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Dr. Vivian Howard: Celebrating Nunavut Day July 9, 2018

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Dr. Vivian Howard signing of the MOU with Virginia Mearns

Dr. Vivian Howard signing the MOU with Virginia Mearns

On July 9, 1993, the Parliament of Canada passed the Nunavut Act which established the territory of Nunavut, which would come to realization sometime in the future.   On April 1, 1999, Nunavut became a legally distinct territory.  Today, we celebrate Nunavut Day 2018.

Dalhousie and Nunavut have enjoyed close ties beginning with Dr. Robert Moody who was Deputy Minister of Education in the Government of Nunavut.  As well, Dalhousie’s Faculty of Management, a member of a tripartite consortium with the Institute on Governance and PGF Consultants, is involved in two projects with the Government of Nunavut. The objectives of these projects are to enhance the leadership and policy formulation capacity of the Government of Nunavut.

Dr. Vivian Howard recently travelled to Rankin Inlet where she met with the participants in the “Emerging Leaders” certificate program to discuss pathways into the Centre for Executive and Graduate Education (CEGE) programs.

Dr. Vivian Howard presenting to Emerging Leaders participants.

Dr. Vivian Howard presenting to Emerging Leaders participants.

Dr. Vivian Howard:

There was significant interest in the MPAM, MIM, and MBA options.  I was honoured to join in the graduation ceremony, where 21 Government of Nunavut employees, all Inuit, received their certificates.  Another highpoint of my visit was participating in the signing of the amended Memorandum of Understanding between Dalhousie and the Government of Nunavut.  Dalhousie has a long history of involvement with Nunavut.  I am proud of what has been accomplished and look forward to future partnerships and collaborative opportunities.

Institute on Governance, PGF Consultants, Dalhousie, Government of Nunavut team at the graduation ceremony.

Institute on Governance, PGF Consultants, Dalhousie, Government of Nunavut team at the graduation ceremony.

Congratulations to the cohort of graduates!

The Cohort of Graduates

The Cohort of Graduates

Dr. Vivian Howard: Do Canadian Organizations Have a Social License to Operate?

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Dalhousie Faculty of Management

Dalhousie Faculty of Management

Do organizations have the confidence of stakeholders?  Are their activities morally and socially acceptable?

The Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University engaged in a study, the first of its kind, to discover whether Canadians believe that organizations are trustworthy, socially responsible, environmentally sensitive and ethical.  In other words, do Canadian organizations have a Social License to Operate (SLO)? What organizations do Canadians believe live up to their promises?  Contribute positively to local communities? Use Sustainable practices?  Treat employees and customers fairly?

Until Dalhousie’s Faculty of Management explored these questions, no one had an answer.

In October 2017, a bilingual on-line survey was sent to a sample of Canadians, aged 18 and over, asking them to respond to the sub-components of the SLO—trustworthiness, social responsibility, environmental responsibility, and ethical practices—in relation to national transportation providers, food retailers, clothing retailers, and government departments.

“We tried to choose sectors that all Canadians would have experience with. Everyone eats, everyone has to clothe themselves and get from place to place, everyone deals with the government in one way or another.” Dr. Vivian Howard, Associate Professor & Associate Dean (academic) Faculty of Management and lead author of the report

This survey was a pilot project which will be repeated in future years. Having a baseline of Canadians’ opinions in place will allow the Faculty of Management to track changing perceptions in a volatile consumer marketplace.

“Similar social licence studies have been conducted in the past, but they have typically been restricted to just one organization or company and often restricted to just one geographical area. This study is unique because it is national in scope, covers several sectors and is demographically diverse.” Dr. Tony Walker, Assistant Professor, School for Resource and Environment Studies and coauthor of the report.

On January 31, 2018, the results were published. We invite you to read the media release and full Social License Report to benefit from the valuable insight on how Canadians view the organizations they interact with most frequently in their daily lives.

 

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