One of the best things about the Commerce Program at the Queen’s School of Business is how it strives for continuous improvement (a concept which you will cover at great length in COMM341 – Introduction to Production and Operations Management, a mandatory 3rd year course). Last week, I was invited to a meeting with Elspeth Murray, the Associate Dean of the Queen’s MBA Program, and the Director of the Queen’s Centre for Business Venturing (QCBV). The theme of the meeting was to Dream Big – that is, how can QCBV continue to build awareness for entrepreneurship and support student entrepreneurs by helping them achieve their business goals? This meeting gave students the opportunity to discuss how to improve the current support system for entrepreneurs and what role student-led entrepreneurship organizations played on-campus. Needless to say, having Queen’s School of Business Faculty seek direct feedback from you as a student is a great honour. It also gives students the chance to take an active part in improving the resources available to future students in Queen’s Commerce. This ability to be heard by the people who run the School of Business is a big part of why I am so proud to be part of this program.
Looking ahead, this week I’m excited about travelling to Toronto to take part in a client meeting for a consulting project that I am working on for one of Canada’s largest banks. This independent consulting project is part of the APSC400 Technology, Engineering and Management (TEAM) course, open to all 4th years. Working on a team of 3-5 students from the business, engineering and law faculties, this course gives students valuable, hands-on experience during an 8-month period working directly with their client to solve a high-level business problem. I highly encourage all 3rd year students reading this blog to learn more about this course by visiting http://team.appsci.queensu.ca/
Outside of class, as Co-Chair of the Queen’s Entrepreneurs’ Competition, my team is working hard to plan the QEC Taster and Elevator Pitch Competition. This event is taking place on Tuesday, October 18th right on-campus, at Alfies starting at 6:30 PM and open to students of all ages. In particular, we are encouraging first year students to come out and attend. The QEC is letting students from all faculties pitch their unique business idea to our panel of judges in 45 seconds or less for the chance to win a $500 paycheque. For more information, you can visit http://theqec.com where all the details will be posted up shortly.
Until next time!
Katherine Wong Too Yen, BCom’12