Annual Review 2002/2003

S c h o o l o f B u s i n e s s > > A n n u a l R ev i ew 2 0 0 2

Key indicators from survey of BCom undergrads (2002) Satisfaction with education

Our MBAs

Our Undergrads

Our Students Key indicators from survey of MBA students (2002) Satisfaction with education

94.2%

93.9%

Recommend program to others

Degree delivered critical thinking skills

92.9% 82.7%

Demand

Choose same study program again

Grades

89.2%

Average Grade-Point Standings (2002) B C o m : Average GPA of 7.5 (on a 9-point scale) MBA:

Average GPA of 7.4 for MBA full-time students (on a 9-point scale)

PhD:

Average GMAT score of entering class: 695

Number of applications and admissions for Undergrad, MBA and PhD students (2002)

The University of Alberta ranked second among Canadian universities in total number of SSHRC standard grants from Committee 21* (for the period 1999-2002).

UNIVERSITY

99/00 00/01 01/02 TOTAL

University of British Columbia

6

8

7

21

University of Alberta

4

9

6

19

McGill University

8

2

5

15

École des Hautes Etudes Commerciales

7

2

6

15

Our Faculty

Ranking

SSHRC Grants

Source: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council *Committee 21: Human resource management, information systems, international business, management, marketing, organization studies, business policy

Financial Times Ranking

Hired in 2002/03

2002 Alexander (Sandy) Hilton PhD University of Waterloo Accounting and Management Information Systems

2003 Effective July 1, 2003 Jennifer Argo PhD (expected June 2003) University of Manitoba Marketing, Business Economics & Law Devereaux Jennings PhD Stanford University Strategic Management and Organization

The School’s research is highly ranked by the Financial Times of London.

UNIVERSITY

Our faculty

Canada Non-US Worldwide

University of Western Ontario

1

3

36

University of British Columbia

2

7

57

University of Alberta

3

8

59

McGill University

3

8

59

Queen’s University

5

10

61

The Financial Times of London ranks the research performance of business schools based upon the number of publications in 40 journals over a 3-year period. Results for this year’s exercise are summarized in the above table.

Our School

Trish Reay PhD University of Alberta Strategic Management and Organization Kursad Asdemir University of Texas at Dallas (PhD expected August, 2003) Accounting and Management Information Systems Yonghua Ji University of Texas at Dallas (PhD expected August, 2003) Accounting and Management Information Systems

Un i ve rs i t y o f A l b e r t a S c h o o l o f B u s i n e s s > > A n n u a l R ev i ew 2 0 0 2

In

2002,

From the Dean

we pushed hard towards our strategic goal – to be recognized among the top one per cent of research-intensive, policy-shaping Business schools globally.

What does that mean? It means our faculty, students, staff, alumni, stakeholders and friends delivered

110% effort

to help us move closer to our goal. It means, as you will read in the pages that follow, that our efforts to strategically position the School in a fiercely competitive market are continuing to pay dividends for all our stakeholders. >>

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In

2002,

we continued Building on Our Strengths

and Investing in Our People. That means our faculty delivered policy-shaping research and award-winning teaching. It means our School strengthened its linkages with our alumni and the wider community as a strong member of the University of Alberta team; and it means this School made the ongoing infrastructure investment needed to help our people deliver that 110%.

Our School

is ranked among the top 100 Business schools globally according to the Financial Times of London’s 2003 survey of MBA programs. Most gratifying, we placed 59th globally and third in Canada in the research portion of the FT ranking.

Our faculty is young and dynamic and our research and publication record will continue to draw attention, and critical mass, to the School. We will continue to benchmark our efforts alongside those of Business schools whose work we admire.

Our faculty garnered much recognition and attention for the School in 2002. Ray Patterson’s award of a prestigious Canada Research Chair highlights the growing importance of E-commerce

2

to the research work of the School. Stuart McFadyen and Adam Finn’s proposal for an e-Communication Research Centre brought a large grant from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation. Two similar projects are examining the impact of the Alberta SuperNet and how the electronic marketplace will affect consumer behaviour. Randall Morck was honoured with an “All Star Paper” award for a research paper that has been cited more than 300 times since it was published in 1988.

Our research centres continue to work with our stakeholders regionally, nationally and globally. The Centre for Applied Business Research in Energy and the Environment has become an international resource for stakeholders in the energy sector. The Centre for Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise and the new Alberta

Our challenges remain: to thrive in a marketplace driven by results, to retain and attract superb faculty and great students and to be known for what we do better than almost anyone else.

With your help, we will continue to deliver 110% and more. % Sincerely,

Michael B. Percy Stanley A. Milner Professor and Dean

We: Rank among the top 100 Business schools globally, according to the Financial Times of London

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■ Rank 59th globally and third in Canada in FT’s ranking of published research ■

Have four 3M teaching awards – more than any other Canadian Business School Offer the only bilingual BCom in Western Canada

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■ Have Canada’s only Natural Resources and Energy MBA specialization ■ Have one of the best doctoral programs in North America

Employ leading-edge data and wireless technology that enhance research, teaching and learning within the School

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From the Dean

Business Family Institute are establishing a reputation for their research in the dynamics of business family entrepreneurship. The Centre for Executive and Management Development continues to expand its professional development training for senior business and government leaders locally and offshore and, our Canadian Institute of Retailing and Services has strengthened its training and research linkages with dozens of retail partners across the country.

The Canadian Centre for Social Entrepreneurship is increasing efforts to demonstrate corporate social responsibility to our students.

Our faculty continue to be recognized for their teaching excellence, building on our record of four 3M Teaching Awards, more than any other Business school in Canada.

Our students continue to reach out to the wider community.

Our 16,000 alumni continue to be a source of strength and support.

Te a c h i n g > > A n n u a l R ev i ew 2 0 0 2

Top Teaching Top Students “Wherever our students go, they do well.”

SCOTT PFEIFER 1st year MBA, Natural Resources and Energy specialization World Cup Curling champion Father of two

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GOAL: To lead a management team in one of Alberta’s large energy companies

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Teacher for all Seasons This year Ross Bradford, a full time sessional in the Department of Strategic Management and Organization was awarded the very first “William Hardy Alexander Award for Excellence in Sessional Teaching.”

His dapper “suit and tie” teaching attire belies his laid-back demeanor and ability to engage students. Bradford has been teaching in the School of Business for over fifteen years. He is respected by his colleagues and teaches a variety of courses. “It helps to be able to draw from a number of areas,” says Bradford, who also notes that it keeps his own interest level up to be exposed to a wide range of material.

Bradford’s teaching philosophy is to keep students engaged with a combination of the old fashioned Socratic approach and new technology. “I don’t like to rely too much on PowerPoint,” says Bradford. “It’s too passive. I ask lots of questions and use practical applications, such as applying models to case studies. I use discussions and even role playing depending on the class size.” Bradford feels that at the School the emphasis on teaching is as important as research.

“One reinforces the

6

other,” he notes. “I’m always looking for recent articles and studies to incorporate.” Bradford often taps the expertise of his colleagues for research to apply in class. “I am very fortunate in this faculty. It’s a very collegial atmosphere.”

Bradford, an MBA alumnus of the School of Business is also an active member of the Business Alumni Association. % This year three School of Business faculty were honoured by the U of A Teaching Awards Committee. Along with Ross Bradford those honoured include: Terry Daniel, a professor in the Department of Finance and Management Science received the prestigious Rutherford Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.

Malgorzata Korolkiewicz, PhD candidate and part-time sessional in Finance and Management Science was awarded a Graduate Student Teaching award.

ROSS BRADFORD ’85 MBA, ’79 LLB Winner of 2002 William Hardy Alexander Award for Excellence in Sessional Teaching

Strutting our Stuff

BCom

As the Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Elaine Geddes ensures that students have plenty of opportunities to shine — in the classroom and beyond and long after they graduate.

The best way to see how good you are is to go up against the best: at this year’s Intercollegiate Business Competition at Queen’s University, U of A undergrads excelled. This year four School of business teams made the finals. The Finance team placed first and the Business Policy team was fourth. “Competitions like this give our students the opportunity to strut their stuff,” says Geddes.

“You have to make the cut in competitions like these. Students work like hell just to make the final stage.” Over the next three to five years Geddes will work to expand benchmarking opportunities available to undergraduate students.

Students are encouraged to take advantage of exchange programs and international opportunities from the many partnerships that the School of Business has forged with universities around the world. The interdisciplinary strength of the School of Business and the increasing international profile of the U of A figures significantly in the quality of education they receive.

The School of Business gives high marks for teamwork; its curriculum incorporates teamwork and leadership activities. This helps the School attract top-calibre students and create an atmosphere where students and staff are continually challenged. Geddes notes that this emphasis on teamwork spills over into community activities on and off campus where School of Business students are widely represented – “as much in those that are recognized and those that nobody hears about.” %

HOLLY TOMTE 4th year BCom 2002/2003 Business Students’ Association President ELAINE GEDDES Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Studies Looks after over 1,800 undergraduate Bcom students each year

>> “Our students go through such an energized learning experience here. They can set up shop anywhere in the world.”

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Exactly what She Wanted to Learn Viktoriya Mykhaylyuk came to Canada three years ago after meeting U of A President Rod Fraser and his delegation while they were visiting Ukraine. She is now an outstanding fourth-year student majoring in small business and entrepreneurship.

Although it was

a difficult decision to leave Ukraine and study in Canada, “I found exactly what I love here,” Mykhaylyuk says.

What she loves is the collaborative atmosphere and applied learning environment and the opportunity to learn about issues such as corporate social responsibility.

A volunteer at the Canadian Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at the School of Business, Mykhaylyuk is committed to making a difference in the world. “I want to be engaged in the community and do more than just talk.”

Three to five years from now, she would like to work for a big company in Alberta and host her brother Michael while he goes to the U of A. “Then I want to go back and help rebuild my country.”

Her goal is to start a foundation that would support young entrepreneurs and educate them in corporate social responsibility. “First on the agenda V I K TO R I YA M Y K H AY LY U K is doing business in a way that Fourth year Bcom, business & doesn’t conflict with society’s entrepreneurship specialization needs,” she says. % GOAL: To start a foundation that will support young entrepreneurs in the Ukraine

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BCom in Focus NATIONAL RECOGNITION ■

Undergraduate Business Games team placed 3rd among 24 teams from Schools across Canada

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Undergrad team won first place in Winter 2002 National Stock Market Competition

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Finance team won first place and the Business Policy team took fourth place in the Intercollegiate Business Competition, Canada’s oldest and largest case competition

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Four School of Business Teams made the ICBC finals

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Thirteen U of A business students were named Academic All Canadians

BUSINESS MAJORS

Bilingual BCom New Understanding The University of Alberta School of Business offers Western Canada’s only bilingual French-English BCom program in partnership with the Faculté Saint- Jean.

A bilingual education

exposes students to more than just a different culture. It also opens their eyes to new ways of understanding and thinking, says Pablo Martin de Holan, who oversees the Bilingual BCom program.

“It’s not only that they can speak another language, they also learn to understand that people in different cultures think differently and behave differently,” he explains. It’s education that goes beyond the merely intellectual and really challenges how students think about the world. “When you are truly bilingual, it’s in your guts.” %

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Major in Accounting

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Major in Business Economics and Law

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Major in Business Studies

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Major in Decision and Information Systems

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Major in Distribution Management

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Major in Entrepreneurship and Small Business

>> BROADLY BASED EDUCATION

■

Major in Finance

■

Major in Human Resource Management

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Major in International Business

■

Major in Management Information Systems

■

Major in Marketing

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Major in Operations Management

■

Major in Organizational Studies

BCom students are encouraged to develop minors outside the Business school to augment their education. International Business majors must study a foreign language and can focus on Asia, Latin America or Europe. “It’s such a thrill to see students who came in a bit shy and awkward and then when they graduate, they are so poised and articulate.” says Elaine Geddes.

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Major in Retailing and Services

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TRANG NGUYEN 3rd year BCom International Business major /Co-op program Lougheed Scholarship recipient GOAL: to combine her business skills and music with her desire to make a difference in her community

10

Self Discovery >> Trang Nguyen is in the second year of the BCom Co-op program with a major in International Business. She spent last summer in Guadalajara on an international exchange at the Instituto Technologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey.

“Learning another language when you have to immerse yourself in the culture was a wonderful opportunity.”

Trang is an accomplished violinist who plays with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and as a guest soloist with the Alberta Baroque society. “All my life I’ve been immersed in music. I entered the Business program because I hadn’t explored other skills and opportunities that I might have.” Her newfound skills led to another opportunity – this year Trang was awarded a Peter Lougheed Scholarship for her academic excellence and outstanding leadership qualities.

The Co-op program placed Trang with the Edmonton Women’s Shelter where she feels at home in the not-for-profit atmosphere. “The people here have really good hearts and every day they are helping to build a better community.”

PETER LOUGHEED S C H O L A R S H I P AWA R D

Three to five years from now she would like to pursue a Masters degree and somehow combine her business skills

For leadership and academic excellence

and music with her desire to make a difference in her

Also awarded to:

community. Right now as she studies accounting, HR

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4th year Marketing Major, Shauna Kelehear

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3rd year Finance Major, Cassandra Brown

and management Trang says that her business education “is about self-discovery.”

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Te a c h i n g > > A n n u a l R ev i ew 2 0 0 2

MBA programs Making the most of our strengths

“We are second to none in terms of quality and content in our MBA programs,” says Professor Vikas Mehrotra, Associate Dean (MBA programs). “It is a high quality program where all of our students get to know one another. This builds a strong camaraderie that continues long after they have graduated.”

Providing Cutting-edge Business Tools The hallmark of our School’s MBA program is high-quality instruction informed by cutting-edge research.

“Wherever our students go, they do well,” notes Vikas Mehrotra.

The School of Business MBA

The School of Business is ranked among the Financial Times of London’s top 100 Business Schools in the world.* We make that ranking for a few simple, but key reasons: ■

Teaching and research excellence: FT ranks us 59th globally and third among Canadian business schools in published academic research. Our faculty have been awarded four 3M teaching awards, (the most prestigious post-secondary teaching award in Canada) more than any other Business school in the country.

■

Each year, we enroll a maximum of 65 full-time and 40 part-time students. We deliver a small, high-quality program. This year we accepted 52 of the 459 full time applications received. *Financial Times of London January 2003 Survey of the top 100 Business Schools

VIKAS

program develops specializations based on the natural strengths of the institution. For example, our location in Alberta, Canada’s energy province, is a natural asset.

“The Natural Resources and Energy MBA specialization is one of a kind and so successful,” Mehrotra points out.

The relatively small size of our MBA program (we enroll a maximum of 65 per year) means that we can do things other institutions can’t do.

“Enzo Di Curzio, the new placement co-ordinator, was hired in 2002 and is MEHROTRA delivering tangible

Associate Dean MBA programs Associate Professor, FMS RESEARCH INTERESTS: finance with an emphasis on restructuring and corporate governance

12

results in job placement and internship opportunities for our MBAs.” The “Small is Beautiful” principle means that the MBA program can respond quickly to market needs: “We are nimble and strategically positioned to offer courses that meet topical issues. We are continually looking for ways to be more efficient and pertinent.”

The program’s biggest challenge is, ironically, one of Alberta’s natural strengths. The low cost of living here means that our graduates, many of whom choose to remain in Alberta, earn salaries below those offered in larger markets.

“In purchasing power they are the same,” says Mehrotra. “But it is nominal dollars that are used in the rankings.” That the School consistently places in the top 100 schools, despite the nominal salary difference speaks volumes of the quality of our MBA program.

In the next three to five years Mehrotra will work to consolidate the School’s position in the top 100 Business Schools and work with faculty to increase the ranking in research. “We would also like to attract more international students to the program and improve scholarships and bursaries to attract the best students.” %

Simply the Best “To be successful in business you have to be continually learning throughout your career. I’m a person who enjoys learning new things.” So says Scott Pfeifer, NR&E MBA student and World Cup Champion curler.

The desire to go beyond the technical M BA S P E C I A L I Z AT I O N S ■

Technology Commercialization

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Natural Resources and Energy

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International Business

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Leisure and Sports Management

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Joint-degree MBA programs in: Law, Engineering, Agriculture, Forestry

side of his work as a geologist led Pfeifer to the Natural Resources and Energy MBA specialization, the only program of its kind in Canada.

“It has the potential for exactly the kind of career that I want,” he says.

Pfeifer throws second rock for Canada’s World Cup-winning and all-time most money making curling team skipped by Randy Ferbey.

His fans have nicknamed him ‘huffer’ for his reputation as the hardest sweeper in the game.

Continued, page 14…

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Te a c h i n g > > A n n u a l R ev i ew 2 0 0 2

Continued from page 13…

That kind of individual energy combined with his skill at working with a team towards a common goal makes Pfeifer a natural fit for the School’s MBA program: it relies heavily on teamwork, special projects and extracurricular activity.

Like many of our MBA grads, Pfeifer wants to build his career in Alberta. Three to five years from now he sees himself working for one of Alberta’s large energy companies. He looks forward to opportunities to lead by example and to play a larger role that management will give him.

Currently Pfeifer is “on a big roller coaster ride,” balancing curling playoffs with his MBA studies and family commitments. “My son Marlow is 13 months old and my wife Chantelle is expecting another baby in July. It’s the ultimate challenge in time management,” says Pfeifer with a champion smile. %

M B A S T U D E N T S TAT S ■

Silver in the 2003 MBA Games, Gold in 2001 and 2002

■

33 % backgrounds in Science 21 % Arts 14% Business 13 % Engineering 19% other

PhD program Matching Interests with Excellence

“It’s about relationship building,” says Professor David Cooper, Director of the PhD program at the School of Business. “We are not a PhD factory. We have a strong commitment to our students and focus instead on developing excellent student and faculty relationships.

“Our faculty are out there speaking, presenting their research and engaging in activities through the research centres at the School,” explains Cooper. The strong international reputation of the faculty and the School’s policy of matching PhD students with faculty engaged in similar research draws top calibre students. “The average GMAT of our incoming students is 695. This is as good or better than the most prestigious universities in the world,” notes Cooper.

D AV I D C O O P E R Professor, AMIS Director PhD program RESEARCH INTERESTS: an interdisciplinary approach to critical management studies, management accounting and control

PhD

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Marketing Research with a New Twist

K Y L E M U R R AY PhD student, Marketing and Psychology 2002/2003 SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship GOAL: To be a tenured professor continuing teaching and researching humancomputer interaction

Kyle Murray has another year or so to finish his interdisciplinary PhD in psychology and business. That combination has given him a unique perspective that makes sense in today’s high-tech global marketplace.

“The work I do is really experimental psychology, with an emphasis on human-computer interaction,” says Murray. “I just happen to be doing it in a business school.”

Among Murray’s research interests (www.kylemurray.com) are factors affecting electronic marketing and consumer behaviour.

“How people make decisions in virtual environments interests me. The growth of the Internet and on-line shopping and the different ways that consumers behave in that setting, make it very interesting to researchers in both marketing and psychology,” says Murray. Three to five years from now Murray hopes to be a professor somewhere – close to tenure. He expects to be continuing his present research. “It’s a pretty broad field.” With the help of his wife, Colleen, Murray is presently balancing his PhD research with a consulting business and a nine-month-old daughter, Julia. %

P h D S T U D E N T S TATS ■

2002/2003 PhD grants and awards: 2 SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships: Hwee-Cheng Tan (Accounting) Kyle Murray (Marketing) City of Edmonton Graduate Fellowship: Ken Ogata (Organizational Analysis) Karan Sonpar (Organizational Analysis): Centre for Knowledge Transfer Scholarship

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Some of our PhD grads are currently teaching at: Berkeley, Carnegie-Mellon, University of Cambridge, London and McGill

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Te a c h i n g > > A n n u a l R ev i ew 2 0 0 2

Departments Responding to Change “Our expectations as a research school are ambitious,” says Mike Gibbins, Chair of the Accounting and Management Information Systems department.

“One of the significant challenges that faces all departments is maintaining our outstanding reputation for research and teaching including planning for faculty replacement and growth.” (The School has hired 41 new faculty since 1996/7.)

“Edmonton is a long way from headquar-

Gibbins, who plans to retire a few years after his term as AMIS chair. “I want to make sure that there is a good group of young people to replace us ‘old farts.’” Gibbins is working to ensure that the School’s accounting faculty remain at the top.

This year AMIS has met changes in accounting practice and IT head on with new course development in undergraduate and MBA accounting and MIS. Gibbins notes that a key strategy is to develop new course material in alliance with faculty research strengths. %

ters of big corporations that make a difference, especially in Information Technology. Regardless, this institution expects excellent teaching and research standards,” Gibbins says.

This year Gibbins has hired two new faculty in Accounting and MIS, Sandy Hilton in accounting and Ken Clowes as Associate Chair in MIS. Hilton is part of Gibbins’ strategy to maintain the School’s international reputation as one of the best and most broadly based accounting faculties in the world. “There are not very many accounting groups like it. We have people with backS C H O O L O F B US I N E S S D E PA RT M E N TS grounds in information technology, financial and managerial accounting, ■ Accounting and Management ■ Marketing Business auditing, capital markets and finance, Information Systems: Economics and Law (MABEL) economics, ethics, sociology and Department Chair, Department Chair, psychology backgrounds. We all Michael Gibbins Richard Johnson get along and collaborate actively.”

■ Finance and Management ■ Strategic Management Succession planning is key to mainScience (FMS): and Organization (SMOrg) taining that strength and a major Department Chair, Department Chair, focus in the coming years for Prem Talwar Yonatan Reshef

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S A N DY H I LTO N Assistant Professor AMIS

New Player on our Top Team

Research interests financial accounting and external reporting

Last summer Sandy Hilton presented at a seminar to the School of Business Accounting faculty. The questions were tough – very tough, and as the number of questions increased rapidly, he couldn’t help but think that it would be great to be on the other side of the podium.

PASSIONS: Cycling and Basketball

Hilton started with the School last July.

“I took it as a good sign to be possibly working with people who were so rigorous and engaged.”

“There are probably only two or three schools anywhere with similar strength in accounting,” points out Hilton. “There are a number of professors here whom I respect for their research and teaching achievements.”

Hilton’s research interests centre around securities regulations and harmonization in accounting rules. The recent push for one international set of accounting principles has raised the issue of whether we also need to harmonize accounting training and regulation at the same time. “It’s a tough problem to crack,” says Hilton, who notes that Canada is an ideal place to study these issues considering the federal/provincial structure of securities regulations that now exist. %

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JEWEL BUKSA ’97 MBA Mother of two President BUKSA Conference Management and Program Development GOAL: To expand BUKSA’s customer base and to provide interesting and meaningful work for herself and her staff

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Research and Infrastructure Investing in Our Resources “This is a knowledge economy…You have to understand information, how to use it, store it and access it…”

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Collaborative Research “The School of Business is a place where students and professors are doing interesting things, they are engaged – the research here is very applied.”

In the current global, knowledge-based economy, information is at a premium and the research activity at the School of Business has never been more active. Our faculty are the human capital that policy makers and business leaders rely on to solve critical issues.

They can examine real issues in real terms in a non-partisan setting. How do health care management decisions become practice? How can Alberta best manage the groundbreaking Alberta Supernet project? How have women entrepreneurs impacted the way business is done in Canada? How will proposed stringent rules on accounting practice affect management decisions? These are but a few of the issues that our faculty are applying their considerable energy and resources to this year.

This year the launch of the new Alberta Business Family

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RESEARCH CENTRES ■

Alberta Business Family Institute

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Centre for Applied Business Research in Energy and the Environment (CABREE)

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Canadian Centre for Social Entrepreneurship (CCSE)

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Canadian Institute of Retailing and Services (CIRAS)

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Centre for Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise (CEFE)

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Centre for Excellence in Operations (CEO)

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Centre for Executive and Management Development (CEMD)

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Centre for International Business Studies (CIBS)

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Centre for Professional Service Firm Management (CPSFM)

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Cultural Industries Research Centre (CIRS)

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Health Organization Studies Group (HOS)

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Western Centre for Economic Research (WCER)

Institute and the Health Organization Studies Group increased our research centre numbers to 12. Our research centres are a vital community resource, providing practical outlets for our research and expertise.

The Centre for Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise was recently generously endowed by an anonymous business family. This has allowed CEFE to vigorously pursue its mandate to disseminate information about the management of family enterprise. “When it comes to matters of family business we are connected to best research and practice world wide,” says CEFE director, Lloyd Steier. “These connections allow information to flow both ways and enable us to act as a resource for Alberta business families.” %

From Talk to Walk Who Makes Change Happen in Health Care?

Trish Reay has been the Eric Geddes/AHFMR Post-Doctoral Fellow and Research Associate in Health Organization Studies and an important member of the interdisciplinary Health Organization Studies team focusing on health care issues. The team is developing partnerships between researchers and policy- and decision makers. Reay and her colleagues have been examining how the ‘talk’ of top level management becomes the ‘walk’ on the front lines in health care in health regions throughout the province. Who makes it happen?

“What we’ve found was a surprise,” says Reay. In the health care organizations she has studied it is the middle managers who are the most effective at transforming policy into action.

Those middle managers – the nurse practitioners, doctors, RNs and administrators – are especially important: they are often on the front line with their co-workers, but have the responsibility and ability to make the changes happen. “They know how to get things done,” says Reay.

Reay is inspired by the people she partners with in the health care field and hopes that her research will provide a piece of the puzzle to help policy makers in the future. Reay says that the business perspective is important to health care research. “We can give them observations that they may not have considered.” In this case ‘they’ are key policy makers and decision makers in the Alberta government and

health care regions. “We are developing a network that involves Deputy Ministers and researchers and the DMs are telling others about our relationship and what they are learning.”

Reay’s partners Bob Hinings and Karen Golden-Biddle in the School of Business plus Anne Casebeer in Community Health Sciences, and Amy Pablo in Management at the University of Calgary are a “really great group.”

And the word is getting out – the partnership is already expanding into Lethbridge and Québec. %

T R I S H R E AY Eric Geddes/ AHFMR Post-Doctoral Fellow and Research Associate in Health Organization Studies Recently accepted a position as an Assistant Professor at the School

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Gender Differences –

Not!

“Women are becoming business owners at JENNIFER CLIFF Assistant professor, SMOrg RESEARCH INTERESTS: entrepreneurship, organizational theory and gender Recently received an SSHRC grant with colleagues, Stan Li and Royston Greenwood, to examine gender differences in access to financial capital.

Jennifer Cliff came to the School of Business in July of 1999 after finishing her doctoral work studying women entrepreneurs at the University of British Columbia. “I’m a biggerpicture person,” says Cliff.

“I just want to see if women are making a difference.”

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a faster rate. They will make changes,” explains Cliff. After the feminist revolution of the 70s the expectation is that women would make changes in management and organization with a ‘feminine’ approach, i.e. there would be less hierarchy, more flexible and empathetic work environment.

Not so, Cliff’s research data showed. “The truth is that there is no difference between genders in how they manage the workplace. They both manage with a mix of approaches.” Cliff notes that there is a “mismatch between the walk and the talk,” in both men and women. Both genders would answer survey questions according to the expected gender bias – but when it came to actual business practice both men and women run businesses to make money – and the workplace is becoming more flexible on both sides. “The reality of the business world is still a constraining factor,” notes Cliff. In the future there may be more room for ‘feminine’ values in RESEARCH NEWS the workplace.

In the meantime there Randall Morck wins Journal of are still plenty of quesFinance “All Star Paper” Award tions to ask that relate Bob Gephardt: $138,000 SSHRC to gender bias. % grant for “organizational sensemaking and environmental risk management”

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Erhan Erkut: $128,000 NSERC grant “Hazardous Materials Transportation”

Gender and the Bottom Line “At the end of the day, our company must be profitable,” says Jewel Buksa, ’97 MBA. “That’s what drives my decisions.”

That said, Buksa, a mother of two, takes the professional development and wellbeing of her staff to heart. She is sensitive to her staff’s family needs; medical appointments, sick kids and the need for flexibility or time off. “Maybe that’s where you see some gender differences,” she concedes.

Buksa was already enrolled in the part-time executive MBA program, soon to become a regular with Professor Bill Preshing and the U of A earlybird runners, and was working on her business plan when she was laid off at Christmastime in 1994. At the time Buksa organized professional development conferences and events for health care trustees and senior managers.

“I knew that there was still a need for what I was doing and that there was no one to carry on.” She formed BUKSA Conference Management and Program Development in 1995 (www.buksa.com ) “The work was unique and very interesting. I’ve been very successful.”

BUKSA employs 10 people, and she says that three to five years from now she would like to see her company grow – but, bigger is not necessarily better to her. “Certainly I would like to be operating at a higher level. I’d also like to expand our customer base to include more national medical societies. But it’s more important to me to be able to provide interesting and meaningful work for me and my staff.” %

“I want to have competent and happy staff, but I always keep in mind that I have a job to do.”

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R e s e a rc h a n d I n f ra s t r u c t u re > > A n n u a l R ev i ew 2 0 0 2

Leveraging

Human Capital

>> The opportunity to work with researchers such as such as 3M Teaching Award winner Erhan Erkut was a big factor in Accounting and Management Information Systems department professor Ray Patterson’s decision to move from Dallas to Edmonton. “The School of Business is an excellent place for collaborative research,” he says. Patterson’s research interests lie in the field of meta-heuristics (artificial intelligence) and Information Technology. Patterson is looking at the logistics of the Alberta Supernet Project.

Patterson received a Canada Research Chair this year

phases of connectivity that are going to bring

and the funds will allow him to conduct research and

prosperity through connectivity to all parts of

develop the Management Information Systems (MIS)

Alberta. Patterson likens the project to the first

program at all levels. Building a program essentially

phases of infrastructure that we no longer think

from the ground up was the main attraction for

twice about – electricity or the postal service.

Patterson. “There is lots of opportunity for program

The collegial atmosphere at the School of Business

development, excellent students and the opportunity to

and the University of Alberta is yet another plus.

integrate research into the classroom.” Three to five

“It is a place where students and professors are doing

years from now, Patterson sees no reason why the

interesting things, they are engaged – the research

School of Business won’t have one of the best MIS

here is very applied.”

program in Canada.

The Alberta Supernet project (another major draw for his move to Alberta) is just the first of many

24

For more details go to: www.bus.ualberta.ca/rayp/research.htm

R AY PAT T E R S O N Associate Professor, Canada Research Chair in Management Information Systems TEACHING AREAS: e-commerce, telecommunications, and information systems design

25

R e s e a rc h a n d I n f ra s t r u c t u re > > A n n u a l R ev i ew 2 0 0 2

Technology:

Limitless Possibilities

The School’s large investment in infrastructure enables faculty to access technology and information databases with advanced technical support and to produce world-class research.

Recently, Karim Jamal, PhD, CA and Alexander Hamilton Professor of Business, relied heavily on the School’s technological capability to explore the effect of strict, moderate or liberal accounting rules on the behaviour of managers.

In the financial reporting study, Jamal and graduate student Hwee-Cheng Tan created a virtual company that they then were able to take offsite with laptops and wireless access to the Eric Geddes Strategic Decision (computer) lab to test how corporate financial officers would react under certain accounting-rule scenarios.

One hundred CAs, CMAs, MBAs and CFAs “played” with the simulation and were asked to present a report on earnings over a 12-period experiment. The level of accounting discretion was assigned randomly to participants in the program, allowing Jamal to ask and answer the following: Are we better off with stringent accounting rules or should we expand accounting discretion? Do reported earnings become more variable as accounting discretion is reduced?

26

How do managers alter operating decisions to compensate for less accounting discretion?

“Technology makes much more sophisticated experiments possible,” explains Jamal who has a keen interest in the behavioural side of things.

The breakthrough is that it allows for human behavior to be studied. “I can get information not just in numbers, but in how people react to those numbers. Plus the participants get feedback as they ‘play the game’ and actually enjoy participating in the research.”

In this post-Enron world regulators and policy makers need objective evidence as they strive to change accounting and governance rules.Research such as this can provide them with much wider evidence of the possible ramifications of their decisions.

Jamal says that the applications of simulations to research are limitless. % For more information contact Karim Jamal directly at: karim.jamal@ualberta.ca

KARIM JAMAL Professor, AMIS RESEARCH INTERESTS: Judgment and Decision Making; Information Processing in Financial Markets

Infrastructure What’s Inside the Box? “Technology makes much more sophisticated experiments possible,…

There are more possibilities than I can ever dream of.”

The University of Alberta School of Business’s

“The University of Alberta is recognized worldwide for our excellent teaching standards, 1984-era exterior isn’t the attraction: it’s what’s groundbreaking research and for our outstanding inside the box that counts. The hallways are lined campus collegial environment,” notes U of A with posters and flyers announcing myriads of president Rod Fraser. “The School of Business’ activities. Inside those poster-lined walls are miles commitment to raising the level of education of network and wireless high-speed cable that and developing its core strengths has made the connect students and faculty to the libraries, School an integral part of each other and the outside world. this success.”

Our “smart” Internet-ready WE’RE WIRED! The School continues classrooms were upgraded this to invest in technology, year to enable students and fac■ New high-speed wireless databases, and people so that ulty to take full advantage of up connections allow students to students and academics have to date technology. Infrastructure log on to the computer network the necessary infrastructure investments help us deliver a from almost anywhere within to operate to their highest relevant education and to perform the School of Business building potential. % world-class applied research.

Our staff and students have access to over 367 course Web sites, and 52,000 documents – more than any other faculty at the University.

■

More than 100,000 feet of computer network cable run through the walls of the Business building

■

There are over 500 separate network lines in the building

>> “We take an organized approach to technology, consistently upgrading our IT infrastructure to leverage technology as a valuable educational resource.”

27

R e s e a rc h a n d I n f ra s t r u c t u re > > A n n u a l R ev i ew 2 0 0 2

Wireless Connectivity

Winspear Business Reference Library

Pulling the Plug

Brick and Click The Winspear Business Reference Library is both a physical and virtual library. During a typical weekday 1,200 students walk into the library to peruse current business newspapers, study and use the computer stations.

This year the School of Business pulled the plug.

We now provide wireless high-speed Internet connectivity for students and faculty within the walls of the School of Business building and they can connect at other ‘wireless hubs’ across campus.

Wireless connectivity gives students the ability to manage their time and to access information and assistance when needed without having to wait for a spot in the computer lab or for an available plug in.

We are one of the few business schools with an Assistant Dean of Infrastructure/Technology and with a full support team of IT specialists to train faculty and keep the connections smooth.

The virtual

Winspear Business Reference The Winspear Business Reference Library Library provides students and faculty with offers the E-Commerce Alert, a service that is Internet access to collections and assistance unique in North American university business locating information 24/7. Its on-line resource libraries. E-Commerce Alert scans hundreds of guides lead to proprietary databases, electronic journal and e-zine articles each month. Search journals and other links. results are then filtered for relevance and The Winspear Library recently benchmarked organized into an easy-to-use format. its database holdings against those of seven other This past year Winspear Canadian universities with launched a new service called strong business programs.

QUICK FACTS New Titles Alert, which proResults indicate the Winspear’s vides a monthly list of new collection of financial/company ■ This year the School purchased business and economics titles and international business four new databases: received by the University of databases rated among the top, • Forrester Research Alberta Libraries. % and our collection of market• Faulkner’s Advisory for ing, research, and information Information Technology Studies technology databases is the best • Consumer Lifestyles in the country.

• Financial Post Investor Suite

28

Making it in the New Knowledge Economy Duane Bentley, a 2002 BCom with a major in Management Information Systems, has high hopes for his future.

Three to five years from now he hopes to be working in a senior consulting position with a large IT firm.

A consultant

with CenComp, Bentley says his MIS concentration gave him excellent value for his time and money. Bentley uses his critical thinking skills and knowledge of information technology to help businesses design, choose and set up information systems according to their needs.

“This is a knowledge economy,” explains Bentley.

“Whether it’s accounting, distribution, management or HR, it’s all about information. You have to understand information, how to store it, how to use it and how to access it throughout an organization.”

This year Bentley and fellow MIS alumni formed the School of Business MIS

society to promote their specialization and to provide input into future course development.

Bentley is also a member of the Edmonton chapter of CIPS (the Canadian Information Processing Society) and helped facilitate their annual conference – attended by over 2,500 IT professionals this year. %

DUANE BENTLEY 2002 BCom, MIS specialization IT consultant, CenComp GOAL: to be in management for a leading IT firm

29

R e s e a rc h a n d I n f ra s t r u c t u re > > A n n u a l R ev i ew 2 0 0 2

Technology Technology at the School of Business is a key tool supporting our strategic goal – to be among the top one per cent of research-intensive, policy-shaping Business schools globally. More connectivity and access to information is essential to deliver technology in the classroom, access to data and the systems needed to perform relevant applied research.

The School of Business makes leadingedge use of technology in the classroom to deliver on-line assignments, simultaneous on-line exams, conference pages, in-class modelling and simulation in undergraduate and graduate level business operations management courses. We use technology to increase interactions between students, their peers and instructors and also to provide innovative simulations and assignments that foster collaboration and healthy competition. %

OUR TECH GROUP TECH SUPPORT STAFFERS: Michelle Unchulenko (L), Mike Getz (R) and Bryan Zuch (C) MISSION: Create and encourage innovative use of technology, and then make that use routine throughout the Faculty

30

Database Data

Tech Resources

Before you can access data at the School of Business you have to ask Mary Gillespie, faculty database specialist with the School of Business Technology Group. Here’s some data on the School of Business ‘best database’ according to a recent benchmarking study:

STUDENT RESOURCES ■

98 station undergrad computer lab

■

32 station undergrad workstation lab

■

32 station MIS computer lab

■

25 station MBA computer lab

■

20 station PhD computer lab

■

20 laptop connections Winspear Reading Room

■

wireless network access covering the entire Business building

■

At least 18 researchers in the School of Business accessed data on the Lorax database manager between March 2002 and now. ●

8 email stations in student common area

The most popular databases are Compustat, which has financial reports for North American companies, CRSP which contains stock market summaries for American stock exchanges, and TAQ which contains trade and quote transactions from American stock exchanges.

●

MULTIMEDIA FACILITIES ■

16 smart classrooms

■

2 videoconference facilities

■

2 committee rooms with interactive ‘smart’ boards

STAFF RESOURCES ■

Brent Poohkay, Assistant Dean of Technology & Infrastructure

■

Tech Group Mike Getz, Instructional Technology and Undergraduate Computing Mary Gillespie, Research computing support Jim Kiddoo, Network and server administration Michelle Unchulenko, Desktop support specialist Corinne Winter, Administrative support Bryan Zuch, Web specialist

MARY GILLESPIE TITLE: Research computing support Oversees the management of School of Business databases

●

The largest database in terms of memory requirements is TAQ. TAQ data arrives from New York Stock Exchange monthly.

Currently two or three DVD’s arrive each month. Ten years ago one month’s worth of data could fit on one CD. To compare, a CD holds 650 megabytes of data, a DVD holds 4.5 gigabytes.

●

We compress TAQ data before storing it on Lorax. Currently the compressed size is nearly 66 gigabytes, and includes data from January 1993 to November 2002. We currently have disk capacity for another year of data. Then we’ll need to buy more disks.

●

The most trades for any one company on a single day was just under 370,000. The most quotes for a single company on a single day was just under 230,000.

31

C o m m u n i t y > > A n n u a l R ev i ew 2 0 0 2

Community Delivering 110%

“The relationship between the School of Business and the business community is a two-way street.�

32

DOUG WINDER ’96 BCom, Co-op program Business Unit Manager, Intuit Canada GOAL: To continue to grow ‘ outside his comfort zone in a positive way with Intuit Canada

33

C o m m u n i t y > > A n n u a l R ev i ew 2 0 0 2

Give and Take “Our Alumni define our community as a place of give and take and highlight the exceptional value that we all can bring to it.”

International Activity EXECUTIVE TRAINING ■

Carried out two six-month programs to train civil servants and executives from the Government of Heilongjiang Province, China (Alberta’s sister province)

■

Two-week executive training program for Naturgas Colombia executive

■

Proposal to the government of South Africa for civil servant training program

“The relationship

between the School of Business and the community is a two way street,” says long-time Business Advisory Council member, Hugh Bolton (Chairman of the Board of EPCOR). Networking activities plus the high profile of faculty helps keep the connection strong. “Their deliverable is an excellent product,” says Bolton. “Their students and faculty are first rate.”

That networking extends around the world: this year the School’s Centre for International Business Studies hosted delegations from China and South America. The Centre for Executive Management Development spearheaded two new initiatives to enhance senior management training in Alberta and has branched out into other provinces. The Business Alumni Association revitalized a mid-1970s-era Mentorship program linking MBA students to business leaders. The Co-op program celebrated its 10th year and is operating at peak capacity. As our community demands, we deliver – 110%.

EXCHANGE ■

Joint curriculum development with ITESM (Guadalajara) in International Finance

■

New proposal to Meiji University Tokyo

■

3 visiting faculty from Xian Jiaotong University

■

incoming exchange students: 33 outgoing: 28

E X I S T I N G PA RT N E R S H I P S ■

■

34

Asia • Hong Kong • India* (new this year) • Japan • Thailand Europe • Austria • Denmark • France

• Germany • Sweden • U.K. ■

South America • Chile • Ecuador

■

Mexico • Mexico City

International Relations Bringing Us to the World and the World to Us The School of Business is a key partner in the U of A’s drive towards internationalization. “More and more of today’s subject matter is global and professionally we have to be able to offer students the opportunity to live and work across cultures,” says Edy Wong, Assistant Dean (International) and Director of the Centre for International Business Studies. “To be recognized as one of the top one per cent of Business Schools in the world we have to become known internationally,” says Wong. There is no downside in “bringing the world to us and us to the world.”

The School has worked hard this year to increase the number of exchange opportunities and internships for our students. As well, executive management training activity has been expanded and new partnerships have been forged.

The School now delivers all international activities through one window – Wong’s office. “There are many natural synergies among student exchange, international co-op opportunities and international executive management training activities,” he says.

A recent example of this synergy is the student exchange relationship between Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the School that has now expanded to include discussion that may lead to our first offshore executive MBA.

“China is an important emerging economy,” notes Wong. He also comments how important the 20-year relationship that the School of Business has with China has been through the efforts of Rolf Mirus and other farsighted academics at the School.

“We are strategically positioned to become recognized as a centre of excellence in China within the next few years.” The centre has developed workshops Continued, page 36…

EDY WONG Assistant Dean (International) TRAVELLING MAN: 10 flights just in the last 6 months.

DESTINATIONS INCLUDE: Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vancouver, Toronto DISTANCE: 40,000 km in six months

35

C o m m u n i t y > > A n n u a l R ev i ew 2 0 0 2

Continued from page 35…

in subjects such as International Purchasing, Transportation, and International Finance.

Significant achievements this year include new partnerships in South America, India and Mexico. A very exciting development is the participation in executive management training for foreign executives. “International executive

training can only enhance our reputation as a world class university and business school,” says Wong. “The interaction of the executives with faculty, students and alumni brings in that element of culture and the exchange of ideas into the school.” %

CEMD

“How we set ourselves apart is by focusing on our strengths,” says Wolowyk. “We use our best teaching faculty and complement them with international academic experts and industry experts.” CEMD programs are developed around the core strengths of the School: outstanding teachers, strength in programs such as Natural Resources and Energy, Health Care, and Public Sector management. The combination of industry expertise and academic excellence provides CEMD clients with ‘best practices’ and practical knowledge that they can use immediately. “Knowledge transfer matters to us,” says Wolowyk. %

Beyond the Baseline The Centre for Executive and Management Development fills a large gap in management training.

“We go beyond the baseline level to provide advanced training to managers who already have several years of experience but need skills to raise their ability to manage at a higher strategic level,” explains director Sheryl Wolowyk. CEMD’s goal is to become one of the top three providers of advanced executive management training in Canada.

Providing executive management training is self-reinforcing: It builds the profile and reputation of the School and gives business leaders an independent evaluation of the institution.

SHERYL WOLOWYK 2000 MBA Executive Director, CEMD

36

NEW THIS YEAR Management Fundamentals: designed as a mini-MBA, it is a certificate for mid-level managers who need core business skills or perhaps want to test the waters of an MBA. “It’s an executive overview for those who need the basic business toolkit so that they can ask the right questions and understand at a deeper level the issues that impact the bottom line of their organization.”

Co-op Value Added Ten years ago, 30 students and a handful of Alberta businesses took up the challenge of integrating top-tier academic business education with the rigorous demands of the workplace. The Co-op program’s tenth anniversary finds it running at peak capacity with over 400 student placements locally, nationally and internationally.

The Co-op program combines the best practices of an accredited work integration program with the strong academic rigour that the School of Business is known for. “It’s very worthwhile,” says Executive Director Claudette de Bruijn.

“For example, I have three students living in London right now. For them to be exposed to the London financial district is invaluable.”

The challenge over the next few years is to broaden the number of international placements. “We have degrees in international business, so we need to add more value to that degree,” says de Bruijn.

De Bruijn is committed to maintaining professional standards. “We answer our phones, we respond quickly, we have information available for students and businesses, we use technology but we don’t let it rule us.” De Bruijn says that it is the long term personal relationships that Co-op builds that keeps businesses coming back and expands the reputation of the School. %

Opportunity Knocks “Co-op was a phenomenal opportunity for me,” says Doug Winder, who graduated from the School of Business Co-op program in 1996 with a major in accounting.

His Co-op

work experience took him from the tax department at Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers) to an upstart tech company called Intuit Canada. Ten years later, Winder is still with Intuit and Intuit has gone from 10 employees to over 400. For the last two years the company has been named as one of the top 10 Canadian companies to work for according to the Report on Business and is also in MediaCorps top 100 list internationally.

Winder started as the manager of Intuit’s call centre and is now a business unit manager for one of Intuit’s QuickTax products. Three to five years from now Winder expects to still be with Intuit, continuing to grow along with the company.

“This is the kind of company that allows you go outside of your comfort zone in a positive way,” explains Winder. “It’s a great place to work.”

Intuit still regularly recruits from the Co-op program, using students in their engineering, contact centre and quality assurance departments. “We have had tremendous success with Co-op students. They are smart, very dedicated, enthusiastic and full of energy,” he says. “They pick things up almost instantly.” % 37

C o m m u n i t y > > A n n u a l R ev i ew 2 0 0 2

BILL ADDINGTON ’74 BCom, ’91 MBA Executive Vice President, Canadian Western Bank GOAL: to add value to the community, the School of Business and the University of Alberta through the activities of the Business Alumni Association

38

Our BAA: Value You Can Bank on >> Bill Addington knows value. He is executive Vice President of Edmonton-based Canadian Western Bank. He is also president of the Business Alumni Association. Addington figures he’s got his money’s worth from his time at the University of Alberta School of Business, earning a BCom in 1974 and an MBA in the 1991. “I’ve spent a lot of time on campus and it has really helped me.

I’m happy to give something back to the institution,” he says.

The BAA, which speaks on behalf of the School’s 16,000

MBA students. That connects students to the business

alumni, organizes networking and professional develop-

community and helps guide them through some of the

ment events. That keeps Addington connected to good

career choices and challenges that they face. There is

students - future alumni — and other professionals in

a lot of satisfaction in helping with something this

the community. The BAA also hosts events such as the

worthwhile,” says Addington.

annual convocation breakfast and

“The University of Alberta and the

BAA STATS

raises funds for scholarships to undergraduate and MBA students.

This year BAA director Rob Parks, professor Doug Olsen, and professor emeritus Bill Preshing

School of Business develop human capital that can really contribute and add

■

Formed in 1988

value to the community. Edmonton and

■

16,000 alumni worldwide

the province would certainly be lesser

■

14 business alumni branches worldwide, including London, Hong Kong and San Francisco

■

30 alumni events hosted in 2002

re-established the MBA mentorship program. “We recruited over 50 alumni and hooked them up with

without it.”

39

C o m m u n i t y > > A n n u a l R ev i ew 2 0 0 2

Mentorship What’s Old is New Again In October of 2002 the School revitalized a pilot mentorship program for full-time MBA students. The program helps develop strong ties between students and alumni. Alumni can offer support for students in efforts to select courses and plan out career options.

This is one way that the School of Business can leverage its strong connections to the business community to benefit our students. As always our business community came through and more than 50 mentors signed up for the opportunity to mentor MBA students.

>> Profile of a Mentor Ann Leins, Associate Director, TELUS Enterprise Solutions ●

Area of specialization: No specific area of specialization since I have a PhD in Industrial Chemistry, and I did not want to limit myself by specializing yet again. My primary areas of interest and focus was on Entrepreneurship, Finance and International Marketing.

●

Year of Graduation: 1997 MBA

●

Career Path: My career path has been primarily in the IT management consulting, business development and marketing, in medium to large corporate environments. First, through managing extensive business development and marketing portfolios for a series of software companies and more recently in the telecommunications industry at TELUS Enterprise Solutions.

●

Why take part in MBA Mentorship program? I participated in the mentorship program during my MBA studies and found it to be a rewarding, and enlightening experience. I am still in contact with my mentor. Being on the “other side” now, I consider this a wonderful opportunity to actively participate in and support the same program, share my experiences with Jason and hopefully make it as rewarding for him. It also is a great way to remain “connected” to the school.

40

●

Are there advantages to you in the relationship?

Absolutely. Jason provides me with information on upcoming events such as the “breakfast series” which I’d not have known about otherwise. Also, I try to arrange for him to meet people in specific industries that he is considering as a career path, so that he can hopefully make a more informed decision about his future.

●

What is the value in establishing relationships between alumni and students? It creates a valuable conduit between the business world and the academic environment – bringing a real world experience to their learning and fosters healthy discussion around points of interest. If nurtured and sustained, it has the potential to create a strong alumni-school relationship, which makes coming here to do an MBA even more attractive.

Many MBA alumni are active in our community in a number of capacities – some high profile, others at the grass roots volunteer level – exposing our MBA students to more than just the “job end” of things. It defines our community as a place of give-and-take and highlights the exceptional value that we all can bring to the community.

Inspired to Succeed Jason Stanley, a second-year MBA student has some backup. Her name is Ann Leins, ’97 MBA and Enterprise Solutions Associate Director at TELUS. Jason’s connection to Leins gives him access to advice and a personal perspective that professors and textbooks can’t.

“Ann is dynamite.

She’s so positive and upbeat. She is a remarkably well-rounded person – she has a full-time career and family. She travels and loves sports. It’s inspiring.” The mentoring relationship has translated into one with enormous potential. “Ann has offered to speak to people she knows in the business community to help open up some doors for me, which is great,” says Stanley.

She has also been a resource for local information to Stanley who is new to Edmonton.

Perhaps most importantly, “Ann is cautioning me to be patient and to weigh things to uncover the right career opportunity.”

Three to five years from now, Stanley sees himself in senior management in

banking or consulting, with significant responsibility. “I would like to be leading a team of people and delivering results.” He hopes to continue to evolve as a manager and leader, but aims to retain the core qualities that are his strengths. “I have good soft skills,” explains Stanley. “I am good at relationships and being sensitive to other’s needs, whether it’s a client or a co-worker. I’m a good critical thinker.” %

JA S O N S TA N L E Y 2nd year MBA GOAL: to be a team leader with significant responsibility in senior management in banking or consulting

“Ann is cautioning me to be patient and to weigh things to uncover the right career opportunity.”

41

F i n a n c i a l S t a t e m e n t s > > A n n u a l R ev i ew 2 0 0 2

Actuals for Year Ending March 31, 2002 Source of Funds

($000)

University Funds University Operating Grant and Other Funds Government Funds (other than research) Access Grants Other Government Grants Own Source Funds Cost Recovery Programs Research Grants and Contracts Endowment Income Other Investment Income Donations and Planned Gifts Professional Development Centres and Conferences (excluding endowment income) Other Sources TOTAL OWN SOURCE FUNDS

Percent

12,091

53.0%

908 169

4.0% 0.7%

9,658

42.3%

22,826

100.0%

6,863

30.1%

7,726

33.8%

1,521

6.7%

5,632

24.7%

1,084

4.7%

22,826

100.0%

914 974 2,983 100 895 2,523 949 320

TOTAL INFLOW

Use of Funds Teaching Student-related Activities (including financial aid) Program Support Instruction and Instructional Support TOTAL TEACHING

1,141 376 5,346

Research Service and Community Relations Service and Community Relations Development TOTAL SERVICE AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS

1,492 29

Administration (including Technology and Infrastructure) Transfers Transfer to Endowments Transfer to Reserves TOTAL TRANSFERS TOTAL OUTFLOW

319 765

> > N O T E : Academic and support staff salaries have been charged to the above activities. For information, academic salaries totaled $12,334,000 and support staff salaries totaled $1,903,300. Benefits across both categories totaled $1,835,900.

42

Projections for Year Ending March 31, 2003 Source of Funds

($000)

Percent

University Funds University Operating Grant and Other Funds

12,570

50.1%

Government Funds (other than research) Access Grants Other Government Grants

1,707 149

6.8% 0.6%

10,679

42.5%

25,105

100.0%

7,609

30.3%

8,253

32.9%

1,614

6.4%

Administration (including Technology and Infrastructure)

6,556

26.1%

Estimated Transfers to Reserves

1,073

4.3%

25,105

100.0%

Own Source Funds Cost Recovery Programs Research Grants and Contracts Endowment Income Other Investment Income Donations and Planned Gifts Professional Development Centres and Conferences (excluding endowment income) Other Sources TOTAL OWN SOURCE FUNDS

680 1,537 3,098 75 555 2,300 2,056 378

TOTAL INFLOW

Use of Funds Teaching Student-related Activities (including financial aid) Program Support Instruction and Instructional Support TOTAL TEACHING

1,145 232 6,232

Research Service and Community Relations Service and Community Relations Development TOTAL SERVICE AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS

TOTAL OUTFLOW

1,524 91

> > N O T E : Academic and support staff salaries have been charged to the above activities. For information, academic salaries are projected to total $12,712,600 and support staff salaries are projected to total $2,019,100. Benefits across both categories are projected at $1,986,500.

43

C o u n c i l a n d B o a rd M e m b e rs > > A n n u a l R ev i ew 2 0 0 2

Business Advisory Council Members Bruce Alton

John Ferguson

Esther Ondrack

Janice Rennie

Vice President, Marketing & Business Development Telecom & Electronics Micralyne Inc Edmonton, Alberta

Chancellor, University of Alberta Chairman, Princeton Developments Ltd and Chair of TransAlta Corporation Edmonton, Alberta

Vice President and Secretary Chieftain Financial Ltd Edmonton, Alberta

Principal, Janice G. Rennie & Associates Edmonton, Alberta

Val Pappes

Roderick Fraser

Gordon Arnell

President & Vice-Chancellor University of Alberta Edmonton, Alberta

COO Time Industrial, Inc. and Founder and COO A-LIVE Holdings II Inc. Edmonton, Alberta

Senior Vice President – Operations Prairies & Western Region Business Development Bank of Canada Edmonton, Alberta

Kevin Jenkins

Mike Percy

Don Tapscott

The Westaim Corporation Calgary, Alberta

Stanley A. Milner Professor and Dean University of Alberta School of Business Edmonton, Alberta

President New Paradigm Learning Corporation Toronto, Ontario

Chairman and CEO Brookfield Properties Corporation Toronto, Ontario

Mary Arnold Director, Arnold Consulting Group Ltd Edmonton, Alberta

Hugh Bolton Corporate Director, Financial Consultant, and Chairman of the Board, EPCOR Utilities Inc Edmonton, Alberta

Charles Chan Chairman and CEO ITC Corporation Limited Kowloon, Hong Kong

Patrick Daniel President and CEO, Enbridge Inc Calgary, Alberta

Jim Dinning Executive Vice President – Sustainable Development and External Relations TransAlta Calgary, Alberta

K. Michael Edwards

Hiroshi Kurimoto President, Nagoya University of Commerce and Business Administration Nisshin-shi, Aichi, Japan

R. J. (Bob) MacLean Chairman, The Crossing Company Edmonton, Alberta

Don Mazankowski Chairman, Premier’s Advisory Council on Health Vegreville, Alberta

Gay Mitchell Executive Vice President – Ontario Royal Bank of Canada Toronto, Ontario

Randall Morck Stephen A Jarislowsky Distinguished Chair in Finance University of Alberta School of Business Edmonton, Alberta

Charlotte Robb

Joseph Thompson

Bob Phillips President and CEO The BCR Group of Companies North Vancouver, British Columbia

Roger Phillips Honourary Director, IPSCO Inc. Director, TD Bank, CP Rail, Imperial Oil Ltd Regina, Saskatchewan

Philip Ponting QC Managing Partner, McLennan Ross Barristers & Solicitors Calgary, Alberta

Gerry Protti Executive Vice President, Corporate Relations EnCana Corporation Calgary, Alberta

Chairman PCL Construction Group Inc. Edmonton, Alberta

Dyan Triffo Managing Director, Head of West Coast Media Banking Deutsche Banc Securities, Inc. San Francisco, California

Ron Triffo Chairman of the Board, Stantec Inc Edmonton, Alberta

Gordon Ulrich President, Glacier Developments Inc St Albert, Alberta

Peter Valentine Senior Advisor to the President and CEO Calgary Health Region Calgary, Alberta

Etobicoke, Ontario

BAA Board of Directors William Addington, ‘74 BCom, ‘91 MBA

Guy Kerr, ’95 MBA

Paul Rechner, ’93 BCom, ’00 MBA

Executive Vice President, Canadian Western Bank BAA President

President, Workers Compensation Board U of A Alumni Council Business Rep.

Al Anderson, ‘67 BCom

Harvey A. Lawton, ’73 BCom

Corporate Currency Trader Custom House Currency Exchange BAA Vice President

Consultant, Alberta Justice

Financial Benefits Group, Aon Reed Stenhouse Inc.

Ross Bradford, ‘79 LLB, ‘85 MBA

Allan Mah, ‘75 BCom

U of A School of Business, Faculty Representative

Director, Real Estate Services, U of A

Shelley Teasdale, ’01 BCom

Elke Christianson

David McGarva, ’99 MBA

Director, Alumni Relations and Development U of A School of Business

Acton Consulting Ltd.

Sierra Systems BAA Secretary

Lawrence Hill, ’91 BA, ’94 MBA

Marketing Consultant Community Services, City of Edmonton

Investors Group

Robert Parks, ’99 MBA

Chris Pilger, ’90 BCom Manager, Communications Institute of Chartered Accountants of Alberta

44

Regan Robertson President, MBA Association

Kurian Tharakan, ‘86 BCom PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP BAA Past-President

Drew Thomson, ’78 BCom, ’02 CFD Director, Corporate Development, CMA Alberta BAA Treasurer

Holly Tomte President, Business Students’ Association

C R E D I T S > > Writer: Zanne Cameron > Editor: Rod Ziegler > Design: Lime Design Inc. > Photography: Bluefish Studios > Printing: DeJong Printing Ltd.

Bill Preshing: 110% “The more things change the more they remain the same,” says Dr. Bill Preshing. Preshing, aka “Dr. Bill,” is a professor emeritus and a wellknown founding member of the University of Alberta Earlybirds who have been meeting for over two decades to exercise and/or run before classes and work begin. Although retired, Preshing is very connected to the the School of Business. He still is a regular earlybird, and he is currently researching the School’s history.

What has remained constant, says Preshing is the School’s tradition in community spirit and its ability to change with the times.

In October the University of Alberta Earlybirds — students, staff and faculty from across campus — celebrated their 25th anniversary. Preshing and the Earlybirds host four runs every year and they have become staple campus recreational activities. Preshing’s ‘fun’ principle has helped to foster community spirit across disciplines and academic/support staff boundaries. The Faculty Club Fun Run, has raised in excess of $50,000 for undergraduate and graduate scholarships.

His efforts have also raised thousands of dollars for local charities.

That’s giving 110%.

S c h o o l o f B u s i n e s s > > A n n u a l R ev i ew 2 0 0 2

University of Alberta School of Business Edmonton, Alberta Canada T6G 2R6 Tel. 780.492.4083 Fax. 780.492.8748 Toll free in Canada and USA 1.877.362.3222 E-mail external.business@ualberta.ca Web www.bus.ualberta.ca