Alumni

Canada must reflect on its fundamental values in a rapidly changing world

admin — Fri, 09 May 2025 16:51:02 +0000

In Canada, we often imitate the US political system without giving it serious thought, says Jean Charest, a former Member of the Parliament of Canada and Premier of Quebec. But growing political polarization and pressures on the Supreme Court shouldn’t be emulated, Charest told Prof. Karl Moore for an article in Les Affaires. “Maybe it’s the right time to ask ourselves who we are, what are values are, and what we hope to accomplish in the world,” Charest added.

Sam Greene putting analytics skills to use with Toronto Blue Jays

admin — Wed, 21 May 2025 19:36:02 +0000

After four years studying in Montreal, Sam Greene (BCOM’20, MMA’21) moved on to Toronto, where he caught on with Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays. Greene started in a role in an analytics role, but has since been named assistant pitching coach. As a junior member of the coashing staff, Greene is observing senior coaches like pitching coach Pete Walker and bullpen coach Graeme Johnson. “I’m specialized in using the advanced statistics we receive each match,” says Greene. “I contribute by guiding pitch choice and suggesting ways of approaching individual hitters.

Intermingling of business and corporate affairs makes governing country as “CEO” impossible

admin — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 18:06:07 +0000

After the federal government’s speech from the throne in May 2025, Bloc Québecois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet accused Prime Minister Mark Carney of seeking to centralize power and act as Canada’s CEO. But running a country like a CEO may not be possible. After all, a country is simply not the same as a company.

Global public relations firm delivers �� course content to staff in 12-week boot camp

admin — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 18:29:08 +0000

Being happy doesn’t just make life more enjoyable, it can help you get things done. In 2024, �� Desautels Adjunct Lecturer Anita Nowak co-designed a course on the power of positive psychology called Happiness means business, and it is gaining traction beyond the university’s walls. The global public relations and marketing consultancy Edelman brought in Prof. Anita Nowak to teach staff course materials. The intensive 12-week ‘boot camp’ teaches concepts like altruism and forgiveness to give employees new tools to use in client relationships.

Master's degree offering in Luxembourg brings �� Desautels to Europe

admin — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 17:12:06 +0000

�� Desautels will offer its Master of Management in Finance program in Luxembourg. The version of the program delivered in Luxembourg will be the same as the one taught in Montreal. A strategic partnership between ��, Luxembourg’s Ministry of Finance, the Luxembourg Bankers’ Association (ABBL) and the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI). Luxembourg is a major financial hub, and Dean Yolande Chan calls the program “a new chapter in our mission do develop impactful leaders in finance.”

Buy now, pay later loans promise to boost purchasing power—but can come with strings

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 19:00:31 +0000

Buy now, pay later (BNPL) programs allow consumers to pay for items in instalments. And the market for these financial products has been growing at a 12% annual rate, and is projected to reach $7.5 billion in 2025. Fintech companies like Afterpay, Flexiti and Sezzle allow users to break down major purchases into more manageeable monthly or quarterly payments.

Tariff uncertainty interferes with business investment

admin — Fri, 02 May 2025 16:26:03 +0000

Ever since Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariff announcement, stock markets have been volatile. The tariffs impact thousands of companies, and with the exact scale and scope of tariffs changing almost daily, the extent to which they will be affected is uncertain. “It makes it difficult for companies to investments,” Prof. Sebastien Betermier told TVA Nouvelles. “And as long as they don’t know what will happen over the long term, it will remain difficult.”

Lego has built next-level brand loyalty

admin — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 15:21:50 +0000

When people an affinity for a brand, they can feel as though it’s their friend. And Lego has a powerful brand. For many, the mere mention of the Denmark-headquartered maker of plastic building bricks evokes memories of wholesome childhood play. And the warm and fuzzy feelings that a brand like Lego catalyzes can have real effects on how people interact with it.

Despite rapid rise of AI chatbots in customer service, customers prefer human agents

admin — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 19:48:10 +0000

If it feels like customer service chatbots are everywhere, it’s because they are. The worldwide chatbot market has grown from US$370 million in 2017 to about US$2.2 billion in 2024. But customers trust human customer service representatives more than they trust AI chatbots, writes Vivek Astvansh, an Associate Professor of Quantitative Marketing and Analytics at �� Desautels.

Former Provost Anthony C. Masi receives Lifetime Achievement Award

admin — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 20:59:28 +0000

�� Desautels Professor Anthony C. Masi was honoured with the Morty Yalovsky Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Academic Leadership at Fall 2025 Convocation. Over his 46-year career, Masi has shaped the University through his leadership as Provost and contributions to digital transformation, faculty development, and teaching innovation. He founded Teaching and Learning Services, modernized ��’s IT infrastructure, and advanced the University’s research and academic mission.

As climate research faces uncertainty, SUSANHub.com is a safe haven for data

admin — Thu, 15 May 2025 18:29:25 +0000

Just six months ago, researchers at �� launched SUSANHub.com, a platform for sustainability researchers to share their work. The platform has grown quickly and now counts more than 39,000 visitors each week. As changes in U.S. government policy raise concerns about the stability of support for climate research, SUSANHub is emerging as a vital resource. The platform is becoming a haven for this work. “We want to protect scientific research from the U.S.

Wide adoption of stablecoins could cause problems for Canadian banks

admin — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 18:25:37 +0000

For Canadian banks, stablecoins could be, well, destabilizing. These value of these cryptocurrency assets is tied to the value of a traditional currency, which makes them more practical to use than volatile cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. This year, Canadian e-commerce giant Shopify began accepting a stablecoin called USDC, but stablecoins are in a regulatory grey area in Canada, and our banking system is not prepared for their widespread adoption.

Infrastructure bank model can encourage investment in infrastructure projects

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 17:35:01 +0000

Private market developers face an “investment catch-22” in getting infrastructure projects off the ground, Professor Sebastien Betermier wrote in a recent report for the C.D. Howe Institute. Private investors view new infrastructure markets as complex, unfamiliar, and high risk. But the infrastructure bank model can create value as a cost-efficient policy tool in the government ecosystem, Betermier concluded.

Ambiversion can be a workplace superpower

admin — Fri, 15 Aug 2025 13:18:57 +0000

Being an introvert or an extrovert isn’t an either-or proposition. People who fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum are called ambiverts, and ambiversion can be a beneficial trait in business leaders. Prof. Karl Moore estimates that about 20% of business leaders are true ambiverts. But ambiversion is a kind of superpower for a leader—it allows them to adapt with greater ease than people at either extreme of the spectrum.

Saibal Ray and Anna Kim earn prestigious university awards

admin — Fri, 09 May 2025 16:54:49 +0000

Two researchers at Desautels were among the academics recognized by �� with prestigious internal awards for their outstanding scholarship and research excellence. Associate Professor Anna Kim was among the eleven associate and assistant professors honoured with a William Dawson Scholar award, which recognized the demonstrated potential to become a global leader in their field.