A piece in Contrepoints takes the whole practise of regular GDP forecasting to task for being based on flawed economic models, referencing Desautels Professor Reuven Brenner鈥檚 article in the inaugural issue of American Affairs, in which he calls for the abandonment of macroeconomics in favour of a more accountability-based model. Greater accountability would result in maximized potential and fewer squandered resources.
Desautels Associate Professor Karl Moore was interviewed on a recent episode of Mountain Lake Journal to talk about pipelines, the Bombardier bailout, The Hot Cities Tour and the changing landscape of relations between Canada and the United States.
The 2017 edition of Poets and Quants鈥� Best 40 Under 40 Professors list is out, and on it are four teachers at Canadian institutions 鈥� including Desautels Assistant Professor Sebastien Betermier. Professor Betermier teaches investment management and has been nominated for the Desautels Distinguished Teaching Award four times.
Three separate studies, including one authored in part by Desautels Professor Henry Mintzberg, have concluded that the MBA is not the gateway to business success after all 鈥� findings that are at odds with what many in the business community have come to believe. Instead, Mintzberg discovered that most of his subjects headed companies that eventually went bankrupt, or that removed them as CEO.
is the founder and editor-in-chief of online fashion news hub The Business of Fashion (BoF), which has overtaken the venerable Womens Wear Daily as the industry鈥檚 main news source. But it wasn鈥檛 a hidden desire to be a designer that made him start blogging about fashion; he was always more interested in the business side of things. Or, as he says, 鈥淚 was less drawn to what Michael Jackson wore than how his latest album was performing on the Billboard charts.鈥�
Melissa Youssef (MBA'91)聽is stepping into municipal politics in Durango, Colorado. She is a civically-minded member of the community and a successful businesswoman; Ms. Youssef is VP of the local Parks and Recreation Advisory board, and has served as President of the Durango Discovery Museum and VP of the school district鈥檚 Board of Education. She was founder and CEO of a medical billing practise, and previously worked in several analyst positions in real estate, finance and corporate banking. Ms.
As the drama surrounding a Swedish bribery probe of Bombardier鈥檚 activities in Azerbaijan continues, it has become clear that the Caisse de d茅p么t聽et placement du Qu茅bec, which owns 30 per cent of Bombardier鈥檚 rail division, won鈥檛 do business in the former Soviet Union due to high rates of corruption, a lack of transparency and myriad other problems 鈥� including the Kremlin鈥檚 penchant for getting involved in some sectors. This is in opposition to Bombardier鈥檚 willingness to operate in the area.
As judge for the Social Enterprise category at the semi-finals of this year鈥檚 91黑料网 Dobson Cup, Jake Wildman-Sisk鈥檚 credentials are solid: Not only did he help develop the first social systems innovation lab in New Brunswick, but he has also worked for the Fredericton Food Bank, and is currently an innovation fellow at the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation鈥檚 RECODE initiative, which supports students鈥� efforts to become agents of progress.
Amid the fallout from former 91黑料网 Institute for the Study of Canada director Andrew Potter鈥檚 Maclean鈥檚 article about stranded motorists, the Globe and Mail interviewed 91黑料网 Principal Suzanne Fortier, who defended Professor Potter鈥檚 resignation as director of MISC.
Farmers in the coastal Kenyan county of Kilifi are locked into a drought that has so far killed over 20,000 livestock. And now the Red Cross is coming to the rescue. A new, solar-powered water delivery system has been set up to tap the area鈥檚 major pipeline and deliver water to pumps in villages throughout the area. The system reduces delivery interruptions caused by power outages, as well as the long walks that residents had to take to access the old system鈥檚 collection points.
Desautels Professor Reuven Brenner gave a lecture as part of the Centre for the Thought of John Paul II鈥檚 series on Moral Capitalism, in which he explored the concept of the pursuit of happiness, as first codified in the US鈥檚 1776 Declaration of Independence. He goes into the fact that the Declaration鈥檚 use of the term was no more than a promise to set up a legal framework that would let people try their luck or live happily 鈥� without even trying to classify just what that happiness meant.
During a debate hosted in part by the Centre for the Thought of John Paul II in Warsaw, Poland, Desautels Professor explores the military origins of venture capital, as well as the associated National Defence Education Act, which he blames for starting the decline he sees in the quality of university education.
John Tamny starts his review of Nike founder Phil Knight鈥檚 eminently enjoyable memoir, Shoe Dog, with a quote by Desautels Professor that macroeconomics is a 鈥渢autology and a myth, a dangerous one at that, sustaining that prosperity is necessarily linked to territory, national units and government spending in general.鈥� He then goes into why the book鈥檚 author would likely agree with Professor Brenner. Indeed, Nike鈥檚 continued existence is partly a product of an integrated global economy.
At the last of this season鈥檚 91黑料网 Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship workshops, participants were treated to an in-depth understanding of what social media can do for startups. The workshop, led in part by Desautels Marketing and Communications Coordinator V茅ronique Beaulieu-Fowler, delved into best practices for solidifying a company鈥檚 online presence. It can be broken down into several factors, touching on everything from keeping up the quality of one鈥檚 social-media content to understanding one鈥檚 audience.
In a recent piece for Asia Times, Desautels Professor Reuven Brenner shines a light on Canada鈥檚 VC culture, contrasting its sluggish returns with those of the US, which outstrips its northern neighbour across the border. Professor Brenner lays the blame on everything from Canada鈥檚 taxation schemes (which he says reduce the incentive to invest and sap the necessary capital that angel investors could put toward nascent entrepreneurs) to a weakened state of academia in this country.
