Kingston, ON – May 21, 2013 – Five Queen’s School of Business scholars have had their research projects funded by Canada’s two major national research funding agencies, it was announced in April.

Jane Webster, Sandy Staples, Michael Welker, and Jean-Etienne de Bettignies are being supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), while Chialin Chen’s work attracted the attention of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

The two agencies offer substantial, multi-year funding for ground-breaking research. Applications are peer-reviewed, and the grant process is highly competitive.

Click here for details on their research projects which include investigations on:

* Persuading employees to be environmentally responsible with social media;

* Accounting data manipulation in international trade disputes;

* Product market competition and innovation; and,

* Analyzing smart grid systems design decisions with dynamic pricing, innovation diffusion, and policy control mechanisms.

Outstanding students, professors and staff recognized

Kingston, ON – April 5, 2013 – The Commerce graduating class was out in full force to celebrate the end of their four-year journey. The Dean’s Scene — an evening of presentations, a few speeches and a reception in the Bio-Sciences building — brought together the Commerce Class of 2013, faculty and staff for the festivities.

Class Valedictorian Ben Jain gave a thoughtful and rousing speech, and the following awards were presented by Dean David Saunders.

* Comm’74 Award — for contribution to the class during their four years in non-academic, non-athletic matters, to Nicola Plummer.

* Comm’96 Award —for contribution to the spirit of the graduating class in its final year, to Katherine Moraca.

* Outstanding Contribution to Student Success — to the IT Help Desk.

* Comm’89 Award —the Professor-Student Life Award, to Professor David McConomy.

*Commerce Society Teaching Excellence Award — to Professor Peter Kissick.

Jeffrey Ralphs, Comm’14, KRG Racing

KINGSTON, ON – Mar. 29, 2013 – Jeffrey Ralphs, Comm’14, took top honours at the annual Paul and Tom Kinnear Business Plan Competition held March 28 at Goodes Hall. His venture, KRG Racing, is a paddling equipment company that engineers, manufactures, and markets high performance products to help flat-water paddlers of all levels excel in their sport.

Says Jeffrey, “The competition served as the impetus for me to develop and write a comprehensive business plan with a clearly defined strategy and execution plan. I was able to bring to life the skills and knowledge I gained through my Commerce studies in the process.”

Jeffrey faced some challenges in competing. He is on exchange in Australia, studying at the University of Adelaide.

“Being on exchange on the other side of the world and delivering my presentation at 1:00 a.m. over Skype wasn’t easy, but it all came together,” he says.

Established in 2008 by Dr. Tom Kinnear, BCom’66, LLD’02, the competition awards the winning team $5,000 to launch or further the ongoing operations of its venture. Each year, teams that comprise at least one QSB Commerce student submit their business plans. After a preliminary round, the final four teams present to a panel of judges that selects the winning team.

This year, the judges were: Jane Wu, BCom’12, a past winner and co-founder of Penyo Pal, a mobile application that teaches English, French and Mandarin language skills; Dr. Shyam Ramchandani, a Queen’s adjunct professor in Opthamology and CEO of Lab-2-Clinic Solutions Inc.; and Elspeth Murray, BSc’85, MBA’87, Associate Dean, Queen’s School of Business and Director of the Queen’s Centre for Business Venturing.

Innovative 12-month MBA program offers students unmatched flexibility

KINGSTON, ON, April 8, 2013 – After nearly a century of innovation, Queen’s School of Business is blazing another new trail with the introduction of a re-designed 12-month MBA program. The versatile new approach allows students to stand out with career-focused options matched to their individual goals. These include specializations in high-demand sectors, the ability to rapidly earn an additional business Master’s degree, and a January start date allowing for optimal alignment with corporate hiring cycles. 

“Queen’s School of Business has always been known for innovation, and now we’re creating a better way to experience the MBA,” said David Saunders, Dean, Queen’s School of Business. “Queen’s MBA delivers the personalized experience our students want, and the elite candidates global recruiters seek.” 

After acquiring key business fundamentals in the first half of the program, in the second half students have the opportunity to choose from several areas of specialization, such as Consulting, Finance, Entrepreneurship & Innovation or Marketing and Sales. Those who specialize will earn both a Queen’s MBA and a Graduate Certificate in the area of specialization.

Students aiming to elevate their credentials even more can apply qualifying MBA credits towards a second, specialized Master’s degree in Law or a business-focused discipline, such as Finance or Management Analytics. Conversely, candidates also have the flexibility to pursue a specialized Master’s degree first, and later apply qualifying credits from that degree towards a Queen’s MBA.

“Like any good business decision, the changes we’ve made to the Queen’s full-time MBA were driven by the needs of the market. This is the MBA degree business wants,” said Shai Dubey, Program Director at Queen’s School of Business. “Our community of students, alumni, faculty and recruiters told us about the importance of greater specialization, flexibility and the ability to stand out with enhanced credentials, and we’re delivering.”

“In today’s complex, evolving global economy, we’re looking for graduates who possess knowledge that goes beyond the fundamentals and into emerging areas such as management analytics,” said Jim Leech, President and CEO, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. “The move by Queen’s School of Business to incorporate more specialization into its MBA program answers that need, and we’re looking forward to meeting their grads.”

Recruiting is now in full swing for the January 2014 intake of the new MBA program. In addition to the new program enhancements, the re-designed MBA will continue to offer its existing suite of popular program features such as: Career and Lifestyle Coaching, International Exchange Programs, Personal Coaching and Experiential Learning opportunities.

“Both students and alumni told us these core features were essential to the Queen’s experience,” said Dubey.

For more information on the new 12-month MBA program and corporate Canada’s perspective on the new full-time MBA at Queen’s, check out the latest video at qsb.ca/newmba or visit queensmba.com.

About Queen’s School of Business:

Queen’s School of Business is one of the world’s premier business schools—renowned for exceptional programs, outstanding faculty and research, and the quality of its graduates. Canadian executives regard Queen’s as Canada’s most innovative business school, offering students academic excellence and a superior overall experience. Queen’s School of Business—where Canada’s first Commerce program was launched in 1919—is located at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. The School also delivers programs at locations across Canada, as well in the U.S. and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

For more information please contact:

Amber Wallace
Queen’s School of Business                
613.533.3151
awallace@business.queensu.ca

KINGSTON, ON – Mar. 25, 2013 – Throughout much of the month of March, Commerce students exercised their entrepreneurial chops in support of a good cause. The annual Queen’s Micro-Credit Challenge is a student-run micro-financing initiative that gives budding entrepreneurs experience in running their own businesses, with profits from these ventures benefitting Kiva, which offers micro-loans to entrepreneurs in developing nations. 

Teams create and operate their businesses for one week, using $100 provided by the Commerce Society as start-up capital. More than 25 students from various faculties participated, fielding eight teams who had access to QSB faculty mentors to help guide their efforts. 

This year’s winning enterprise is Knots for Kiva, led by Kathy Sihavong (ArtSci’16), Jenna Ellis (ArtSci’16), and Sarah Chin (Con-ed’16), mentored by Jean Paul de Silva, MBA’10, Founder and Managing Director of Social Focus Consulting.

They produced hand-made charm bracelets from string and common items provided by sponsor Canadian Tire.  By integrating social entrepreneurship and sustainable practices into their business project, Knots For Kiva successfully raised more than $650 in profits.

KINGSTON, ON  – Mar. 20, 2013 – Student volunteers descended on local Kingston charities to volunteer their time, talents and creativity at the annual Commerce Has Heart event on March 20. This year’s efforts benefited non-for-profit partners Martha’s Table, Dawn House Women’s Shelter, the Boys and Girls Club, Canadian Cancer Society, and Habitat for Humanity.

Organized by the Commerce Society, this year’s event attracted 80 Commerce students who rolled up their sleeves and helped with renovation efforts at Dawn House Women’s Shelter and Martha’s Table by painting many of the rooms. Students at Canadian Cancer Society also helped in making donation boxes and rolled over 20,000 pennies.

Speakers Tania Carnegie, Joyce Sou of the MaRS Centre for Impact Investing,
Norm Tasevski of Venture Deli, and Adam Spence of the MaRS Centre’s Social Venture Exchange Project.

KINGSTON, ON – Mar. 16, 2013 – A full weekend of speaker presentations and discussions on social innovation attracted 45 Queen’s Commerce, MBA, Arts & Science, and Policy Studies students to the inaugural Social Innovation Bootcamp at Goodes Hall on March 15 and 16.

The bootcamp, hosted by the QSB Centre for Responsible Leadership, was designed to teach students how to drive social change in their careers and in society using tools for social innovation central to both social intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship.

The Centre brought together a roster ­­­of nine inspirational speakers including Tania Carnegie, Executive Director, Community Leadership at KPMG, Russ McLeod, Chief Operations Director of Me to We, and Andreas Souvaliotis, Founder of AIRMILES for Social Change.

The Centre intends to continue to convene events around the topic of social enterprise, an emergent field that speaks to students’ growing interest in finding innovative ways to put their business acumen towards social good.

Voluntary Sector Reporting Awards recognizes Ontario’s best charity annual reports

TORONTO, May 31, 2012 – The award program that helps charities improve the way they report what they do and how they do it is starting its fifth year. The Voluntary Sector Reporting Awards (VSRAs), which recognizes Ontario’s best charity annual reports, open nominations July 9.

Created by the CA-Queen’s Centre for Governance at Queen’s University in partnership with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario and sponsored by PwC, the VSAs provide charities in Ontario and across Canada with free information and educational materials to improve their public accountability.

“The public is demanding more accountability from charities. Over the last five years, the Voluntary Sector Reporting Awards have significantly raised the bar on charity reporting. We’ve reached hundreds of charities across Canada with our message about the importance of annual reporting. We’re pleased to see that charities have been listening,” said Steve Salterio, Director of the CA-Queen’s Centre for Governance.

The awards are open to registered charities that produce annual reports in Ontario. Organizations in Ontario compete in three categories based on revenue size – up to $1 million, from $1 million to $10 million, and more than $10 million – as well as a separate category for national and international not-for-profits with head offices in Ontario.

Last year’s winners were:

National and International Organizations headquartered in Ontario:
World Vision Canada
Mississauga
www.worldvision.ca

Ontario only organizations:
Total revenues over $10 million
Canadian Paraplegic Association Ontario
Toronto
www.cpaont.org

Total revenues from over $1 million to $10 million – TIE
DeafBlind Ontario Services
Newmarket
www.deafblindontario.com

United Way Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox &Addington
Kingston
www.unitedwaykfla.ca

Total Revenues up to $1 million
Hospice King (Operating as Hospice King-Aurora)
Richmond Hill
www.hospicekingaurora.ca

The winners in each category will receive $5,000. Charities that are organizations whose principal activities are run by or for municipalities, universities, hospitals or school boards are not eligible. Awards will be given to those reports demonstrating the highest levels of accountability and transparency, while displaying highly effective communication with beneficiaries, donors and other stakeholders.

“The Voluntary Sector Reporting Awards are making a difference in the charity sector. The VSRAs have helped foster a new understanding about the importance of financial reporting. Charities, their board of directors, donors and the public are all better served as a result. We’re pleased Ontario’s Chartered Accountants are helping lead the way with this initiative,” said Brian Leader, the Institute’s Vice-President of Learning.

Nominations are being accepted for the awards at the CA-Queen’s Centre for Governance website – www.annualreportaward.ca. More information is also available from the ICAO website – www.icao.on.ca. Nominations open July 9 and close on or before September 7. The winners will be announced in February 2013 at an event in Toronto.

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For more information, please contact:
John Suart
CA-Queen’s Centre for Governance
613-583-3062
go@johnsuart.com

About the CA-Queen’s Centre for Governance at Queen’s School of Business
CA-Queen’s Centre for Governance goal is to raise the bar on Canadian governance research with respect to transparency and financial accountability and convey that research’s implications to academics, students and the public at large. Situated at Queen’s School of Business one of the world’s premier business schools, the Centre conducts cutting edge basic and applied research on governance dealing with such issues as fraud prevention and detection and improving the quality of Canadian securities’ regulation.

About the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario is the qualifying and regulatory body of Ontario’s 35,000 Chartered Accountants and 5,000 CA students. Since 1879, the Institute has protected the public interest through the CA profession’s internationally recognized standards of qualification and the enforcement of its rules of professional conduct. Chartered Accountants are the professionals Canada’s business leaders trust to help make the financial, strategic and leadership decisions that matter. The Institute’s website is: www.icao.on.ca and the student website is www.guidetorulingtheworld.ca.

About PwC Canada
PwC Canada helps organizations and individuals create the value they’re looking for. More than 5,700 partners and staff in offices across the country are committed to delivering quality in assurance, tax, consulting and deals services. PwC Canada is a member of the PwC network of firms with close to 169,000 people in 158 countries. Find out more by visiting us at www.pwc.com/ca.© 2012 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership. All rights reserved.PwC refers to the Canadian member firm, and may sometimes refer to the PwC network. Each member firm is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details.

KINGSTON, March 9, 2012 – More than 30 experts in the field of innovation will descend on Goodes Hall to speak to more than 200 eager students, alumni, industry members and citizens on March 9 and 10.

Originally the first event of its kind in Canada, the third iteration of this annual student-organized Innovation Summit features thought leaders on innovation and creativity from leading companies, institutions and think tanks from across North America. Speakers will discuss the best way to use innovation to create sustainable competitive advantage.

“The Canadian and world economies are at a crossroads,” says Christina Waters, MBA’12 Co-Chair of the Summit. “Strategies used in the past will not necessarily work in the future. That’s why this year’s Summit focuses on how innovation is a key strategic tool for future personal, corporate, and societal success.”

“Spark” was chosen as the Summit’s theme to address the question, ‘How can individuals ignite the spark of innovation around them?’ By focusing on how to transform ideas into developed business innovations, participants will gain an understanding of how to create those elusive ‘eureka’ moments.

This year’s lineup of speakers includes representatives from 3M, Bombardier, RBC, Xerox, IBM, Exxon, Industry Canada, National Research Council (NRC), PARTEQ and Ontario Centres of Excellence.

Summit participants include business and government leaders, alumni, and students in Business, Law, Engineering and Policy Studies. Visit www.qsbis.com or follow the Summit on Facebook or Twitter@qsbis.

Kingston, February 3, 2012 – The European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) has awarded Queen’s School of Business EQUIS re-accreditation. The European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) is the leading international system of quality assessment, improvement and accreditation of higher education institutions in management and business administration.

Queen’s School of Business (QSB) is also accredited by the U.S.-based Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the other leading global academic quality assessment organization.

“EQUIS accreditation is yet another validation of the quality educational experience Queen’s School of Business offers,” says Dean David Saunders. “Being a member of this exclusive group speaks to QSB’s reputation as an innovative global leader in business education.”

QSB received its initial accreditation for a five-year term in 2006 and, following a thorough review process in the fall of 2011, its re-accreditation was confirmed in December.

To be accredited, institutions must demonstrate high academic quality and professional relevance, as well as a high degree of internationalization in keeping with the increasingly global business and educational environment. EQUIS also looks for innovation, especially in program design and pedagogy.

The fundamental objective of EQUIS is to raise the standard of management education worldwide. EFMD’s diverse membership of international academics and professionals form the pool from which the international peer review teams are drawn. As of December 2011, 133 business schools in 38 countries have been awarded EQUIS accreditation.