly 300 years.
“In the build-up to a crisis … the Cassandras of the world – those who warned against it and financial historians like me – were shooed away and told: this time it’s different.”-Richard Sylla
Sylla suggested that financial crises can create their own opportunities, including profit for those who correctly predict the upcoming changes while other investors remain unaware. Crises can also lead to technological advances meant to prevent whatever has caused the crisis from recurring.
Read more about Sylla’s insight at the Rotman forum here.
Honorary Degree Recipient is All About Giving Back – Schulich News
This week, Dr. Narendra Singh, who graduated from York University’s Schulich School of Business with an EMBA in 2017, was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws. The Schulich grad practiced pediatric and neonatal healthcare around the world. In 2009, he founded Guyana Help The Kids (GHTK), which has markedly increased Guyana’s prenatal care resources.
“I’m receiving this Honorary Doctor of Laws, but I’m somewhat conflicted since my success is the combined effort of many people, some in the audience today, and so I would like to share this degree with them,” Singh says.
You can read more about Singh here.
Degroote Prof Receives Award, and More – Toronto News
Though most schools experience a summer lull, professors and alumni from Toronto’s finest business schools are continuing to give back to their communities and lead the way to positive change. Below, we’ve laid out some of the most exciting news stories from Toronto metro business schools this week.
The Difference Maker: Mahmut Parlar Honoured for 30 Years of Exceptional Research, Teaching, and Service – McMaster News
Mahmut Parlar, Business Research professor at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business has been tapped to receive the Canadian Operational Research Society’s Award of Merit. Mahmut is passionate about his job, and goes out of his was to make statistics fun. He even uses a beach ball exercise to start his grad classes. After 30 years of teaching and research, Parlar still feels passionate about his work.
Mahmut Parlar / Photo via degroote.mcmaster.ca
“They pay me to do what I love; I’m a lucky person,’’ Parlar said in an interview. The professor even commented that he continues to feel grateful and excited each time he sees that someone has cited his work. This is impressive seeing as his work has been cited upwards of 6,000 times.
“You always hear people say stats is boring, it’s dull. People take a stats course because it’s a requirement, not because they find it interesting or valuable … why not make it fun?” -Mahmut Parlar
You can read more about Parlar’s work and award here.
Cryptoeconomics and the Future of the Web – News@Ivey
Ryan Zurrer, who graduated from Western University Canada’s Ivey Business School in 2006, recently gave a talk on cryptoeconomics. The Ivey alum, who is now Principal and Venture Partner at Polychain Capital, talked about the sweeping importance of cryptoeconomics and blockchain 2.0, which started in Toronto. According to Zurrer, cryptoeconomics is “the study of how we use digital incentivization to drive specific resources and behaviours among self-interested agents on decentralized networks, thereby inherently delivering security and accelerating network effects.”
Cryptoeconomics contains elements of group psychology, cryptography, network security, finance, behavioral economics, computer science, law, and game theory.
“All we’re doing here is trying to change the fabric of commerce and law, and the way society functions and politics and the very nature of the organization. We don’t have to take ourselves so seriously about it. Have fun, enjoy this process even if you’re not technical, it doesn’t mean you can’t get involved in cryptoeconomic systems.”-Ryan Zurrer
You can read more about Zurrer’s talk here.
Toronto’s Deadly Car Crisis – Medium
Richard Florida, Director of Cities at the Martin Prosperity Institute in the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, recently wrote a Medium article in which he detailed the dire issues with driving in Toronto. Florida pointed out that Toronto’s rate of pedestrian deaths exceeds that of Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, D.C., Seattle, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Portland, and Buffalo.
Though Florida acknowledged that a car-centered economy was reasonable after WWII, he believed the model no longer makes sense. He cited cities like New York and London, which have grown beyond their “geographic threshold,” due to their reliance on alternate modes of transportation.
“Torontonians like to sound off on Americans’ inability to deal with guns and gun deaths. But Toronto’ s inability to deal with the car creates its own killing fields,” Florida writes.
You can read more about Toronto’s car crisis here.
Schulich Professor Honored, and More – Toronto News
This week has seen strides for Toronto’s business schools, so lets take a look at some of the highlights.
Serving the Public Good – Corporate Knights
Ed Waitzer, professor at the Osgoode Hall Law School and York University’s Schulich School of Business in Toronto, is the newest recipient if the Corporate Knights Award of Distinction.
In addition to teaching corporate law at York University’s Schulich School of Business, Waitzer is on the advisory board of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile’s corporate governance centre, and frequent lecturer at various universities. At 64, Waitzer remains active and continues to challenge his students and peers to question “compliance mentality,” and decipher what it means to do the right thing in any given situation.
“Ed has spent much of his life advancing the legal foundations for corporations and pension funds to better serve the public good. He’s brought a high level of credibility to interpreting a complex body of law in ways that expand the concept of fiduciary responsibility and allow business leaders to use their power to better serve the interests of a wide range of stakeholders. He makes it less possible for a corporate or pension board to shut down, say, discussions about blackballing child labour or coal because, ‘We have a fiduciary duty to our shareholders.’” -Toby Heaps, Corporate Knights CEO and Publisher.
Learn more about Waitzer’s life and career here.
Ivey MBA Association Welcomes New President – News@Ivey
Western University Canada’s Ivey Business School’s MBA association has elected Marika Marty as its president. Marty was elected by the MBA class of 2019 and will be the first president the association has seen in over 15 years. As president, Marty will represent the student body and facility unity in her class.
Marika Marty, ’19 MBA / Photo via ivey.uwo.ca
The new MBAA said that initially she put off even applying for her MBA for years, thinking that she would have to choose between a career and a family. However, she soon realized this thinking was flawed and chose to challenge herself. “As women, sometimes we sell ourselves short. Being able to embrace opportunity is the real challenge,” Marty said.
Read more about Ivey MBAA’s new president here.
The Debate In Canada Over Paying Plasma Donors – Policy Options Politics
In a recent article in Policy Options Politics, the need for plasma and the choices facing policy-makers has come to a face.
The paper—co-written by Nicola Lacetera, associate professor at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, and Mario Macis, associate professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Carey Business School—notes that over 80 percent of plasma used to treat patients in Canada is brought in from the U.S. Both the US and Germany can provide a significant amount of plasma, as their laws allow for the creation of private collection establishments as well as compensating donors for the time commitment and discomfort that accompanies donation, but the majority of Canadian provinces prohibit the payment of donors and establishing for-profit collection centers.
In the exploration of the issue, Lacetera and Macis cite the problems with paying plasma donors as well as the benefits (greater incentive to donate, thus less reliance on foreign imports). For example, paying donors could lead to an increase in tainted donations from people who are not healthy, and are just trying to earn money quickly.
Read more about options for increasing domestic plasma donation in Canada here.
