Schulich School of Business celebrated its third annual Research Day on Jan. 26, to showcase real-world business research on 38 issues. The research work conducted by Schulich’s faculty has been recognized externally through numerous awards, editorial review board appointments and research grants, and this year, the number of entries were up 40 per cent.
Research teams were on hand to explain and discuss 38 posters showcasing leading-edge management thinking to almost 150 visitors from the university and business communities.
Visitors to Schulich's research event had an opportunity to speak with researchers and view poster presentations
Presentations included research projects across all management disciplines and many industries, including organization studies, finance, marketing, operations management and information systems, strategic management/policy, corporate social responsibility, sustainability, social sector management, entrepreneurial studies, business ethics, financial engineering, real estate and infrastructure, and mining. Many of the studies were cross-disciplinary and involved collaboration with researchers in other York University faculties, as well as other universities.
"There is an enormous wealth of knowledge created behind the office doors of Schulich faculty," said Dirk Matten, associate dean of research. "Research Day is the unique occasion, where we open these doors and show to the Schulich community what exciting and groundbreaking work is going on. It strengthens our research because Schulich scholars get the unique opportunity to exchange their work with our stakeholders. This, in turns, helps us to look for great research topics, communicate them to our community, and make sure that what we work on, ultimately matters to our stakeholders out there in the real world."
Attendees voted for the Best Poster Award 2017, which went to “Spoils from the Spoiled: Strategies for Entering Stigmatized Markets” presented by Angelique Slade Shantz, Eileen Fischer, Aurora Liu and Moren Lévesque. Liu is a PhD candidate in Strategic Management and Shantz is a PhD candidate in Organization Studies. Fischer is a professor of marketing and Anne & Max Tanenbaum Chair in Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise. Lévesque is a professor of Operations Management and Information Systems and CPA Ontario Chair in International Entrepreneurship.
A panel discussion titled “The Impact of Research in the Schulich School of Business: Making an Impact in the Real World? ” was led by Matthias Kipping, professor of policy and Richard E. Waugh, chair in Business History, and included Marcia Annisette, associate professor of accounting and executive director of Student Services and International Relations; Moren Lévesque, professor of operations management and information systems and CPA Ontario Chair in International Entrepreneurship; Mary Waller, professor of organization studies and director of the Schulich Centre for Teaching Excellence; and Detlev Zwick, associate professor of marketing and director of the BBA/iBBA program.
Dean’s Research Impact Lifetime Achievement Award goes to Christine Oliver; Emerging Leader Award to Charlene Zietsma
Schulich Dean Dezsö J. Horváth, CM, presented the Dean’s Impact Research Awards to recognize and reward Schulich faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in research and whose work has had a major impact on management education.
Dean Dezsö J. Horváth presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Christine Oliver
Dean Dezsö J. Horváth presented the Emerging Leader Award to Charlene Zietsma
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Christine Oliver, professor and Henry J. Knowles Chair in Organizational Strategy, and the Emerging Leader Award went to Charlene Zietsma, associate professor and Ann Brown Chair of Organization Studies and director of the Entrepreneurial Studies program.
Schulich scholars are among the most innovative in the world, receiving $3 million in research funding in 2015 alone, said Horváth.
"At Schulich, we pride ourselves on being Global, Innovative and Diverse. And I think you see all those qualities captured in the research on display today," said Horváth. "The research is innovative and groundbreaking. It is unafraid to tackle controversial issues, or to challenge conventional wisdom. The research is global in scope, covering everything from co-operatives in Ghana and transportation in China to fund managers in the U.S. and angel investors around the world. It focuses on real-world problems and provides a great deal of practical insight for business managers and practitioners.
"I am proud to report that research productivity is at its highest level ever based on the number of articles by Schulich faculty that have been published in top-tier academic journals," he said.
Schulich expertise is also featured in many chapters in the recently published Re-Imagining Capitalism, a joint collaboration between Schulich and McKinsey & Company published by Oxford University Press, said Horváth. The book, which had its global launch during the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, features thought leaders from Schulich as well as a number of renowned academics from around the world, together with business leaders such as Ratan Tata, Paul Polman of Unilever, and Canada’s Galen Weston.