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Julia Yan on Research – A Graduate’s Response

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Julia Yan MBA(FS) 2010, Vice President Regional Sales at TSX Trust & Listings Development, TMX Group

Julia Yan MBA(FS) 2010, Vice President Regional Sales at TSX Trust & Listings Development, TMX Group

“My MBA journey added a strategic dynamic to my research capabilities. My approach to integrating and sharing knowledge evolved over the course of my studies.  Academic efforts honed and defined my research competency, giving me greater freedom to objectively explore and assess ideas and constructs.”

Julia Yan, MBA (FS) Class of 2010

Julia Yan MBA(FS) 2010, Vice President Regional Sales at TSX Trust & Listings Development, TMX Group, is a passionate supporter of lifelong learning. Dr. Joyline Makani’s post on “Research Takes Courage” reflected Julia’s personal experience both as a student and a career professional.

“I agree with Joyline unequivocally,” Julia noted in a recent virtual interview. “It takes courage because we challenge ourselves to look beyond the obvious. Its about analyzing arguments utilizing inductive or deductive reasoning, judging assumptions, solving problems and formulating new ideas. Information is key. From planning a vacation to preparing for a work meeting, we rely on research to provide us with valuable insights to connect the dots.

Research involves critical thinking and the ability to explore and evaluate multiple points of view.  It is more than the gathering of data and interpretation. Research demands us to venture beyond the act of obtaining information. We need to develop skill-sets that enable us to digest information, to reason, to validate, and participate in dialogue among others with differing perspectives.

My MBA journey added a strategic dynamic to my research capabilities. My approach to integrating and sharing knowledge evolved over the course of my studies.  Academic efforts honed and defined my research competency, giving me greater freedom to objectively explore and assess ideas and constructs. I especially enjoyed team projects, which provided the opportunity to collaborate and research within the context of a diverse community. Together, we searched for a solution to a specific challenge or issue, which well-prepared me for the team approach at the TMX today.

Conducting thorough research is essential within my chosen career path. I rely on rigorous research and meticulous attention to accuracy to prepare for strategic meetings with corporate executives, to formulate IPO strategies, to access public venture capital in Canada, to navigate complex transactions, to optimize operational efficiency and to foster growth.

The most important lesson that I’ve learned over the past few years, is that it is essential to encourage others to actively engage in research initiatives. I enjoy contributing to economic forums, international trade missions, and roundtables at the federal and provincial level.  Individual achievement is satisfying, but the greatest rewards come from working with others dedicated to seeking positive outcomes for our communities, local and global.

From the CEGE Connection Archives:  First published April 25, 2017

Dr. Martine Durier-Copp: Research is Ongoing

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Martine Durier-Copp, PhD

Martine Durier-Copp, PhD

“Achieving the sought-after MBA designation, is not the final destination for CFAME graduates.  Their influence, as strategic thinkers in the knowledge economy, is a confirmation that continuous learning leads to success and increased productivity.  This is the legacy of CFAME’s commitment to excellence.”

Dr. Martine Durier-Copp

Dr. Martine Durier-Copp believes that research is ongoing and must be integrated within our day-to-day interactions and activities.  She agrees with Dr. Makani that research goes beyond academic walls.  Research is the foundation of knowledge exchange and is a continual process.  In a recent virtual interview, Dr. Durier-Copp provides background on ongoing research at the Centre for Advanced Management Education.

Management is an art, but also a science, and as any science, it is informed by knowledge. Knowledge develops and grows, as we conduct more research. The way we teach management also evolves, and is based on current best practices, as informed by ongoing research.

Researchers at Dalhousie’s Faculty of Management study and investigate all facets of management from finance, operations management, strategy, marketing, to name a few.  Our students also help to build this base of knowledge and are essential for the integration of knowledge within the broader community. Our students’ projects provide invaluable contributions to this exercise.

At CFAME, we are particularly interested in e-learning.  That means, how students learn on-line, and how that is different from how they learn in traditional classrooms. That knowledge helps to inform the way we teach on line. Achieving the sought-after MBA designation, is not the final destination for CFAME graduates.  Their influence, as strategic thinkers in the knowledge economy, is a confirmation that continuous learning leads to success and increased productivity.  This is the legacy of CFAME’s commitment to excellence.

So, how do we conduct research?

One always begins with an analysis or review of the literature. What have other researchers found? We examine their studies for relevance, context, and of course, methodological rigour. From there, we can move on to extract important themes and issues, which can help us to develop a research framework – the lens or perspective from which we shall conduct our own analysis.

We then frame our research question, being a precise as possible; select our research method; and justify that method.

Next post:  Dr. Joyline Makani on Asking the Right Question

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Dr. Joyline Makani: Asking the Right Question

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“Almost all research endeavors, no matter how complicated, can be reduced to a single question.”

Dr. Joyline Makani

Dr Joyline Makani

Dr Joyline Makani

Claude Lévi-Strauss once declared that, “The scientist is not a person who gives the right answers, he’s one who asks the right questions.” Dr. Joyline Makani agrees unreservedly and elaborates on this idea in our next post in the series on the importance of research.

Successful research outcomes start with asking the right questions, because your questions must be answerable. To be able to effectively and successfully gather, follow, and interrogate the evidence you need to ask both factual and interpretive questions (ask: Who? What? When? Where? How?).

As Dr. Martine Durier-Copp noted, research is best accomplished by turning an issue into a question, with the intent of the research being to answer the question. Almost all research endeavors, no matter how complicated, can be reduced to a single question. The key is being clear on the question because it will make it easier for you to formulate a research strategy for finding the best information about this question. Basically, first ask what is the issue, what are you interested in or what are you curious about? You then take the thing you are interested in and turn it into a question.

Finding the answer will take you on a journey of discovery.  We engage within an interconnected global world where information gathers at an exponential rate. You can find the answers by searching a variety of information sources: books, magazines, journals, websites, electronic databases.

But first, think about what kinds of information you need.  Ask yourself:  do you need competitor information, financial markets data, news/press releases, definitions, corporate reports, statistics, academic/scholarly articles, or government documents? Once you know the kinds of information you need, you can make a list of all the possible sources in which you think you can find that information.

While research may seem time-consuming, never fear.  Librarians are your “short-cut” to success. To save valuable time I recommend asking a librarian. Expert librarians are very helpful at quickly identifying which kinds of sources can be used to find certain types of information.

A Place to Dialogue @ Killam Memorial Library

A Place to Dialogue @ Killam Memorial Library

Julia Yan on Research – A Graduate’s Response

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Julia Yan MBA(FS) 2010, Vice President Regional Sales at TSX Trust & Listings Development, TMX Group

Julia Yan MBA(FS) 2010, Vice President Regional Sales at TSX Trust & Listings Development, TMX Group

“My MBA journey added a strategic dynamic to my research capabilities. My approach to integrating and sharing knowledge evolved over the course of my studies.  Academic efforts honed and defined my research competency, giving me greater freedom to objectively explore and assess ideas and constructs.”

Julia Yan MBA(FS) Class of 2010

Julia Yan MBA(FS) 2010, Vice President Regional Sales at TSX Trust & Listings Development, TMX Group, is a passionate supporter of lifelong learning. Dr. Joyline Makani’s post on “Research Takes Courage” reflected Julia’s personal experience both as a student and a career professional.

“I agree with Joyline unequivocally,” Julia noted in a recent virtual interview. “It takes courage because we challenge ourselves to look beyond the obvious. Its about analyzing arguments utilizing inductive or deductive reasoning, judging assumptions, solving problems and formulating new ideas. Information is key. From planning a vacation to preparing for a work meeting, we rely on research to provide us with valuable insights to connect the dots.

Research involves critical thinking and the ability to explore and evaluate multiple points of view.  It is more than the gathering of data and interpretation. Research demands us to venture beyond the act of obtaining information. We need to develop skill-sets that enable us to digest information, to reason, to validate, and participate in dialogue among others with differing perspectives.

My MBA journey added a strategic dynamic to my research capabilities. My approach to integrating and sharing knowledge evolved over the course of my studies.  Academic efforts honed and defined my research competency, giving me greater freedom to objectively explore and assess ideas and constructs. I especially enjoyed team projects, which provided the opportunity to collaborate and research within the context of a diverse community. Together, we searched for a solution to a specific challenge or issue, which well-prepared me for the team approach at the TMX today.

Conducting thorough research is essential within my chosen career path. I rely on rigorous research and meticulous attention to accuracy to prepare for strategic meetings with corporate executives, to formulate IPO strategies, to access public venture capital in Canada, to navigate complex transactions, to optimize operational efficiency and to foster growth.

The most important lesson that I’ve learned over the past few years, is that it is essential to encourage others to actively engage in research initiatives. I enjoy contributing to economic forums, international trade missions, and roundtables at the federal and provincial level.  Individual achievement is satisfying, but the greatest rewards come from working with others dedicated to seeking positive outcomes for our communities, local and global.

 

Dr. Joyline Makani: Research Takes Courage

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Dr, Joyline Makani

Dr, Joyline Makani

“To be engaged, today’s citizen needs to be able to tease out fact from fiction. Notably, it is not just about obtaining information and being able to cite the sources of one’s ideas but being able to digest information, think critically, and participate in dialogue among others with different perspectives.”

Dr. Joyline Makani

The Merriam Webster on-line dictionary defines “research” as a studious inquiry or examination; especially:  investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws.  Given the solemnity of that definition, we rarely recognize that we engage in “important” research daily, whether we are buying shoes, planning a trip, or considering food choices. In the end, we are what we research.

Is research for everyone?  Or just academics?  For answers, CFAME Connection reached out to Dr. Joyline Makani, the Management Librarian (Dalhousie Libraries) and Adjunct professor (Faculty of Graduate Studies) at Dalhousie University.  Dr. Makani shares insight into why research is essential in a world that revolves around complexity and change.  Join us as we begin a theme dialogue on the importance of research.

Dr. Joyline Makani:

Research is for everyone and is very necessary in the world today. Thanks to advances in information technology, we are witnessing an increasingly complex online information landscape with blurred lines between information consumers and information creators or producers.

Simply stated, anyone with a computer and access to the Internet can put anything they want onto the Internet. To heighten the complexity, there is no one, in most cases, evaluating or approving Internet content before it is made public. Thus, this type of landscape presents everyone with the challenge to develop and harness basic research skills in-order to successfully maneuver, gather and understand information and not just wait for academics to verify the truth.

In other words, analyzing information, and not just collecting it, is paramount in today’s world dominated by “fake news and alternative facts”. Each one of us engages in research daily, whether we are buying shoes, planning a trip, or considering food choices. In the end, we are what we research. As academics have long argued, research helps to shape our society.

More important, building a solid research skill set is increasingly becoming necessary for civic life, i.e., the ability to gather data and information, examine multiple perspectives and re-evaluate prior beliefs is the foundation for responsible and community-minded citizens. To be engaged, today’s citizen needs to be able to tease out fact from fiction. Notably, it is not just about obtaining information and being able to cite the sources of one’s ideas but being able to digest information, think critically, and participate in dialogue among others with different perspectives.

Research takes courage because we challenge ourselves to look beyond the obvious. It is human nature to feel comfortable with what we know or what we believe in. It takes courage to question our beliefs/biases and pay more attention rather than ignore information that does not confirm our beliefs – this is what research entails – requires checking your biases, following and interrogating the evidence where ever it leads you.

Next post: Dr. Martine Durier-Copp on Research is Ongoing