Did you know 96% of CGA Alberta’s 347 newly designated members in 2012 enjoy positions like CFO, Vice President, Controller, Senior Manager, Director and Team Lead? Did you know these 414 new CGAs are employed with such organizations like EPCOR Utilities, Telus, ATB Financial, Agrium, Deloitte, Alberta Health Services and Talisman Energy? Alberta CGAs work in great jobs, enjoy great salaries and have great careers.
Find out why enrolling into the CGA Program of Professional Studies NOW will benefit you – contact us today! www.cga-alberta.org
We see more than numbers. We see success.
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“I had the same person int roduc clearly I did not leave a lastin e himself to me twice within 10 minutes g impression the first time around.”
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Congrats to NICOLE GELLNER, who was randomly selected as our DEC. Student Poll winner!
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Editors’ Note A Message from Your Editors
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BY KIRSTEN LEPAGE, ALEX MANOLII & JULIAN NG THE EDITORIAL TEAM
Happy New Year!
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elcome back to yet another semester at the Alberta School of Business. We hope you are all relaxed and ready to take on assignments, tests and those days when your caffeine intake seems to have hit dangerous levels; but, enough of the hard times ahead. What is there to look forward to this year?
connect students on campus; the University of Alberta Real Estate Club (UARC), one of the newer clubs to hit the Alberta SoB who arrives with the introduction of numerous real estate courses; and our Student Spotlight, Michael Fok, who not only possesses an impressive résumé of activities and skills, but who certainly has a very bright future.
In our January issue, we focus on just that: the excitement of a new year and a new semester where we can all start fresh. The issue begins with the return of our Student Poll and the introduction of additional writers and designers of the LF team who make your Lazy Faire study breaks possible! We then explore the standings for the Cohort Cup and reveal what the cohort captains have in store for first year students this upcoming semester. Next, we delve into the art of networking - more specifically, how to make a strong first impression and how to save face if an awkward situation arises!
In this first issue of 2013, you’ll also learn a little more about two BSA organized events: the Take a Student to Eat (TASTE) program and the fast-approaching BSA Elections. Before we leave you to take on another year, make sure to check out the bountiful resources available to you in the expanding business app world. You may just transform your Smartphone into a powerful tool to secure your next job!
In our reoccurring features that follow, you’ll learn about UniTea, a social initiative by one of our peers to
We, the Lazy Faire Editors, are incredibly proud to have brought you advice, information and entertainment this past year and hope that 2013 will continue to provide you with a little something extra. We thank you for tuning in and we wish you a wonderful new year!
I JAN STUDENT POLL
What are your New Year’s resolutions?
Head over to lazyfairemagazine. blogspot.ca and answer the poll for a chance to win a gift card for campus vendors and be featured in next month’s issue of Lazy Faire!
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Uni Tea
Find out how one entrepreneur is building a stronger community over a cup of tea
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Michael Fok
ICBC, AICC, EDGE, JDC, AEC -- Michael has seen it all and shares a few words of wisdom
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Business Briefcase We showcase a few tools that just might help manage your business life more effectively
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Getting to Know the Lazy Faire Team
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Student Spotlight: Michael Fok
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The Cohort Cup
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BSA Elections
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How to Be a Networking Queen/King
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A Little TASTE of the Future
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Community Center: Uni Tea
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The Business Briefcase
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Clubs’ Corner: Real Estate Club (UARC)
January 2013 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Kirsten LePage CONTENT EDITOR
Alex Manolii DESIGN EDITOR
Julian Ng SENIOR CONTRIBUTORS
Garry Deng Kristine Gu Sherin Kayat Braden Lauer Eileen Lee
Jessica Lee Rachel Lee Louis Liu Gabriel Nunes
PHOTOGRAPHY
DESIGN TEAM
ONLINE DIRECTOR
Colleen Do Shirley Du Ruby (Jing Ru) Gong Eileen Lee Felicia Liang David Ton-Lai Bonnie Truong Jenny Truong Jenny Wang Karolina Zheng
THANKS TO
Josh Le Ella Lin Carissa Tham
Alberta School of Business University of Alberta CONTACT US
lazyfaire@live.ca
Kristine Gu PRINTING THANKS TO
Diana Wyley Xerox Canada PUBLISHED BY
Business Students’ Association (BSA) bsaonline.ca
LazyFAIRE FOR AND BY BUSINESS STUDENTS
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Beer Olympics
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BEA Week of Welcome BSA Business Week BFA Mock Market Info Session
BSA General Meeting BBTC Weekly Public Speaking Meeting
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UAMA Lunch and Learn
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BBTC Guest Night - Discover UAMA Wine and Cheese Public Speaking BFA Mock Market Begins
Backstage Pass BBTC Weekly Public Speaking Meeting
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BEA Week of Welcome BBTC Weekly Public Speaking Meeting
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BEA Info Session
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BEA Week of Welcome BSA Business Week
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AIESEC National Congress
NEW Conference
BEA Info Session
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BEA Week of Welcome BSA Business Week
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AIESEC National Congress
NEW Conference BEA Ski Trip
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BFA Investors Bloomberg Help Session
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NEW Conference BEA Ski Trip
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BEA Week of Welcome BSA Business Week BFA Deloitte Coffee Drop-In
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NEW Conference BEA Ski Trip
P want more detail? Head over to bsaonline.ca for full event descriPTIONS, VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES, CLUB INFO AND MORE!
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LazyFAIRE
Please pass this copy on to a friend or to a table in Winspear to optimize its use.
LazyFAIRE GETTING TO KNOW THE TEAM
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he Lazy Faire team works very hard every month to provide you with a source of engaging, School of Business specific, reading material. Therefore, we feel it is appropriate to introduce you to some of the faces behind the magazine that contribute to its success. This month we have chosen to interview Louis Liu and Sherin Kayat from the content team and Shirley Du from the design team. In order to get to know them better, we asked them a few brief questions about themselves.
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BY GABRIEL NUNES, SR. CONTRIBUTOR DESIGNED BY COLLEEN DO, DESIGN DIRECTOR
L ouis L iu
S H E R I N K AYAT
SHIRLEY DU
This is my first year in Business, and I am a Finance major, Marketing minor. I switched from a specialization in developmental biology to business after my second year, so that makes this my third year overall. Procrastinating and putting off studying to watch the NBA is one of my favourite hobbies!
I’m a third year Business Law major, Finance minor. I love traveling, baking, and watching movies (my favorite movie is The Count of Monte Cristo - you should check it out). I was born in Iran and came to Canada when I was only 12 months old. I moved around a lot when I was younger, and, until recently, took school in French.
My name is Shirley and I am a first year business student. My major is Finance right now, but I’m not completely settled on what I want to do yet. I am on the design team for Lazy Faire. In my spare time, I love watching hockey, I like to go skiing, and I like photography.
Why did you choose to join the Lazy Faire team? I chose to join Lazy Faire because it offered me a unique opportunity to develop my writing skills while meeting new people and having some fun in the process! One of my dream jobs is to write about business for a living, and although it’s all still in the works, I think Lazy Faire is a great experience for me!
Why did you choose to join the Lazy Faire team? Well, Kirsten LePage (LF Editor-in-Chief) and I became friends and she was on the Lazy Faire last year. At the end of the year, she told me about Lazy Faire and said they were looking for writers. I wasn’t in any clubs at the time. She told me it was a great opportunity, so I decided that, since I enjoy writing, it would be a great place to start getting involved in the School of Business.
Why did you choose to join the Lazy Faire team? I have always wanted to learn how to design magazines and I wanted to get more involved in the School of Business. I thought that joining the Lazy Faire team would be a fun way to express my creativity and meet new people. I love it so far! It is one of the best experiences in my university career.
What is one random fact about you? I really like huskies... is that weird? Don’t tell me you’ve never walked by a husky and thought to yourself, “Man, that is one nice-looking dog.” Well, that’s probably weird. Nevertheless, huskies are the best! If you are ever looking to buy a dog, don’t ever count out huskies!
What plans do you have after you graduate? I plan to go to law school after I graduate, and I want to eventually open my own law firm. I will probably end up going somewhere outside of Edmonton. I might go somewhere in Europe. It would be nice to get out of Edmonton.
What is something people don’t know about you? I have a huge phobia of spiders! I completely freeze up or run away whenever I see them.
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BY JESSICA LEE, SR. CONTRIBUTOR DESIGNED BY DAVID TON-LAI, DESIGN DIRECTOR
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emember the good old days when we were first year business students in cohorts? Following tradition, first year business students are again divided into cohorts and are competing for the honour and glory that come with winning the Cohort Cup. Students receive points for the Cohort Cup by attending various business events throughout the semester, which encourages involvement in the School of Business and allows students to meet other business students. These events include the BSA AGM, Case Lunch and Learn, and Chillin’ for Charity. Some other events from this past semester were Bowling Night, the Mathletes vs. Athletes party, and the Core Olympics.
With 7 cohorts competing this year, Cohort 4 is currently in the lead, with Cohorts 7, 6, and 2 not too far behind. Students can look forward to many more exciting events for the upcoming semester. One of these events is the BSA Apprentice, which is a weeklong competition for first year teams consisting of various business simulations around campus with a $1000 prize to be won.Business Week also occurs in the first week, which consists of several diverse events during the first week of school in January. There is also the yearly Street Hockey Tournament that will occur later on in the year! So what about students who are not in cohorts? The good news is that students who are not in Cohorts can also participate in these events! Most of these events are not just exclusive to first years either, so everyone will be able to participate.
a QUICK interview
Lastly, we also had a chance to meet with two of the SoB’s Cohort Captains Andy Kim and Jane Sevick for a short interview to learn more about their experience this year: What has your time as a Cohort Captain been like this year?
How do you think being a Cohort Captain has influenced your time here at the SoB?
Andy: It has been really fun and rewarding. I met a lot more people this way. The events have all been a success this semester and I am looking forward to next semester’s activities!
Andy: I’ve spent a lot more time here with all these events. I’ve gained a lot of useful skills such as communication and time management. Along with that, it feels great to be part of a tight knit group of people.
Jane: So far it has been amazing! I have met so many different people, who are all awesome, and I’ve had the opportunity to help organize different events for first year business students.
CURRENT COHORT POINT STANDINGS From BSAonline.ca, Nov. 8: Here are the updated standings in the CA Cohort Cup race as of November 20th! The BSA would like to thank the Institute of Chartered Accountants for their generous support of this years Cohort Cup! Cohort 4 is currently in the lead with 1920 points, followed by Cohorts 7 and 6 in second and third!
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Jane: Being a Cohort Captain has made my time in business that much more enjoyable! Because I’ve been fortunate enough to meet so many
new people, there is always someone to study with or go out for a beer with. Overall, being a cohort this past semester has been a ton of fun! We look forward to attending future Cohort Events and seeing who will be the eventual Champion of the Cohort Cup!
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BY EILEEN LEE, SR. CONTRIBUTOR DESIGNED BY EILEEN LEE, DESIGN DIRECTOR
Tools:
Make sure you have your networking tools available. This includes business cards, resumes, and other social media sites you use.
Arrive On Time:
Bá Arriving early is a great way to get a feel for your environment. Usually, other attendees are also adjusting to the environment and conversation groups have not yet formed.
Adjust Your Expectations:
[
Networking should be treated as a way to genuinely get to know others. A great way to build a relationship is not to expect something from the person, but rather to always think about how you can help them instead.
á Introduce Yourself:
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Set Goals:
Prior to going to a networking session, think about how you would like to introduce yourself. A great way to appear confident is to already know a few key points which you think would make yourself memorable and interesting to another person.
Although networking shouldn’t be viewed as a numbers game, setting a goal of meeting at least a certain number of people and to remember three facts about them is a good way to push yourself out of your comfort zone.
Follow-Up:
y
If you are truly interested in getting to know someone after the networking event, don’t be afraid to take the initiative and send the person an email, phone call, or to propose having a casual meeting with them. A good way to build and maintain your network is to keep in touch with others.
h
p
Gracefully Exit:
Go Beyond Your Industry:
Try to get to know someone regardless of whether they are from an industry you are interested in or not. It is a great way to expand your network and to discover new areas of which you might have no prior knowledge.
Remembering Names:
Often, names are the first thing you get to know about a person and the first thing you forget. A great way to remember names is to associate their name with an interesting fact they have told you about themselves. If you do forget, however, don’t be shy to ask again!
Exiting a conversation can be awkward at times. A great way to make a graceful exit is to leave with a positive comment or compliment to the person before indicating that you are leaving. If you are talking to just one person, a great way to ensure the person is not left alone is to introduce him/her to someone else you may know.
How to Be a Networking Queen/King
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etworking events have always been a great opportunity to meet new people – in many cases individuals that share the same interests as you do. In the case of networking events, these offer a chance to connect with others in a business social setting. Often, however, networking can be misinterpreted as an insincere way to meet people for later gain. This stems from the idea that people only network in order to push their career ahead, an attitude that – although prevalent – is not necessarily correct. Instead, networking should be viewed as a way for you to genuinely get to know others and to build relationships. And, of course, like with any skill, there are ways to get better at meeting new people and networking successfully.
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COMMUNITY CENTER
= Photo Credit: www.unitea.org
Grabbing a Cup of Uni Tea A Way to Build a Stronger Community
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avid Manuntag, a current Business student, is the brain behind Uni Tea, the promising new non-profit organization that has been sparking interest on campus. Uni Tea allows students at the University of Alberta to connect with each other through one-to-one conversation and, of course, over a cup of tea. Signing up is free, and all supplies are donated into an Open Locker and out to the people who need it for their Uni Tea conversations. We sat down with David to further discuss this interesting idea and how it will fulfill its purpose of adding a sense of community to our University.
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BY BRADEN LAUER, SR. CONTRIBUTOR DESIGNED BY BONNIE TRUONG, DESIGN DIRECTOR
Where did the idea for Uni Tea stem from? Three years ago I was in my first year of university, and I had a really hard time. It was a tough transition and I had difficulties finding someone to talk to. As well, I was struggling academically and my grades reflected that. This wasn’t something you want to admit to people or to tell your parents. I almost got kicked out of school because my marks were struggling that much. At that point, I was willing to drop out because I didn’t think I belonged here and I was seriously looking at what else I could do with my life. It was right during that time that I ran into a friend from high school on the bus. I told him exactly what was going on, the letter from the school that I had received in the mail about my grades… Everything. We talked about what my situation was. We talked about how many people don’t get the chance to go to university or get an education; he said to me: “Try. Try for one more year.” He told me that I wouldn’t regret it. He reminded me that when you look back on all of this, when you are old, you could at least say you tried. That one conversation allowed me to believe in myself and in that I was capable of doing it. That’s where I learned there was something special in simply having a conversation. Later, I had tea with one of my professors, and I told him I wanted to provide this opportunity for everyone – the opportunity to have a conversation. The idea was that a single conversation helped me and I wanted to be able to let everyone experience that. He just told me to go for it. What were you taking in first year then? What is your major now? I was a Faculty of Arts student at first, but I had no motivation because I didn’t know what I was doing. I wanted to be in Business, but people made me think I wasn’t cut out for it, or that it was too competitive for me. That time on the bus I asked myself: “Why not?” My major now is entrepreneurship with no minor. It really appealed to me because there is freedom to focus on what you want within the major. For instance, I just signed up for a class in the winter that is about managing a non-profit organization… It just fits so well with what I want to be doing.
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How long did the idea for Uni Tea take to come to fruition? What challenges did you face? Actually the idea and the name of Uni Tea came around in my first month and first year of my Business degree. At that time, I had recently hit a wall where I didn’t believe the idea was truly viable and I didn’t believe I could do it. It seems like a lot of people hit that wall. That’s when Sean Collins came in. Through his class I learned that if there is something in this world you can challenge, you should go out and challenge it. In March of 2012, I started telling people about the idea for Uni Tea, and one night I spent about eight hours just working on a website - I didn’t even sleep! The key thing at that stage of infancy was just sharing the idea with as many people as I could. If you really believe in what you want to do, then you decide you are not as scared of what people might think. The more people who actually knew about it, the more I felt the need prove to myself that I could really make it happen. I sat down for my first Uni Tea talk later that month. I tested it out to see what did and didn’t work over the summer and we officially launched it this September. Testing and growing the idea has been extremely important. What is happening with Uni Tea now? Where do you want to see it go in the future? Open Locker is a part of Uni Tea. Open Locker is a locker where you can pick up a tea kettle, tea and snacks and it is what allows Uni Tea to stay completely free. Recently we have been in talks to get an open locker in nearly every single university building, so no matter where you are on campus, you can meet up for Uni Tea. It is really exciting to see the idea expand like that. We are also inviting faculty and alumni to get involved to have tea and speak one on one with students. The idea behind this is that if we can get a better understanding of each other on our campus, we can achieve even greater things. What has become very obvious, as we talk to more and more students, is that so many great ideas start here on the University of Alberta campus, whether by students in the School of Business or other faculties. Many of these ideas work to improve the sense of community around our University, our city, or even our country or province.
So what is your idea? What are you passionate about? Like David, maybe all you need to set your plan in motion is a good cup of tea – and a one-onone conversation.
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Sign up for a one-on-one conversation at unitea.org
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o CLUBS CORNER
UARC
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BY LOUIS LIU, SR. CONTRIBUTOR DESIGNED BY KAROLINA ZHENG, DESIGN DIRECTOR
Being one of the newest additions to the repertoire of student clubs at the School of Business, the University of Alberta Real Estate Club (UARC) offers up a plethora of exciting opportunities for business students interested in the real estate industry. By connecting students academically, professionally, and personally with the unique industry of real estate, UARC hopes to help students learn from and establish valuable relationships with experienced industry professionals. To gain some more insight into the club, LF caught up with Brenda Mah, UARC’s VP Events! 12
University of Alberta Real Estate Club
Great to meet you Brenda, please tell us a little bit about yourself! Hi everyone! I’m in my fourth year at the School of Business, a double major in Accounting and Finance, and I want to go to law school after I’m done my Bachelor of Commerce degree here. I am currently the VP Events for UARC! Please tell us about UARC and the club’s purpose. UARC stands for the University of Alberta Real Estate Club. This is our first year, so we are a relatively new club here at the U of A SoB. UARC was created because we believed there was a need for Business students to become more integrated and involved within the real estate industry. The goal of our club is to focus on promoting the three key areas that students can benefit from, whether it’s academically, pro-
fessionally, and personally. Academically, we wish to promote the real estate program here at the SoB, raising awareness so that one day more courses detailing the many aspects of real estate will be offered to students. Our hope is to have Real Estate offered as a major! Professionally, since real estate is such a referral-based industry, we help students create connections and relationships with industry professionals and learn more about finding their way into the industry. Personally, we want to ensure people know how much real estate can impact their lives – it really is more than just buying and selling homes! Investing is also a huge part of the industry, but we aim to show people what to look for when buying their first house, how they can leverage that property to help supplement their income or purchase more houses and build a portfolio of assets which can help their cash flows and supplement their income... things that can actually apply to their lives outside of a career! What are some events that UARC has planned, organized and held in the past? We have only held two events this year to date, and being a new club, it has taken some time to get traction. Our first one was the UARC information session at the beginning of the school year, and our more recent (and much bigger!) event was the Real Estate Forum. The purpose of the forum was to fulfill the three key portions of our mandate, as we wanted to feature a broad spectrum of industry professionals to the students and show them just how diverse, yet interconnected the industry is. The event was a panel Q&A style forum, where industry professionals came and gave a presentation on the respective sectors in which they operate. We were sponsored wholly by the Rohit Group. The real estate forum was definitely a lot of work, and, thankfully, it was a success! The feedback that we received from the speakers and sponsors, as well as the students who attended has all been positive, and we were pleased with the amount of exposure students got with the industry professionals. With the recent success of this project, we’re really hoping to build on it and continue our positive accomplishments with our other events in the upcoming winter semester! What are some upcoming events that students should be looking forward to? In the future, we have two more main events planned: the 2nd annual Real Estate Night (a networking night between students and industry professionals, under the guidance of our faculty advisor and Stan Melton Chair of Real Estate holder, Dr. Dale-Johnson). We also will be attempting the first ever real estate case competition, as well as house tours. With the house tours, we wish to have groups of students undergo guided tours through various show homes, where an expert will be able to show them what to look for, how location plays into cost, the different things to consider when making your first purchase, etc. Details are in the works, so keep your eyes open for these exciting and valuable events!
WHO IS UARC?
President Darren Young VP Marketing Cristina Robles
Director of Marketing James Lo VP External Relations Ashlesha Sharma Director of External Relations Alex Richards VP Events Brenda Mah Director of Events Michel Gutfreund, Shawn Au & Alex Yi
VP Human Resources Angeline Duong & Chau Nguyen VP Finance Scott Yu
VP IT Lucy Chen Faculty Advisor Dr David Dale-Johnson, holder of the Stan Melton Chair of Real Estate
In terms of growth and direction, what are UARC’s plans for the future at the U of A SoB? We are planning to expand the subject of real estate into the business community here at the U of A SoB. Because real estate is such a broad subject, I think a lot more people would come to our events if they knew more about it! We are really focused on promoting our club and real estate. We wish to continue expanding our reach throughout the entire campus, and ensure that people are aware of us as a club: what our goals are and how it can help them. Real estate spans all faculties, so we really want to reach all corners of the U of A. We wish to raise enough awareness and open enough eyes so that more real estate classes will be offered at the SoB, and we hope that one day it will be available as a major for all students. How can business students get involved with UARC? I encourage everyone to come out to the events and get to know not only this year’s executive committee, but the various sponsors and speakers that we will be hosting throughout the year. If they wish to get more involved with the executive committee itself and get to know the people and the industry, attending this year’s events will definitely give them a greater advantage as they will know how the events are run, who some of the key players are in the industry, and will have already established their connection with the UARC club. Knowledge and an interest for real estate are some of the top qualities that we want to grow and foster this year, in hopes that it will bring like-minded individuals to come and learn more about real estate individuals who love what the industry is about and truly have that passion and interest that we hope to satisfy. It is our hopes that we can find those people who can then take the club even higher in the future! 13
\ STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
MICHAEL FOK
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BY GARRY DENG, SR. CONTRIBUTOR DESIGNED BY JENNY TRUONG, DESIGN DIRECTOR
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he Lazy Faire team aims to feature one Alberta School of Business student every month in a special article we like to call the Student Spotlight. Whether they are still at the School of Business or are now alumni, we showcase these students in order to bring to light the various accomplishments and achievements that emerge from the Alberta School of Business community. For the month of January, we have selected Michael Fok, an Accounting major set to graduate this coming April, to be featured in our Student Spotlight. Having participated in a diverse assortment of competitions and recently having been accepted into The Next 36, a unique new entrepreneurial program, let’s see what Michael has to say about his experiences and ambitions.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. What motivations lead you to choose the Alberta School of Business? I’ve always been a bit of a generalist, in high school I was really interested in upcoming technology and got into HTML programming because I was kind of a nerd. Coming into university, however, I wanted to do something that would have a really big impact. I chose the Alberta School of Business because I thought business would let you scale ideas and affect more people than in your immediate vicinity. If you start a business, you can potentially affect an entire country or entire continents with your idea. I slotted myself into an Accounting degree because I was good at it and people told me that I could make a good amount of money doing it. However, during my 8-month accounting co-op term, I came to realize that accounting was no longer where my passion lied. Thus, I taught myself how to program during that time, build websites and build applications, because I knew I wanted to do something related to that field after I graduated, and so that’s what I’m now aiming for. I think it was out of complacency and out of letting other people tell me what to do that I chose to be an accounting major in the first place, but actually doing the work term was a bit of a wake-up call. What competitions have you been involved with while at the Alberta School of Business? Could you share with us what those experiences were like and what you’ve learned from participating in these competitions? I participated in ICBC, AICC, as well as the EDGE competition and CMA Board of Governor’s Competition in my first year. In my second year, I did the JDC Competition, the EDGE competition and I also participated in the AEC competition. In most of these competitions, I learned to work under pressure and under really tight time constraints. Particularly, I think I learned the most out of EDGE because it was such a stressful weekend. I learned a lot about team dynamics and conflict management because my team in both years at EDGE almost tore itself apart; those were definitely good experiences for me to have. Obviously, developing public speaking skills in any kind of competition is also great, but I felt that I got more out of the case competitions than just that. 14
Other than being a participant in various competitions, you’re also on the executive team for EDGE this year and are also a Head Marker for BUS 201 as well. Could you briefly elaborate on what you think you’ve gained through your various commitments at the Alberta School of Business? Time management is an obvious one. I’ve also learnt that when you have real deadlines and long-term projects that don’t last over a weekend or over a month, you need to set clear guidelines for whodoes-what so that it can succeed in the long-term. I started working on both EDGE and BUS 201 last summer and it was really important to have those guidelines in place. That way when push comes to shove, you know what everyone is supposed to be doing. I understand you’re currently trying to get accepted into a program known as The Next 36. Can you tell us a little bit about that and what you’re hoping to achieve by trying to get into this program? I actually just recently got accepted into the program. They call it an entrepreneurship institute and that’s probably the best way to describe it. I’ll be put into teams of three and over the course of the next nine months I am essentially expected to launch my own business and get sales. They make it very clear that they want it to be a high impact business; they don’t want a brick-and-mortar shop where you’re simply just copying another business person’s idea in a different location, they want a new one from scratch. They’re not there to hold your hand, and if you make it it’s only because you and your team actually put in the effort. What I’m looking to get out of it and what it offers is exactly what I want to do coming out of undergrad: starting my own company and be given the resources, opportunities and mentorship to succeed in that fashion. So the next 9 months will be really challenging for me and I think it’s probably going to be one of the biggest things to happen to me in my undergraduate career. If all goes well, I’ll be running my own company with my other co-founders this September.
B You shouldn’t
let other people tell you what you can’t do... At our age, we have nothing to lose.
I MICHAEL FOK
As your graduation is fast approaching in April, what ambitions do you have for the future once you’ve graduated from the Alberta School of Business? Honestly, the best possible outcome would be for me and my co-founders to actually start a viable company with real sales, all across Canada. That would be the best possible outcome. It’s really risky since it’s going to be really hard, but that’s what I’ve always wanted to do and that’s what I’m going to try to do when I graduate. Generally speaking however, everything’s up in the air right now; everything could potentially change over the next nine months. To end this off, what are some words of wisdom you’d be able to offer to other students at the Alberta School of Business based on your experiences?
You shouldn’t let other people tell you what you can’t do. Everyone has their own perspective, and just because a lot of people are telling you that you can’t do this and that your chances are really low of doing this, doesn’t mean that you can’t achieve it. They don’t know your ambitions and they don’t know your passions; if you’ve identified something that you really want then go for it, regardless of what anybody else says. That being said, make sure you plan ahead and that the plan is reasonable. Make sure you’ve done your preparations as well because that is equally as important. If you don’t at least do all those things though, then you would have never given your passion a shot. And at our age, we have nothing to lose. I could burn out of this program, crash, be jobless for two years and reasonably still go back and get a steady office job; there’s so little downside. I think that would be my advice for all undergraduate students.
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ANNOUNCEMENT
The Business Students’ Association (BSA) Elections Are Coming Up!
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BY SHERIN KAYAT, SR. CONTRIBUTOR DESIGNED BY JENNY WANG, DESIGN DIRECTOR
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n February 14th and 15th, the student body - consisting of over 2,200 undergraduate business students – will select 7 individuals to serve as the BSA Executive for the upcoming 2013-2014 year. Have you thought of running for one of these positions? Whether you have already informed yourself on the process and positions or not, here is all the information you need to know about the BSA election!
How can you get your name on the ballot? The nomination process consists of a form that interested students need to complete, as well the collection of 20 signatures from current business students. Anyone who will be in school next year can run for a position, whether he or she was part of the BSA Council before or not. In the past, second year (currently first year) students have been elected for Executive roles and have done amazing jobs – so don’t let this be a reason for not running.
Positions and Roles: President – The President sets the tone and oversees the day to day operations of the BSA Council and the BSA Executive. He or she is also the chair of the Business Clubs’ Council of which all business student clubs are members. Another exciting feature of this position is that the President represents the BSA to the SU, faculty, alumni and at various other external gatherings, meaning that you get to travel to some other places and that you get to meet many other driven individuals from all over Canada! VP Academic – This position is heavily involved with planning and carrying out the BSA Booksale, the Energize Conference, as well as the AICC and Elevator Pitch Tournament. As well, the VP Academic represents Business students on several
Academic boards and committees. In addition, the VP Academic can be involved in creating new Academic Events – whether that be a new competition, a conference or a speaker series. VP External – This position offers an excellent opportunity to meet members of the business community, represent the School of Business externally, and negotiate sponsorship proposals on behalf of the BSA. As well, with a team of 3 to 4 directors, this person will help organize TASTE, Backstage Pass and the monthly Anti-Burnout events. VP Internal – How would you like to be in charge of student life? With a focus on first year students especially, the VP Internal and 3 to 4 di-
rectors will help organize Orientation, Welcome Week, Business Week, and all Cohort events (just to name a few). VP Events – If you like to organize BIG events, this position is for you! In addition to the option of proposing your own ideas, the VP Events will organize the Sports Tournament, Hall Party, Winter Gala, as well as Beer Gardens, among others. VP Marketing – No matter how great an event is, it will not reach its maximum value without a good marketing strategy. This position will provide you with hands on marketing experience through the promotion of all the major BSA events. As well, this person is involved with directing the Lazy Faire editors, which we hear is a pretty sweet gig.
So, why should you do it? As you may have already discovered, at the School of Business academics are only one facet of a business education. Running for a BSA Executive position is an extremely rewarding experience where you can demonstrate and acquire excellent leadership capabilities. Moreover, you will have the opportunity to interact with some awesome individuals, both within the faculty and externally, as well as enhance your resume. If you still have questions about the positions, why not send the current BSA president Jessa Aco an email at aco@ualberta.ca? Jessa and all the other Executives would love to meet with you and answer any questions that you may have.
So, do you have what it takes to make it as a BSA Executive? 16
= Jan 30: Nominations begin Feb 4: Deadline for Nominations Feb 6: Campaign Period begins Feb 8: Official candidates announced Feb 11: Candidates’ Forum Feb 13: Campaign Period ends Feb 14-15: Elections
A little TASTE of the future V
BY RACHEL LEE, SR. CONTRIBUTOR DESIGNED BY SHIRLEY DU, DESIGN DIRECTOR
Do you want a TASTE of what it’s like to work in the business world? The “Take A Student To Eat” program offers exactly that – a chance to talk to industry professionals over a free lunch. For more insight into this wonderful opportunity, we interviewed Jenna Balogh, this year’s program coordinator, and Michael Chorley, one of this year’s mentors for the TASTE program.
Jenna:
Please tell us what makes TASTE so different and valuable. The TASTE program gives you an opportunity to talk to an industry professional that was once in your shoes. They have invaluable experiences and knowledge to offer and students get a chance to find out if they really want to pursue a specific career or not. Unlike most networking sessions, the TASTE program gives you the opportunity to talk to them over lunch and maybe even keep in contact with these mentors in the future. Who knows, you might even get a summer job out of it!
á
The TASTE program had a record number of matches this year. What kinds of changes were made to improve the program? We had almost 100 matches in total, and the number is still growing. I think the key to this year’s success was the improved matching process. I had all the corporates send in their bios so that students could read, research, and request who they really wanted to meet with. Do you have any advice for students planning to apply for TASTE? The biggest feedback from the corporates was that some students were unprepared. Coming up with 20-25 questions before you meet the corporate for lunch really helps you get the most out of TASTE.
Michael:
Please tell us who you are and what motivated you to get involved with the TASTE program. My name is Michael Chorley and I am a senior manager at MNP. I articled with MNP and wrote the UFE in 2009. My primary focus is audit. When I was going through university and trying to choose which accounting designation would best suit me, I found that I didn’t really have access to CAs to whom I could direct my questions. I feel that the TASTE program provides students with a chance that I never had. How would you recommend the students approach the TASTE program to use it to its full advantage? Students should really take the time to sit down and think about all of the questions they might have. The questions shouldn’t just be generic though – the answers that they are looking for should help them identify how they would personally fit in with the (CA) brand and vice versa. What were the most common topics/questions from students? The most common topic of discussion was my experience with the CASB program (i.e. studying). This is expected since from the student’s perspective, the end goal is getting a CA designation and it’s hard to see past that. In reality, however, it’s only the first couple of years of a 35 - 40 year career that you are articling for, so it’s important to keep in mind that the long term fit is of importance as well.
Interested? Apply for TASTE in January! Previous participants can apply as well.
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The
BUSINESS BRIEFCASE V
BY KRISTINE GU, SR. CONTRIBUTOR DESIGNED BY FELICIA LIANG, DESIGN DIRECTOR
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ere at the School of Business, there is an ongoing exchange of invaluable information, a development of the skills needed to process this information, and the acquisition of knowledge on how to grow, nurture, and succeed as an individual. At the same time, we are pros at juggling educational success, extracurricular activities, and personal relationships. While the past two sentences can be a mouthful, the point that we are quite busy is very clear. In the midst of all this, it’s not a surprise that it’s sometimes hard to keep up with everything that’s happening around you. If you’re scurrying up and down the stairs between classes, catching up on sleep on the LRT, or employing interesting methods of time management (e.g. 20 minute powernaps), why not let a little friend of yours take care of some of the things on your mind? In this era where Smartphones and the Internet have come to rule, there is an infinite amount of apps, tools, blogs, and websites that can be easily accessed and can serve as a multipurpose support team—right in your back pocket! So from the Lazy Faire to you, we present the modern day “Business Briefcase”—an amalgamation of the right set of tools and resources to help you manage, study, and keep you in the loop – all from your Smartphone or computer screen. NEWS AND CURRENT EVENTS
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Being able to keep in touch with what is going on in the world is an important skill that should never be overlooked. An understanding of politics, business, cultural, and other important global aspects is invaluable and a must. With a multitude of available print and digital media resources that provide the vital details and content needed, newspapers like The Economist and the Financial Post have stood out and have made it easier to access information on the go. Browse a few news apps on your mobile device, and see what works for you in terms of display, content organization, and tools like investment simulators. The desktop versions of these sites also offer an abundant amount of information with news highlights, fast facts, and free subscription options.
Flipboard is a brilliant app that collects articles and blog posts from publishers that deal with business, politics, and other topics that you may be interested in (e.g. design, fashion, photography, etc.). The interactive and aesthetically pleasing interface, which can be synced with social networking sites, is a good way to start off your day: take a browse through it on the bus, while you’re enjoying your morning coffee, or even while you’re at the gym. In addition, try apps like Reeder and Instapaper that save articles for offline browsing.
PERSONAL FINANCES AND MONEY MANAGEMENT
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Banking has dramatically shifted into the virtual world, including an increased usage of online banking and wireless transfers. When this phenomenon is paired with the multitude of bank accounts, credit cards, and e-commerce services available, trying to manage your finances can quickly become a little overwhelming. Mint.com comes to the rescue! Allowing users to see all of their bank accounts and investments in one secure location, Mint provides users with the option to create budgets, set bill payment reminders, and track monthly spending. This is an amazing tool to gain an upper hand and a quick overview of your accounts, as well as receive alerts and advice on money management. Another great thing about Mint is that you can access your Mint account both on your mobile device and your computer.
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TIME MANAGEMENT
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You’re on the go trying to balance classes, work, and friends, and this means a whammy of things that you need to get done. Try an app like Checkmark, Clear, or Astrid to help you manage your to-do list. With an assortment of preferences to set deadlines, make updates, and create lists, these apps can help both individuals and larger groups, with useful sharing and networking options.
INFORMATION SHARING
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Working in a team extends outside of the meeting room, and filesharing applications have become top-notch methods of keeping organized and updated documents between team members. The ever-popular Dropbox, along with Google Drive and Microsoft SkyDrive, are free cloud storage services that operate by providing storage pools where users can store data to access on the go or to share. A cloud storage service is a versatile way for packing your class notes with you wherever you go, too. Dropbox is hosting the Great Space Race for post-secondary students to collectively gain extra storage space (if you sign up with your university e-mail). Join the @Ualberta team and sign up today!
NETWORKING
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Sites like LinkedIn have become increasingly popular for professionals to share their professional experiences and to connect with other individuals in their industry. Interestingly, being able to access LinkedIn is just one of the many great things about CardMunch, a pioneer app in virtual business card sharing that has begun to make its mark at networking events. By taking a picture of a business card (or even a stack of them), you can quickly sync contact information without the worry of losing a business contact again.
Don’t be afraid to try some new apps or browse through a few newsfeeds on your own until you find something that works for you. While all the apps and sites mentioned above are full-fledged information and management monsters, there are apps out there tailored to every kind of individual—including you! By using these tools to your advantage, you can increase work efficiency, reduce stress, and receive important information from both local and worldwide publishers. So go out there and decide what belongs in your own virtual business briefcase!
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The one thing that never changes is our values. We succeed through satisfied customers. We value our employees. We deliver quality and excellence in all we do. We require premium return on assets. We use technology to develop market leadership. We behave responsibly as a corporate citizen. –Joseph C. Wilson, Xerox Founder, 1961
Last year across Canada 170 new grads joined our team. Find out why findyourXfactor.ca. Xerox is a proud sponsor of the University of Alberta BSA.
© 2012 Xerox Corporation. All rights reserved. Xerox®, Xerox and Design® and Ready For Real Business are trademarks of Xerox Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Xerox Canada Ltd. is the licensee of all the trademarks.