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Montreal retailer Frank and Oak files for creditor protection for second time

admin — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 17:25:58 +0000

In January 2025, the Montreal-based retailer Frank and Oak filed for creditor protection for the second time in recent years. A company statement said it was to protect employees, assets and operations from creditor claims while exploring options to restructure. “The brand is not standing out in an environment where other brands have done well,” said Bensadoun School of Retail Management Executive Director Charles de Brabant in an interview with the Montreal Gazette.

Keeping Christmas lights on to add ambiance can help set a shopping district apart

admin — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 20:07:13 +0000

Christmas lights that glow softly through long winter nights are part of what makes the holiday season so atmospheric—but they can add to the ambiance any time of year. Some shopping districts are leaving their lights up for exactly that reason.

Businesses need to adapt to change to grow

admin — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 18:21:07 +0000

For Quebec, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are an engine of economic growth. Many SMEs have grown into prosperous companies, writes Bensadoun School in Retail Management student William Bernasconi in an article for the Conseil québecois du commerce de detail. But it’s important to consider failures as well as successes. And local businesses have often struggled to grow because of operational constraints, shifting consumer behaviour, and intense competition.

Wide adoption of stablecoins could cause problems for Canadian banks

admin — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 18:25:37 +0000

For Canadian banks, stablecoins could be, well, destabilizing. These value of these cryptocurrency assets is tied to the value of a traditional currency, which makes them more practical to use than volatile cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. This year, Canadian e-commerce giant Shopify began accepting a stablecoin called USDC, but stablecoins are in a regulatory grey area in Canada, and our banking system is not prepared for their widespread adoption.

Nine directors at large Canadian pension funds also hold fossil fuel positions

admin — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 18:28:10 +0000

Nine of the directors who oversee Canada’s largest pension funds also hold positions at fossil fuel companies, according to a report by Pensions and Investments.

Money lessons from Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens still ring true today

admin — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 19:48:09 +0000

Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens is a riches to rags story. Its wealthy title character squanders his money on opportunistic ‘friends’ and grows jaded with the world.

Making payments on time and in full can help improve your credit score

admin — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:40:47 +0000

Credit scores play an essential role in our financial lives, but they are calculated by private companies, and there is little transparency in the way they are calculated. Still, you can take steps to ensure your own credit score is good. “Make loan payments on time and keep credit card records in good standing,” Prof. Patrick Augustin told Consumer Affairs. “Credit card debt should be paid in full when it is due, and shouldn’t be too high relative to disposable income.

Henry Mintzberg reflects on 50 years of management insights

admin — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 18:55:45 +0000

In a special interview marking the 50th anniversary of his iconic article "The Manager's Job: Folklore and Fact," Henry Mintzberg revisits his groundbreaking work, offering fresh perspectives on organizational structure, management, and leadership. Mintzberg discusses the evolution of management over the last five decades, emphasizing the importance of understanding organizational types, the value of emergent strategies, and the need for grounded management in today’s complex business world.

SAQ stops selling dozens of Quebec-made gins

admin — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 17:48:30 +0000

Gin is a classic British spirit, but dozens of Quebec distillers have taken to making it their own, embracing James Bond’s favourite drink. The SAQ, however, is not doing Quebec’s gin distillers many favours. Even though the provincial alcohol sales monopoly has sometimes promoted local producers, it removed more than 50 Quebec-made gin products from their stores to make shelf space. It stunts the growth of the province’s home-grown spirits industry, which saw sales rise by 75% between 2019 and 2022.

To be effective, sometimes leaders need to display aspects of both introversion and extroversion

admin — Thu, 15 May 2025 18:32:08 +0000

A stereotypical extrovert loves to engage with people, and derives energy from it. For stereotypical introverts, the reverse is true: they prefer to keep to themselves, and too much interaction with others saps their energy. But ambiverts display traits of both personality types, Professor Karl Moore told CBC Radio’s The Weekender with Jared Monkman. The word dates back to the 1920s, but Moore has revived it after interviewing many senior leaders as part of his research program.

Announcing the 2025 Lionel Pelham Kent Scholarship recipients

admin — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 15:08:35 +0000

Congratulations to Harley Belfer (BCom’23), Isabelle Erb (BCom’24), Veronica Hall (BCom'24), Raphael Lafleur (BCom’24), Andrea Peck (BCom’24), and Dylan Winick (BCom’24) who were awarded the Lionel Pelham Kent Scholarship by the Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting (GCPA) program.

Clarity is key when passing control of a family business to the next generation

admin — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 18:27:40 +0000

Even the most successful family businesses often don’t withstand the march of time. Just because one generation had what the right skills and temperament to run a business doesn’t mean their grandchildren will. But the Vancouver-based chocolate maker Purdys Chocolate bucks the trend, with a third-generation leader poised to take the helm.

Is Tim Hortons still Canadian?

admin — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 21:15:25 +0000

Tim Hortons is deeply embedded in Canadian culture, but is it still truly Canadian? According to ��˴�Ƭ professor Karl Moore, ownership plays a key role. “If you’re owned by Americans, you’re no longer Canadian in the way that you were before,” he explains. However, he argues that nationality isn’t just about where a company is headquartered—it’s about where decisions are made.

Common household goods could be among those most affected by US tariffs

admin — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 16:36:38 +0000

With the spectre of sweeping tariffs sending ripples through Canada’s economy, the prices of some goods will be much more affected than others. Cheaper household goods like shampoo and toiletries could be among those most affected, according to Saibal Ray, a Professor of Operations Management at ��˴�Ƭ Desautels. Higher end goods will be less affected, Ray told the Toronto Star, as most of these goods are sourced outside of the United States.

Tackling greenwashing in energy transition

admin — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 16:23:50 +0000

How can we prevent greenwashing from undermining real climate progress? That's the question students from across Canada tackled at the 2025 SGI Annual Grand Challenge on Sustainability, hosted by ��˴�Ƭ’s Sustainable Growth Initiative (SGI).