Author Archive
A Tribute to SFU Chancellor Dr. Brandt Louie
Posted by: tday in MBA Experience, Student Life on July 4th, 2011
On Tuesday, June 28, I had the opportunity to attend the Farewell Tribute Dinner for SFU’s chancellor Dr. Brandt Louie, who retired after 11 years of service to the university. Dr. Louie served for two terms as SFU’s 9th chancellor and also as a member and chair of the university’s Board of Governors. He is one of the BC’s leading entrepreneurs as Chairman & CEO of H.Y. Louie Co. and Chairman of London Drugs – and he is a previous winner of the prestigious “Entrepreneur of the Year” award bestowed by BC Business Magazine.
The event was held at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver and hosted by Gloria Macarenko of CBC News and Christopher Gaze of Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival. Guest speakers included SFU president Andrew Petter, presidents emeritus Dr. Jack Blaney and Dr. Michael Stevenson as well as incoming chancellor Carol Taylor. All noted the instrumental role Dr. Louie played in SFU’s growth over the past decade and many made specific mentions of opening the Surrey campus which was driven through his vision and leadership.
The philanthropic efforts of the Louie family were also recognized, including the commitment to match gifts made to the Chancellor Brandt C. Louie Legacy Fund. The fund is an endowment that will be used to support undergraduate and graduate awards at SFU and has raised more than $500,000 to date!
The evening closed with a performance by the World Championship SFU Pipe Band, a group that Dr. Louie has had a close relationship with during his time at the university. Overall, it was a fantastic event and one that I’m sure left many people inspired to give back.
Our Chile Trip Comes to an End
Posted by: tday in MBA Experience on June 21st, 2011
The San Antonio Terminal International Port
After an amazing two weeks in South America, followed by a week of intense dodgeball competition, it’s time for a quick recap of our trip.
The final few days in Santiago were spent doing some site visits at local businesses including one of the major ports – the San Antonio Terminal International. Because of Chile’s geography, most goods are shipped in to the country and then transported by train or truck to other areas, making the ports a crucial piece of the economy. The San Antonio port is privately run, with a public port adjacent to it and a competing port in Valparaiso to the north. Interestingly, the company has implemented a system whereby trucks waiting for cargo are guaranteed turnaround times of 60 minutes or less otherwise the port will compensate them financially. Once a truck has been on site for 30 minutes, they are placed in the red zone and are closely monitored so that the 1 hour deadline can be met. This provides San Antonio with a competitive advantage over other ports where trucks may be waiting for hours to have their cargo loaded, without compensation.
Another business we visited on site was Colgate. We heard from their General Manager about the opportunities and challenges of doing business in Chile, particularly within the confines of a company who prides itself on product consistency across many different markets. As with other businesses, supply-chain sentiments were echoed here since the company does not have production facilities in the region. Nonetheless, Colgate has a strong presence in Chile and in recent years has moved to become the market leader in oral health care.
Our final day in Chile was spent at an eco lodge at the foothills of the Andes where we had the option of horseback riding, rafting or trekking. We then reconvened for a last group dinner before heading our separate ways the following morning. Eleven of us chose to stay in South America for an additional week and had a fantastic time seeing the sights in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Overall, the trip was a great learning experience for us and provided insights to doing business in an emerging market that we could not have duplicated in the classroom.
Supply chain challenges between the Andes and the ocean: Notes from the Chile MBA trip
Posted by: tday in Student Life on May 27th, 2011
We landed in Santiago, Chile on Sunday, May 22, 2011 for a weeklong field study trip as part of the SFU Beedie School of Business MBA program.
The first thing we did was travel to Casablanca Valley for a tour of Casas del Bosque, where we learned about the phenomenal growth of Chile’s wine industry in the past decade. The following morning, we met with a Trade Commissioner from the Government of Canada to learn about the economic climate in Chile. Afterwards, we had a meeting with a Canadian entrepreneur in the mining industry who described the opportunities and challenges of starting a business in the country. To finish off our day, we headed to Scotiabank for a presentation on the financial sector and banking industry – one of the most stable in the world.
The next day, we met with representatives from Johnson & Johnson and Explora Hotels – two very different companies with one being consumer goods and the other luxury travel. Their insight into the market really highlighted the similarities and differences to doing business in Canada. One key difference was the logistics involved in managing a supply chain. Chile has been described as an island with the ocean on one side and the Andes on the other. This poses significant challenges in getting product from facilities in other parts of the world and generally takes much longer than what we would expect in Canada.
Stay tuned for our adventures in the next few days!
A glass of Viña Errazuriz to cap off MBA ride
Posted by: tday in MBA Experience, Student Life on May 13th, 2011
An MBA field trip to Chile is on the agenda for some of us in late May. We will spend a week in Santiago meeting with some of the most prominent businesses in the area including Methanex, Teck, Nike, Red Bull, Johnson & Johnson and the copper mining giant Codelco. The trip would not be complete without exploring one of the country`s many wineries, so we will also be given a tour of Viña Errazuriz in the famous Aconcagua Wine Valley. (I have to admit that I am well prepared for this portion of the trip. My final paper in our Emerging Markets course was an analysis of the Chilean wine industry.)
MBAs make a meal out of multiculturalism by Taralyn Day
Posted by: tday in MBA Experience on March 10th, 2011
As part of the MBA curriculum, we recently completed a six-week course in cross cultural management taught by Dr. Anne Marie Francesco. The course focused on strategies and frameworks used in analyzing different cultures and how we can incorporate them in to our own management toolkit.
To celebrate the last day of class, we took part in an international potluck-style lunch and contributed a dish or drink from a culture represented within our respective class groups. We also prepared short presentations to give everyone a glimpse inside the culture we chose to highlight.
It was a great way to showcase the diversity represented within our cohort and the food was incredible! We sampled traditional dishes from Iran and India to China and Indonesia and saw presentations from many others including Russia, Italy, Greece, Australia and the Netherlands. Read the rest of this entry »
Introducing the Beedie School of Business by Taralyn Day
Posted by: tday in MBA Experience, Student Life on February 16th, 2011
February 9 was an exciting day for SFU Business—we were re-named the Beedie School of Business in recognition of an extremely generous gift from Ryan and Keith Beedie. The $22 million donation was the largest in SFU’s history and will be used to create an endowment supporting students, professorships and research chairs. The goal is to make SFU a global thought leader in innovation and entrepreneurship, Asia Pacific business studies, risk management and sustainability. I think we are well on our way.
Ryan earned his BBA at SFU in 1991 and joined his family’s industrial real estate development firm in 1992. Under Ryan’s direction, The Beedie Group has grown to be the largest landlordof industrial space in British Columbia and in 2009, he was named Ernst & Young’s Pacific Region Entrepreneur of the Year.
On behalf of the students at the Beedie School of Business, I would like to extend a huge thank you to Ryan and Keith Beedie for making such a significant investment in our future. The opportunities provided through this donation will be realized for many years to come. 
If you are considering applying to business school, I encourage you to attend one of the upcoming information sessions to learn what SFU’s Beedie School of Business can offer you.
Preparing for the MBA Games By Taralyn Day
Posted by: tday in MBA Experience, Student Life on January 1st, 2011
Amidst all of the holiday hustle and bustle the SFU team is in full preparation mode for the MBA Games taking place Jan 7-10.
Of the three Games’ disciplines, the academic competitions require the most preparation in a classroom-like setting so our team recently convened for the first of several meetings to understand what we really signed up for. The academic team is comprised of 3 groups for different competitions: marketing, business case and business simulation. I’m part of the marketing group and with the help of Colleen Collins, Associate Dean and marketer extraordinaire, we are in good hands to prepare a winning case.
2011 MBA Games by Taralyn Day
Posted by: tday in MBA Experience, Student Life on December 31st, 2010
Well it’s official – SFU’s Segal Graduate School of Business will be represented by a team 40-strong at the 2011 National MBA Games in Toronto. The Games take place January 7-10 and will be hosted by last year’s winner, the Schulich School of Business at York University.
The MBA Games is an annual event where business schools across the country go head-to-head in academic, sport and spirit competitions. It promises to showcase the best of the best with 20 schools already registered for the 2011 event.
Within the academic category, teams are awarded points for their placing in a business simulation, case competition and marketing plan competition. The sport category includes basketball, soccer, ultimate and my personal favourite – dodgeball. (Side note: When I applied for the MBA program, I did not envision myself representing SFU Business on a dodgeball team… not once.)
The Impact of Getting Involved by Taralyn Day
Posted by: tday in Sustainability on November 25th, 2010
Part of the value of the MBA program is the opportunity to network and get involved with local organizations. Many of us have found board and committee positions through SFU that will allow us to put our hard-earned business skills to work and give us invaluable experience before the job search is in full swing.
One of these organizations is Net Impact, a global non-profit association of business professionals and students working towards greater social and environmental sustainability. The SFU Segal Chapter is planning its 2010/11 year and I’m excited to be a member of the board to share information and work on upcoming events and initiatives.
Net Impact is currently highlighting the Socially Responsible Business Plan Competition that awards $100,000 in cash and prizes to outstanding business plans that are still in the start-up phase and have a defined social or environmental goal. Summaries are due by December 3rd, 2010 and a list of past winners can be found on the William James Foundation website. Read the rest of this entry »
Careers in Finance: 5 Tips for Navigating the Interview Process by Taralyn Day
Posted by: tday in MBA Experience on November 2nd, 2010
I recently attended a workshop for MBA and MFRM students interested in finance careers. It was facilitated by the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (bcIMC) and was a great opportunity to hear from industry professionals on the application and interview process.
Below are 5 key takeaways from the session:
The MBA Road Less Traveled by Taralyn Day
Posted by: tday in MBA Experience, Student Life on October 27th, 2010
Let me start off by introducing myself. I’m Taralyn and you’ll probably get to know me a bit better as I navigate my way through the full-time MBA program this year.
I’ve always liked the idea of holding an MBA but I didn’t start out in business so it only emerged as a reality for me in the last couple of years. I completed a biology degree at the University of Victoria in 2006 and thought I would follow my classmates in to research or medicine. That thought was short-lived, however, and within a week of writing my final exams I packed my bags and moved to Whistler. Read the rest of this entry »