Beedie School of Business News

by Jevta Lukic As Twitter and Facebook increasingly become topics of conversation in many company boardrooms, undergraduate business students at SFU’s Beedie School of Business are also focusing on social networking in a management context. This fall, they will enjoy a unique course offering that explores the intersection of social media and business strategy. Entitled Business 495: Social Media & Business, the course strives to develop students’ understanding of how social media is used by individuals, communities, and organizations to engage with one another and develop innovative business models. Keep reading…

Tags: Ashish Gurung, BBA, Facebook, Jan Kietzmann, management information systems, social media, Twitter

SFU, Milan’s Università Bocconi team up to learn about B.C.’s fashion-design industry

by Brian Morton, Vancouver Sun

VANCOUVER – So what can Vancouver teach a group of business students from Italy’s fashion capital, Milan, about the fashion industry?

A lot, apparently. Keep reading…

Tags: fashion design, fashion retail, Italian business, Management of Fashion Companies, Universita Bocconi

by Jevta Lukic

As six professional opera singers erupted in a surprise performance at Vancouver’s Granville Island Market last June – a scene akin to the Flash Mob viral videos that are so popular on YouTube – researchers from the Beedie School of Business were quietly deconstructing the scene as part of a wider academic study. The field experiment was organized by Philip Grant, an operatic tenor and then-MBA student at SFU’s Beedie School of Business, to study the influence of an operatic Flash Mob on consumer behaviour and experience. Keep reading…

Tags: consumer behaviour research, flash mob

A new video-based social media campaign from Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business will underscore the rich student life that flourishes at the West Coast institution. The initiative, entitled Experience Beedie, will deliver video profiles of Beedie undergraduate and graduate students to venues such as YouTube and Facebook. Keep reading…

Tags: Experience Beedie, student profile

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

Undergraduate students from SFU’s Beedie School of Business and Italy’s Università Bocconi from the fashion capital of Milan joined forces to engage with iconic Canadian retailer Holt Renfrew on July 20. Holt’s, as it is often referred to as, is a chain of high-end department stores located across Canada. The chain was founded in 1837 in Quebec City. Keep reading…

Tags: branding, Holt Renfrew, luxury retailing, management of fashion design, Marketing

Tags: BBA certificate, Business Technology Management, management information systems, technology

Jack Austin, namesake of the Jack Austin Centre for Asia Pacific Business Studies at the Beedie School of Business, wrote the following op-ed for the Vancouver Sun on July 19 – highlighting the importance of an Asia-Pacific strategy for Canada’s government and industry leaders.

The Jack Austin Centre for Asia Pacific Business Studies at SFU — in partnership with the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada – was named to recognize Jack Austin’s exceptional contribution to Canada-Asia relations. The goal of the centre is to carry out research, outreach and training activities on business issues that are relevant to Canada’s interests in the Asia Pacific region.

Too few Canadians consider this a Pacific nation, but it’s time we re-evaluate where we belong

by Jack Austin, Vancouver Sun

It’s time that our provinces got serious about Asia, and the premiers’ meeting in Vancouver, July 20-22, called the Council of the Federation, provides a great opportunity. At a recent speech in Toronto, Premier Christy Clark showed her strategic focus. Addressing the Economic Club of Toronto, she talked of trade and investment opportunity with Asia as a major economic growth and job-creating value for Canada and in particular for those provinces prepared to act on their special competitive advantage.

Keep reading…

Tags: Asia Pacific, Canadian economy, Council of the Federation, economic growth

What started as a school assignment has turned into a sporting drive to help families in need. Five SFU Beedie School of Business students in a project management class came up with the idea to hold a sporting drive. The students are Adam Fong, Charles Lui, Emily Shen, Jethro Rocillo and Louis Lam.

“So many people are supportive of this,” said organizer Emily Shen.

Keep reading…

Tags: donations, project management

Political party campaigners and public relations pros should take note.

Context, it turns out, is everything when it comes to politicians’ sex scandals and the impact of editorial cartoons that reflect the public’s reaction to them. A recent study from Simon Fraser University shows that political cartoons – pervasive in newspapers and increasingly social media channels such as blogs and YouTube – serve as a reflection of public sentiment in the wake of such scandals. They can be a valuable source of information to those who direct and manage individual political brands and guide their campaigns and careers. As a gauge of public reaction, they are for better or worse influenced by the unique circumstances of each scandal. Keep reading…

Tags: branding, cartoons, Marketing, politics, public opinion