Beedie School of Business News

By Jevta Lukic

As the Vancouver Canucks hockey franchise continues to succeed on the ice, it is the business stories around their march to the Stanley Cup finals that have caught the attention of Beedie School of Business professors, who have weighed in with national media outlets such as the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star on the team’s on- and off-ice rise.

While most fans are preoccupied with game-day strategy and the performance of stars like the Sedin twins, Ryan Kesler and Roberto Luongo, it is key business decisions and marketing savvy that have turned the Canucks into one of the most profitable franchises in the National Hockey League. And on the eve of the biggest hockey week in the history of Vancouver, the business side of the Canucks story is finally getting its due.

Speaking with The Globe and Mail this past Saturday, Beedie School of Business marketing professor Lindsay Meredith commended the team’s culturally all-inclusive marketing strategy.

“Traditionally, I don’t think you see the hockey advertisers try to play an ethnic card. They tend to go to the much safer, ubiquitous Canadian population in total,” he said.

The success of the Canucks’ reach can be observed with a quick glance at the diverse crowd that fills Rogers Arena, the Canucks’ home venue, for every game – the result of laudable marketing strategy according to Meredith.

“We’ve got a rule – if you take off after a new market niche, are you going to alienate an existing market niche, who thinks that product no longer belongs to them? Much safer to go for broad-based consumer-type products, where everybody has their hands on it,” said Meredith.

Steven Kates, an associate professor of marketing at SFU’s Beedie School, discussed with The Toronto Star on May 25 whether the high levels of civic pride are sustainable in Vancouver. “Unlike Toronto, Boston and Montreal, Vancouver hasn’t had a long rivalry with another team. Right now there’s more civic pride, more energy out there and people are feeling good. But like the Olympics, when it’s over, things will go back to the way it was before,” Kates said.

As it turns out, even the most sophisticated marketing machine or highest level of civic engagement will not help long-term unless the team plays well on the ice. As Meredith told The Globe and Mail earlier this week in a separate piece about the organization’s marketing strategy, “The best marketing in the world is called a winning team. Marketing a team that loses all the time is like trying to put lipstick on a pig.”

It’s not just the Canucks franchise that has come under the lens of business academics at SFU. Earlier this year, Beedie professors Peter Tingling and Michael Brydon delivered a presentation on NHL drafting at the The MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston. Their presentation, concerning research entitled “Does Decision Order Matter? An Empirical Analysis of the NHL Draft” focused on decision theory when examining NHL drafts from 1995 through 2003, and it revealed just how random the results of the NHL draft tend to be.

Their findings, according to Canada’s national sporting network TSN, suggest that “while some teams may hold an advantage in early rounds, a lot of teams do no better than random chance at the draft table and, even without advanced statistical measures being utilized, could be improved upon simply with better decision-making processes.”

To celebrate the Vancouver Canucks’ historic Stanley Cup run, hockey fans at Simon Fraser University are invited to watch the games on large screens at SFU’s Burnaby campus (in the academic quadrangle, Room B9200) or at SFU Surrey’s Central City outdoor plaza.

by Jevta Lukic

Maxim Doroshenko, a full-time MBA student at Simon Fraser University, finished first in the 2011 Paul Keres Memorial Chess Tournament held in Vancouver from May 20-23, cementing his position as British Columbia’s reigning chess champion, and one of the elite chess players in North America. The 36th annual chess tournament – hosted both in Vancouver, Canada at the River Rock Casino and in Tallinn, Estonia – drew 35 players in the open section.

Participating in the Keres Memorial Tournament for the first time, Doroshenko edged out his competition in four rounds, and finished with a draw in three others, to ultimately tie for top billing along with the ten-time champion of the tournament, Georgi Orlov. Orlov, from Seattle, has competed in the last sixteen Keres tournaments, and has won the Keres a record ten times.

Doroshenko is no stranger to success himself – whether it is on the chessboard or off. The Moldova-born Ukrainian has played in four world championships previously and holds the title of national chess master. Doroshenko has seen impressive success in Canada as well, finishing in first place at the 2011 BC Active Chess Championship.

According to the British Columbia Chess Federation, the chess master’s big win at the Keres tournament will put him among the country’s elite. “Doroshenko’s performance at the Keres should qualify him for the FM title when the next FIDE ratings list comes out,” reported the Federation’s Bulletin newsletter. “He also takes the Keres qualifying spot for the next B.C. Championship.”

Off the chessboard and before moving to Canada to pursue his MBA at Simon Fraser University, the ever-entrepreneurial Doroshenko had started his first business— a grocery store in the city of Balti – at the young age of 18.

Upon graduation from Moldova State University, he moved to Khanty-Mansiysk, an oil-boom town in the Russian territory of Siberia, where he launched a technology company focused on building systems for utilities.

The enthusiast of the Royal Game is completing his full-time MBA at the Beedie School of Business, focusing on strategy, marketing, and management information systems.

Doroshenko also lends his talents to charitable efforts. In April of 2011, Doroshenko hosted a simultaneous chess exhibition at the Segal Graduate School during the Charity Chess Competition, presented by SFU’s chapter of Net Impact – an organization that strives to advocate for responsible business practices that have positive environmental, social, and economic impacts.

Ultimately, he has found a way to marry his passion for business and entrepreneurship with his lifelong talent in chess. “I believe chess can play a big strategic role in helping me achieve my business career goals in Canada. When I moved here, nobody knew me,” says Doroshenko. “But since resuming competitive chess playing, I now get lots of emails from chess amateurs and many invites to events. Chess is one of the best ways I can connect with people and build my business network.”

More information about the 2011 Paul Keres Memorial Tournament can be found online at http://www.chess.bc.ca/Bulletins/BCCFBulletin216.pdf

Related:
Turning checkmate into a business winner

Canada.com: Using chess as business strategy

by Jevta Lukic

When five undergraduate students — Alice Chen, Matt Armstrong, Joanne Chen, Robbie Hsieh, and Justin Findlay — enrolled in the fourth year class “Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation” at the Beedie School of Business, they had little idea that their final class project would propel them onto the real-world business stage.

As part of their class assignment, the students started an innovative, market-oriented social venture with a goal to providing people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with meaningful employment opportunities. These aspiring change makers, who worked under the aptly-titled team name “Aspire”, leveraged the characteristics of autism as a competitive advantage in the software testing industry. The result: Their venture will build a qualified network of software testers and match those individuals with employment contracts in the industry.

By doing so, they have shown a unique sensitivity and understanding of the uniqueness of autism. The innovative idea is based on the premise that high-functioning individuals with ASD are well suited for code verification software testing.

“We did not think of individuals with ASD as having negative traits, but rather as positive traits that can be used for software testing,” said Robbie Hsieh, one of the Team Aspire members and project co-founders. “We did not see it as a liability in the workplace, but rather as a unique opportunity.”

During their preliminary research, the students had located a similar venture in Denmark, which offered them support and guidance throughout their project. “We had to do a lot of testing of our ideas to see if they would actually be feasible,” said Hsieh. “We talked to the Autism Society of British Columbia and they were interested in working with us.”

The idea also resonated with the local business community. Team Aspire’s project took the top prize at Opportunity Fest- a Beedie School of Business entrepreneurship competition held at SFU’s Surrey campus. Judges from the wider business community, including academics and prominent industry leaders, named Aspire’s project as best among more than 50 student participants at the marketplace-style exhibition.

The ambitious project is a testament to the SFU class “Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation”, which aims to teach students to design sustainable, market oriented, and socially impactful ventures. “More than just community engagement I think it is entirely critical to instill a sense of responsibility, and possibility, in our emerging leaders,” said Shawn Smith, who teaches in the class and is a cofounder of Global Agents- a United Nations recognized organization that finds sustainable strategies to combat global poverty.

“Simon Fraser University has a lot of opportunities for students to engage with local organizations and projects in ways that both draw the school closer to the communities its rooted in, and create real value for both the partners and students.”

Moving forward, Hsieh says that two members of the original project group, Alice Chen and himself, are currently launching the pilot project. “We are taking the next steps and talking with different software companies and the Autism Agency of British Columbia to see if they would be interested in starting this project with us,” said Hsieh.

“The community helps the business, so it only makes sense that business should give back to the community. I think every business should give back to the community.”

Contact:
Jeffery Nehajowich, Simon Fraser University
grad-business@sfu.ca – 778.782.5013

An upcoming information session hosted by Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business at the Segal Graduate School on June 7 will showcase the business school’s acclaimed Management of Technology MBA program to prospective students.

The Management of Technology MBA is a focused MBA program that serves two sectors, technology and biotechnology. By design, the program blends current academic theory with practical application. Core courses, taken by all students, include cases and examples from both sectors, while specialized courses stream students into their specific area of interest.

Students acquire the business expertise to effectively manage products, people and organizations as they transition from scientific or technological roles into managerial positions or, as managers, enhance their understanding of the unique demands of those sectors.

The program was designed with the participation of industry, and maintains its currency through relationships with industry advisors and guest speakers from the technology and biotechnology sectors.

The Management of Technology MBA is a part-time, 24-month program, delivered on Monday and Wednesday evenings at the Segal Graduate School in downtown Vancouver. The part-time format enables students to continue to keep pace with technology and maintain both salary and position, while broadening their understanding of business as it applies to their industry.

The Beedie School’s internationally recognized professors teach, research and work with technology. Students learn from a mix of lectures, case studies as well as individual and team-based projects that focus on real business challenges faced by organizations in technology.

Applications are still being accepted for September 2011 enrolment.

To register for the June 7 event, or for more details about the program, visit beedie.sfu.ca/segal

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The Beedie School of Business’s Student Investment Advisory Service (SIAS) fund, Canada’s largest student-run fund, is hosting a public showcase highlighting SIAS’s first quarter performance, as well as the fund’s current economic and market outlook.

The fund’s performance review will be held on Friday, May 27, 2011 at 3:00 PM at the Metropolitan Hotel in Vancouver. The SIAS presentation will be followed by a keynote address from one of the recently named Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, and a wine and cheese reception.

The SIAS Fund is Canada’s largest student-run investment fund, and is one of the largest such funds in North America. Fully managed by student volunteers of the Master of Financial Risk Management program at the Beedie School of Business, the fund has an impressive annual return of 9.9% and has seen astounding growth from $7 million to the current market-value of $10.8 million in the last seven years.

The SIAS Fund’s First Quarter Performance review will include a keynote address from the President and CEO of Kinsale Private Wealth- Margaret Franklin. Ms. Franklin is also the Chair of the board of governors of the global CFA Institute, is a past president of the Toronto CFA Society, and is a CFA charterholder. Ms. Franklin was recently named as one of Canada’s Most Poswerful Women Top 100.

The wine and cheese reception will also include guests from RBC, Orbis mutual Fund, HSBC, BMO, PI Financial, TD Bank Financial Group.

The SIAS fund has recently earned an impressive second place finish in the balanced fund division at the student investment fund competition in Dayton, Ohio. The prestigious competition was a component of the world’s largest student investment conference, R.I.S.E XI, which drew over 40 different student-run investment portfolios from North America.

The SFU SIAS fund wishes to cordially invite you to attend its 2011 Q1 performance review presentation. The event RSVP and more information can be found online at: http://www.beedie.sfu.ca/sias/Q1-2001_invite.php.

Colin Campbell, who recently completed his doctorate in business administration at the Beedie School of Business and is now a marketing lecturer at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, has been selected as the 2011 recipient of the prestigious Simon Fraser University Dean of Graduate Studies Convocation Medal.

The Dean’s Medal recognizes the graduating students from each faculty that place in the top five percent of their class based on their cumulative grade point averages.

Campbell, who also completed his Bachelor of Business Administration at Simon Fraser University, conducted extensive research with faculty supervisor and Beedie marketing professor Leyland Pitt and other Beedie professors in the effects and implications of consumer generated advertising and social media.

Campbell has been published in several peer-reviewed journals and has presented at numerous international conferences. Recent research looked into the new wave of consumers who tinker and alter their products, including proprietary technology offerings such as the iPhone. Another study, published in the spring issue of Journal of Advertising and entitled, Understanding Consumer Conversations Around Ads in a Web 2.0 World, shows how conversations around ads in digital media can be mapped and interpreted.

At Simon Fraser University,  Campbell was the recipient of other noteworthy honours including the Social Sciences Research Council of Canada PhD Fellowship and the Simon Fraser University Graduate Fellowship Award.

Pooria Assadi, a doctoral student at Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business, is the 2011-2012 recipient of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) doctoral fellowship. The SSHRC fellowship is for $20,000 during the current academic year and $20,000 for 2012-2013.

Pooria completed his Bachelor of Science program in Industrial Engineering at Iran University of Science and Technology. He then completed his Master of Applied Science program at the University of British Columbia. Pooria’s Master’s research focused on information technology investment decision making, which set the stage for his joining the Beedie School of Business. Since coming to Simon Fraser University, Pooria’s research interests have evolved to a general interest in strategy and organizational theory, and in particular firm-level innovation and governance.

Pooria has published a number of papers in peer-reviewed journals and has presented his research at several academic conferences. At the January-held Innovation Conference hosted by the CMA Centre for Strategic Change and Performance Measurement, he presented his work on the density dependency of organizational innovations.

Throughout his studies, Pooria has received several awards and scholarships in recognition of his research and academic excellence. Particularly, Pooria is the recipient of the Duncan Jean McEachran Memorial Prize in Canadian Business, which recognizes his contributions to Canadian business research.

An upcoming breakfast information session hosted by Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business on June 2 will give would-be EMBA students detailed information about the flagship business program, as well as the school’s new stream of the program, the Executive MBA for the Americas.

Starting in August 2011, 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.

In addition to SFU, participating schools include:

FIA Business School, Fundacao Instituto De Administracao, Sao Paulo, Brazil
ITAM, Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
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.

Students will take their first year courses with their SFU cohort. 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 course work, observe 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:

• Beginning in Canada, the Americas MBA candidates get to know each other through courses, readings and exercises on cross-cultural communications, global business strategy and international human relations management. 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, corporate social responsibility, and emerging markets strategies for bottom-of-the-pyramid markets.
• From there it’s on to Mexico City, where the Americas MBA participants tackle the topics of international competitiveness, 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 new ventures within organizations or as entrepreneurs and how to nurture innovation.

To register for the breakfast information event, click here

by Jevta Lukic

MAASTRICHT, The Netherlands — A team of Beedie School of Business undergraduate students — Flora Lee, Darren Moens, Jaspreet Singh, and Larisa Topalo — has garnered a notable Top-3 placing at the prestigious International Case Competition, recently held at the Maastricht University School of Business and Economics.

The SFU team competing under the name Audacia (meaning “daring, audacious, and bold”) earned an impressive top divisional spot and an overall bronze placing among 16 leading universities from Singapore, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, Italy, Germany and The Netherlands.

“The caliber of students was really high,” said Flora Lee, one of the SFU competitors. “It was a really rewarding experience to compete against some of the top business students in the world.”

The International Case Competition @ Maastricht (ICC@M) is an annual business case competition that challenges students to solve real-life business issues. This year, from May 8 to 13, ICC@M brought 64 top students from 16 business schools worldwide to the competition in Maastricht. The students completed two three-hour business cases and one 24-hour long case and presented their recommendations to a panel of judges comprised of business academics, leaders, and executives.

The SFU team’s 24-hour case involved one of the world’s largest pension funds, and the team tackled questions about their investments and corporate social responsibility obligations.

“The team was everything I expected them to be and more,” said Peter Tingling, Beedie School of Business professor and Team Audacia’s coach. “They rose to the occasion with analysis that was comprehensive and acute. I have seen many top quality case competitions and leading teams from around the world and the SFU team was very easily at home.”

In emerging as the top school in Division B, the Beedie School ousted teams from the University of South Wales,
Queensland University of Technology and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

“All of the cases were real-life business issues and the company’s representatives were there as judges,” said Lee. “It was quite motivating to think that that the executives could be inspired by our own ideas.”

The SFU Beedie School of Business team’s final round presentation can be viewed online at http://iccmaastricht.virb.com/