Research
What About Consumer Responsibility?
Jul 3, 2008
Along with the recent sales figures from the automotive makers, we hear lots about how consumers are choosing more fuel-efficient vehicles and abandoning the larger car, SUV and truck markets. Proponents of a corporate social responsibility point to Toyota surpassing GM in worldwide auto sales (and the imminent naming to the top spot in American auto sales) as a testament to the “green” strategies of the firm. Isn’t Toyota such as wonderful friend of the more »More...
Two Solitudes – Measuring The Financial Impacts from Sustainability
Jul 3, 2008
In companies across Canada there are two camps when it comes to the social and environmental responsibilities of the firm. In the one camp there are zealots for sustainability. These individuals often advocate sustainability investments as essential to the firm’s long-term survival. They often have expertise in environmental management, community relations, with some even joining the organization from the nonprofit sector. Unfortunately, these advocates can be completely lacking in experience with financial management. Many students more »More...
Liberalising Foreign Direct Investment: What will this Mean for Innovation, Corporate Governance and Risk Management in Canada
Jun 30, 2008
Following a significant number of high profile takeovers of longstanding Canadian corporate personalities and growing concerns about ongoing ‘hollowing out’ of the Canadian economy, the government commissioned a panel to review its competition and foreign direct investment policies. The Competition Policy Review Panel has recently released its results. The Report and its recommendations focus on three areas: liberalizing foreign investment rules, streamlining the competition regulation regime, and promoting a globally competitive business environment.With this focus, more »More...
Blaize Horner Reich with “Best Paper of 2007”
Jun 25, 2008
Professor Blaize Reich’s paper in the Project Management Journal titled “Managing knowledge and Learning in IT projects: a conceptual framework and guidelines for practice” has been selected as the best paper of 2007.More...
Is Shutting Down GM’s SUV Line an Exercise in Corporate Responsibility?
Jun 24, 2008
On 3 June 2008 General Motors announced that it would close four of its truck plants and move away from building SUVs. On 23 June it amended this to 7 plants. The move was said to be in order to adjust cost structures in line with GM’s energy-efficient competitors in Japan and, from a public relations perspective, looked responsive to mounting concerns over global warming. The market welcomed the news by briefly halting the share more »More...
The Bell Tolls: And It’s Unanimous
Jun 20, 2008
The Supreme Court of Canada released its decision today and sided with BCE, its shareholders and directors. In a unanimous decision (7-0), the Court overturned the decision of the Quebec Court of Appeal which had overturned the decision of the lower court and its approval of the BCE plan of arrangement for a leveraged buyout. Though the reasons for the decision will not come for a couple of weeks, the BCE shareholders are happy, the more »More...
Governance and Risk Management in Global Capital Markets: A New Problem or A Very Old One that Won’t Go Away?
Jun 13, 2008
As the capital markets stumble, burdened by their own apparent excessive risk appetite, there are many questions to ask. The first and most obvious question is how did this happen. Does the fault lie with inadequate regulation of the banking industry, inadequate internal monitoring and risk modeling among those who create and market risky financial instruments, the inherent flaws and risks in capitalism where high levels of risk are acceptable in the quest for high more »More...
2007 Douglas McGregor Award
May 31, 2008
A paper by Gervase Bushe (and co-author Graeme Coetzer) has been selected as the 2007 Douglas McGregor Award winner in the Journal of Applied Behavior Science.More...
THE POSITIONING OF GLOBAL 500 FIRMS’ VIRTUOUS CHARACTER: AMERICA, EUROPE AND ASIA
May 20, 2008
May 20, 2008 Faculty and Doctoral Seminal Dr Rosa Chun, Manchester Business School Rosa Chun is Professor of Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility at Manchester Business School in England. There, she founded the MSc in Corporate Communications and Reputation Management. She has published extensively on the topics of virtue ethics and corporate reputation in leading journals including Harvard Business Review, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Business Ethics, and Corporate Reputation more »More...
Michael Parent Interviewed for Article on Understanding Governance
May 13, 2008
IT governance is a complex beast. We take you through some of the legislation, standards and best practices By Danny Bradbury You run a bank and you are in a quandary. A new technology is emerging that will change the way customers interact with you; in the ’70s it may have been ATM cards, now perhaps it’s contactless payments, but in any case all the banks want to be first on the scene with this more »More...