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The Monieson Centre
for Business Research

The Monieson Centre for Business Research was established in 2000 by Mel Goodes in recognition of Professor Danny Monieson’s academic career at Queen’s University. Professor Monieson was driven by the desire to produce rigorous academic research that advances our thinking about business practice. Inspired by this legacy, the Monieson Centre funds collaborative faculty initiatives, driven by rigorous academic research that forms the foundation for usable knowledge that impacts our thinking about business issues of contemporary importance.

At present, the Monieson Centre supports six collaborative research initiatives which help to establish Smith School of Business expertise in the following domains of business research.

Mel Goodes (left)
and Danny Monieson

Research Initiatives

Humans + Machines: Sensegiving and Sensemaking with Artificial Intelligence

Tracy Jenkin and Anton Ovchinnikov

Artificial Intelligence (AI), a class of technologies that strive to behave and “think” like humans, has made significant progress in the last decade thanks to the availability of vast quantities and types of data (also referred to as Big Data), as well as improvements in machine learning algorithms and computer processing power. With these advancements and potential benefits have come concerns that AI may displace a large portion of skilled workers — such as doctors, lawyers, bankers, and educators.

Although such a displacement may eventually happen, for the foreseeable future, it is more likely that humans will work interactively with machines. The goal of this research is to develop insights into how best to design this collaborative working relationship between humans and AI. The research objectives are to understand how humans make sense of the output of AI tools, how these tools can best support this, and what factors influence the human-AI collaborative relationship. The findings of this research will have important implications for the future of work.

Optimizing Smart and Connected Products by Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence

Murray Lei, Jue Wang, and Roozbeh Yousefi

The Internet of Things (IoT), which consists of a network of smart and connected products, is revolutionizing many industries. This research group is studying two particular operational problems faced by smart products in the era of Big Data through two projects.

In the first project (data-driven Bayesian quickest diagnosis), the focus is the optimal diagnosis and intervention policy for failure states when the product is operating abnormally and where parameter uncertainty in the sequential diagnosis schemes is explicitly accounted for.

In the second project (online product optimization with imperfect streaming data), the focus is smart products whose configuration can be fine-tuned as customers are using it. In both projects, the primary focus is the structural results of the optimal policy to gain managerial insights into the optimal exploration and exploitation trade-off.

Disruptive Technologies & Financial Innovation

Ryan Riordan, Elspeth Murray, Evan Dudley

This research group aims to investigate the effect of disruptive technology on Finance. The focus of the grant is on the “disintermediation” of finance through technological innovation. Specifically, the Collaborative Grant will study how technology can change the process by which borrowers and lenders (and savers and consumers) are matched through financial markets.

The research group will seek to answer important questions such as: does technology make this process more transparent, or do a select few benefit at the expense of the many? The Grant will be used to establish the infrastructure of a virtual data center that will enhance collaboration through data sharing between both internal and external researchers.

Crowds & Organizations

Jean-Baptiste Litrico and Matthias Spitzmuller

An important byproduct of the widespread use of social media and communication technologies has been the rising exposure of organizations to multiple audiences, which include not just their customers but also proximate and more distal publics. While recent research has brought light on the sources of organized contention faced by organizations, we know comparatively much less about the role played by audiences in the creation of organizational purpose.

This research group will focus on the interactive creation of meaning and organizational purpose between organizations and their audiences, by addressing the following questions: How are organizational audiences created? How do organizations influence or manage the process of audience formation? How do organizations develop a shared sense of purpose in interaction with their multiple audiences in society?

Social Entrepreneurship and Resilient Communities: Examining Aboriginal, Rural and Remote Contexts

Tina Dacin, Peter Dacin, Madeline Toubiana and Simone Parniak

Canadians face a number of social issues including poverty, healthcare, civic engagement, education and the environment. The effects of these concerns are particularly felt by Aboriginal populations in remote and rural communities, who have failing systems and limited resources as a result of the lasting effects of colonialism. In a changing business landscape with increased complexity and rising uncertainty, traditional business solutions that address diverse societal concerns, often misdirected (Moyo, 2009) or poorly executed, are bringing about a number of shifts in how organizations must simultaneously serve the needs of both customers and society (Marquis, Glynn & Davis, 2007). This business landscape combined with the unique needs of these communities has resulted in a quest to find novel solutions through various forms and techniques of social innovation and social enterprise.

Growing Up Poor & Leadership

Julian Barling, Nick Turner, Julie Weatherhead (PhD Student)

Scholars have spent decades trying to expand our understanding of leadership, mostly by asking minor variations of the same old questions, an approach that lessens the likelihood that new knowledge is created. This research group seeks to redress this by asking new questions about leadership, specifically if and how growing up in poverty influences later leadership. Specific questions that will be addressed include: How does early childhood poverty influence who becomes a leader? How does exposure to early childhood poverty influence the type and quality of leadership behaviors once assuming a leadership position? Can we enhance the motivation to lead among late adolescents reared in poverty? Can we reduce implicit negative stereotypes and biases held by leadership selection committees that disadvantage lower SES applicants?

Centre History

Business Research in Healthcare (2012 – 2016)

From 2012 – 2016, The Monieson Centre was focused on exploring research questions that addressed the business aspects of healthcare theory. The Centre supported and produced whitepapers, and academic and professional publications in select areas of business-related healthcare policy. The three-part Monieson-led Queen’s Health Policy Change Conferences Series produced several white papers detailing a national healthcare strategy for Canada.

Rural Economic Revitalization (2007 – 2014)

From 2007-2014, The Monieson Centre sponsored an economic revitalization research theme, investigating new strategies for rural communities to develop vibrant economies. The Centre produced many key resources from research projects and events generated through this research stream.

If you wish to have access to the content from these eras, please contact the Research Office