e at Exploring the Future of Business Education

Exploring the Future
of Business Education
L
ast year, the Asper School
of Business celebrated 75
years of excellence in business education. What an inspiring
opportunity to explore the roots of
our community and take the full
measure of how far we’ve journeyed
since the original Department of
Commerce launched in 1937.
As the pages of this year’s Update
make clear, 2013 is the year of looking forward: to broader horizons,
to strengthening our community,
and to building a vibrant future for
business education at our school.
This year, our commitment to
the future has led us to collectively
develop a new strategic plan. We
have consulted broadly with faculty,
staff, students, alumni and the
business community to ensure this
plan charts a dynamic course for all
members of the Asper community.
Our focus is to build on our highly
successful undergraduate program
by enhancing our graduate programs and world-class research,
positioning Asper graduates to be
the drivers of economic change,
increasing our engagement
with the business community,
strengthening our national
and international reputation,
becoming a leader in
Indigenous business
education, and integrating
experiential learning
opportunities into every
facet of our school.
Together, we’ve already
taken steps to make this
plan a reality.
The business leaders of tomorrow
need outstanding teachers, mentors
and role models. We cannot succeed without great faculty, which is
why we’re working hard to attract
the best and brightest. One of
the surest signs that we’re already
moving in the right direction is the
number of current faculty that
have been recognized this past year
for dynamic teaching, research
and service, not only to the Asper
community, but to the broader
community.
The business leaders of tomorrow
need leading-edge facilities and technology. Last year we introduced ten
Bloomberg terminals to the School,
Update
asper School of Business
spring
2013
Asper MBA
Goes Global
p.6
Alumni
Celebrate 75th
p.14
Entrepreneurs
in Action
p.20
Aboriginal
Achievement
p.22
2
ASPER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
which have given our students and
faculty an enormous advantage in
research. These terminals will soon
find a new home in the Finance
Data Centre, now under construction in the Albert D. Cohen
Management Library. The Centre
will provide students with access
to the latest financial data and the
ability to complete projects that
focus on real-life business decisions,
moving us beyond textbook
teaching by bridging business
theory to practice.
The business leaders of tomorrow
must think globally. Our international exchange and study-abroad
programs continue to expand
as student interest and employer
demand for international experience
grow. The Asper MBA program
is developing a new curriculum
to give students the tools they
need to meet the demands of an
increasingly global marketplace.
This year, our commitment
to the future has led us to
collectively develop a new
strategic plan.
This March the MBA class will
travel to Brazil to experience
business Latin American style.
Tomorrow’s business leaders
also need to be fearless innovators.
Under the direction of Stu
Henrickson, the Stu Clark Centre
for Entrepreneurship is creating
exciting new opportunities for
students at Asper and all across the
U of M to develop and realize those
big ideas that will change the world.
Tomorrow’s business leaders
are all around us, just waiting
for the opportunity to make a
difference. A successful future
In 2011, ten Bloomberg terminals were installed at
the Asper School. Since then, the terminals have provided
unprecedented access to real-time financial data,
opens doors – which is why I’m
especially pleased to report that this
year we have created a new admissions category for First Nations,
Métis and Inuit students. We look
forward to welcoming students
under the new Canadian Aboriginal
Ancestry Admissions Category this
coming September.
Of course, the Asper School of
Business can’t successfully move
forward without embracing the
business leaders of today. We are
grateful to our alumni community
for what they contribute to our
past, present and future. Our
alumni are proud of their School
and it shows. I had the pleasure
of hearing it first-hand from many
of them at 75th Anniversary alumni
receptions across the country. This
year, the student-organized Race
for Space brought past and present students together to help build
the Asper Student Legacy Fund.
Alumni like Stu Clark (winner of
this year’s IDEA) have donated not
only money but time, energy, and
the benefit of their experience to
the future of business education at
the Asper School. 2013 has only begun, but already
it has proven one thing: no matter
where we go from here, it is
our sense of community that will
continue to define the Asper School
and set it apart.
In fact, in every way that counts,
the future is already here – and
we’re ready.
giving our students and faculty a definite edge in course
Michael Benarroch
assignments, research and business competitions.
Dean, Asper School of Business and
CA Manitoba Chair in Business Leadership
S prin g 2 0 1 3
Asper’s Women
of Distinction
A
sper students, faculty and
grads often exemplify the
highest virtue of leadership:
community service. Not surprisingly,
three remarkable women from
the Asper School were nominated
for 2012 YMCA-YWCA Winnipeg
Women of Distinction Awards
for enriching our community
with their creativity, compassion
and dedication.
Dr Chau Pham, an Asper MBA
student studying Health Care
Administration, was honoured with
the Woman of Distinction Award
for Volunteerism, Advocacy and
Community Enhancement. The
award recognized her dedication to
Canadians Helping Kids in Vietnam,
an organization she founded in
1995 to build schools, provide
clinical services, and train medical
personnel in Vietnam.
Dr Pham’s personal journey is as
inspiring as her work. At age five,
she fled Vietnam and spent the next
year and a half in a refugee camp,
where she was treated for tuberculosis. At age seven, she arrived
in Winnipeg with one focus: to
become a doctor. Her commitment
to caring for others led her to work
as an emergency room physician
at Health Sciences Centre and
St. Boniface Hospital.
She says, “I knew from my first
days in Winnipeg that I wanted
to give back to Canada and to the
country of my birth. Throughout
my life here, I have been taught that
the secret to happiness is found in
giving to others, and this blessing is
what drives me each and every day.”
Dr Usha Mittoo, a professor
in the Department of Accounting
& Finance, was nominated for a
Woman of Distinction Award in the
Education, Training & Mentorship
category. She received her MBA
from Asper in 1981 and began
work in 1988 as the U of M’s first
female finance professor. She was
the first woman appointed as the
Bank of Montreal Professor of
Finance in 2000. She now holds
the Stuart Clark Professorship in
Financial Management.
As the first female Associate
Dean at the Asper School, she
was instrumental in getting the
School its AACSB accreditation.
She inspired many women to join
finance through teaching and
mentoring, and helped raise the
number of women professors at
Asper from less than ten per cent
in the 1990s to about 40 per cent
in 2012.
3
“As an Asper alumni, I am
indebted to the Asper School for
providing me with an excellent
academic education,” she says.
“I feel motivated to give back to
the Asper community by striving
to achieve my best in teaching,
research and service.”
Jaysa Nachtigall, a
fourth-year Commerce
student, was nominated
for a Woman of
Distinction Award in the
Young Women of Distinction
category while in her third year.
As President of the Commerce
Students’ Association from 2011 to
2012, she led the CSA to one of its
most successful years by rewriting
outdated bylaws, overhauling the
association’s organizational structure,
and increasing student engagement.
As a career mentor assistant, she
helped other students make positive
career decisions by matching them
with mentors in their field
of interest.
“I am extremely
honoured and
thankful to have
been recognized
among such an
inspiring group of
women,” she says.
Dr Chau Pham
(left), Jaysa
Nachtigall (above),
Dr Usha Mittoo
(below)
4
ASPER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Suit Yourself
W
“
Left to right:
Alex Ethans
[BComm(Hons)/08],
Andrew Parkes
[BComm(Hons)/08],
Maciek Hunek
[BComm(Hons)/07],
founders and owners
of EPH Apparel, say
their degrees from
the Asper School
helped prepare them
for the challenges
of starting and
operating their
own business.
e’re not your dad’s
suit store.”
That’s how Andrew
Parkes describes EPH Apparel,
a men’s clothing company he
co-founded and operates along
with fellow Asper BComm grads
Alex Ethans and Maciek Hunek.
For one thing, they don’t have a
store – yet. Rather, the boys have
made a huge success out of an
innovative idea. The notion came
to them shortly after graduating in
2008, when all three were hunting
for those first five suits every professional man needs. “Nothing fit,
or else it was too expensive, or else
it looked like something our dads
would wear,” laughs Ethans. “We
thought there had to be a better
solution, so why not provide it?”
Parkes had been traveling in
Vietnam and saw “tailors on every
street” producing high quality suits
at a far lower price than he was
used to seeing in North America.
“Our backgrounds
and education at
the Asper School
provided a foundation that we relied
on from day one.”
Upon his return home, he worked
with Ethans and Maciek to put their
idea in motion. They held their first
suit fitting at the Winnipeg Winter
Club, and EPH Apparel was born.
“The beauty of EPH is, guys don’t
have to try anything on,” explains
Ethans. “We take their measurements, walk them through what
kind of suit and customized details
work best for them, and send
the order to our tailors overseas.
The suit arrives in about four weeks.
It fits perfectly, and it costs less
than a suit made to measure here
in Winnipeg.”
Most of their customers are
young men looking to suit
up for a special occasion,
but also include a
growing number of men who
“recognize the importance of style
and fit,” says Parkes.
Fittings are often social events,
he adds. “A lot of guys are surprised
at how fun the process of getting the
perfect suit actually is.”
Since 2008, business has expanded
to include fittings across the Prairies
and Ontario. EPH plans to open a
swank retail location in downtown
Winnipeg later this spring. But
success doesn’t mean the boys have
grown too big for their britches.
In January, they gave back to the
Asper School by sponsoring the
Suit Yourself event, a competition
that pitted Asper Co-op students
against one another to produce the
best resume, elevator pitch and job
interview. The winners each won
a made-to-measure EPH suit and
$250 in accessories.
“Our backgrounds and education
at the Asper School provided a
foundation that we relied on from
day one,” says Hunek. “The three
of us majored in different business
fields, and we continue to draw
upon our individual strengths and
expertise to achieve success.”
5
Diamond Jubilee
Medal Recipients
T
he Queen Elizabeth II
Diamond Jubilee Medal
was created to mark
the 2012 celebrations of the 60th
anniversary of Her Majesty Queen
Elizabeth II’s accession to the
Throne as Queen of Canada. The
Medal honours significant contributions and achievements by
Canadians – and in 2012, recipients
included three past and present
members of the Asper community.
Dr Walter Good,
a senior scholar at
the Asper School
and former head
of the Marketing Department, was
recognized for his work in helping establish the Direct Selling
Educational Foundation of Canada
and serving as the Chair of its
Academic Advisory Committee
for a number of years.
“It’s a real thrill to receive that kind
of recognition for helping to make
the Canadian public more aware of a
largely unknown, but economically
significant industry,” he says.
Danielle Arnold
[BComm(Hons)/06]
was recognized
for her work for
the United Way in Winnipeg and
Toronto, where she now lives.
She’s co-chair of the United
Way’s GenNext Cabinet, which
creates volunteer opportunities
for young people to engage with
their communities.
“My time at Asper definitely
encouraged me to get involved with
the community here in Toronto,”
she says. “I was a member of the
Commerce Students’ Association
for three years and the skills I
learned there, and the connections
I made with Winnipeg business
leaders, helped me lead a cabinet
and work with the staff and senior
volunteers.”
Lindy Norris
[BComm(Hons)/09]
was recognized
for, among other
things, providing mentorship
to young entrepreneurs through
organizations such as Canadian
Youth Business Foundation and
Athena Leadership, a development
forum she founded.
Norris says her experience as
an Asper student made a strong
contribution to her desire to invest
time, passion and energy in her
volunteer work. “The Asper School
actively promotes charitable
initiatives and encourages student
involvement at the community
level, and should be commended
for fostering an environment
where the value of giving is equal
to the value of education.”
Liberal MP Justin Trudeau paid a special visit to the Asper
School of Business on February 1, 2013 at an event hosted by the
Commerce Students’ Association. He spoke passionately to a
packed audience of U of M students and faculty about putting an
end to political cynicism and making post-secondary education
more accessible to all.
In 2012, over
60,000 deserving
Canadians received
the Queen Elizabeth
II Diamond Jubilee
Medal. The medal
depicts a crowned
image of the Queen,
and the reverse
marks the 60th, or
diamond, anniversary
of her accession to
the Throne. The
maple leaves refer
to Canada, and the
motto VIVAT REGINA
means “Long live
the Queen!”
6
ASPER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
The Asper MBA: Go
The Asper MBA program continues to distinguish
itself as a top-rated, internationally accredited leader in
business management education. This year the program
leaps even farther ahead as it revamps its curriculum
and expands its global connections.
Asper MBA Goes to Beijing
I
n September 2012, the Asper
MBA joined several other
globally top-ranked Canadian
MBA programs at the inaugural
Canadian MBA Fair in Beijing,
China.
Organized by the Trade
Commissioner Service at the
Embassy of Canada, the event was
an opportunity for the Asper MBA
to connect with nearly 300 talented
international professionals seeking
an exceptional business education
in Canada.
Dr Malcolm Smith, head of
the Marketing Department, and
Ewa Morphy, Graduate Program
Manager, met with attendees
one-on-one, and highlighted our
program’s admission requirements
and outstanding student experience.
Smith spoke on an expert panel,
where he discussed why prospective MBA students should consider
studying in Canada – and at the
Asper School of Business in particular. On another expert panel, Asper
alumni talked about the impact
of the Asper MBA on their careers
and their lives.
“This was wonderful exposure for
the Asper MBA,” says Dr Smith.
“Many young Chinese professionals
are extremely interested in studying
in Canada.”
Pilot Project
T
his spring, the Asper MBA
is launching an international applied learning
experience in partnership with
the business community and the
Manitoba government.
From March 30 to April 7, our
MBA students will travel to Sao
Paulo and Porto Alegre, Brazil,
where they’ll visit businesses,
government organizations and
industry representatives. Their
goal is to gain first-hand insight
into how culture, economic development and management systems
interact in Brazil, and to establish
and expand their international
business networks.
When they return, the students
will present their findings to
Peter Bjornson, Minister of
Entrepreneurship, Training and
S prin g 2 0 1 3
oing Gl bal
Trade. They’ll focus their final
reports on business barriers and
opportunities for three Manitoban
or Canadian companies or industries.
“We’re very excited about the
potential of this opportunity,” says
Marci Elliott, Executive Director
of the Asper MBA program. “The
latest market research indicates
employers want to hire MBAs who
are familiar with international
business. We’re thrilled to be working
with our alumni, the business
community and the Manitoba
government to make that happen.”
Revised
curriculum
T
he MBA curriculum will
undergo a significant revision
over the next several months,
says Dr Subbu Sivaramakrishnan,
Associate Professor of Marketing
at the Asper School and Chair of
the MBA Program Committee.
“Our intention is to redesign the
MBA curriculum so that it continues
to keep up with latest trends in
the business world, gives students
hands-on experience in managing
an organization, provides them
with an executive perspective on
business, and equips them with the
skills and mindset that employers
are looking for in the global world
of business.”
Dr Sivaramakrishnan says the
School plans to have the new curriculum ready for implementation
starting in the Fall 2014 term.
MBA Student Spotlight:
Adriana Fritsch
A
sper MBA student Adriana
Fritsch traveled a long way
from Brazil to Manitoba to
sharpen her professional edge. The
business leadership skills and career
opportunities she’s gained have made
every step of her journey worthwhile.
In Sao Paulo, she had a thriving
career as an architect and real
estate developer until the subprime
crisis of 2008. She’d visited Canada
before and says she “always dreamt
of living in such a wonderful
country.” When friends told her
how earning an MBA had opened
up their careers to unbelievable
opportunities, she decided it was
time to give her own life the same
boost forward.
“I want to expand my business
leadership perspective,” she says,
“so I made a point of taking
classes that challenge me to think
outside the box, such as Innovation,
Venture Capital Analysis and
International Marketing.”
Core business management
courses have enhanced her background in architecture and urban
studies to make her “a more
confident, complete professional.”
She’s also gained a perspective
on Canadian business culture and
practices that will prove invaluable
to whatever career she decides to
pursue in this country when
she graduates.
“Sao Paulo was a big city, but I
never had as much contact with
such cultural diversity as I do here.
In the Asper MBA I have professors
from backgrounds spanning the
entire globe. And my classmates are
just as incredible. When one of my
colleagues found out what I did
in Brazil, he told me his dad was
the vice president of a huge real
estate development company right
here in Winnipeg. I’m already
making amazing connections.”
Even more important, she says,
are the insights shared by experienced CEOs who participate in
some of the classes. “I remember
one CEO telling us about his
ethical responsibilities towards
his employees and his passion for
his work. These are lessons that
no book teaches.”
Fritsch began her MBA in 2012
and plans on finishing in April 2013.
Before she graduates, she’s looking
forward to taking part in the Brazil
study trip because it will give her the
opportunity to introduce members
of her new business network
to her old one. When she returns,
she plans to pursue a career in real
estate or urban development here
in Winnipeg, her new home.
7
8
ASPER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Faculty&Staff
Through groundbreaking research, inspirational
teaching and visionary administration, the faculty and staff
of the Asper School of Business are the engine that drives
New Faces
our community to excellence in business education!
Stuart Henrickson
[BComm(Hons)/85] is the new
Executive Director of the Stu Clark
Centre for Entrepreneurship.
See story on page 20 for details.
Dr Lysa Porth
(Asper PhD/11),
Assistant Professor
and Guy Carpenter
Professor in Agriculture Risk
Management and Insurance. The
professorship aims to generate
more stable incomes for agriculture producers, more efficient risk
management and production, and
enhanced food security. Porth will
also supervise graduate students in
the newly created Master of Science
program in Actuarial Mathematics.
Dr Victor Cui,
Assistant Professor,
Business Strategy.
Dr Cui earned his
PhD in Business Administration
from the Sauder School of Business
at the University of British
Columbia. His research interests
include inter-firm competition
and technological innovation.
Dr Rui Zhou,
Assistant Professor,
Warren Centre for
Actuarial Studies and
Research. She earned her PhD in
Actuarial Science at the University
of Waterloo. Her research interests
include longevity risk management
for pension plans and measuring
uncertainty in mortality forecasts.
Dr Tao (Tony)
Fang, Assistant
Professor, Human
Resources
Management. He earned his PhD
in Industrial Relations and Human
Resource Management from the
University of Toronto. His research
interests include compensation and
benefits, high performance workplace practices, and employment
equity.
Dr Lukas Neville,
Assistant Professor,
Organizational
Behaviour. He
earned his PhD in Organizational
Behaviour at Queen’s School of
Business. His research interests
include trust, negotiation, and
conflict resolution.
Dr Gady Jacoby, Professor,
Accounting & Finance. He earned
his PhD in Finance from York
University. His research interests
include investments, market
microstructure and bank solvency.
Dr Koi Yu (Adolf)
Ng, Associate
Professor, Supply
Chain Management.
He earned his PhD from the
University of Oxford. His research
interests include port economics
and maritime security and training.
Rick Pelletier [BComm(Hons)
/92, MAcc/94], Business Manager.
Rick is a CA with over 15 years of
experience in both the private and
public sectors. He has served as
Vice President with Bessemer Trust
Company and Assistant Controller
for the City of Winnipeg. Vanessa Shaff,
Donor Relations
Officer. Vanessa has
over seven years of
fundraising experience with the
Faculty of Dentistry, Heart and
Stroke Foundation and Canadian
Red Cross. She has a BA from the
U of W and is pursuing an Asper
MBA part time.
Mike Gould [BComm(Hons)/12],
Business Development Officer,
Asper MBA and Executive
Education programs. Mike is
a former CSA president with a
background in marketing.
S prin g 2 0 1 3
2012 Associates’
Achievement Awards
Research:
Dr Nick Turner
Professor/Associate Dean, Business
Administration
Dr Suresh Bhatt was presented
with the title of Professor Emeritus
in May 2012. Bhatt, a professor of
Supply Chain Management, was
with the U of M for nearly 37 years
before he retired in 2011.
Charlie Curtis, FCA and
Executive in Residence at Asper, is
the recipient of this year’s Lifetime
Achievement Award from the
Institute of Chartered Accountants
of Manitoba. This award goes to
CAs who have provided outstanding service to the profession and
the community throughout their
lifetime. Charlie received his CA
designation in 1955 and his FCA
designation in 1974. He continues
to call upon his professional
experience and generously gives
back to the community.
Dr John Godard, Business
Administration, was appointed
Chief Editor of the British Journal
of Industrial Relations (BJIR) for
a four-year term beginning July
2012. BJIR is an international,
peer-refereed research journal of
the London School of Economics
and the leading British journal in
the field of industrial relations.
Alok Dua, Business
Administration/Supply Chain
Management, was the recipient
of the 2011-2012 Golden Shovel
Award, which goes to the professor
the graduating class believes had
the most significant impact on
their final year at the Asper School.
Far left: Charlie
Curtis (left) and
Rick MacKay,
President & Chair
of the Institute
of Chartered
Accountants of
Manitoba.
Photo courtesy of
the Institute of Chartered
Accountants of Manitoba
Teaching:
Dr Reg Litz
Professor, Business Administration
Dr Subbu Sivaramakrishnan
Associate Professor, Marketing
Service:
Dr Sandy Hershcovis
Associate Professor/Head, Business
Administration
Service:
Dr Kelley Main
Associate Professor, Marketing
F
or five years running, faculty members from the
Asper School have won either the Dr and Mrs H.H.
Saunderson Award or the Olive Beatrice Stanton Award,
prestigious honours that recognize teaching excellence at the
University of Manitoba.
Keeping the tradition alive, Dr Subbu Sivaramakrishnan,
Marketing, won the 2012 Saunderson Award. Dr Sivaramakrishnan’s award citation praised his gift for making students
enthusiastic about learning.
“I believe the success of a teacher rests heavily on quality
communication, making the course interesting, and enabling
experiential learning,” he says. “I make sure students comprehend,
learn and think – not just hear,
jot down, memorize and
regurgitate. I relate concepts
to everyday life, do a lot of
show-and-tell, and give a
number of examples to get
the point across.”
Hi gh F ive !
Awards &
Achievements
Dr Fang Wan
Associate Professor, Marketing
9
10
ASPER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Faculty Spotlight:
Dr Kelley Main
Associate Dean, Research & graduate Programs
F. Ross Johnson Professor in Marketing
I
t’s been a big year for Dr Kelley
Main. She was awarded a
2012-2013 U of M Graduate
Students’ Association Teaching
Award, a 2012 Associates’
Achievement Award for Service,
a Best Conference Paper Award,
and was appointed both Interim
Associate Dean of Research and
Graduate Programs and the new
F. Ross Johnson Professor in
Marketing. In 2012, she turned
the spotlight on faculty research
by helping launch the Research
Bytes series on the Asper School
of Business website. Now, it’s
Update’s turn to point the spotlight
on this dynamic, inspiring
member of the Asper community.
Tell us about your
research interests.
Generally speaking, I’m looking
at ways we as consumers respond
to persuasion in the marketplace.
I’m interested in what we call
“persuasion attempts”, whether
they come from ads, sales clerks
or other consumers.
One question I’m trying to
answer is, what makes consumers
suspicious when someone or
something tries to persuade them
to buy a product or service? When
should they be, and when shouldn’t
they be suspicious?
These days I’m focusing on what
happens when the consumer has
the same knowledge or experience as the persuasion agent – for
instance, when the consumer has
been a salesperson themselves.
I want to know if that necessarily
makes you more accurate at
judging other people’s behaviour.
Ultimately, I’m hoping my
research will build better, more
aware consumers.
How are you involved in
creating the one-minute
Research Bytes?
I can’t take the credit for the
idea: that came from Business
Administration Professor Nick
Turner. He was inspired by a series
of short BBC videos and thought
we could do something similar
to highlight faculty research, past,
present and future.
We thought these videos would
be a great way to make what
we’re doing accessible to a wider
audience, including potential
students, other researchers, and
the business community at large.
I took charge of producing the
first three batches.
One of the happy results I’ve
seen is that they’ve been great for
us, too, as a way to learn more
about what our own colleagues
are doing. Some grad students at
our own School have even told
me the videos remind them of
why they went into grad studies
in the first place. That alone has
made the videos worthwhile.
Apart from professional
skills and academic
knowledge, what is the
one thing you hope
your students take away
from your classes?
I want them to understand the
power of thinking deeply about a
question. There’s nothing more
seductive than the opportunity to
draw out the answer to a question
or problem. It’s one of the best
parts of being a researcher – and
a teacher.
View the Research Bytes at
umanitoba.ca/asper/research
S prin g 2 0 1 3
Marci Elliott
(MBA/12) has
been appointed
Executive Director
of the Asper MBA program.
Dr Gady Jacoby has been
appointed to the Bryce Douglas
Professorship in Finance.
Dr Kelley Main has been
appointed the new F. Ross Johnson
Professor in Marketing, and
replaces Nick Turner as Associate
Dean, Research and Graduate
Programs while Nick is on leave
for the next year.
Dr Zhenyu
Wu has been
appointed Canada
Research Chair in
Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
In his research, Dr Wu explores the
risk-taking behaviours of entrepreneurs and investors in new venture
financing. His findings could help
ensure these new ventures continue
to survive and grow.
Speaking of Research
1
6 STAR
T
LEADERS:
hanks to a strategic
initiatives endowment
from entrepreneur
and philanthropist Stu Clark
[BComm(Hons)/76], last year the
Asper School of Business launched
the Stu Clark Distinguished Speaker
Series, which invites prominent
researchers from outside the
U of M to present their research
and connect with faculty and
graduate students.
Fourteen researchers have
presented so far – some from as
far away as Italy, Hong Kong and
Singapore – on a range of topics
that speaks to the dazzling depth
and breadth of research informing
the global world of business.
ST CLA
Distinguis
hed SpeU
aker SerRieKs
FACULTY
APPOINTMENTS
11
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GUEST
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Glenn Ro
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Paul MacPh
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Leadershi
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Richard Ive
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Universit
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On to the next big thing
Dr Charles Mossman, Associate Professor of Finance, will retire July 1, 2013.
Dr Xiaofan Steven Zheng
has been appointed to the Bank
of Montreal (BMO) Professorship
in Finance.
Dr Mossman has been a professor at the Asper School since 1990. From 1997
to 1998 he was Acting Head of the Accounting and Finance Department, and
from 2004 to 2009 he served as Associate Dean for the Asper School. During
the last two years of his appointment he updated the Asper School’s programs
and developed a report that resulted in the renewal of the School’s AACSB
accreditation. Dr Mossman served as Acting Dean of the Asper School in 2011.
Dr Sam Cox, Professor of Actuarial Mathematics, retired from the L.A.H.
Warren Chair on January 1, 2013. During his tenure at the School, the
Warren Centre was recognized as a Society of Actuaries Centre of Actuarial
Excellence and admitted into the Canadian Institute of Actuaries University
Gordon Pitts, senior business
columnist at the Globe and Mail,
dropped in on February 12, 2013
for an informal discussion with
Asper students and faculty.
Accreditation Program.
Beth Clark, who served as the Asper School’s Chief Budget Officer and
has been an integral part of the U of M community for over 35 years, retired
January 3, 2013.
12
ASPER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Leading by Exam
Like all good leaders, Asper students demonstrate a
commitment to making a difference – in their school,
their university, and their community.
The winner of
the 2012 Race for
Space was alumnus
Taren Gesell
[BComm(Hons)/08],
a former CSA
President and
creator of the Asper
Student Legacy
Fund.
RACE FOR SPACE
Running is good for your health –
and for your School. Last September,
over 85 Asper students and alumni
ran the Race for Space and raised
$1200 for the Asper Student
Legacy Fund.
Faculty of Management students
started the Race for Space fundraiser
in the 80s. The funds they raised
helped build the Drake Centre, the
Asper School’s permanent home.
Commerce Students’ Association
(CSA) sports reps Steve Baker and
Brandt Butt revived the run as a way
to get Asper students and alumni
Students in the Faculty
of Management started
the Race for Space in
the 80s (above). This
year, some participants
showed up in costumes,
including a team of
Mighty Duhks and Spice
Girls (right).
actively involved in giving back to
their school. The Asper Student
Legacy Fund goes towards improving the student experience, including facilities in the Drake Centre.
“2012 was the perfect year to
restart the tradition,” says Baker.
“It was the School’s 75th anniversary
and the Drake Centre’s 50th. At the
Anniversary Gala, alumni we spoke
to were ecstatic about the idea.”
Sponsors included Booster
Juice, the Hub bar at the U of M,
the Young Associates and the
Running Room, who developed
the 5 km course.
B.O.S.E. GIVES
EVENTS A BOOST
Pulling off a successful student
event is no easy task. Add alcohol
to the mix, and the challenges
multiply.
That’s why CSA President Emily
Ashley launched B.O.S.E., the
Board of Social Event Planners, in
January 2012.
“My experience as a CSA social
planner taught me that it was possible to throw events that appealed
to students, ensured their safety, and
maintained the U of M’s reputation
in the community,” she says.
Now, student event
planners from all U of M
faculties meet monthly
to share and coordinate
event ideas and listen
to guest speakers such
as the Manitoba
S prin g 2 0 1 3
ample
Liquor Control Commission,
U of M Conference and Catering,
and sponsorship experts.
Ashley’s initiative is paying off.
In September, UMSU hosted the
U of M’s largest and most successful
concert ever, featuring Ludacris
and K’naan.
ASPER ATHLETES
GO FOR GOLD
Many Asper students are Bison
athletes – and in true Asper fashion,
most are in leadership roles on
their teams. Hats off to four
students who received major Bison
Sports year-end awards for the
2011-2012 season:
Dane Pischke
Bison Sports Male
Athlete of the Year;
MVP, Men’s Volleyball
Lisa Wong
Student-Athlete Leadership
and Community
Development Award; MVP,
Women’s Track & Field
13
Lisa Wong (left)
excelled as Bison
Track & Field team
captain.
Wong, who graduated last May
with a double major in Marketing
and Human Resources, says it’s
natural for Asper student athletes
to take on leadership roles on
their teams.
“The Asper School develops
your ability to think creatively,
make quick decisions, communicate
effectively, work as part of a team…
All of these directly correlate to
being a leader on an athletic team.
Being an Asper student made me
a better Bison athlete, and being
a Bison athlete made me a better
Asper student.”
JDC WEST
Asper placed second for the title of
School of the Year – the highest
finish ever in the School’s history –
at this year’s Jeux
de Commerce
West, the largest
business school
competition in
Western Canada.
Our team placed first in the
Business Strategy, Not For Profit
Business Strategy, Entrepreneurship,
and Debate academic categories,
and also took home third place
honours in Taxation, Finance,
and the Social competition. The
team’s longstanding faculty advisor,
Professor Mary Brabston, was
honoured with the Faculty Advisor
of the Year award.
Dane Pischke
(above) had an
amazing 2011-2012
season at conference and Canadian
Intrauniversity Sport
(CIS) level, where
he racked up points
and accolades over
the course of all
20 regular season
Bison Volleyball
games.
Find out more about the Commerce
Students’ Association at aspercsa.com
Travis Toet
Student-Athlete Leadership and
Community Development Award
Blair Macaulay
MVP, Men’s Hockey
“Business is competition,” says
Pishke. “To be a great competitor
in athletics or in business, you have
to have the desire to achieve, always
perform at your best, work hard,
stay confident, and learn as much
as you can to succeed.”
Our JDC West team of 50 students spent
six months training for the January 2013
showdown. Their preparation paid off!
14
ASPER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Celebrating 75 Years
of Excellence
2
Gail Asper,
daughter of the
Asper School’s
benefactor, the
late Dr. Israel
(“Izzy”) Asper,
blows out the
candles on a
stunning cake.
012 was party time for the
Asper School of Business!
The School celebrated its
75th Anniversary in style with
alumni receptions across Canada
(see page 16 for details).
In March, some 200 local alumni
gathered at the venerable Manitoba
Club in Winnipeg to meet, mingle
and munch. Dean Emeritus Jerry
Gray was on hand to present the
history of the School. If you thought
history was dry, the history of
the Asper School is anything but.
After a summer hiatus, the
celebrations resumed full force
on September 14, 2012, when –
in conjunction with University
Homecoming – the Drake Centre
temporarily shelved its classroom
demeanour and became a multilevel party central for around
500 faculty, staff, students, alumni
and retirees.
From left to right: Rich Allden
[BComm(Hons)/54], William
Thorne [BComm(Hons)/53],
Claude (“Woozy”) Wilson
[BComm(Hons)/52]
Brian Johnson,
Senior Stick, 1965
S prin g 2 0 1 3
15
Twenty-five Senior
Sticks from past
years gathered
at the 75th
Anniversary Gala
for a raucous
reunion, including
the most senior,
Brian Johnson
[BComm(Hons)/65].
In December, the Asper
School launched Open for Business,
a book commemorating the School’s
75-year history written by Laird Rankin
[BComm(Hons)/64] (left).
Far left, top:
Arni Thorsteinson
[BComm(Hons)/71]
and Susan Glass
[BComm(Hons)/67]
Far left, middle:
Dr Roland
Grandpre (Dean
of the Asper School
from 1981-1987),
Dr Usha Mittoo
(Professor of
Finance), Dr John
Mundie (Dean
Emeritus)
Class of ’72 Reunion
2012 marked the 40th anniversary of the Commerce Class of 1972. Twenty-five
members of the original graduating class returned to celebrate the milestone at Homecoming.
A special thanks to Class of ’72 members Stuart Breckon, Don Keatch and Linda Stewart
for organizing this wonderful gathering, and to the whole class for continuing to support
the Class of 1972 Scholarship.
16
ASPER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Cross-country
alumni events
100 Years of
Actuarial Excellence
L
Toronto April 19, 2012
Senior Sticks, left to right: Danielle Arnold [BComm(Hons)/06],
Marc Henry [BComm(Hons)/08], Irene Pran
[BComm(Hons)/59], Rick Waugh [BComm(Hons)/70],
Don Thompson [BComm(Hons)/60], Alexis Hur
[BComm(Hons)/05], Mike Gould [BComm(Hons)/12]
ast year marked the 100th
anniversary of the actuarial
program at the U of M
and its 75th anniversary as part of
the business school. To celebrate
these major milestones, special
lectures were held for the public
and students. Nearly 180 faculty,
staff, students, alumni and friends
of the program attended a centennial dinner in August, where they
were treated to a lively, thoughtprovoking speech by Ken Clark
[BComm(Hons)/55].
Also in August, the Centre played
host to the 47th Actuarial Research
Conference for the first time since
1981. The conference attracted over
100 actuarial scholars and graduate
students from around the world,
as well as local students and industry representatives. During the
conference, the Canadian Institute
of Actuaries honoured the Centre
with a plaque, which now sits
proudly in the sixth-floor lounge
of the Drake Centre.
Right: Ken Clark, keynote speaker at the
centennial dinner, was the Gold Medalist of
his class and is now Consulting Actuary with
Eckler Ltd. in Toronto. His speech touched
on how the actuarial profession has changed
over the years, and why the world needs
actuaries now more than ever.
CALGARY May 22, 2012
Left to right: Lorena Prakash (MBA/02), Rollie Cyr
[BComm(Hons)/73], Dean Michael Benarroch,
Fang Wan (Marketing), Nick Gill [BComm(Hons)/03]
Left: Dr Jeffrey Pai, L.A.H.
Warren Professor, is congratulated by alumni Jim Snell
[BComm(Hons)/76] in front of
the commemorative plaque.
VANCOUVER June 21, 2012
Left to right: Wes McMillan [BComm(Hons)/02],
Iain Black [BComm(Hons)/90], Howard Harmatz
(Business Administration), Dean Michael Benarroch
S prin g 2 0 1 3
Expanding Horizons
A
ndré Cadieux wanted to
push beyond his comfort
zone. Reyna Olivares
wanted to see how another country
does business. In May 2012, both
students signed up for the Arni
Thorsteinson Israel Study Exchange
Program – and plunged into a lifechanging experience.
The program, now in its fifth
year, was made possible thanks to a
donation from the Gerald Schwartz
and Heather Reisman Foundation.
Mr. Schwartz, founder of Onex
Corporation, says the program
gives Asper students the chance to
“explore Israel for themselves
as an innovative democracy that
has become the start-up nation of
the world.”
As part of the exchange, students
from Ben-Gurion University in
Beersheva, Israel travel to Winnipeg
for a week of business classes at
the Asper School. Joined by Asper
students, they fly to Toronto, and
then to Israel for three weeks. The
students form teams and develop
marketing plans to introduce Israeli
brands to Canada, or Canadian
brands such as Second Cup or
Boston Pizza to Israel.
Olivares says she was amazed by
how entrepreneurial the country is.
“They have a huge number of startups there. And each of them has to
solve basic infrastructure problems
to survive, let alone thrive. But
thrive, they do.”
For Cadieux, the trip offered
insight into the realities of business.
“It was great to see principles we
were learning in class being put
into practice by companies across
the ocean.”
Arni Thorsteinson [BComm
(Hons)/71], a founding director
of the Associates of the Asper
School of Business, says he was so
impressed by the program, he
provided supplemental funding
“to enhance opportunities for social
and cultural engagement.” Thanks
to his support, students visited the
Wailing Wall and the site of the
Crucifixion, swam in the Dead Sea,
and basked on the beaches of Tel Aviv.
Olivares says the experience
opened her eyes to a country much
different from the one she was
17
expecting. “I’ve been involved in a
lot of things at Asper, like CSA and
Co-op,” she says. “Out of everything
I’ve done, this trip challenged me
the most and gave the most back.
It was the best experience ever.”
Sergio Carvalho, Associate
Professor, Marketing at Asper,
has designed and coordinated
the academic component of the
program since 2008. He says the
trip transforms students. “In a
very short period of time you see
them mature. They come back
completely different people with a
new perspective on the world.”
Cadieux agrees. “I now have
more confidence, new friends at
home and abroad, and a much
keener interest in what’s going on
in the world around me.”
“The Arni Thorsteinson Study Exchange Program has
been possibly the most rewarding teaching experience
I’ve ever had. It’s not just about teaching students about
business in another country – it’s about sharing an
experience that literally changes their lives,” says Sean
MacDonald, Business Administration, one of the Asper
profs who helps organize the program.
18
ASPER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Management:
The Gospel Truth
W
hat can a first-century
Gospel teach us
about 21st century
business management?
“A great deal,” says Dr Bruno
Dyck [BComm(Hons)/84],
Professor, Business Administration
Dr Dyc...k says he hopes the book
“...the book ultimately challenges
ultimately challenges managers to
managers to adopt practices that
dopt practices that treat all peo e
treat all people with more dignity.”
with more dignity.
at Asper. Over the past five years he
researched and wrote Management
and the Gospel: Luke’s Radical
Message for the First and TwentyFirst Centuries, an exploration
of what management theory and
practice were like 2000 years ago.
The book launched at McNally
Robinson Booksellers on February
27, where it stayed on the bestseller
list for a week.
Published by Palgrave Macmillan,
Management and the Gospel reveals
how Luke’s Gospel – which includes
an account of the life and ministry
of Jesus of Nazareth – can help
readers implement change in their
own business. “The book challenges
some common assumptions that
have been with us for some time
about whether modern management theory and practice are based
on a biblical Judeo-Christian ethic,”
says Dr Dyck.
His research reflects his abiding
fascination with the role values play
in how organizations change and in
how we think about management.
“For me, management is about
people, and is thus – by definition –
a moral activity,” he explains. “If we
don’t understand how values influence our actions, we run the risk
of unthinkingly adopting values we
may not agree with.”
Dr Dyck says he hopes the book
ultimately challenges managers to
adopt practices that treat all people
with more dignity. “For me, it’s
important to empower people to
manage in ways that are consistent
with their own values while respecting and better understanding the
values of others.”
So far, Dr Dyck says, reactions to
the book have been overwhelmingly
positive. “Practitioners have found
its counter-cultural perspective
inspiring, management scholars
have been impressed by the breadth
and depth of the arguments, and
biblical scholars have welcomed a
different lens through which to read
the text of an important Gospel.”
ECONOMIC
OUTLOOK 2013
A
sper students, faculty and
guests were treated to
penetrating insights into the state
of the global, national and local
economies at the 2013 Economic
Outlook Panel and Reception, hosted by the Associates on January 23.
Dean Michael Benarroch
provided an overview of the global
economy. He predicted a 2013
characterized by only moderate
growth in the face of the Euro
crisis, as well as the “Fiscal Cliff”
and “Debt Ceiling” crises in the U.S.
Dr Usha Mitto, Stuart Clark
Professor of Financial Management,
took a closer look at the U.S. and
Canada. She discussed how the slow
pace of economic growth in Canada
throughout 2012 was due, in part,
to a large federal deficit, high household debt, rising housing prices,
and energy exports to the U.S. She
warned that “we need to look at
doing more trade with Asia and less
with the U.S., but we currently don’t
have a plan for accomplishing this.”
Stuart Henrickson, Executive
Director of the Stu Clark Centre
for Entrepreneurship, brought the
discussion closer to home. In his
overview of the Manitoba economy,
he noted that our province is well
on its way to enjoying a surplus
economy, although probably not
until 2015 or later.
“Thanks to tax credits, support
programs, and our strategic location
at the heart of North America, small
businesses have the ability to thrive
in Manitoba,” he added, “but a
strong stimulus plan is needed.”
S prin g 2 0 1 3
19
What’s the Big IDEA?
MBA GOLD
MEDALIST
GIVES BACK
T
he T.A. (Stoney) Anderson
Gold Medal honours the
Asper MBA graduate with the
highest overall academic standing
in the program. This year’s
recipient was Dr. Aaron Chiu,
MD, FRCPC, FAAP (MBA/12).
A neonatologist at Health
Sciences Centre Winnipeg and
St. Boniface Hospital, Dr. Chiu
donated the $1000 award that
came with the medal back to the
Asper School of Business, along
with a matching amount.
“I wanted to thank the School
for the wonderful MBA experience
by making a donation that would
benefit future students,” he says.
GLOBAL
MARKETING
Competition
S
tudents from some of the
world’s top business schools
gathered in Winnipeg in January
to compete in the 31st annual
Manitoba International Marketing
Competition (MIMC). Organized
every year entirely by Asper students,
the competition is the largest of
its kind in Canada, and pits undergraduate student teams against
one another for the title of global
champion. The MIMC also partnered with the U of M Marketing
Association to host a conference on
cross-cultural marketing. This year’s
global marketing champion was the
University of British Columbia.
T
he annual International
Distinguished Entrepreneur
Award (IDEA) honours
business executives who have
achieved outstanding entrepreneurial
success and made an exemplary
contribution to economic life. In
light of the award’s 30th anniversary
in 2012, Arni Thorsteinson, chair of
the award committee, says it was “the
perfect time to recognize a deserving,
Manitoba-born and educated
entrepreneur of international stature.”
The honour went to oil and gas
entrepreneur and philanthropist
Stu Clark [BComm(Hons)/76].
Aside from donating over $9
million to the Asper School over
the past nine years, Clark has
volunteered countless hours to the
School and the Stu Clark Centre
for Entrepreneurship.
Clark visited the Asper
School in September 2012
to accept the award. He
said his decision to help
grow the entrepreneurship
program at the Asper School
was a natural one.
“That’s something I felt was really
important in a university business
education: some exposure to
entrepreneurship, some exposure to
how to build a business plan, some
exposure to what it takes, what the
commitment is. Because every
business starts as a small business.”
Chip Wilson, founder and chairman of Lululemon Athletica Inc.,
will receive the 2013 IDEA this
June. Lululemon, an athletic wear
company, boasts a cult following
around the world.
The U of M, the
Asper School
of Business and
the Associates
established the
IDEA award
in 1983.
In an interview with
professor Reg Litz
in front of the Asper
community, Stu
Clark explains why
entrepreneurship is
an essential part of
business education.
20
ASPER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Adventures in En
Exciting new directions, incredible opportunities, and
the support of dynamic business leaders are driving the next
generation of student entrepreneurs towards successful
business ventures at the Asper School of Business and the
Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship.
New Vision,
New Ventures
S
tuart Henrickson [BComm(Hons)/85]
was appointed Executive Director of
Entrepreneurship at the School’s Stu Clark
Centre for Entrepreneurship in October 2012.
Henrickson will be responsible for nurturing and
mentoring students to launch their own businesses,
to promote entrepreneurship, and to make
connections with the business
community.
His diverse experience
makes him an ideal fit
for the role. Working on
projects worldwide from
Canada to Malaysia,
from London to Dubai,
Henrickson learned
from multiple cultures and has been
involved in over
$20 billion in global transactions.
He has advised companies of all
sizes, from owner-operated startups
to major corporations like CocaCola, Unilever, Petro Canada and
Canada Life. He also worked as
a mentor for business startups at
YES Winnipeg.
“An entrepreneur is someone
who spots an opportunity to create
something that wasn’t there before,”
says Henrickson. “You have to be a
problem solver and a natural leader.
The Stu Clark Centre is devoted to
nurturing these qualities and channeling them towards opportunities
for success.”
Henrickson says his vision for
the Centre includes three priorities:
providing students with more
entrepreneurship resources inside
and outside the Asper School,
developing mentorships for student
entrepreneurs, and building an
on-campus incubator – an office
space where young entrepreneurs
can base their start-up businesses.
Henrickson has an MBA in
Finance from the University of
Calgary, a CFA designation, and
is a Certified Financial Planner.
Find out more about the Stu Clark
Centre for Entrepreneurship
at umanitoba.ca/entrepreneur
S prin g 2 0 1 3
21
ntrepreneurship
STUDENT
INNOVATORS
SHINE
I
Into the Dragons’ Den
T
hirty students from the
New Venture Analysis
class were invited by CBC
Manitoba to participate in Dragons’
Den Day in Canada on September
19, 2012. The event included live
TV access to the popular “Dragons”,
a panel of Canadian moguls with
the cash and know-how to help
your start-up business take off
– if your idea is worthy.
Two Asper students – Sinan
Leylek and Nick Kuzyk –
were lucky enough to ask the
Dragons a question.
“I’ve been watching Dragons’
Den ever since the first season,
so I was really excited,” says
Leylek. “Being a small business
owner, I wanted to know how
they would handle a major disagreement with a business partner.
I must have repeated the question
in my head 50 times before the live
feed was on me. The Dragons all
gave their own answers, which
basically went back to trusting who
you work with.”
n November, Innovate Manitoba
held their first annual Pitch Day
competition, where entrepreneurs
from across Manitoba present
their business ideas to a group of
industry judges.
Asper student Jason Greschuk
was one of the big winners.
His concept for No-Bull Energy,
a business that harvests cattail
biomass as an alternative energy
source, won for Best Student Pitch.
“It was a nerve-wracking
experience,” admits Greschuk,
who graduated last year with a
BComm(Hons) in Entrepreneurship/Marketing. “But even if I
hadn’t won, it would have been
worthwhile because I met so
many great, young entrepreneurs
and contacts in the business
community.”
Left: Asper prof
Zhenyu Wu
(second from right)
helped organize
Dragons’ Den Day.
“The event helped
students apply what
they had learned in
class to the real
world. It was also
a great opportunity
for the Dragons
and their audience
to learn more about
our students!”
In January, Asper
MBA students
placed second in
their division and
14th overall at the
32nd annual John
Molson MBA
International
Case Competition.
The Asper team,
left to right:
James Fehr,
Dori Chudobiak,
Marilyn Brennan
(coach), Vanessa
Shaff, Omri
Makover
22
ASPER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Andrew Clarke,
(right), owner of
Clarke Financial
Planning and winner
of the Excellence in
Aboriginal Business
Leadership Award,
with Dean Michael
Benarroch.
Aboriginal Leadership
Excellence
H
Below: Tim
Sweeny, owner of
Creeway Aviation
and winner of
the Excellence in
Aboriginal Small
and Medium
Enterprises Award.
osted by the Asper
School of Business and
the School’s Aboriginal
Business Education Partners, the
8th annual Excellence in Aboriginal
Business Leadership Awards
celebrated two business leaders
for being inspiring entrepreneurs
and role models.
Andrew Clarke, owner of Clarke
Financial Planning and Insurance
Services, won the Excellence in
Aboriginal Business Leadership
Award. Tim Sweeny, owner of
Creeway Aviation, won the
Excellence in Aboriginal Small
and Medium Enterprises Award.
Clarke, a Certified Financial
Planner, launched Clarke Financial
in 1994 using his own money as
start-up capital. The full-service
firm now manages over $60 million
for over 600 corporate, government
and individual clients across the
country. Headquartered in
Winnipeg, the company is 100
percent First Nations owned
and operated.
Sweeny started Creeway Aviation
in 2006 to address the growing
needs of Northern Manitoba’s
aviation industry. Based out of
Thompson, the company provides
aircraft charter and maintenance
services. It also offers students in
the Aircraft Maintenance Engineer
(AME) apprenticeship program
the opportunity to work towards
their AME license without having
to leave their community.
ASPER CREATES
NEW PATHWAYS
FOR ABORIGINAL
STUDENTS
I
n September 2013, the Asper
School of Business will welcome
up to ten new students admitted
under its newly created Canadian
Aboriginal Ancestry Admissions
Category. The category allows the Asper
School to admit Aboriginal students
who meet the minimum admissions Adjusted Grade Point Average
(AGPA), but may fall below the
competitive AGPA, which varies
from year to year.
Shortly after his appointment as
dean of the Asper School in 2011,
Dr Michael Benarroch made it a
priority to create new pathways
for Aboriginal students to study
business. He told the Globe and
Mail that Aboriginal students
“are an under-represented portion
of our population in the business
school, so from our perspective we
feel it would be a real contribution
to the community and to the
Aboriginal community if we could
increase the number of students.”
S prin g 2 0 1 3
ABEP STUDENT
WINS General
Electric AWARD
C
ommerce student Zack Unrau
has been chosen to receive
a 2012-2013 G.E. (General Electric)
Scholar-Leader Program Award.
The second-year student is only
one of two students from across
Canada to be selected for this
coveted honour.
Unrau says he’s thrilled by the
opportunities the award will create
for him. “I’ll have the chance to do
things I wouldn’t otherwise get to
do, like attend a business conference
in Toronto and work with an experienced G.E. mentor.”
Unrau is also a member of the
Aboriginal Business Education
Partners (ABEP), a community
of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit
students pursuing Bachelor of
Commerce degrees at the Asper
School. This marks the second
year the award has been given to
an ABEP student.
CUTTING
THROUGH
THE SPIN
O
n February 25, staff and
students of the Aboriginal
Business Education Partners hosted
“Idle No More: Context, Meaning
and Dialogue.” Niigaan Sinclair,
Professor of Native Studies at the
U of M, and Nina Wilson, a U of M
Master’s student and Idle No More
organizer, led a discussion that cut
through the media spin on the
grassroots movement that has been
sweeping across Canada.
ASPER MEDIA CENTRE
23
First-Year Student
Conquers Wes Nicol
T
alk about setting the
bar high! First-year
BComm student
Simon Burns won the 2013
championship round of the
Wes Nicol Entrepreneurial
Competition, which awards
$170,000 in prize money each
year to individual students
or student teams who submit
winning plans for their
entrepreneurial business ideas.
At the February 13 event,
Burns presented “Elapse
Electric”, a revolutionary
hybrid propulsion system that
lets consumers drive carbon free,
regardless of their vehicle model,
range or power requirements.
“I had an excellent experience
with my first foray into the world of
high-pressure presentations,” says
Burns. “The judges demanded a
level of professionalism and dedication that was profoundly inspiring.”
The Wes Nicol program is a
national program designed to generate and reward interest in entrepreneurship by undergrad students in
any faculty at participating Canadian
universities. The Asper School of
Business runs the competition,
which is open to all undergraduate
students on campus. This year, four
of the six teams were from faculties
outside the Asper School, including
Engineering and Science.
The judges were Shaun Hampton,
Entrepreneurship Consultant
with the Province of Manitoba;
Mavis McRae, Entrepreneur in
Residence with the Stu Clark
Centre for Entrepreneurship; and
Stuart Henrickson, Executive
Director of the Stu Clark Centre
for Entrepreneurship.
“We were extremely impressed
by the depth of research and vision
exhibited by the presenters and
the viability of each of the championship round concepts,” says
Henrickson. “There is no doubt
that we have some exceptional
student businesses coming out of
the University of Manitoba.”
On March 26, six winners chosen
from the nation-wide competitions
will rendezvous in Ottawa and
battle it out for the national title.
See us in action by visiting the Asper School of Business Media Centre
at umanitoba.ca/asper/mediacentre. View news and upcoming events. Explore the School’s leading-edge
research. Photo and video galleries showcase Asper faculty and students involved in their School and
their community. The Media Centre is also home to the online edition of Update from this and previous years.
Simon Burns
(right), winner of
the 2012 Wes Nicol
Entrepreneurial
Competition, is
stoked to receive
his prize from judge
Stuart Henrickson,
Executive Director
of the Stu Clark
Centre for
Entrepreneurship.
2012 Asper Co-op
Student of the Year
winner Mariya
Kuzura (right) with
Dean Michael
Benarroch.
Celebrating Co-op
N
ow in its sixth year,
the Asper Co-operative
Education Program is
thriving, thanks to strong partnerships with leading businesses in
Manitoba and across the country.
The idea behind co-op is simple:
connect students with valuable,
paid work experience while they’re
still in school. The result? A richer
learning experience for students,
and a chance for employers to have
For more information, contact:
Judy Wilson, Director
Marketing & Communications
a direct hand in training Manitoba’s
future business leaders.
At the recent Celebrating Co-op
event, second-year Marketing
student Mariya Kuzura was named
Co-op Student of the Year for her
incredible work as a Marketing
Associate in the Manitoba HVDC
Research Centre, a division of
Manitoba Hydro International (MHI).
Initially hired to research Eastern
Europe as a potential market for
MHI products and services, Kuzura
went well beyond the call of duty to
make her first co-op term a success.
Using her business, marketing and
language skills, she identified key
companies and contacts for MHI.
Then, on a site visit to Russia, Kuzura
proved an invaluable member of
the team by providing translation
services and helping to establish and
consolidate MHI’s relationships
with their new partners in Moscow.
204.474.8960
[email protected]
@ asperschool
umanitoba.ca/asper
She received compliments from
both parties for her insightful
translations and diplomacy, as well
as her marketing skills in a highly
technical field.
Roberta Desserre, Managing
Director of the HVDC Research
Centre, describes Kuzura’s performance as “extremely admirable for
a technical person many years her
senior and is phenomenal for someone of her age and experience.”
The idea behind co-op is
simple: connect students
with valuable, paid work
experience while they’re
still in school.
With Kuzura’s help, MHI may
soon be realizing sales in a region
where they previously had limited
exposure and success.
Not one but several Asper
students nominated The North
West Company as Asper Co-op
Employer of the Year. The North
West Company has been a staunch
supporter of Asper Co-op since
the program’s inception in 2007.
As a result of their continued
commitment to the program,
Asper students have a great deal
to say about the positive corporate
culture and business practices
that have made their experiences
with this company an integral
part of their growth as young
business professionals.
Design: Flamingo Design
The North West
Company, winner
of the 2012 Asper
Co-op Employer
of the Year Award.
Left to right: Darcie
Gault (Manager,
Corporate Human
Resources at
The North West
Company), Vanessa
Breland and
Courtney Thomson
(Asper Co-op
students), and Gail
Chevalier (Director,
Corporate Human
Resources and Giant
Tiger at The North
West Company)
ASPER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Writing: Ryan McBride
24