Bissett Insider

Bissett Stock Market Competition 2020 Winners Announced

Jim Fischer, Bisset Associate Professor of Finance, has announced the much anticipated results of the annual Bissett Stock Market Challenge:

The team of Varune Tillekeratne, Jamal Hussaini and Bidzina Mosiashvili has won the 2019-2020 Bissett Stock Market Competition with a stunning return of 78%.

The 14th edition of the annual competition began in September 2019 and concluded March 31, 2020. This year 14 teams of three students each started the competition with $1,000,000 in virtual money. Through the use of a simulator, they traded in Canadian and US markets, with the ability to sell short and use options. This year was characterized by five months of trading in what would become the end of the longest bull market in history, followed by a month that witnessed the quickest decline into a bear market in history. The TSX Composite Index ended the same time period down 20%.

The winners claim a record of their own. They beat the market by the highest margin achieved by a team since the competition started in 2005. The previous record was made in 2009 by the team of Nicole Rumley, Owen Watson and Brandon Thomson. That team posted a return of 25% when the market indexes were down 35% over the same time period, reeling in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis.

The winners will be presented with the trophy for the competition at a future date, when university operations return to normal.

Bissett would like to congratulate the winners and all participants as well as extend a thank you to Jim Fischer for his continued mentorship of the students and the running of this competition; not only an impactful learning experience, but a rite of passage for many of our finance students!

Bissett professors Dorland, Finch and Raby have research published

Congratulations to Bissett professors, AnneMarie Dorland, PhD., David Finch PhD., and Simon Raby, PhD., for having their recent collaborations accepted by various journals: 

Finch, D., Levallet, N., Mccaffery, T., Esponoza, A. and Raby, S. (2020). Dynamic Management Capabilities View of Small to Medium-sized Enterprise Export Readiness: A Canadian Perspective, International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business

Abstract: Increased trade liberalization and advancements in technology have established the foundation for global expansion of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME). However, data demonstrates that most SMEs continue to focus almost exclusively on their domestic market. In this study, we leverage resource orchestration (RO) and dynamic capabilities (DC) to explore the managerial and firm level resources critical to supporting SME export expansion. This includes conducting multi-staged qualitative research to define these resources (N=28). This research identifies company age, operational resources, financial capacity, and employee knowledge and skills. In addition, we isolate dynamic managerial capabilities (DMCs) related to cognition (e.g. managerial experiences and decision-making), social capital (e.g. developing strong internal and external networks) and human capital (e.g. ability to maximize the value of people) as critical to export expansion. Lastly, we use our findings to develop a conceptual model and associated instrumentation of SME export readiness to guide future empirical research.

 

Dorland, AM., Finch, D., Levallet, N., Raby S., Ross, S. and Swiston, A. (2020) An Entrepreneurial View of Work Universal Work Integrated Learning, Education + Training

Work-integrated learning (WIL) has emerged as a leading pedagogy that blends theory with application. In recent years, policymakers, educators and practitioners have called for a significant expansion of WIL, one which would enable every undergraduate student has at least one WIL experience during their program of study. Despite these appeals, there remains a significant divide between the aspiration of universality and the realities. Consequently, the study ask the following question: How can post secondary institutions expand their WIL initiatives to universal levels that deliver transformative learning?

 

Bissett International Business professors Frank Cotae and Jacqueline Musabende have research published

 

Frank Cotae, PhD.,  and Jacqueline Musabende, PhD.,  have had their article titled “A Multi-Country Student and Instructor Review of GlobalDNA Simulation as an Experiential Learning Tool for International Business Courses” accepted as competitive at the 2020 Academy of International Business (AIB) Annual Meeting. This is the 4th year in a row that they have had their research accepted at the AIB Annual Conference. Congratulations to Frank and Jacqueline!

Congratulations again to Jaqueline for another successful semester of partnering her Winter 2020 International Marketing (INBU 3302) students with CUSO International, completing a live experiential consulting project for Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The project resulted in the design of a regional park, a solar energy plant, an urban water purification system and a marketing plan that is ready for developmental funding. This resulted in 70 students receiving a Certificate from CUSO, adding to the 200 strong recipients of this distinction.

Also, congratulations to Frank as he has co-authored a textbook for International Business courses. The textbook is expected to arrive in the bookstores soon!

Cotae, F., Hill, C., Hult, T. and McKaig, T. (2021). Global Business Today. 6th Canadian Edition. McGraw Hill Education.

Bissett International Business professors Cotae and Musabende participate in international conferences

 Jacqueline Musabende, PhD,  and Frank Cotae, PhD,  have been invited to participate and showcase their research on “Experiential Learning and DFMAS Applicability to IB Curriculum” at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) – 12th UNCTAD Debt Management Conference– held in Geneva, Switzerland (November 18-20, 2019).
Jacqueline has recently received an invitation as a guest speaker and panelist at the Overseas Development Institute to be held on Feb 26 and 27, 2020 in London, UK. Jacqueline will showcase her research on “Public Financial Management Reforms and IFMIS in Africa.”
Students in INBU 3302 (International Marketing), taught by Jacqueline, have been enrolled in an experiential exercise with Cuso International that will result in a large scale parks and water purification projects in Honduras. The Virtual Reality Tours designed by students will be featured on the National TV in Honduras.
Congratulations to Jacqueline and Frank for their continued research, student engagement and initiatives!

Bissett professor Tashfeen Hussain active in various research projects

Bissett School of Business congratulates Assistant Professor, Tashfeen Hussain for being selected to contribute a chapter to the upcoming book titled, “Corporate Fraud Exposed”.  The title of the chapter that Tashfeen  will be writing is “The Spillover Impact of Corporate Fraud on Peer Firms”.  The selection process has been quite intensive.  The book will be edited by Dr. Kent Baker, Dr. Lynnette Purda and Dr. Samir Saadi.  The book will be published by Emerald Publishing. Tashfeen expects to have the final draft of the chapter ready by June, 2020.  The book is intended to be used at PhD programs in Finance.

 

As part of the faculty’s  Apaat tsi kani takiiks initiative, Tashfeen and Associate Professor Allan Dwyer have had their proposal approved for developing  a teaching case focusing on indigenous related issues.    The focus of the case will be “Estimating the cost of capital for an indigenous business and evaluating strategies to reduce the cost of capital”.

“The Apaat tsi kani takiiks project is an initiative from Bissett School of Business and the School of Communications  that aims to produce and promote Indigenous-centered curriculum and programming for the next generation of leaders, working to increase access to education for Indigenous students in an attempt to address reconciliation. The three-year initiative began in May 2017 as a continuation of the Suncor Aboriginal Business Education pilot project”. – MRU Media

 

 

Professor Stephen Sit and the Supply Chain Club tour Canadian Vinyl Record Inc.

The Mount Royal University Supply Chain Club organized a tour of the Canadian Vinyl Record Inc. in NE Calgary on Friday, Jan 25, 2019.
This facility is one of the four vinyl records producers in Canada. The tour was conducted by the company owner, Mr. Ian Lawson, and lasted for about 90 minutes.
The students were shown the process of how vinyl records are manufactured, starting from the raw PVC plastic beads, to the final products. They also visited the recording studio, the sound control room, the facilities, and were shown the equipment used and the process involved.
Stephen would like to thank Kasia Kolt who organized this trip.

Bissett Professor Jacqueline Musabende introduces new form of experiential learning in International Marketing course

Professor Jacqueline Musabende is excited to announce her most recent teaching and learning innovation for her International Business class (INBU 3302): “High Impact Teaching Strategies, Real world case enhanced by Innovative Technology.”

Jacqueline notes that Bissett School of Business is now part of a select group of Canadian Universities that have collaborated  with CUSO International, a not-for-profit development organization funded in part by the Canadian Government through Global Affairs Canada. CUSO International is currently working with the Chamber of Commerce, in Quibdó Colombia and as a result of this partnership, Bissett International Marketing students are working with 13 SMEs, advising and developing an International Marketing Plan with the end goal of developing strategy to help transform these domestic entities into global trade players.

Colombian companies that are participating are diverse in scope and industry, ranging from service providers (tourism, food and beverage industry- craft beer, chocolate), manufacturing (canneries, household good, fashion, crafts),  and farming (fruits, coffee, cocoa).

“The lesson plan methodology assimilates textbook material, technology (Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, 3-D Printing design solutions), social media (Going Viral, 360 Camera), international teleconferencing and strategic market analytics as part of a real world problem solving project.”

“Each set of decisions students make as part of a comprehensive set of deliverables and outcomes are vetted and assessed by CUSO and Colombian partners. The feedback students receive from the international stakeholders and participants take place in real time and provide the foundation for adjustments in market research and future steps in the project. The meta-cognitive strategies through self-reflection, complete their learning process.” – Dr. Jacqueline Musabende

Jacqueline also points out that this teaching innovation serves a broader purpose in that it ties together these goals of Mount Royal University:

innovation in teaching through experiential methods implemented in the classroom, removing the high cost and risk of field schools in the context of a more inclusive education opportunity for all students.

–  internationalization, as students take another step towards becoming global citizens and ambassadors of Canadian goodwill.

Dr. Musabende would like to extend her thanks and gratitude to the staff at the Riddell Library for their support in this project.

For more information on the E-Volunteers CUSO Program, click here

 

 

Bissett faculty Brenda Lang and Rod Corbett partner in manuscript to be published in “Business and Professional Communication Quarterly”

Bissett School of Business congratulates faculty members Brenda Lang and Rod Corbett, in conjunction with Tammy Sherrow, Associate Professor, Nursing & Midwiferyon their   manuscript entitled, “The Flipped Class: Experience in a University Business Communication Course” which has been accepted for publication in the  Business and Professional Communication Quarterly.
Brenda Lang and Tammy Sherrow will be presenting a 90-minute workshop entitled, “High Impact Task-Based Strategies for Your Classroom” at the Hawaii International Conference on Education in Honolulu, January 2 – 6.

Dr. Frank Cotae mentors Bissett students, Cally Arsenault and Robin Kampel to a successful International Business Project

Congratulations to Bissett School of Business students Cally Arsenault and Robin E. Kampel  on their successful submission of their International Business Plan Project to FITT (Forum of International Trade Training) for assessment. The students obtained 91% upon grading by a national evaluator appointed by FITT. The grade is equivalent to a pass with distinction! The project was developed under the guidance of Dr. Cotae as part of the International Business 4408 course and we wish to extend congratulations to him as well.