Five Questions with Jingwen Luo, participant in CEO x 1 Day

Posted on April 14, 2014 by jvandendries
Jingwen Luo

On February 24, 2014, Jingwen Luo spent the day getting a taste of what it is like to be a CEO. She spent the day shadowing one of Canada’s top CEOs: Patrick Nangle of Purolator Canada. Jing, a fourth year BBA co-op student was one of only seven Ontario University students selected to shadow a top Canadian executive through the Odgers Berndston CEO x 1 Day program.

The selection process for the CEO x 1 Day program started in October- but you only found out you were selected in January. What was going through your mind during the selection process?

I actually didn’t have that much of an expectation of being selected when I first applied since the selection process was very long and complicated. So I didn’t prepare anything until I was asked to go to Toronto for the last half day event. I realized then that I actually had a shot. Then I was preparing myself with case studies and interviews.

How did you feel when you found out you were selected? Did you find out which CEO you would be partnered with right away?

I was in China to visit family  when I found out the news. I remembered I had woken up in the middle of the night and had just checked my phone. Then I saw the email informing me that I was selected. I was very excited because I actually postponed my flight for a week just for this event. So I called Odgers Berndston to confirm right away and I shared the news with my family.

You got to spend the day with Purolator Canada’s CEO, Patrick Nangle, touring Purolator’s offices – what did you do during the day?

We started the day at 7 a.m. with a site tour. It was very exciting to see the actual process of packaging, sorting, truck loading, etc. Then he drove me back to the office. We had an executive meeting about the company’s strategy and project updates. Then we went to have lunch with a few employees randomly chosen from the office. In the afternoon, we had a monthly leadership call. He had me talk in front of his 70 directors and above. It was the highlight of the day.

What new insights did you gain after spending your day with Nangle?

I got to ask him questions the entire time. I really like his leadership style. He is very approachable and has great people skills. I can see people are very happy under his leadership.

The CEO x 1 Day program is not only about giving you face time with a prominent executive. The CEO also gets the chance to gain insight into what drives the next generation of business leaders. What tips did you give Nangle?

Yes, he asked me how the company could attract young professionals. I recommended co-op programs and new grad programs to him as I truly believe they are very beneficial to university students. As a recent grad myself, I would like to go to a company which has a job program that continually helps me grow. And in the end, that’s what he did. He hired me and started a new grad job rotation program in the company.

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Five Questions about SEPP

Posted on April 14, 2014 by jvandendries
SEPP

SEPP, the Spoken English Promotion Project, provides Goodman and other Brock students with the opportunity to spend three weeks in China during the month of May. The students serve as English Conversational Teaching Assistants and work with students at Zhejiang Gongshang University (ZJGSU). They also take informational classes on culture, language and business from local Chinese professors and travel to Beijing and Shanghai on the weekends. We chatted with MBA student Victor Stranges and BBA student Puja Patel about their upcoming trip to China.

Why did you decide to take part in SEPP?

Victor: I decided to take part in SEPP as I figured it would be a good opportunity to gain international experience. As globalization has entrenched itself in the business world, I feel this will give me an opportunity to continue to develop global and cultural competence.

Puja: I decided to take part in SEPP because it is something that I have never had the chance to do before. I have always been interested in learning about new cultures and networking; however, I was never exposed to much of that from my hometown. Going to China will allow me to get out of my comfort zone and experience things that I may never get the chance to do. Additionally, it will allow me to build a network and build a connection for my business career ahead.

Is this your first international experience?

Victor: This is my first international experience through Brock University, and to Asia. However, I have visited many European countries in the past.

Puja: I have been out of the country before, but only for recreational purposes. Additionally, the entire process of going away with 20 people that I have never interacted with prior to, gives this trip a more thrilling aspect altogether.

What have you done to prepare for the trip?

Victor: In terms of preparation, I have attended weekly meetings where topics such as lesson planning and basic Mandarin have been discussed. Also, I have researched and spoken to others who have been to China in the past regarding sights to see and things to do while am I am in China.

Puja: What have I not done to prepare for this trip is the better question! I have gone to all the meetings that our group leaders have organized to further prepare us for this trip. I have met some graduate students who have taught me some of the things that I should look out for on my trip to China. Furthermore, I have created index cards that have helpful words written in English and in Mandarin. Therefore if I cannot pronounce it, I can always show the person who I am interacting with what I mean.

What are you most excited about?

Victor: I am most looking forward to experiencing Chinese culture and practices. Also, we have a good group going, so there is the opportunity to make some good friends through this program.

Puja: The aspect that I am most excited about is to work with the students to better build my skills. Yes, I am teaching them, but I feel I could learn along with them. By interacting with them, I am learning how to interact with people of a different country. Coming to Brock has taught me that networking is a very important skill you need in business and I want to improve that skill during this trip. Additionally, I want to learn about their culture and see what new experiences it offers to expand my knowledge on the real world.

For three weeks, you’ll be working as Language and Culture Teaching Assistants and paired with business students from ZJGSU to practice spoken English. They’ll be learning about Canadian culture and you’ll be learning about Chinese culture. What is the first question you’ll ask the ZJGSU students?

Victor: “Where is the best place to eat authentic Chinese food around here?”

Puja: “What are some of the things that you have heard about Canada?”

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Five Questions with the EDGE Business Competition teams

Posted on March 25, 2014 by jvandendries
EDGE Business Competition

Is there such a thing as a realistic business simulation? Turns out that’s not just an oxymoron. The EDGE Business Competition, hosted in January 2014 by the University of Alberta, is a multidisciplinary case competition that involves several challenges that will test delegates in the areas of accounting, finance, marketing, public relations and anywhere in between. Goodman students did exceptionally well in this competition: Anthony Marotta, Claire McCarthy, Jaminy Ulaganathan, Neil Bourque and Matthew Leslie placed first overall while Mike Walkey, John Holland, Jill Windeatt, Vik Narula and Pavel Tarasevich placed fourth overall. We caught up with Matthew Leslie and Jill Windeatt to talk about their experiences at this interactive, multidisciplinary, high-energy case competition.

Goodman sent two teams to this event. How did you feel competing against your classmates?

Jill: Competing against classmates, and more importantly friends, was difficult, although it was necessary in order to try and win the competition (what we all go there to do). In the end it came down to no matter what happened in the competition, we would still all be friends after because we knew that this was just a simulation, and not real life.

Matt: I feel like it creates an added competitive motivation. Training and competing with other schools is great, but there’s a special kind of bragging right that come along with competing against your peers! That being said, EDGE is a very collaborative competition that encourages some sort of alliance strategy to gain advantages within the competition. Having another Goodman team at the competition created a strong alliance and it really worked out this year with great outcomes for both teams!

The EDGE business competition includes cases on accounting, finance, marketing, public relations, to name a few… how do you prepare for such a variety of topics?

Matt: When it comes to preparing for EDGE, there is little you can do in the sense of studying course material. I find the best way to succeed at EDGE is to mentally prepare yourself for anything that comes along. We had some impromptu challenges during our meetings to throw some people off guard. At a base level, being able to sell yourself and a random business on the spot is the best asset you can have.

Jill: In our training we were lucky enough to have some cases from the previous year so that we could hold mock competitions and see who would succeed more in certain topics of challenge. This was also helpful as some of the challenges that were thrown at us where similar to the last year so that we could have a bit of an advantage to finding out how we should handle certain challenges as well as to have an idea of what might be coming next.

What was your favourite challenge of the weekend?

Jill: My favourite challenge of the weekend was the Final Boardroom Meeting. This was at about 5 p.m. on Sunday when we are all excited about who will win, based on both the online simulation as well as the challenges that were presented to us. In the final boardroom we were faced with the topic of persuading the government to keep our company public and allow us to continue running it for the future. Going into the boardroom we had to know every detail of what we had done over the past two days of the simulation, as well as details as to why we did things, and what thoughts we had for the future. This challenge was my favourite because it allowed me to reflect back upon what we had done as a team throughout the simulation and allowed the entire team to compete, rather than sending an individual to a challenge and finding out how it went once they returned.

Matt: There were so many great challenges. It is the ‘anything can happen’ type of atmosphere that makes me love this competition. If I had to choose my favorite, it would be the contract negotiation simulation. We had about 10-15 minutes to read over a case and the details of the possible contract before a member of a different team came in to negotiate with you. I loved it because of the courses I’ve taken at Goodman and the challenge of trying to read people.

What was your least favourite challenge?

Jill: My least favourite challenge had to be the online simulation. This simulation was based upon a large algorithm that was heavily based upon finance and economics, two of my worst subjects. I was fortunate enough to have people on my team who are strong in finance and economics that I could rely on to explain the online simulation to me as well as take the lead on inputting decisions into it. If I were to compete again, I would take some time beforehand to review notes from classes such as economics and finance so that I could have a refresher.

Matt: I can’t really say that I didn’t like a particular challenge. They were all unique and took different skills to complete. I will say however that my least favorite part is the walk from your team to the challenge area. The uncertainty and the anticipation is really intense!

A key component of this business competition is a reliance on teamwork. You have to be a strong team in order to deal with such varied and fast paced challenges. What are your tips for building a strong team?

Jill: My biggest tip for building a strong team is knowing the strengths and weaknesses of each member. This was really beneficial going into the competition as it was helpful to have an idea beforehand as to what each member strengths were. This gave our entire team confidence that allowed us to know we would always send the strongest member out to compete in certain challenges and hopefully come back a winner.

Matt: I fully agree the idea of the importance of strong teams. Everyone on our team had a specific and very important role they played within the competition. I want to give a whole bunch of credit to my teammates Jaminy, Neil, Anthony, and Claire, because it really was a true team effort in Edmonton. I would say that to build a strong team, you really have to understand the team’s goal and what you may face along the way to realizing that goal. Everyone has their strengths, weaknesses, and areas of expertise. It is about being able to diversify the team to properly utilize everyone’s skills. Another very important part is group dynamics. You need to have people on your team who get along. There were times at EDGE when nothing was going right, but we all trusted in each other to turn it around. It’s only in strong teams that you can have that type of resilience when faced with failings and be able to turn it around to be successful.

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Five Questions with Tim Adams, BFIG President

Posted on March 17, 2014 by jvandendries
Tim Adams

The Brock Finance & Investment Group (BFIG) is the training ground for future stock traders, analysts and financial whiz kids. BFIG President Timothy Adams has been part of BFIG since 2010. He shares his thoughts about why he got involved, his favourite BFIG event and how BFIG has helped him gain a competitive advantage in the job market.

Why did you get involved with BFIG?

When I first started at Brock University, I quickly learned during orientation the incredible benefits that joining student clubs could have on professional development. They aggregate like-minded students, offer the opportunities to learn in a friendly group environment and create lasting relationships. After bouncing around a few different clubs, I was hooked on BFIG in seconds when I found the executive members were so welcoming and intelligent. They truly operated as a cohesive team and I wanted nothing more than to become to become a valued member.

Describe the ideal BFIG member.

I could sum up the ideal BFIG member in a few words: they are passionate and have a sincere desire to succeed in the financial industry. This member comes from any concentration and does not necessarily need a background in capital markets, just the desire to learn. We look for members that when they wake up and when they go to sleep every day, they are watching BNN, spend their free time researching investments, reading market currents, practice different financial modelling techniques on a regular basis and are not afraid to bring their ideas to the shareholders of the group. They must be able to intelligently speak about a company and give solid reasons why it should be purchased or sold.

Most people are unaware that BFIG manages its own investment fund. In fact, every year, BFIG hires a team of equity analysts to manage the BFIG Fund. Tell us more about the BFIG Fund.

Owning and operating an investment fund is definitely something we are very proud of. Our fund is unique as it is completely student funded and gives them the opportunity to purchase voting rights and have an active say on the activities in the portfolio (i.e. the purchase or sale of a security within the fund). This gives new investors a channel to dip their feet in investing in financial markets and the potential to generate some positive returns on their investment. We are proud to say that our fund had outperformed our benchmark (SPTSX) on a 5 year level. Behind the scenes we have a team of equity analysts conducting research and developing presentations on new investment proposals that they can bring to the shareholders and help generate returns. Our analysts use Bloomberg Terminals to assist in the research process and bring their findings to the group.

What’s your favourite BFIG event/activity?

The Quinnipiac G.A.M.E. Forum is by far my favourite event that we attend. A select group of our top club contributors headed down to New York City to attend a three day global asset management conference. Top Wall Street executives and professionals were in attendance and they shared their insights and discussed current market events. The weekend was full of intense education and sightseeing in the Big Apple.

What skills has BFIG given you to make you career-ready?

The skills I have picked up throughout my four years involved in BFIG are extremely valuable and range from technical capabilities and strong communication abilities. I have learned many different financial modelling techniques and research skills that will bring value to any employer. I have also developed the ability to communicate those research findings in a powerful yet brief fashion.

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Five Questions with Jennifer Philpott, winner of the Futures Fund Scholarship for Outstanding Leadership

Posted on March 14, 2014 by jvandendries
Jennifer Philpott

You’ve probably already read about Jennifer Philpott’s experience as the winner of the Future Funds for Outstanding Leadership Award. That award was the result of Jennifer’s dedication and commitment to student life and community involvement. Jennifer, a current BBA co-op student, shares her thoughts about four of the extra-curricular experiences that gave her an edge over other scholarship applicants and why Goodman students should make a point of getting involved.

In March 2013, you were awarded the Spirit of Brock Leader’s Citizenship Society Award for your ability to invoke positive change within local and global communities. What did winning this award mean to you?

It was incredibly meaningful to be the inaugural recipient of the Spirit of Brock Leaders Citizenship Society Award. The Brock Leaders Citizenship Society (BLCS) has always been supportive of my endeavors within the university community and I was humbled to be recognized by my peers. The Society is comprised of incredibly talented student leaders, so to be honoured for best representing the values of the Society within the university and local communities was indescribable.

You’ve served as the Director of Communications for the Business Students’ Association for the past year. What’s your favourite part of the job?

I enjoy all aspects of my role as Director of Communications – developing creative digital content, exploring the analytics behind social media engagement, etc. – but would say that my favourite part is connecting with students, both online and behind the camera. I had the opportunity to photograph over 60 students at the Goodman Experience event in January as part of our Professional Headshot Series. Initially, some students were hesitant to have their photograph taken; however, after seeing the results of the shoot, they were incredibly pleased. It’s very rewarding and fulfilling to help students see themselves in a new light. I’m also quite a social media geek.

You were a DECA U delegate for competitions that were held in Toronto and in Anaheim, California. What prompted your interest in DECA?

When I was in first year, I heard a lot about case competitions, but had no idea what they were. I’m relatively comfortable with public speaking, but the thought of presenting a case with limited preparation time was quite intimidating. I think DECA U was a good fit for me because the club is so well rounded. There are opportunities for team building, networking with industry professionals, and the chance to apply your course knowledge to real-life scenarios. Case competitions have also brought out my competitive side, which has helped improve my confidence in my presentation ability – a skill that all business students should possess.

In the last few years, you’ve organized three very successful fundraisers to benefit the Alzheimer Society of Niagara Foundation, the Canadian Tire Jumpstart Foundation and Community Care of St. Catharines/Thorold. How do your marketing courses help you successfully organize events?

I believe that my marketing courses have complemented my extracurricular initiatives. In marketing, we learn a great deal about promotion techniques, communications, and consumer behaviour, which are all relevant when organizing and executing events. My involvement in these activities has allowed me to couple theory with practical situations and has helped me have a better understanding of course material. For example, I am currently planning the 17th Annual Goodman School of Business Formal, and have applied my knowledge of marketing strategy to create a promotional plan for the event.

What tips would you give to students that want to get involved but don’t know where to begin?

I have to borrow from Nike on this one and say: Just Do It. There are so many ways to get involved with the Business Students’ Association or Goodman Student Clubs that it might be a little overwhelming in the beginning. My advice is to pick something that you’re really passionate about and stick to it. Start small by volunteering with the BSA or by attending one of our clubs’ general meetings. Once you get a better idea of what your interests are, then it will be easier to choose where you want to spend your time. Too many people wait until later in their studies to get involved. If you start early, opportunities won’t pass you by.

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Five Questions with the Goodman team who won first place at the Achieve Conference

Posted on March 11, 2014 by jvandendries
Goodman team at the Achieve conference

Goodman students Shuvendu Saha, Josh Durling, Pavel Tarasevich and Pirasaanth Varatharajan placed first at January’s Achieve accounting conference hosted by Ryerson University. The students showcased their accounting knowledge in a case competition judged by a panel of industry professionals. Shuvendu, Josh, Pavel and Pirasaanth share insider details about the competition and reveal what’s up next for the award winning team.

Congratulations on your big win! How did you feel when they announced Goodman as the winning school?

Pirasaanth: I was really excited and proud when they announced Goodman as the winning school. I felt that we had put forth a strong presentation with very in-depth details. When we were announced as the winning team, I couldn’t help but feel accomplished and extremely joyful.

Pavel: It was very satisfying, of course! I, however, felt rather exhausted at the end of the lengthy competition day. For me the most emotional part was earlier, when we learned that our team was among the three finalists.

Josh: Ecstatic! The victory was a well-deserved end to an event filled with highs and lows, from networking with students representing universities across numerous provinces to the time crunch in the deliberation room and making that final, nerve-racking presentation to the other delegates and industry professionals from many well respected enterprises. During the entire process, finalists do not have the opportunity to compare solutions or see each other present, so we were left completely in the dark on how we stacked-up compared with the other competitors. Being recognized for the ability to effectively apply experience and lecture material to business scenarios in a high-pressure environment definitely grounds a feeling of great accomplishment and motivation.

What was this year’s Achieve case about?

Pavel: This year’s case was about a company providing a driver training service. It had recently leased a fleet of new vehicles and opened a large number of new offices. The major accounting issues were deciding on the appropriate treatment for the lease and the handling of developed and acquired intangibles.

Shuvendu: The company had issues of internal control and absence of proper financial representation. We had to figure out the internal controls and explain their implications. The audit risks and procedures were to be highlighted with reference from CICA handbook and IFRS.

Pirasaanth: The case was definitely a UFE-style case which put us (the participants) in the role of an internal auditor of a driving school organization. We were required to assess the forecasted financial statements and identify any accounting issues in the statements, so that we would have them ready for the upcoming audit. We were also responsible for recognizing internal control issues and suggestion recommendations to fix these issues.

Josh: Overall, Achieve 2014 focused on international business and leadership. The case itself was similar to what is found on the Chartered Accountants of Ontario Uniform Final Exam, and ranged from simple ratios to complex and detailed calculation requirements, outlined by the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, and further into financial analysis, all of which must be completed along with a strong PowerPoint presentation in no longer than two hours.

A big part of every case competition is the presentation to the judges. After having spent two hours working on your case analysis, how did you feel when you were presenting to the judges?

Josh: In no way is two hours an adequate amount of time for the requirements of the case! From the moment that the scenario is given to you and up until the last second before it is your turn to speak in the presentation, you’re constantly going over how you to present your section, how you can showcase that you are an expert.

Shuvendu: Overall, we were really confident about our calculations and analysis of the audit risks. Our slides were not that pretty so we were afraid that we would lose a lot of points for that.

Pavel: I felt rather confident, because our presentation had a distinct structure and all members knew their topics. The Q & A section at the end of the presentation was a little tougher, because we had to come up with answers on the spot, but nothing extraordinary.

Pirasaanth: I was still a little nervous because we ran out of time and were not able to include some other information which I felt was crucial. However, during the actual presentation to the judges, I was very confident and was prepared for any questions the judges would ask.

Josh: Although it can become very stressful when facing such strict time constraints, it is a great chance to gain experience on how it will be in the real world.

The Achieve Conference is more than just a competition: you also took part in workshops and team building events. What was your favourite workshop of the weekend?

Pavel: I cannot say that I have a favourite. Workshops offered were informative, but a lot of the information presented had already been covered in Career Development Office workshops I have attended at Goodman.

Shuvendu: My favorite one was the ice breaker which was held at Mattamy Athletic Centre. The task was that each team was given a topic and one minute to think about it. Then we had to give a two minute presentation on that topic based on a set of pre-designed PowerPoint slides.

Pirasaanth: My favourite workshop was also the icebreaker. We also had a table full of props to incorporate into our presentations. The topics were hilarious and provided everyone with great entertainment.

Josh: I would never be able to limit my favourite workshop to just one! In every session we were given great opportunities to network with other students and business leaders representing an array of industries, as well as valuable and engaging lessons with practical applications. From the first event where each team was given a four to five slide presentation covering trending topics and 90 seconds to prepare to meeting and learning from Nadir Mohamed (President & CEO, Rogers Communications), Amie Lear (Consultant, Densmore Consulting), James Temple (Director of Corporate Responsibility, PwC), and many other successful leaders from CPA Ontario, CGA Ontario, and distinguished accounting firms, all of the events were geared to the success of the participants.

What’s up next for our winning team?

Shuvendu: This win motivated me enough to involve myself more to make my “Goodman journey” a worthy one. I plan to participate in next year’s TRMC, Monster Pitch, Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec and a couple more business conferences.

Pavel: I will be graduating this summer. I have also been accepted into Goodman’s Master of Accountancy program, which I hope I will be able to start next January.

Pirasaanth: I will be attending the DECA International competition in April, which will take place in Washington D.C. I am very excited to be participating in this event. Afterwards, I will be graduating in May and looking forward to entering the full-time workforce!

Josh: I’m excited to now use this experience in additional competitions, as well as academically and in my co-op work terms. In May 2014, I will complete my first co-op term with PwC, participate in the University of Waterloo’s Accounting Conference and continue on in my pursuit of earning professional designations. I plan to continue competing in these competitions and in my final academic year bring my experience and skills to the organization and execution of Brock’s Accounting Conference. Depending on my co-op stream and employer flexibility, I hope to participate in Brock’s exchange program and take full advantage of the programs offered to students in the Goodman School of Business. Overall, I’m glad I took a risk and attended Achieve as a junior member of Brock’s team. If anyone reading this is looking for great programs to be involved in, but faces hesitation in applying or attending, I hope that the stories my team members and myself have shared encourages you to take a chance and immerse yourself in whatever it is that you choose to do.

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Five Questions with Ben Zavitz about 5 Days for the Homeless

Posted on March 5, 2014 by jvandendries
5 Days for the Homeless

The 5 Days for the Homeless fundraising campaign is part of a nationwide initiative and students from across Canada take part in the annual fundraiser. During the five days they spend outside, students will have only a pillow and a sleeping bag and will have no food except the perishable food that is donated to them. While the students will be living and sleeping outside, they will be required to attend classes. From 5 p.m. on March 9, to 5 p.m. on March 14, Brock University students will spend five days and nights living and sleeping outside. The goal of the 15 students is to raise money and food for Community Care/Housing Help of St. Catharines & Thorold. Goodman School of Business student Ben Zavitz will be participating in 5 Days for the Homeless for the third time.

This is your third year sleeping outside to raise funds for our local Community Care. What motivates you to keep participating year after year?

The cold. This may sound counter-intuitive; however, the colder it gets, the more motivated I get. Community Care helps 1,850 households per month on average. Of those 1,850 households, 40%-50% are children. This number to me is staggering of those in the community needing help. It is not the most comfortable five days a year, it is still only five days a year.

What makes 5 Days for the Homeless unique as a fundraiser?

5 Days for the Homeless has changed my mindset entirely. I used to think that poverty was something that could be changed; that it just took some elbow grease to work yourself out of. I now understand that it is a vicious cycle and can potentially entrap anyone. I have been empathetic for charities I thought by going door to door. Empathy for 5 Days goes further as raising money I am now cold, hungry, and tired. It really takes a literal “walk a mile in someone’s shoes” saying.

This year, Don Cyr, dean of the Goodman School of Business, will be spending a night outside. What tips are you going to give him to prepare to sleep outside?

Wow, this news was the best I had heard all day! I would like to thank Dean Cyr for his level of engagement with students, as this may be a first for the 5 Days event nationwide.

The best advice for 5 Days would have to be BYOB – Bring your own boxes. The brickwork ground outside of Taro Hall is not as comfortable as it looks. Add a little cardboard, and it will feel like a Tempur-pedic. Well, kind of.

It has been a very cold winter so far: how do you think the weather will impact this year’s charity event?

Two years ago, the weather was unseasonably warm. The direct effect was more students outside, and more charitable donations. We are hoping that word of mouth, and marketing will supplement the lack of an early spring.

How can Goodman students and the Niagara community support 5 Days for the Homeless?

Showing support and stopping by means a lot to the participants. Primarily, the best support is in the form of nonperishable food and money. On Monday, March 10th starting at 7:30 p.m. there will be a benefit concert featuring local bands happening at Isaac’s. It is a mix of Rock and Acoustic music helping to raise money. See you next week Niagara, come by – say hi!

How to donate to 5 Days for the Homeless

Online donations for 5 Days for the Homeless will be accepted at http://5days.ca/brock/.

From March 9 to March 14, donations of non-perishable food and money will be accepted outside Taro Hall at Brock University. Donations are always accepted at Community Care’s warehouse at 12 North St, St. Catharines.

A benefit concert for 5 Days for the Homeless will be held on Monday, March 10 at 7 p.m. at Isaac’s Bar and Grill-Brock University. Tickets are $5 or the donation of five non-perishable food items.

Dean Cyr and Goodman student Katey Gatta (www.kateygatta.com) will be busking outside Taro Hall on Thursday, March 13 between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.

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Five Questions with the JDCC Team Captains

Posted on February 19, 2014 by jvandendries
Goodman JDCC team

What’s JDC? It’s a three day event that showcases academics, athletics, social spirit and charity and is Canada’s fastest growing business student competition. JDC stands for Jeux du Commerce, and first began in Quebec in 1989. Five years ago, JDC Central was created with a focus on business schools located in Central and Eastern Canada. Our business students have attended JDC Central since its inception. The 2014 JDC Central competition was held at the University of Guelph. This year’s Goodman delegation brought home a number of awards, including placing third for the School of the Year award. Michael Walkey and Jordan Molzan were the 2014 JDCC co-captains.

What a great year at JDC Central! Can you share the team’s secret to success?

Michael: I think the overall success can’t be attributed to one thing. After all, this year we witnessed a significant increase in multiple factors. From faculty support, to a new organizational structure, and most importantly, an energetic team that was willing to go the extra mile.

Jordan: We implemented a new hierarchy structure that opened up more leadership roles that were filed with highly experienced individuals who had many years of JDCC under their belts. We were prepared long before the school year started and placed a lot of effort into our marketing to attract top talent from our business school. Faculty and alumni support was crucial and they worked very closely with the teams and provided them with the tools and skills required.

What is the JDCC experience like?

Michael: The JDCC experience is tough to describe. The easiest way to describe it is the Olympics of business schools. The competition hosts multiple different events that the delegates compete in: Academics, Debate, Social, and Sports. And like the Olympics, the experience is life-changing; being able to show off your school spirit along with the top delegates from 15 other schools is quite amazing, and bringing home the medals brings immense school pride to us, the captains, the delegates, and the Goodman JDCC Alumni.

Jordan: It has to be the highest spirited business competition in the country! It brings together the top business students from 15 universities from all over eastern Canada for a very competitive yet unforgettable experience.

In addition to winning 1st overall for JDCC Socials and in the Finance Category and placing 3rd overall in the Debate and Strategy category, Goodman also placed 3rd for the School of the Year award. What did this mean to the team?

Michael: It really means a lot: being a newly named school, our canvas is quite blank. When we have such outstanding achievements we see the direct impact on that so called blank canvas. I can say without a doubt we have sent a message that Goodman is not be considered lightly!

Jordan: This is a huge accomplishment for the Goodman JDCC team. I have competed on our JDCC team for four years now and when we first began we placed last out of eight schools. Now, competing against 15 schools, we placed 3rd and this is such an amazing improvement. Especially after the naming of our business school to the Goodman School of Business, other schools now view us in high regard as one of the top contenders.

What was your favourite part of this year’s JDC Central competition?

Michael: My favourite part was after the competition, when I heard the delegates saying they had the time of their lives and that they want to come back next year! Hearing Goodman announced multiple times at the awards ceremonies was pretty awesome!

Jordan: My favorite part of this year’s JDCC had to be in the success of our team. Hearing our name called numerous times at the gala has to be one of the greatest feelings. I am very proud of the team and all of the hard work that they put in and to see it pay off was a very rewarding experience.

What’s next for the Goodman JDC team?

Michael: Bigger and better things! This year we proved that Goodman is most definitely in the house, but we won’t stop until that School of the Year trophy is in Taro Hall!

Jordan: We are expecting a lot of big things in coming years for our JDCC team. We established a lot of partnerships this year and I am looking forward to see them work together in the future. We have a very dedicated group of Goodman students that I know will not stop until we capture the School of the Year award. It is a very fair assumption that the best is yet to come from Goodman JDCC.

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Five Questions with the Goodman MBA team competing at the John Molson International Case Competition

Posted on February 19, 2014 by jvandendries
John Molson International Case Competition

Do you have what it takes to compete against teams from Australia, Brazil, Israel, Finland, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, Netherlands, Sweden, Singapore, South Africa and the USA? Our Goodman graduate students do. Mangala Singh, Barry Riddell, Connor Ryan, and Jenna Dustanova represented Goodman at the John Molson International Case Competition, an annual multi-day case competition held in Montreal each January. With the coaching support of Goodman faculty members Eric Dolanksy and Norman Chasse, the team competed in five cases in five days. Mangala, Connor and Jenna shared their thoughts on what it was like to compete on an international level.

Why did you decide to get involved with the John Molson International MBA Case Competition?

Jenna: Being a part of the JMCC team definitely gives students the opportunity to test and learn a lot about themselves in the process and prepare for challenges down the line. It is certainly a very rewarding experience. I could not have a better opportunity to apply my business knowledge gleaned from lectures and textbooks. JMCC’s cases serve as a hallmark of a business education as knowledge gained through different disciplines are transformed into skills.

Connor: I wanted to get involved in the case competition because of the unique experience that the competition offers. Competing against schools from all over the world was an opportunity that I knew I needed to be a part of. A competition of this size and prestige is something that you cannot simulate in the classroom.

Mangala: Two reasons: First of all, it provided me with an opportunity to use my MBA classroom skills into real world problem in the simulated business environment. Second of all, it provided a learning and networking opportunity with feedback from executives and international professionals from around the world.

Can you walk us through the case competition?

Connor: The competition is comprised of 36 teams divided into 6 divisions. You face off against every team in your division and the winner of each division advances to the semi-finals. There are also 3 wild card teams who advance to the semi-finals. Everyone is guaranteed at least 5 cases, with a maximum of 7 cases for the week.

Mangala: The first round had four simulated cases and one live case. For each case, the preparation time was three hours. Following that, we presented the case.

You participated in five cases: what was your favourite case?

Mangala: I liked every case. In every case, strategy was a common theme. However, they varied from marketing, global competition, merger & acquisition, and development of new business in Haiti.

Connor: My favorite case was the first case of the week. The reason it was my favorite was because we opened up the competition with a win over the University of Notre Dame. It was a great feeling to get win right at the beginning of the week.

This year’s theme of the John Molson International Case Competition was Global Connections, Global Impact. As an MBA student, did this theme resonate with you?

Mangala: These cases expanded my knowledge and provided opportunity to learn how to make a decision in a short time and defend it.

Connor: Global Connections was a big part of the entire experience. Meeting MBA students from all over the world was probably the most valuable part of the week. I still maintain contact with some of the people I was fortunate enough to meet.

Any tips for our future John Molson MBA team?

Jenna: Start practice sessions early! Discussion with the JMCC semi-finalists about a preparation for the case competition revealed that the top strong teams tend to start to prepare very early. Thus, the more you practice the better your chances are for success. Also, being familiar with various industries and industry trends is definitely an advantage as you never know which company a case is going to be based on.

Mangala: It is important to work as a team and support your team members’ decisions. Decide each member’s role early and hone your preparation & presentation skills.

Connor: Get as many practices in as possible before you go. If you are struggling with a case during the competition, just remember that every other team will be struggling with the case just as much as you are.

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Five questions with GBC President Tashfin Bashar

Posted on February 5, 2014 by jvandendries
Tashfin Bashar

Are you a graduate student that wants to get involved and stand out from the crowd? Then you’ve probably talked to current MBA student Tashfin Bashar, current president of the Graduate Business Council (GBC). Tashfin, with the help of his fellow executives, has had a busy year, as the GBC has organized the teams for case competitions, held networking events and gotten involved in the local Niagara community. During our Q & A, Tashfin shared his thoughts about the GBC, his future plans and how to balance life and school.

Why did you decide to get involved with the GBC?

Our new Goodman brand is growing fast in the graduate education community in Ontario. As part of Goodman is it GBC’s obligation to help our students put their collaborated effort to further our school’s brand. I strongly believe that all of our Goodman students have the skill set necessary to be successful, however, they lack the time to get involved. By taking a leadership role through GBC I wanted to set an example and help students understand the extent of possibilities that they can all achieve through their collaborated efforts. I thus wanted to take the challenge and help my colleagues create a platform to establish the Goodman brand.

The MBA program is intense and you have also put a lot of time into your role as president. How do you balance your coursework, your job search and your extra-curricular activities?

I know that no matter what I must complete my tasks at hand and indeed I plan my schedules accordingly. There are times when things go out of hand with the course load , job search and of course my extracurricular involvements but there is one thing that I always helps me focus – it’s my never give up approach to do what I have to do despite the challenges involved.

What’s next for the GBC?

Like every year we are sending our graduate teams to the RITC competition. We already had a great success in the MBA Games 2014 and John Molson Business Case competition this year. For the first time we are also going to be sending a team of graduate students to compete in the P&G IT case challenge hosted by the Ted Rogers School of Business in March 01, 2014.

Our Speed Networking event is coming up soon and announcements will be made prior the event. For the first time GBC is collaborating with Brock’s Co-op office to organize a Microsoft Excel Training program to help our student develop their technical skills. I truly think it’s a great initiative and I can ensure that students will benefit from our program – details will be announced soon.

We are accepting applications for our Executive positions at the moment. The posting can be found in CareerZone and the deadline to apply is Feb 28, 2014.

Before attending a GBC activity, many of our international students have never attended a case competition or been involved in a student club. What’s a common reaction that you get from them?

Usually our international students are initially a bit reluctant to get involved and compete. As an International student myself I honestly understand their feeling. It is a new country and a new culture for most of them. However, interestingly enough there is almost always a boost of energy in almost all of the students when I see them come back from competitions. Their excitement in turn excites me and is my motivation to do more for them in upcoming events and competitions

You are graduating from the MBA this year. Do you think your involvement with the GBC will help you with your future career?

Without any doubt GBC has immensely helped get connected across Brock University, our Alumni and of course prospective employees. I was able to make connections that I could never have made without my involvement through GBC. I know that such connections will always stay with me even after my MBA. I now fully understand the capabilities of GBC and I truly wish I could continue my position.

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