Schulich researcher explores negotiation success in new study
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New research from York University’s Schulich School of Business shows that quality – not just quantity – is important when it comes to attaining fair and successful outcomes in negotiations.
Nicole Mead
A research collaboration between Nicole Mead, associate professor of marketing at Schulich; Jay Zenkic, marketing lecturer at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia; and Kobe Millet, associate professor of marketing at Vrije University in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, reveals that real-world stakes in business and other negotiations often consist of resources that vary in terms of quality, not just quantity. For example, corporate takeover negotiations can consist of both cash and stock, which can vary in quality. Yet, prior research only focused on how the quantity of money being offered affects negotiation success.
To test whether quality also matters, the researchers conducted three ultimatum game studies, commonly used to analyze how people negotiate with one another. The results of the studies showed that people reject quantitatively equal offers (i.e. half of the money in the pot) when those offers are qualitatively inferior (e.g. they receive coins, whereas the person making the offer receives banknotes).
“For researchers and practitioners who seek predictive accuracy and efficient outcomes, understanding that quantity and quality drive fairness is a boon for effective resource allocations,” says Mead. “Negotiators and allocators may face setbacks if they fail to consider the quality of the resources they allocate.”
As an example of this phenomenon, Mead cites divorce negotiations. Although they often follow a legislated 50:50 financial split of marital assets – in other words, they are quantitatively equal – the negotiations can still fail due to the challenge of allocating familial items that possess qualitative differences.
“Real-world negotiations are likely to vary in both quality and quantity at the same time,” says Mead, “so the study of how people make trade-offs may be a compelling avenue for future research.”
The co-written study was published in the journal Judgment and Decision Making, in an article titled “Fairness is based on quality, not just quantity.”
Professor’s new memoir recalls rural upbringing
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Schulich School of Business Professor Emeritus Richard Irving takes readers on a light-hearted romp through the maple trees and blueberry bushes of his rural New Brunswick childhood in his new illustrated memoir, Backwoods Boy.
Richard Irving
In Backwoods Boy: An Illustrated Memoir of growing up in Rural New Brunswick in the Fifties and Sixties, whimsical photographs and pencil-and-ink sketches accompany nostalgic stories that illustrate the joys and challenges of the time, while also demonstrating the social effects of technology’s progression.
Emerging from the Second World War, the rural county of Baltimore, N.B., where Irving lived, was isolated by poorly maintained roads and a lack of advanced telecommunications. Interestingly, in the author’s view, this seclusion fostered deep community connections and a solid sense of place in all who lived there.
“I wrote this book to bear witness to a rural lifestyle that has largely disappeared, and to honor the unsung people who quietly raised their families, helped their neighbours and lived their lives without fanfare,” said Irving.
Backwoods Boy is available at the York University Bookstore, on all e-book platforms and at rickwrites.ca. For more information, visit rickwrites.ca or contact the author directly at bkwdsby2020@gmail.com.
Schulich team studies impact of updated accounting code of ethics
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New research by York University researchers and alumni from the Schulich School of Business shows that the likelihood of professional accountants reporting illegal acts by their employers or clients will increase because of explicit wording that was added to an international code of ethics in 2017.
Linda Thorne
The language introduced via the updated standard for non-compliance with laws and regulations (NOCLAR) clarifies and elevates accountants’ professional responsibility to report fraud and illegal acts to an external authority. The change was established in 2017 to address previous ambiguity around whether or not to maintain confidentiality when accountants suspected a breach of law.
The findings are contained in a forthcoming article in the Journal of Business Ethics. The article, titled “An Experimental Study of a Change in Professional Accountants’ Code of Ethics: The influence of NOCLAR on the duty to report illegal acts to an external authority”, was co-authored by Linda Thorne, professor of accounting at Schulich, together with two former PhD students at Schulich, Pier-Luc Nappert, an assistant professor of accounting at Laval University; Carolyn McTavish, an associate professor of accounting at Wilfrid Laurier University; and Sameera Hassan, a current Schulich PhD student.
The researchers evaluated the effect of NOCLAR’s updated wording on accountants’ perception of their responsibility to report illegal acts to an external authority. To carry out the evaluation, the research team conducted an experiment involving 113 Chartered/Certified Professional Accountants (CPAs) from the U.S. and Canada that showed that NOCLAR increases clarity and elevates CPAs’ perceptions of professional responsibility to report illegal acts externally.
“Prior to NOCLAR, the international code of ethics was seen by the public, the securities markets, audit regulators, and the audit profession as ambiguous,” says Thorne. “The ambiguity of the code prior to the introduction of NOCLAR facilitated the precedence of the principle of confidentiality over that of external reporting of fraud. But as a result of NOCLAR, there is now language in the code that explicitly grants accountants the right to break confidentiality in the face of illegal acts and outlines the steps for accountants to take when encountering them.
“Our findings suggest that the likelihood of professional accountants reporting illegal acts externally will increase,” Thorne concluded.
Schulich student wins Vector Institute AI scholarship
Valued at $17,500, the merit-based VSAIs are bestowed upon top candidates pursuing studies in either Vector-recognized master’s programs, which provide students with the AI skills and competencies sought by employers, or individual AI study paths in Ontario.
“The Vector Scholarship allows me to have peace of mind while pursuing my MMAI and serves as a reminder that hard work does pay off,” said Singh. “The countless late nights that I had spent studying, working on assignments and programming during my undergraduate degree in astrophysics and computer science at York University played a large role in me receiving this award.”
Singh says the scholarship will allow him to focus more on his studies and less on funding his education. He is also looking forward to familiarizing himself with Vector Institute’s vast network which will accelerate his learning and education in AI.
“The MMAI, being a 12-month professional degree related to artificial intelligence, allows me to obtain a graduate degree without needing to remain entirely in academia,” says Singh. “The Artificial Intelligence Consulting Project (AICP) that is part of the degree will enable me to obtain relevant work experience before I graduate and enter the workforce.”
Scholarship recipients become part of the Vector Institute’s community of renowned researchers, major Canadian companies and AI startups solving high-impact problems. Recipients receive support for their education, and affiliation with Vector can open high-quality career options through Vector’s networking and career events, Digital Talent Hub and professional development programming.
Schulich launches Schulich Venture Academy with star faculty team
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The Schulich School of Business at York University announced the launch of the Schulich Venture Academy – a new talent upskilling program for tech professionals featuring a star group of program directors from Canada’s startup ecosystem.
The Schulich Venture Academy will launch four Schulich Masterclass Venture Certificates focused on leadership roles, identified by Schulich and its faculty, industry advisors and alumni as crucial to fuelling the country’s next wave of tech ecosystem growth.
The inaugural four Masterclass Venture Certificates and program directors are:
Li will focus on teaching the next generation of finance professionals how to scale a venture-backed company and says: “After a long career, I am honoured to contribute my expertise through the Schulich Venture Academy. Scaling start-ups is a nuanced and complex process, which needs leaders in finance, operations and more to be nurtured in their specific roles.”
Do Forno will work with talent people professionals to teach them advanced strategies for attracting, retaining and developing talent in a venture-backed company and says: “This new Academy has the potential to have a deep impact on Canada’s startup ecosystem. People and talent strategies play a pivotal role in creating standout Canadian companies and, as a veteran in the industry, I feel privileged to be part of building the next generation of talent leaders.”
Gabowicz will work with professionals in operations to dig deeper into the metrics, systems and strategies required to scale operations in a venture-backed company and says: “As an operator who’s lived through raising, scaling and selling a startup, I can attest that having the right talent who understands these needs is critical. In being a part of this national initiative to educate our future leaders, I look forward to giving back and cultivating the next generation of Canadian startup talent.”
Matta will work with aspiring and growth-minded VC professionals to take their investing and career strategies to the next level and build the next generation of Canadian VC talent to support venture-backed firms across the country. Says Matta: “I’m thrilled to be part of the Schulich Venture Academy, which is committed to changing the way we develop startup talent. As one of Canada’s most active early-stage VCs, I know this will make a difference in how Canadian startups compete and scale.”
Schulich also announced it will be taking applications of interest for a fifth Masterclass Venture Certificate from potential program directors at its booth at Collision Conference 2023 in Toronto next week.
The Schulich Venture Academy was designed and built by award-winning Schulich Adjunct Professor Chris Carder and Schulich Entrepreneur in Residence and VC Cherry Rose Tan, in conjunction with the top-ranked Schulich ExecEd, which is among the world’s 30 best executive education providers according to the Financial Times.
“The startup ecosystem is filled with so many talented people in crucial supporting roles,” says Tan. “But as a country, we need to elevate and upskill them more effectively by giving them opportunities to learn from and be mentored directly by senior, proven leaders in their fields of expertise and interest. We’ve spent countless hours mapping the Academy out with senior leaders in the innovation economy and asking them what was needed next in order to scale growth. We’re thrilled to make this announcement on the eve of Collision Conference 2023 and start recruiting the first wave of lifelong learners to join the program.”
The Schulich Venture Academy begins classes in October 2023 in small online class sizes (maximum 25 per class) and will feature exclusive in-person networking opportunities with senior leaders in venture finance, venture operations, venture talent and venture capital.
Taught by industry stars with decades of experience, connections and successes under their belts, these programs are not theoretical. Tech professionals will learn strategies, frameworks and tools that can be immediately applied to their organization.
Upon completing a Schulich Masterclass Venture Certificate program, participants will receive a digital certificate credential.
Rami Mayer, the executive director of Schulich ExecEd, adds: “We’re excited to announce that our Academy graduates will celebrate the completion of the program at Schulich ExecEd Centre in downtown Toronto, and privately network with star program directors and other influential leaders from the venture ecosystem. In addition to providing skills and knowledge by way of completing the program, the program’s exclusive events are invaluable to graduates who look to build deeper relationships with marquee business leaders.”
This news follows two recent major tech sector announcements from the Schulich School of Business, including the launch of Canada’s first Tech MBA and the announcement of a joint Venture Studio with OneEleven.
For more information about the Schulich Venture Academy, visit this page.
In pictures: York’s Convocation celebrates Class of 2023
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Spring Convocation for York University’s Class of 2023 ran from June 9 to 23, and featured 13 ceremonies at both the Keele and Glendon Campuses.
This year’s Spring Convocation began on June 9 with a ceremony at York’s Glendon Campus, and continued with a dozen more in the following weeks at the Keele Campus. 6,140 graduands received their degrees during ceremonies overseen by the newly inaugurated 14th chancellor of York University, Kathleen Taylor.
View photos from the Class of 2023 ceremonies below:
Schulich research shows bias that favours male entrepreneurs
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New research by Schulich School of Business Associate Professor Ivona Hideg shows that women-led startups are evaluated less favourably than men-led startups because of “benevolent sexism” – a form of bias that undermines gender equity by giving greater advantages to men.
Ivona Hideg
The findings are contained in an article published recently in the journal Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. The article, titled “Benevolent Sexism and the Gender Gap in Startup Evaluation,” was co-authored by Hideg, the Ann Brown Chair in Organization Studies at Schulich, together with Nhu Nguyen, a PhD student in organizational behaviour at the Desautels Faculty of Management; Yuval Engel, associate professor of entrepreneurship at the Amsterdam Business School; and Frédéric Godart, associate professor of organizational behaviour at INSEAD.
According to the researchers, benevolent sexism undermines gender equity in startup evaluations by boosting men’s outcomes without directly harming women’s outcomes.
The researchers initially hypothesized that the more evaluators endorse benevolent sexism – perceiving women as gentle and fragile – the less they would perceive startups founded by women as viable. Counter to their hypothesis, the researchers didn’t find any effect of benevolent sexism on the evaluation of women-led startups. However, the more evaluators endorsed benevolent sexism, the more positively they evaluated men-led startups. In other words, benevolent sexism was advantaging evaluations of men’s startups while seemingly not affecting evaluations of women’s startups.
“We know that hostile sexist attitudes that link entrepreneurial savvy and competence with men but not women can harm women,” says Hideg. “But what’s revealing about these findings is that benevolent sexism can be just as counter productive. Benevolent sexism involves seemingly positive attitudes toward women, seeing them as warm, moral, refined, yet fragile and in need of protection from men. This type of sexism is socially acceptable and rarely seen as problematic.”
Lassonde’s BEST program launches Bridge to Startup initiative
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The Bergeron Entrepreneurs in Science and Technology (BEST) program at York University’s Lassonde School of Engineering unveiled the BEST Bridge to Startup (BB2S) program, a new initiative that will run throughout the summer and aims to empower teams of undergraduate and graduate students to develop their capstone projects or research prototypes into successful startups.
The four-month program provides a unique opportunity for students nearing graduation by equipping them with entrepreneurial skills and resources, and enabling them to explore entrepreneurship as part of a team on a full-time basis and receive mentorship, coaching and funding.
With a grant of $10,000 as a salary and $5,000 for project expenses, participating students will have a chance to refine their business strategies, gain valuable insights and contribute to the overall entrepreneurial ecosystem at Lassonde. As part of the program, each team will have the opportunity to work with a Schulich MBA/masters/BBA intern to help develop competitive intelligence reports, go-to-market strategies, fundraising plans and product roadmaps.
By encouraging students to embrace entrepreneurship, the program aims to cultivate a generation of innovative and socially responsible entrepreneurs who will lead the way in creating solutions for a just and sustainable world.
“Our BEST Bridge to Startup (BB2S) program helps students turn their capstone prototypes into successful ventures using cutting-edge technologies,” says Maedeh Sedaghat, BEST program manager. “We provide aspiring entrepreneurs with the necessary skills, resources and mentorship to confidently navigate their entrepreneurial journey. Our goal is to cultivate a community of innovators who use their talent and purpose to build a better and more sustainable future.”
This summer, there are five projects taking part in BB2S:
Reefers Technologies Inc.: An energy recovery system that uses exhaust gases to create electricity to power the refrigeration system of refrigerated truck trailers.
Handi-Fuel: A project that is providing automated, accessible fuelling for mobility-challenged drivers. Mobility-challenged drivers need help getting out of their vehicles to fuel up their vehicles. The team is building a robotic arm that will eliminate this need.
Chatbase: An AI chatbot builder that trains ChatGPT on data and allows users to add a chat widget to their website. Chatbase leverages the power of ChatGPT to create a custom, intelligent chatbot for any website by training it on specific data sources. This results in a highly accurate, responsive chatbot that understands user queries, retrieves relevant information and provides natural language answers.
MechTronX Inc.: is an innovative tech company that specializes in addressing the research and development (R&D) needs of startups. MechTronX’s mission is to provide cost-effective, customized solutions that cater to the unique technical requirements of early-stage companies by offering a comprehensive range of services, including consultation, simulation, prototyping and assistance with mass manufacturing.
PowerRanger Multifunctional Robotic Platform: A project that takes a proactive approach to power line maintenance: enhancing efficiency, reducing downtime, and improving the overall reliability of power infrastructure by using an autonomous power line inspection robot for preventative maintenance. Their robot scans power lines using sensors and cameras to detect potential damage. Images are then sent to a centralized database where machine learning algorithms analyze them, identifying any issues. Geotagging ensures the easy location of areas of concern for ground workers.
Further information those interested can be found here.
Two faculty members to receive honorific professorships
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York University will honour two esteemed faculty members during its 2023 Spring Convocation with a Distinguished Research Professorship and a University Professorship.
A Distinguished Research Professor is a member of faculty who has made outstanding contributions to the University through research and whose work is recognized within and outside of the University, and this year will recognize Professor Carl James. He will receive the honour during the Faculty of Education convocation ceremony on Friday, June 16.
A University Professor is a member of faculty recognized for extraordinary contributions to scholarship and teaching and participation in university life, and this year will celebrate the work of Professor Marcia Annisette. She will receive the honour during the Schulich School of Business convocation ceremony on Friday, June 23.
In accordance with the Senate Policy on Honorific Professorships, the committee may select up to two recipients each year up to a maximum of 30 active University Professors and 30 active Distinguished Research Professors.
Distinguished Research Professor – Carl James, Faculty of Education
Carl James
Carl James is a professor in the Faculty of Education with cross-appointments in the graduate programs in sociology, social and political thought, and social work. He holds the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora and is also senior advisor on equity and representation in the Office of the Vice-President of Equity, People and Culture.
Nominator Lisa Farley, associate dean, research in the Faculty of Education, wrote that James is “an outstanding, highly sought-after scholar by a wide range of stakeholders inside and outside of York: national and international scholarly associations, community partners, graduate students, public media and universities that regard his expert knowledge as paramount to actioning their own objectives.”
James is widely recognized for his research contributions in the areas of intersectionality of race with ethnicity, gender, class and citizenship as they shape identification/identity; the ways in which accessible and equitable opportunities in education and employment account for the lived experiences of marginalized community members; and the complementary and contradictory nature of sports in the schooling and educational attainments of racialized students. In advocating on education for change, James documents the struggles, contradictions and paradoxes in the experiences of racialized students at all levels of the education system. In doing so, he seeks to address and move us beyond the essentialist, generalized and homogenizing discourses that account for the representation and achievements of racialized people – particularly Black Canadians – in educational institutions, workplaces, and society generally.
“I am very appreciative of this honour and for the recognition that all have shown – especially Lisa Farley – for my contributions over the years,” said James of receiving the honour. “And as I have always said, I am grateful to everyone – colleagues, students, family members, friends, research respondents and community members – for supporting me over the years. For afterall, through these supports, I have attained these accomplishments.”
His contributions to the field and the high quality of his work are underlined by his strong publication record, with 12 authored or co-authored books, 12 edited books, 81 book chapters, 40 referred journal articles, 32 reports, and a good number of policy interventions over the past 30 years. Many of these works are recognized as groundbreaking and continue to be relevant today. James has had immense success in securing external research funding from a diversity of funding agencies, and, in the last six years alone, he has secured over $6 million in funding as the principal investigator (PI), co-PI or project lead.
James is the recipient of numerous institutional, national and international awards, including the Killam Prize in the Social Sciences in 2022, the President’s Research Impact Award in 2021, and Fellow, Royal Society of Canada – Academy of Social Sciences in 2012. James has also been recognized with many community awards, including Outstanding Service to Canadian Black Scientists in 2023, Lifetime Achievement Award of Excellence from the Ontario Alliance of Black Educators in 2019, and the Professional Excellence Award, Harry Jerome Award from Black Business & Professional Association in 2013.
University Professor – Marcia Annisette, Schulich School of Business
Marcia Annisette
Marcia Annisette is a professor of accounting at York University’s Schulich School of Business. She previously served as associate dean, students and director of Schulich’s Master of Accounting program, and was previously the School’s associate dean, academic. Nominated by Schulich Dean Detlev Zwick, Annisette is noted for having made extraordinary contributions to the University through her service, teaching and research.
With contributions dating back more than 15 years, Annisette is noted for her role as area coordinator (equivalent to department Chair) in the accounting area from 2007 to 2010, where she played an active role in curriculum development, recruitment and mentoring of junior faculty and staffing of courses. Following her term as area coordinator, Annisette began to work on developing the Master of Accounting (MAcc) program and became its director in 2013 with the official launch of the program.
“Her effectiveness in leading and reshaping Schulich’s activities in accounting is one of the many reasons why I consider her so worthy of the University Professorship,” says Zwick in his nomination letter.
With respect to the service roles she has taken on at the faculty level – including associate dean, students and associate dean, academic – Zwick notes that Annisette “has demonstrated an ability to be a constructive and creative administrator who consistently goes well beyond the basic requirements of the role.”
“It is an honour to be awarded the University Professorship. Academic service has given me the privilege to work with the most talented and committed faculty and staff at Schulich and across the University,” says Annisette. “This rich variety of high-quality encounters has only served to enhance my own effectiveness as a teacher and as a scholar. I am particularly indebted to Schulich Dean Emeritus Dezso Horvath and Dean Detlev Zwick for giving me the opportunity and privilege to serve.”
The nomination was supported by Faculty of Education Professor Carl James, who noted her participation as a faculty associate of the Jean Augustine Chair in Education Community & Diaspora and as an administration representative of the Joint Committee of Affirmative Action (JCAA). She has also served as a senator and a member of the Senate Executive Committee.
Annisette regularly publishes in top-tier journals in her field and several of her papers have won awards. Her major research interest is in the social organization of the accountancy profession. In particular, her research seeks to understand the strategies deployed by professional accounting bodies to differentiate themselves and achieve monopoly or elite status in the market for expert accounting labour. Her research has an international breath and includes studies of the profession in Ireland, England, Trinidad and Tobago and Canada. Her research is also historically and sociological informed and specifically looks at the manner in which national bases of social exclusion such as religion, social class, race, nationality or immigration status, interact with professional structures to achieve professional closure.
In 2018 she was appointed editor-in-chief of Accounting Organizations and Society, the top tier academic journal for interdisciplinary research in accounting, and serves on the editorial board of 13 other academic accounting journals.
For a full list of convocation ceremonies, visit this website.
Schulich and OneEleven partner to run Venture Studio within Tech MBA
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York University’s Schulich School of Business and OneEleven have formalized the collaborative Venture Studio as part of the School’s new MBA in Technology Leadership (Tech MBA) to network students with select startups.
Led by the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI), OneEleven is a highly curated community focused on helping post-seed companies get the most out of their talent by providing bespoke programming to ensure that emerging team leaders and people managers are growing and learning as fast as their companies are scaling. Similarly, Schulich’s 16-month Tech MBA program – the first of its kind in Canada – is designed to equip tomorrow’s business leaders with the knowledge to thrive throughout continuous technological disruption.
Chris Carder
Together, OneEleven and Schulich will host the Venture Studio as a part of the Tech MBA, to be co-led by award-winning Schulich Adjunct Professor Chris Carder. Carder will match teams of top students with member companies from both OneEleven and the Schulich Startups communities, completing pro bono strategic product and fundraising analysis for select startups.
The Venture Studio will also feature guest lectures by top founders and venture capitalists, project mentorship by leading innovators and investors, special joint events with OneEleven community members, and networking opportunities with OneEleven and the Schulich Startups community recruiting for new talent.
“This partnership will enable OneEleven to continue contributing to the ecosystem of talent and upskilling and we can’t wait to work with these leaders of the future,” says Angelo Casanas, OneEleven interim managing director. “Schulich is an iconic business education brand and we’re thrilled with this partnership.”
Carder, who is now actively recruiting for additional course instructors, guest lecturers and mentors, adds, “The Venture Studio will unlock a world of learning opportunities and relationships for our students. OneEleven is a dream partnership for us, with their impressive track record of supporting high-growth companies, which have raised more than $800 million in follow-on funding in the past 24 months.”
The Schulich Tech MBA program will launch in Fall 2023 and will help develop the next generation of leaders for a business world that is increasingly tech driven. The highly experiential professional program will equip students with the leadership and management skills needed to succeed in a business world facing major transformational changes, including the rapid application of artificial intelligence and other technological advances. Key program features include a guaranteed workplace internship, direct exposure to industry leaders as part of a small selective class, and career support through the Tech MBA’s Professional Development Hive.
