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As he settles in to his new job as dean at the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University, Steve Harvey draws on his research in human resource management to chart the way forward.

"I strongly believe that no matter what strategy you have, it is the people and their creativity that will make that strategy become successful," he says. "My push is always to get people working together … A lot of strategy goes unaccomplished for a variety of internal difficulties or the inability to work cohesively towards a common goal."

He says he wants to build on Molson's existing strengths to make it "one of the world's leading business schools." In his view, the school "is already well-positioned and to take it up the extra notch was a challenge I could not pass up."

Achieving that lofty ambition requires practising another tenet of effective HR: meaningful consultation.

"Staff, faculty and students will be intricately involved in generating the strategy and proposing methods in which it will operate," says Prof. Harvey. "That will involve real-time involvement of people in the formation of our vision work."

He took over as dean on July 1 for a five-year term and wants to take time to put in mechanisms to promote effective consultation and, ultimately, action.

"It is not an issue of buy-in; it is actually an issue of carrying out the strategy," he says of his approach. "A lot of people talk about 'let's get the buy-in to the strategy.' To me that is short-sighted. I really want to get people excited about carrying out [the vision]."

Prof. Harvey, who replaces interim dean Alan Hochstein, becomes the fifth dean since the faculty of commerce and administration was renamed the John Molson School of Business in 2000. Prior to his appointment at Concordia, Prof. Harvey was dean of the Williams School of Business at Bishop's University since 2008 and associate vice-principal (research) since 2010.

A comprehensive business school with 153 full-time faculty members, Molson has 7,500 undergraduates and 1,470 graduate students – with those from overseas representing about 13 per cent of the student body.

Strengthening the school's international profile fits with Concordia's overall ambition to be a "first choice" for students and faculty across Canada and internationally.

"The university is very clear on wanting to be more present internationally, and we will continue to be a player in that over-all vision," says Prof. Harvey.

He sees the business school's location in the heart of Montreal as a strong asset in recruiting top students and faculty.

"Montreal is not only a draw to me, I think it is a draw to many people around the world," he says. "The best researchers are going to want to come to some of the most vibrant cities and scholarly hubs."

An added benefit, he says, is that Montreal is home to four university business schools – francophone and Anglophone – whose history of collaboration includes a joint PhD program in business.

New program

The Certified Management Accountants of British Columbia and the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University have agreed to offer a joint program for MBA students seeking their CMA designation.

The CMA/MBA combined program blends curriculum from the professional association and the business school, enabling qualified applicants to expedite and reduce the cost of working toward their CMA designation after graduation from business school. The new program is open to full-time MBA students at Beedie as well as its students and graduates of the executive MBA and Management of Technology MBA programs.

To complete the program, Beedie graduates must have an overall B grade with at least a B- in the required courses, complete two years of relevant practical experience and meet various CMA requirements, including a passing grade on three evaluation exams.

The B.C. association has similar agreements in place with the University of British Columbia's Sauder School of Business and Queen's University in Kingston, Ont.

Accounting research

HEC Montréal, affiliated with Université de Montréal, has created a new research unit focused on the role of accounting in corporate governance and management. Under the direction of Claude Laurin, director of the Master of Science in Administration program and a professor in the department of accounting studies, the new unit will study all aspects of financial reporting, from the motivation and attitude of management to the effects of decisions on the financial and social performance of companies.

Student bursaries

A $5,000 undergraduate bursary for a student who demonstrates financial need and good academic standing has been established at Simon Fraser University's Beedie School of Business. The bursary is made possible through a $600,000 gift from the Alan and Margaret Eyre Endowment Fund. Up to four students a year are eligible for the award, which is renewable for up to four years.

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Contact Jennifer at jlewington@bell.net.

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