MBA programs offering ‘buffet’ of specialties as demand for expertise grows

Health care is just one of many sectors seeking specialized MBA candidates, says Robert Kozinets, coordinator of the Global Retail Management program at York University’s Schulich School of Business in Toronto. “People don’t necessarily want to hire someone with a higher education and then spend again to train them in an industry from ground zero,” said Kozinets in the Financial Post Aug. 28. “They want people who understand their sector and how it works.” Read full story.

A closer look at 3G Capital, the firm behind the Tim Hortons deal
News of the $12.5-billion Burger King takeover of Tim Hortons has cast a spotlight on 3G Capital, the investment firm known for tightening and cost cutting that will own approximately 51 per cent of the new company, reported CTVNews.ca Aug. 27…. Alan Middleton from York University’s Schulich School of Business said 3G’s partnership with Warren Buffett – who has a reputation for business building – may be a sign to shareholders that it has “patience” and is looking to build the newly merged company. Read full story.

Carmela Murdocca on missing and murdered indigenous women
On Aug. 25, York University sociology Professor Carmela Murdocca spoke to the Toronto Star about why Prime Minister Stephen Harper was wrong to say that the problem of missing and murdered aboriginal women is not a “sociological phenomenon.” Read full story.

An outside-the-box educator
Around Christmas in 1966, William Newnham was presented with an empty box. It was not meant as a cruel yuletide gift, but as a challenge, reported The Globe and Mail Aug. 28. “This is Seneca College,” the chairman of the institution’s newly formed board of governors told Newnham. “Take it, find a building, renovate it, develop courses and an administration, hire teachers and enrol students. And we want it to be the finest in Canada.”… York University gave Newnham an honorary doctorate of laws in 1975. Read full story.

Aerosmith, centripetal force and the decline of the album
Aerosmith had spent several months writing songs for what became their now-classic album, Pump. They produced 19 songs and recorded rough versions of them on a demo tape. On Jan. 25, 1989, the band members convened with producer Bruce Fairbairn to decide which 10 songs would make the album, reported Forbes Aug. 27…. In the business world, new product development similarly involves the need to constrain, narrow and integrate ideas. In an article for the Academy of Management Review, Professor Willow Sheremata of York University’s Schulich School of Business compared successful cycles of product development to the earth orbiting the sun. Read full story.

Markham mayor still hopeful for NHL team
Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti has never given up hope that one day his city will have a hockey arena that will house an NHL team and recent news reports of possible league expansion has only helped keep his dreams buoyant, reported the Toronto Sun Aug. 27…. He also pointed to York University recently choosing Markham for a satellite campus, pending provincial approval. This, said Scarpitti, could mean a potential base of young hockey fans. Read full story.