For any MBA graduate hoping to work abroad, the first thing to remember, says Angela James, director of the Queen’s School of Business’ Centre for International Management, is there is no quick return on international experience, reported the Financial Post Oct. 28. . . . On the other hand, there are also students such as Daniel Barmasch, who will graduate with an MBA from York University's Schulich School of Business in 2014. His focus is international. He chose Schulich largely because of its global business reputation. He has taken every opportunity to build his work experience, including working as a commercial analyst in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as well as an internship at the University of Valencia in Spain through the York International Internship program. He also did an exchange term at Fundação Getulio Vargas in Sao Paulo, Brazil. All that experience has been complemented by travel to 20 countries across four continents. Read full story.
Former Vaughan MPP Sorbara bestowed with prestigious Hennick Medal
The honours continue to roll in for former Vaughan MPP Greg Sorbara, who retired from the Ontario legislature last year after 21 years as a representative, reported the Vaughan Citizen Oct. 28. Sorbara, who was also awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree from his alma mater, York University, this past spring, will on Thursday receive the Hennick Medal for Career Achievement from the Jay and Barbara Hennick Centre for Business and Law at York. Read full story.
Milton mother with two months to live devastated after OHIP fails to cover cancer treatment
Joel Lexchin, a professor at the School of Health Policy and Management at York University in Toronto, said with limited health-care dollars it can be a difficult choice to fund treatments for patients who are terminally ill. “How much money are we willing to spend for treatment that does not cure? Avastin is not going to cure the cancer, Avastin will prolong life. And how much is that worth?” he said in Global News Oct. 26. “Part of the problem is that the current federal government has refused to take any leadership role in trying to harmonize what kinds of drugs are covered across the provinces.” Read full story.
Can a driver sue a pedestrian who causes an accident?
You don’t have to be driving a car to be sued for negligence in an accident, experts say. “In theory, there’s no immunity to pedestrians,” said Allan Hutchinson, Distinguished Research Professor at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School, in The Globe and Mail Oct. 29. “But the pedestrian would have to be doing something foolhardy.” It’s possible to sue a pedestrian for damages in a car accident, but you’d have to show that the pedestrian was negligent – and that you weren’t, Hutchinson said. Drivers are expected to follow the rules and watch out for pedestrians, so you could be out of luck if you were shown to be speeding or on your cell phone. Read full story.
Do online cupcakes taste better than store-front ones?
Having an online business has its pros and cons, just like having an offline one does. Eileen Fischer, a marketing professor at York University, said online businesses can reach a wider range audience, but it’s difficult to provide them with the same level of service. Physical businesses have their own strengths and weaknesses. “Having a physical business means you can interact with customers, learn about their tastes and deal personally with complaints when they do happen,” Fischer said in the Toronto Observer Oct. 29. “The cons are that it’s hard to offer a wide range of products, and the reach of a physical location is limited geographically.” Read full story.
Without language requirement, students fall behind
Foreign language classes throw students out of their comfort zones, forcing the kind of engagement and face-to-face interaction needed more in college, reported the GW Hatchet Oct. 28. In fact, it would help students excel in their other classes. Students who learn a second language attain skills that help them score higher on standardized tests, according to a 2004 study from York University. And the [US] Department of Education proved in a 2007 report that learning foreign languages can actually help students’ aptitude with grammar and sentence structure, benefits which carry over to speaking and writing in English. Read full story.
The value of reading novels
Canadian researchers have also found that reading fiction increases our ability to be empathetic to others. A 2010 York University study of four- to six-year-old children found that greater exposure to children's literature, but not children's television programs, correlated with children having a greater sense of empathy, reported the Huffington Post Oct. 27. The study authors concluded that "engagement with fictional narratives provides one with information about the social world," exposing children to worlds outside their own. Read full story.
Obituary: Ulysses Curtis opened doors in Toronto – and dashed through
Ulysses “Crazy Legs” Curtis was the first black Toronto Argonaut, and a running back whose achievements on the field have stood the test of time. Curtis died Oct. 6 in Toronto at age 87, reported the Toronto Star Oct. 28. . . . Curtis coached junior football teams in the GTA over the years and also helped coach York University’s team when Wirkowski was head coach in the 1960s. Almost 60 years after leaving the Argonauts, Curtis still holds the team record in average yards per carry. He was added to the All-Time Argos list in 2005. Read full story.