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Keeping Christmas lights on to add ambiance can help set a shopping district apart

admin — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 20:07:13 +0000

Christmas lights that glow softly through long winter nights are part of what makes the holiday season so atmospheric—but they can add to the ambiance any time of year. Some shopping districts are leaving their lights up for exactly that reason.

Montreal retailer Frank and Oak files for creditor protection for second time

admin — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 17:25:58 +0000

In January 2025, the Montreal-based retailer Frank and Oak filed for creditor protection for the second time in recent years. A company statement said it was to protect employees, assets and operations from creditor claims while exploring options to restructure. “The brand is not standing out in an environment where other brands have done well,” said Bensadoun School of Retail Management Executive Director Charles de Brabant in an interview with the Montreal Gazette.

Clarity is key when passing control of a family business to the next generation

admin — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 18:27:40 +0000

Even the most successful family businesses often don’t withstand the march of time. Just because one generation had what the right skills and temperament to run a business doesn’t mean their grandchildren will. But the Vancouver-based chocolate maker Purdys Chocolate bucks the trend, with a third-generation leader poised to take the helm.

Amazon to close Quebec warehouses, affecting 1,700 jobs

admin — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 19:07:38 +0000

Amazon Canada is closing all of its Quebec warehouses, affecting nearly 2,000 employees. The company claims the move is to provide long-term savings to customers and is unrelated to recent unionization efforts. However, industry experts, including 51�Թ�� business Professor Vivek Astvansh, suggest the closures are a response to union activities.

Making payments on time and in full can help improve your credit score

admin — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:40:47 +0000

Credit scores play an essential role in our financial lives, but they are calculated by private companies, and there is little transparency in the way they are calculated. Still, you can take steps to ensure your own credit score is good. “Make loan payments on time and keep credit card records in good standing,” Prof. Patrick Augustin told Consumer Affairs. “Credit card debt should be paid in full when it is due, and shouldn’t be too high relative to disposable income.

Henry Mintzberg reflects on 50 years of management insights

admin — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 18:55:45 +0000

In a special interview marking the 50th anniversary of his iconic article "The Manager's Job: Folklore and Fact," Henry Mintzberg revisits his groundbreaking work, offering fresh perspectives on organizational structure, management, and leadership. Mintzberg discusses the evolution of management over the last five decades, emphasizing the importance of understanding organizational types, the value of emergent strategies, and the need for grounded management in today’s complex business world.

To be effective, sometimes leaders need to display aspects of both introversion and extroversion

admin — Thu, 15 May 2025 18:32:08 +0000

A stereotypical extrovert loves to engage with people, and derives energy from it. For stereotypical introverts, the reverse is true: they prefer to keep to themselves, and too much interaction with others saps their energy. But ambiverts display traits of both personality types, Professor Karl Moore told CBC Radio’s The Weekender with Jared Monkman. The word dates back to the 1920s, but Moore has revived it after interviewing many senior leaders as part of his research program.

Announcing the 2025 Lionel Pelham Kent Scholarship recipients

admin — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 15:08:35 +0000

Congratulations to Harley Belfer (BCom’23), Isabelle Erb (BCom’24), Veronica Hall (BCom'24), Raphael Lafleur (BCom’24), Andrea Peck (BCom’24), and Dylan Winick (BCom’24) who were awarded the Lionel Pelham Kent Scholarship by the Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting (GCPA) program.

Leedana is bringing agriculture to the desert--and it got its start at Desautels

admin — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 16:54:52 +0000

Egypt’s Nile River Valley has some of the most fertile land in the world. But most of the country is a barren desert where few plants can grow. Hassan Elrakhawy (BCom’24) wants to change that. The Egyptian-born entrepreneur founded Leedana, a startup that uses a technique called sandponics, which can reduce the amount of water needed to cultivate crops by up to 90%. The company already has farms in Egypt that grow cherry tomatoes, peppers, kale, lettuce and more. And other farms are under construction elsewhere.

Is Tim Hortons still Canadian?

admin — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 21:15:25 +0000

Tim Hortons is deeply embedded in Canadian culture, but is it still truly Canadian? According to 51�Թ��professor Karl Moore, ownership plays a key role. “If you’re owned by Americans, you’re no longer Canadian in the way that you were before,” he explains. However, he argues that nationality isn’t just about where a company is headquartered—it’s about where decisions are made.

Common household goods could be among those most affected by US tariffs

admin — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 16:36:38 +0000

With the spectre of sweeping tariffs sending ripples through Canada’s economy, the prices of some goods will be much more affected than others. Cheaper household goods like shampoo and toiletries could be among those most affected, according to Saibal Ray, a Professor of Operations Management at 51�Թ��Desautels. Higher end goods will be less affected, Ray told the Toronto Star, as most of these goods are sourced outside of the United States.

MMR students explore retail innovation in Dubai

admin — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 16:38:58 +0000

In March 2025, students in the Master of Management in Retailing (MMR) program at 51�Թ��Desautels, took part in a week-long study trip to Dubai, to explore one of the world’s most dynamic retail hubs.

The itinerary included meetings with industry leaders from Dubai Economy and Tourism, Huda Beauty, Apparel Group, Kitopi, DAMAC, Carrefour, and Majid Al Futtaim Group. Students gained firsthand insights into retail innovation, digital strategy, localization, and customer experience.

Transforming urban mobility at the SGI sustainable transportation roundtable

admin — Fri, 09 May 2025 18:32:34 +0000

Explore the insights from the second Sustainable Transportation Roundtable hosted by 51�Թ��'s Sustainable Growth Initiative (SGI). This year's event, sponsored by Alstom, focused on road safety and reimagining urban streets. Keynote speaker Tom Flood highlighted the impact of media on street design and the need to shift narratives towards safer, more inclusive transportation. Panels discussed reclaiming streets for diverse users and overcoming barriers to public transportation.

MBA students gain global business insights on international study trip

admin — Wed, 28 May 2025 19:17:27 +0000

In April 2025, MBA students from McGill's Desautels Faculty of Management embarked on a ten-day international study trip to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Istanbul. The experience blended corporate visits with cultural immersion, offering insights into real-world business challenges in diverse contexts. Students engaged with global firms like Strategy&, Majid Al Futtaim, and Digiturk, while also exploring local heritage sites and community initiatives.

AI startup with roots at 51�Թ��Desautels raises €9M in venture capital funding

admin — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 23:31:03 +0000

There’s a lot that AI can do—and quite a bit that it can’t. And the mix of numbers and letters on a spreadsheet is one thing that AI has struggled to make sense of. Prior Labs wants to change that by developing machine learning models optimized to understand spreadsheets, which host an enormous amount of critical information in many firms.