Menu

CEGE Connection

Share.Learn.Inspire.Transform

Connect and Join the Dialogue

Welcome

Jim Spitali: A Passion for Learning

2 Comments

“I have a passion for learning. I want to instill positive learning in others.  I accomplish this in my spare time by teaching for Sheridan College in their Faculty of Business.  Many of my students are far more creative than me, inspiring me to continue to challenge myself and stay caught up ‘with the times’.”

Jim Spitali, Vice President Operations at Genworth Canada

Jim Spitali, Vice President Operations at Genworth Canada

Jim Spitali, Vice President Operations at Genworth Canada

Jim Spitali, Vice President Operations at Genworth Canada, has a stellar record within the financial service industry.  His authentic and genuine leadership energizes team synergies, fostering a collaborative spirit.  His numinous awards, including being named Top Forty under 40 by Business Link Niagara in 2014, demonstrate a strong commitment to helping others achieve their full potential. Jim is a part-time Professor with the Faculty of Business at Sheridan College and sits on the Board of Directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Niagara.

CFAME Connection caught up with Jim on one of his less busy days for a virtual interview to see how the MBA(FS) influenced his choices going forward.

“I chose the MBA (FS) program,” Jim said, “because I wanted to develop skills and knowledge that would help me become more strategic so that I could operate successfully at an executive level.  I also wanted to further my education to a higher standard. 

Many of the MBA assignments allowed us to apply real life examples into our learning.  I found this to be quite helpful as I was able to take work that I was currently doing in my job and bring it to a more strategic level.  There were also several classes and learnings that were fairly new to me; having now completed that learning I am more competent in my role as Vice President of Operations at Genworth Canada.  Corporate Finance was an excellent example of this as I know have a much better understanding of financial statements and concepts. 

For those who are considering taking the challenge of an MBA, I agree with Dr. McLarney. Don’t just do it for the letters after your name.  Do it because you want to learn.  An MBA takes a lot of time away from family and certainly minimizes your personal time.  If you can turn this additional time into new learnings, you will appreciate it much more in the end and you will have an excellent sense of accomplishment when crossing that stage at the end of your journey. Its also important to have a strong support network.  I couldn’t have done it without the support of Genworth Canada and my family.”

On the question of how to integrate creativity and achieve a “balanced” life, Jim acknowledged, “I enjoy basketball and when I quickly realized that I wasn’t talented when it came to dribbling a ball while also running…I decided to trade in my jersey for stripes!  Fifteen plus years later, I continue to officiate basketball.  I am very fortunate to be on the Ontario University Athletics panel of basketball officials and enjoy travelling to the many Universities across Ontario in my zebra stripes!”

So, what is Jim’s next challenge?

“Fatherhood,” Jim enthused. “I have now been a father for just over 7 months and I have the greatest respect for my fellow classmates that completed their MBA while having children.  I’m sure I saved the next challenge in my life (of being a father) for the end of my MBA journey.”

 

 

Are you ready?

1 Comment

Sarah Hayes Brown

Sarah Hayes Brown

“I welcome interested candidates to contact me directly and discuss what program best fits their interests, strengths, and career path.  A polished and early application is always a great start!”

Sarah Hayes-Brown

Are you ready to take the next step in your knowledge journey?  The Centre for Advanced Management Education has a broad range of programs designed for goal-oriented professionals. Flexible, relevant and tailored to respond to your needs, on-line blended learning offers exciting possibilities to engage within a community of dedicated colleagues.

Sarah Hayes-Brown, Admissions and Registration Coordinator for CFAME, looks forward to receiving your call.

“I am happy to answer any questions potential applicants have about the admissions process, as well as the academic qualifications and job experience that we look for in candidates. The starting point for applicants for any of our programs, is always ensuring they hold an undergraduate degree with an Admissions GPA of 3.0 (we help everyone out with this special calculation!) and that they have at least 5 years professional experience in a field relevant to the program in which they have interest.  While we offer a great deal of information on our website, I welcome interested candidates to contact me directly and discuss what program best fits their interests, strengths, and career path.  A polished and early application is always a great start!

Once students are admitted to a program, I am also here to help them in planning their courses, communicating any updates about offerings or intensive dates, help with any registration issues, and arrange distributing learning resources so students are prepared for classes for the term!”

Michelle Hunter appreciates Sarah’s passion for helping potential students. “Sarah joined the CFAME team almost a year ago,” Michelle enthused in a recent telephone discussion. “Sarah arrived keen to get down to business and take on her new role working with the MIM, MBA Financial Services, MBA Leadership and the MPA (Management) programs’ current and potential students.  Sarah brought with her years of higher education experience, a wonderful sense of humor and delightful stories of raising a 5-year-old (which, for many of us in the office with grown or older children, had forgotten how much fun it was to experience the joys of watching a little one experience things for the first time).  We are so pleased that Sarah has chosen CFAME as the place in which to build on her career.”

Are you ready to take that next step?

6100 University Avenue, Halifax, Nova Scotia

6100 University Avenue, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Dr. Rick Nason: It’s Not Complicated

3 Comments

Dr. Rick Nason Blended/online MBA program director

Dr. Rick Nason
Blended/online MBA program director

Dr. Rick Nason may be on sabbatical until June 30, 2017, but his schedule has not experienced any slowdown.  With two new books scheduled to come out in the next few months, Rick’s days are fully “booked” (pun intended).

CFAME Connection reached him on location in Illinois to gain perspective on the challenges that face leaders in the next five years, such as shifting work patterns and additional compliance.

“Predicting the challenges that face leaders in the next five years is tougher than predicting the weather and a much tougher task than any other point in history.” Rick advised with his usual wit and clarity.

“I think there are three main challenges – the need to understand complexity as opposed to things that are complicated, something on which I have a vested interest as I have a book coming out on the topic in this month, the ability to be flexible combined with the ability to deal with the uncomfortable and the unfamiliar; and finally, a new appreciation for risk taking and risk management. Again, a bias as I have a book on new ideas for risk management coming out in August.”

“It’s Not Complicated: The Art and Science of Complexity for Business Success” published by the University of Toronto Press, is scheduled to make its debut this month and can be ordered through Amazon.ca.

I have given lectures on the topic of “It’s Not Complicated,” and realized the need to provide a comprehensive review of my findings,” Rick explained. “In the new knowledge economy, traditional modes of thinking are no longer effective. Compartmentalizing problems and solutions and assuming everything can be solved with the right formula can no longer keep pace with the radical changes occurring daily in the modern business world.”

It's Not Complicated: The Art and Science of Complexity in Business

It’s Not Complicated: The Art and Science of Complexity in Business

Stay tuned for more from Rick Nason.  He has promised to provide more insight into his book coming in August.   Meanwhile, we wish Rick all the best when he takes a well deserved vacation coming up in a few weeks.

Michael Archibald: Celebrating Milestones

Leave a Comment

“I have never regretted that decision and the hard work that I had to put in to graduate.  I am convinced it was one of the best career decisions I made and that the methodology and structure was instrumental in broadening the scope of my knowledge and ability. It was fundamental in contributing to whatever success I have obtained in my life.” Michael Archibald on choosing the MBA(FS)

Michael Archibald

Michael Archibald

New Year’s Eve 2016 was a milestone for Michael Archibald MBA(FS) 2009. On December 31, 2016, he was awarded the insignia of Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.) by Her Majesty the Queen for his services to banking in Grenada as chief operations officer of Fast Cash. For Michael, this was an unforgettable New Year’s Eve celebration.  It was also a time to reflect on the road travelled, to honour and remember the culmination of his efforts to give back to Granada.

CFAME Connection reached Michael at his office in Granada to ask for this thoughts on how the MBA(FS) added perspective to his work in the financial services industry.

 

Michael Archibald:

I chose the MBA(FS)for a number of things including the natural result of the progression of my career in banking and my own desire to reach as far up the ladder as I could. I was not what one would call a “star” pupil. In my teenage years, I was more interested in representing my school and my Island, Grenada, in sports like basketball, soccer and cricket. I got into banking largely by accident when I was hired as a Teller at the St. George’s Grenada Branch of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce; a large Canadian international bank with branches around the Caribbean.

As I moved quickly up through the various jobs and levels at the branch, I became more interested in banking and my sporting interests as a player fell by the wayside. I was chosen as someone with “promise”, and transferred to Canada for a while as part of the International Audit Team visiting all their International offices in the Caribbean, New York and London as an Audit Officer. This is the time that I knew I was hooked.

I soon came to realize that I needed to further my education in the field, to improve my qualifications and my understanding of banking, business and related fields, if I was to realize my potential and grasp the opportunities that were becoming apparent to me. My circumstances would not allow me to resign and enter University full time so I enrolled with the Institute of Canadian Bankers and worked my way to becoming an Associate of the Institute of Canadian Bankers. I returned to the Caribbean at the level of Branch Management in both Grenada and St. Vincent and I knew that being an Associate of the Institute of Canadian Bankers was not enough.

In March 1979, there was a revolution in Grenada, the first and still the only one in the English-speaking Caribbean, resulting in the overthrow of the Government. The new Government asked for the help of young individuals in banking to form a new local bank with the idea of establishing an institution that recognized and understood our economy, our culture and our needs, better than international banks. I was selected to lead the team that formed the new bank; our results were extraordinary.  The bank experienced a radical transformation from the newest and smallest bank on the island to becoming the largest.

Being a small branch manager of one of the international banks does not really prepare you properly for the challenges of establishing and managing a complete stand-alone entity. I knew I had to further my education and understand the financial world better. I enrolled in and attained my Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers and succeeded in the Stonier Graduate School of Banking in the United States.  But I knew I needed more as the bank grew to become the largest bank on the island and a pillar of our economy.  That led me to Dalhousie University in Canada and the MBA (FS) program. I have never regretted that decision and the hard work that I had to put in to graduate.  I am convinced it was one of the best career decisions I made and that the methodology and structure was instrumental in broadening the scope of my knowledge and ability. It was fundamental in contributing to whatever success I have obtained in my life.

Dr. Martine Durier-Copp: Research is Ongoing

Leave a Comment

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

A place to dialogue.

A Place to Dialogue @ 6100 University Avenue, Halifax, Nova Scotia

TOP