Beedie School of Business News

Beedie School of Business alumna Salina Siu has been shortlisted for Tourism Australia’s The Best Jobs in the World competition.

Beedie School of Business alumna Salina Siu has been given an opportunity all graduates seek – the chance to land her dream job.

Siu is one of 150 people selected from over 600,000 applicants to advance to the second round of Tourism Australia’s The Best Jobs in the World competition. With six positions available, Siu is the only Canadian to make the 25-person shortlist for the Chief Funster position.

The Chief Funster position is based in Sydney and requires the winner to attend and review all the festivals and events the city has to offer over the course of the six-month assignment. The position comes with a $50,000 (AUS) salary, along with an additional $50,000 (AUS) to cover expenses.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and would be a crazy adventure,” says Siu, who previously served as social media intern in the Beedie School’s marketing department as well as stints with Invoke Media and SAP. “I am so passionate about social media, and to work in this field in such a great environment would be an amazing experience.” Keep reading…

Tags: AIESEC SFU, Alumni, Andrew Petter, BBA, Beedie School of Business, best job in the world, Chief Funster, communications, entrepreneurship, Invoke Media, Marketing, Salina Siu, SAP, sfu, social media, Tourism Australia, YouTube

Beedie School of Business assistant professor Stephanie Bertels has assembled a working group of companies to collaborate on a three-year project on embedding sustainability into organizational cultures.

Organizations in a number of business sectors are still struggling to embed sustainability into their culture. While this is not a challenge that will be accomplished overnight, it is one that Beedie School of Business assistant professor Stephanie Bertels is attempting to unravel.

Bertels has a long-standing interest in sustainability, specifically how organizations can develop and implement innovative strategies for a sustainable future. Her latest research has resulted in tangible outcomes that are already helping organizations achieve their goals. What makes this even more impressive is that the research is still in its early stages.

In partnership with the Network for Business Sustainability (NBS), Bertels has assembled a new working group of companies to collaborate on a three-year project on embedding sustainability into organizational cultures. According to Bertels, “not only is the research novel, but the process being used to undertake the research is extremely novel.” Keep reading…

Tags: Beedie School of Business, Bentall Kennedy, Cenovus, ConocoPhillips Canada, embedding sustainability, Farm Credit Canada, Ideas@Beedie, Lanxess Canada, Network for Business Sustainability, organizational culture, Research, sfu, SSHRC, Stephanie Bertels, Suncor, sustainability, Sustainalytics, TD Bank, Teck, Walmart

Jennifer Weintraub (left), CA Recruiter, and Katie Hensrud, Business Development Officer at CMA, were at the Business Career Expo to raise awareness of the new Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation.

For Business Career Expo 2013 Platinum Sponsors, the Chartered Accountants & Certified Management Accountants of BC, the event offered more than the chance to talk to some enthusiastic students about employment opportunities. It allowed them to spread the word about a new accounting designation – one that will soon become the preeminent program in Canada when it launches later this year.

The new Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation is the result of a forthcoming merger between two existing accounting designations, the Chartered Accountants (CA) and the Certified Management Accountants (CMA).

“The CPA Professional Education Program (CPA PEP) will take the best elements of the existing programs to create a flexible program that will be internationally recognized,” says Katie Hensrud, Business Development Officer at CMA. “Students will come out of CPA PEP with an excellent understanding of all facets of business – they will be well-rounded individuals and business leaders, well equipped to work in both public practice and in industry.” Keep reading…

Tags: Beedie School of Business, Business Career Expo, CA, Certified Management Accountants, Chartered Accountants, Chartered Professional Accountant, CMA, CPA, CPA Professional Education Program, sfu, UBC, UVic

The latest ScienceDirect ranking of business, management and accounting research sees Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business leading the field in social media research.

The ranking lists the 25 Hottest Articles in business, management and accounting, and includes two research articles from Beedie School of Business faculty, both of which focus on the topic of social media.

Ranked in the top three three in the list is the article, “Social Media? Get Serious! Understanding the Functional Building Blocks of Social Media”. The research states that understanding social media is becoming an increasing priority for managers, and was authored by the Beedie team of Jan Kietzmann, Ian McCarthy, Kristopher Hermkens and Bruno Silvestre.

Meanwhile, at number 16 in the rankings is the article, “Marketing meets Web 2.0, social media, and creative consumers: Implications for international marketing strategy”. The article was authored by Leyland Pitt, Kirk Plangger and Daniel Shapiro from the Beedie School of Business, and Pierre Berthon from Bentley University’s McCallum Graduate School of Management, and reveals how international marketers can harness social media in today’s evolving marketing landscape. Keep reading…

Tags: 25 Hottest Articles, accounting, Beedie School of Business, Bruno Silvestre, business, Business Insider, Daniel Shapiro, engagement, Ian McCarthy, Jan Kietzmann, Kirk Plangger, Klout, Kristopher Hermkens, Leyland Pitt, management, McCallum Graduate School of Management, Pierre Berthon, Research, ScienceDirect, sfu, social media

Claudia Hepburn, executive director & co-founder of The Next 36, and Andrew Petter, President of Simon Fraser University.

Simon Fraser University has become an official academic partner of The Next 36, Canada’s leading undergraduate entrepreneurship development program.

The partnership further solidifies SFU’s reputation as a Canadian leader in fostering entrepreneurship and innovation, and for developing the next generation of founders and leaders of new ventures.

As academic partner of The Next 36, SFU will support the organization’s vision of increasing Canadian prosperity through the creation of high impact entrepreneurs, and encourage its top student innovators to be part of The Next 36 program.

Each year, 36 of Canada’s most promising undergraduate students are chosen from across the country to participate in The Next 36 program.

The program provides its entrepreneurs with mentorship from some of Canada’s top business leaders, access to funding from Venture Capitalists, and academic instruction from some of the world’s leading business experts.  Keep reading…

Tags: Andrew Petter, Beedie School of Business, business leaders, business venture, Claudia Hepburn, entrepreneurship, experiential learning, innovation, Jessica Fan, Ken Spencer Entrepreneur Incubator, Mentorship, Michael Cheng, Penyo Pal, sfu, Simon Fraser University, Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator, start-ups, The Next 36, Venture Connection

Blaize Horner Reich, the RBC Professor of Technology and Innovation at SFU’s Beedie School of Business, has been chosen as a 2013 recipient of Business in Vancouver’s Influential Women in Business award.

The Influential Women in Business (IWIB) awards are presented to women in BC who are leaders in their industry and the business community at large, who are in charge of corporate entities and not-for-profit organizations and who commit time and resources to mentor other women in business.

An internationally respected researcher and speaker, Reich joined the Beedie School of Business in 1991 after 15 years working as an IT professional and industry consultant in both Canada and Asia.

“Receiving the Influential Women in Business award is a real honour, both for me and for the Beedie School of Business,” says Reich. “My work at the Beedie School enables me to engage with external communities, making my research more relevant and allowing practitioners to learn from it. Mentoring is common practice at Beedie, so by working with women in business and academia I am just carrying on the school’s tradition.” Keep reading…

Tags: award, Beedie School of Business, Blaize Horner Reich, Business in Vancouver, Business Technology Management, Canadian Coalition for Tomorrow, CIO Association of Canada, Industrial Alliance Pacific Insurance and Financial Services, Information and Communications Technology Sector Council, IT, IWIB, mentoring, RBC Professor of Technology and Innovation, Research, sfu, Thrifty Foods

Rosanne Wan, Manager of Student Engagement and Recruitment at the Beedie School of Business, has been awarded the prestigious AIESEC Canada Lewis Perinbam Alumni Award at the AIESEC Canada 2013 National Congress.

The Lewis Perinbam Alumni award is presented each year to the most passionate and helpful mentor in AIESEC Canada. Wan was nominated for the award based on her passion and commitment to the growth of the SFU chapter, and was presented with the award at the annual AIESEC Canada National Congress, hosted in Edmonton on January 3.

A Beedie School of Business alumna, Wan has been involved with AIESEC for over a decade, acting as Local Committee President of the SFU chapter during her studies, and currently acts as advisor to the SFU chapter.

“It was through my participation with AIESEC as a student that I discovered my career in international education and student development, so AIESEC is an organization that I hold very dearly to my heart,” said Wan. “It is wonderful to be recognized for providing guidance to the current members of SFU AIESEC and enabling them to carry on the good work of the organization that has meant so much to me.” Keep reading…

Tags: AIESEC, AIESEC Canada National Congress, Beedie School of Business, experiential learning, Lewis Perinbam, Rosanne Wan, sfu, student club

The 2013 Beedie School of Business JDC West team

SFU’s Beedie School of Business captured the Academic School of the Year award at the prestigious JDC West case competition, held from January 18 to 20 at the University of British Columbia, edging out stiff competition from 11 other leading Canadian business schools to claim the title. The Academic School of the Year award is presented to the team which achieves the highest overall finish in the JDC West competition’s ten academic categories.

In addition, the Beedie School of Business placed third in the School of the Year category and enjoyed further significant success in the individual competition categories, taking first place in the International Business and Finance competitions; second place in the Management Information Systems, Business Strategy, Human Resources and Taxation categories; and third place in both Accounting and Debate.

“The success our 2013 JDC West team enjoyed is a tremendous achievement and reflects the well-rounded attributes of our undergraduate students and the alumni coaches who supported them,” said Andrew Gemino, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs.

“Competing with so many other top business schools and being named Academic School of the Year is a testament to the quality of education our students receive at the Beedie School of Business. The students, coaches and staff that supported this effort can be rightly proud of their success.” Keep reading…

Tags: Academic School of the Year, accounting, Amit Bhagat, Andrew Gemino, BBA, Beedie School of Business, Business Strategy, Case competition, case competitions, competition, Dean’s Circle, Debate, finance, human resources, international business, JDC West, Jeux du Commerce West Business Competition, Joel Thom, KPMG, management information systems, Maney Grewal, Sean Peters, sfu, SFU Beedie, Simon Fraser University, Student Engagement Office, Taxation, UBC, undergraduate, University of British Columbia

The following article was published by the Province on January 17, 2013

BY SAM COOPER, THE PROVINCE

Saltworks Technologies co-founders Ben Sparrow, left, and Joshua Zoshi are making waste water usable.

Firm’s desalination process making a splash

A unique contest for tech startups in B.C. is getting credit for fostering innovation and catalyzing some major success stories.

The BCIC New Ventures Competition runs annually from April to September, giving entrants a chance to move through stages to meet a final jury that somewhat resembles the panel of venture capitalists in CBC’s popular Dragon’s Den series.

Entrants attend a nine-week seminar series and, as they advance through a four-round contest, receive coaching and mentorship.

Since starting in 2001, the contest has helped create 3,170 jobs and about $200 million in revenue from successful entrants, according to a new report from SFU’s Beedie School of Business.

Compared to Dragon’s Den’s glammed-up version of a high-pressure pitch to powerful venture capitalists, the BCIC contest judges are far more “nice and constructive,” BCIC program manager Angie Schick said with a laugh, in an interview.

Every year about 170 hopefuls enter the contest, and finalists get chances to tap B.C.’s venture-capital community. Schick points to successful finalists like the founders of Saltworks Technologies — which won the contest in 2008 — and top-10 finisher Jason Richards of Vineyard Networks, who just inked a $28-million deal to sell his “real time” network analytics technology to Procera Networks in San Diego. Keep reading…

Tags: Alumni, BCIC, Beedie School of Business, Ben Sparrow, business innovation, business venture, desalination, Dragon's Den, entrepreneurship, Joshua Zoshi, Managemet of Technology MBA, MBA, MOT MBA, New Ventures Competition, Saltworks, sfu, Simon Fraser University, startup, The Province

From left to right: Former Canadian Senator Jack Austin with Yuen Pau Woo, President and CEO of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, speaking at the recent symposium on the Role of State-Owned Enterprises in Canada, hosted by the Beedie School of Business in partnership with the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.

Opinion: Issue of state-owned enterprises erratic, unpredictable.

By Jack Austin, Vancouver Sun

Tags: Beedie School of Business, Canadian oilsands, CNOOC, FDI, foreign direct investment, government policy, Harper Doctrine, Harper government, Jack Austin, Jack Austin Centre for Asia Pacific Business Studies, natural resources, Nexen, sfu, SOEs, state-owned enterprises, sustainability