April 2012

For Business Students, by Business Students

April 2012

LAZY FAIRE

Fo

CHEERS! Our Thanks to You

MENARD TRAN Hello Mr. President!

Moment to Reflect

A retrospective on our school’s greatest achievements and memories this year

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April

Table of Contents

Business

05 06 07

08 09 10 11

LAZY FAIRE TEAM CLUBS COLLAGE

12 13

THE NEW, EMERGING AND REINVENTED

14 15

PICTURE COLLAGE

16 17

ACHIEVEMENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

18 19

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS CLUB

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Business

Thank you, thank you and thank you! The success of Lazy Faire, this past year, would have not been possible without you! I hope you have thoroughly enjoyed reading the magazine and will continue to do the same next year. This is my last issue as Editor-in-Chief as I am graduating in December but the experience, this past year, has been amazing! I have had the opportunity to meet so many new people, learn new skills and work with some incredible people. Most importantly I would like to thank the Lazy Faire team. Without them and their hard work, each month’s issue would not be possible.

As we approach the end of the school year good luck on your group projects (which always seem to congregate at the end of the term) and final exams! For those that are graduating, congratulations on your degree! I hope everyone has a great summer and good luck on all your future endeavors!

Karolina Zheng - Editor-in-Chief

As your content editor, I am so thankful for all the wonderful support that you’ve given Lazy Faire over the last year. This publication went through a serious overhaul so that we could deliver you the very best, and most importantly, celebrate the many achievements that our school has to be proud of. If it’s anything that I’ve learned from this effort, it’s that success is a harmonization of hard work, collaboration and drive, as was evident with the nine students that graced our covers this year. Graduates, as we pass the torch on to the capable hands of next year’s leaders, know that the world is beautiful and yours for the taking. This is what you’ve been (more or less) preparing for! It’s an exciting time of our lives, and I wish you all the very best in whichever endeavor you choose to pursue. I’d also like to thank the Lazy Faire team for their passionate dedication towards making this magazine all that it was this year. It’s not easy hashing out an interview in the middle of finals or during the semester break, but you still did it! I’m so proud of you, of us, and what we were able to accomplish with Lazy Faire this year. To our readers, thank you for all your enthusiastic support! See you on the flip side!

Ryan Jayatunge - Design Editor

Lance Chung - Content Editor

Hey Everyone, I hope you all enjoyed this year’s issues of Lazy Faire. This was definitely an eventful year. As the design editor I have learnt how to effectively time manage myself, even though at times I can still be an A+ procrastinator. What I truly am grateful for is the experiences this magazine has brought, making new friends, introducing me to many unique, fascinating and inspiring people, and opening doors to the future, which I never considered before. As I am graduating this year, I have to say good-bye to the Lazy Faire team as well as good luck to everyone on their future endeavors. It has been a privilege to be the design editor and I’m quite proud to see this magazine grow to what it has become now. I want to say thank you to the Lazy Faire team, you guys have been awesome to work with!

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My name is Alex, and this year has had a bit of everything.

I have been happy, excited, stressed, and overwhelmed. I have felt the joy of working in a great team for BUS 201, and I have hit the depth of despair in other classes (Finance). As well, I have had the privilege to represent the U of A in Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec and be on the Royal Roads team, neither of which I expected, but which I have learned a lot from. I’ve also benefited from some excellent instructors and met some really nice people. Overall, this past year was enjoyable. With that being said, I look forward to finally finishing school next year.

Alex Manolii

As I am writing this, though, I realize that I really do not enjoy writing about myself. Maybe it’s best that I stick to writing about others!

Bonnie Truong

This past year has flown by! This was my 3rd year writing for the Lazy Faire and it was a great way to get involved in the School of Business. This is not only the final issue for the year, but it’s also the final issue that I will be a part of as I am graduating in April. I am looking forward to taking some time off this summer and then starting full time work in October. It’s a scary thought to be done school, but at the same time super exciting. If you are graduating this year as well, good luck! If not, I hope you all enjoy your summer and remember to check back in with the Lazy Faire come September.

This past year has been a very memorable time.

I was able to join AIESEC and Lazy Faire, meet lots of awesome people and new friends. What I will remember the most from my first year in Business is the huge increased consumption of alcohol (maybe I shouldn’t have opted out of SU health care), Frosh, BSA Apprentice as well my new friends who became my support throughout the year. I’m a little sad that I didn’t get the chance to participate in RMBS but I will for sure save up for next year and take advantage of all the free food! I have learned a lot this year, especially the brutal business plan, and I really hope that next year will be even better :D

Breanne Pisani

I’m Kirsten LePage, a first year Bilingual BComm student (yes, I know we are a rare breed), a tentative Finance major and recently turned coffee addict. This past year has seriously been one jam packed with activity for me, from competing in case competitions such as Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec, to volunteering in the francophone community and in and around campus. Even as a senior contributor this year, it has been so amazing getting to know different students and clubs at the SoB and businesses around Edmonton. As the incoming Editor-In-Chief, I can’t wait to heighten Lazy Faire’s popularity and I sincerely hope that it will remain an enjoying read for you, the students. For now, I’m just hoping to get through this last stretch of school so that I can spend a month indulging in a beautiful red in a quaint apartment in Southern France. J’ai tellement hâte!

Jeff Mah

Congratulations to everyone on finishing another school year. This year went by so quickly! I’ve been spending this past year working at The Home Depot in my fancy bright orange apron for my Co-op placement. As my 8-month Co-op position winds down, the school year is also coming to an end.

This year has been extremely busy for me but I’ve had a great time working as the photographer for Lazy Faire magazine. It was fun being able to do the photo shoots at various locations on and off campus. This was a great experience and I had the opportunity to meet many different people. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Keep on reading and supporting Lazy Faire and I hope everyone has a great summer!

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Kirsten LePage

Business

Hey everyone my name is Eileen.

This past year writing articles for the Lazy Faire has been awesome.

As a content director, I’ve been both challenged and inspired and met a lot of really cool people. I hope I’ve given everyone a good read and I can’t wait to write more articles next year!

Eileen Lee

Jenny Truong

Hi Lazy Faire readers! I hope you enjoyed our 2011/12 monthly issues!

I am a new addition to the LF team as a design director and it has been an amazing experience. I met lots of wonderful people and enjoyed designing articles for LF and…for you!

(No one wants to read an unappealing magazine). Needless to say, I plan to stick around with LF. Here’s to another successful year and see you all in the Fall! Good luck with finals everyone!!

Hello there! My name is Paul Lopushinsky, and I was a member of the Lazy Faire team from May 2011 - February 2012. I finished my Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Marketing in December 2011, and if all goes well, I will be starting an after-degree in Computing Science in September. Currently, I am doing a marketing internship in Tianjin, China through AIESEC (http://aiesec.ca/edmonton/en) for six months. My time at the Lazy Faire allowed me to work on my writing and team skills, and the crew was a blast to hang around with!

There is so much I have to say about China, but it’s hard to put it all down here. I have a blog that I update 1-3 times a week, paulsabroad.weebly.com, that talks about my travels.

Wow, still cannot believe I will not be in school anymore after this year, as well as marking the end of my 2nd and last year of being part of the Lazy-Faire.

I still remember the very first article I wrote and designed, on the best places to eat on campus – felt like I was just working on it yesterday. Gained immeasurable friendships from LF, will definitely miss that most. Oddly enough, I think it’s even going to feel weird without those bi-weekly deadlines, despite my occasional profanity for them during midterm season. Never the less, definitely enjoyed my time with LF and would do it again if went back in time. CoolCoolCool 

Sally Au

Paul Lopushinsky

Time is relatively fast when you come to think of it at the end of a school year, and it’s also relatively slow when you are at the last lecture before your lunch.

Also a part of Lazy Faire!

Braden Lauer Emily Wong Henry Duong Matt Crowely Matthew Alexander Nitasha Happy Tony Chaing

The rhythm of time danced with you year after year. For me, it’s 4 years after the first time I stepped on this campus. Each day now is written on the last chapter of my university life. For all the things I’ve experienced at the University of Alberta, the Lazy-Faire Magazine is one of the most valuable memories that will be with me for the rest of my life.

Thank you for picking up our Lazy Faire through this year, Good luck on your finals and enjoy your summer holidays!

Shirley Guo

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A Collage of Clubs In the blink of an eye, a whole semester is almost over, bringing with it the dreaded final exams. As April begins, it is time for every club at the School of Business to reflect on its accomplishments this year. For these clubs, this month may mark the end of the school year, but there is still an exciting adventure to be had in years to come!

By: Bonnie Truong

AIESEC Edmonton is a local committee of AIESEC International, the world’s largest student organization, present in over 110 countries, with over 60,000 members. Founded after WWII, AIESEC’s mission is to develop relationships between students all over the world, foster global citizenship, and encourage students’ leadership abilities.

We seek to accomplish our mission by organizing internships with local businesses for foreign students, and by giving students here the chance to expand their horizons through internships abroad. Also, by giving local students opportunities to attend national conferences and develop their own career skills, including graphic design, event planning, marketing, and sales skills, we’re helping to develop global pioneers. AIESEC Edmonton has four interns from abroad in the city now, with three on the way, and in the past year we sent seven students to work in other countries!

You’re here, but you could be anywhere you want to be! Start developing your career and international skills now!

The Business Exchange Association (BEA) exists to encourage, facilitate and support all Business Students with international exchanges and to develop the international experience at the School of Business. We are driven to increase the international outlook of the School by making an exchange opportunity available to every Business student. This year, the BEA has successfully provided $180,000 through our Travel Award Program to help fund and support international exchanges. Along with the Travel Award Program the BEA hosted their first inaugural International Speaker Series. This Speaker Series included speeches from industry professionals with a proven international track record. Students who attended gained invaluable knowledge regarding the global business environment along with the opportunity to network with these influential professionals.

Lastly, the BEA organized its Buddy Network Program to ease the transition into Edmonton life for incoming exchange students and help them build relationships with local students. Through this program, we hosted many social events to provide the opportunity for international and Canadian students to mingle and ensure the incoming students have an excellent exchange experience.

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Our mission The Business Finance Association is dedicated to maintaining an educational link between students and the world of finance by providing students with information and events that will build a foundation for a successful career.

About us The BFA, formerly called the Investors Club, will show students that there is much more to the world of finance and economics than just investing. Our goal is to encourage students to explore the vast spectrum of finance disciplines and to empower them by providing them with the necessary resource and tools that will enable them to succeed in the finance arena. We look forward to the upcoming year’s events and hope that students can enjoy the world of finance with the BFA. Benefits of being a member • Access to participate in investment challenges with cash prizes • Multiple networking opportunities during our annual events such as Guest Speaker Series and the CFA Night • Access to the BFA finance blog and newsletters with insightful information about upcoming events and what the world of finance has to offer To join, drop by the BFA office or fill out a registration form online on www.ualberta.ca/~bfa/index-2.html Over the past year, the BSA took the students on a journey through Frosh, a dodgeball tournament, Case Lunch and Learn, Business Week, and more. Through these events, the BSA was able to help students build new networks and learn new skills. The first week of school kicked off with Frosh, where approximately 80 students spent two days at Camp Yowochas. Teams competed in both team building and business-themed challenges. Before their first major presentations, BUS 201 students got the chance to be taught insider details and tips about how to present their case in the course. The second term kicked off with Business Week and the Apprentice Challenge with daily challenges for the competitors and nightly events for all business students. Not to mention, students could stop by the BSA office every first Wednesday of each month to grab some free treats during Anti-burnout! Even while students are busy studying for finals, the BSA will still continue to offer stress-relieving events all the way up to the highly-anticipated Beer Gardens.

Business

This year the Alberta JDC West Team competed on our home turf and placed top 3 in five different categories. Our Not-For-Profit team, Tax team, and International Business team placed 2nd, while our Debate and Social team’s placed 3rd.

We also raised over $6000 for the United Way with our charity initiatives! Not only did we raise money but our team as a whole completed over 180 hours of charity work for organizations including the Youth Emergency Shelter Society, Habitat for Humanity and the United Way.

RMBS allows students the chance to connect with outstanding individuals on both a professional and personal level. This opportunity to learn outside the classroom is not one to be missed! If you were unable to attend this year, we strongly encourage you to sign up in November to be a part of RMBS 2013.

Our team was also fortunate this year in winning a new prize, “Innovator of the Year” which we are all very proud of. As the team transitions and is looking for next year’s members, we would like to know, do have what it takes to compete in JDC West?

SIFE is an international non-profit organization involving university students from 39 countries who strive to develop and use their business knowledge and skills towards a positive change in their community.

SIFE students plan and implement outreach projects that align with the mission, through which they will become socially responsible leaders in the future.

The MISC has taken great strides in the 2011/2012 year, expanding from a small start-up club to a full-fledged member of the clubs in the Alberta School of Business. We hosted our first ever social event, Gutterbytes, in November at Gateway Entertainment Centre where students vied for the Gutterbytes championship. Jae Cornelssen, Chris Smith, and Alex Lam took home the spoils as they showed off their bowling prowess. In March, we held the 2012 MIS Speaker Session, bringing in representatives from Accenture, CGI, Finning Canada, and many others. Students were able to listen to keynote speeches as well as participate in a speed networking session. The MISC looking towards further building the MIS brand in the coming year with our new executives so make sure to keep an eye out for us!

Next Up: RMBS 2013 - Forecast: EPIC Mission: To bring together the top leaders of today and tomorrow to create a better, more sustainable world through the positive power of business.

SIFE UofA team is comprised of 33 active members. Throughout the past school year, SIFE UofA initiated 3 new projects relatively targeting high school students with limited financial literacy knowledge, international students and two aboriginal entrepreneurs. In early march, SIFE UofA sent 6 delegates to SIFE western regional competition to showcase how much impact our projects had made in local community.

Furthermore, SIFE organized two mixers and two business skill training sessions on project management and networking skills, which attracted approximately 200 participants and 18 corporate representatives.

This year the University of Alberta Accounting Club worked to provide students with the right tools to prepare for the school year and career, come graduation.

RMBS 2012: Lasting Memories Over reading week 108 enthusiastic business students from the University of Alberta and schools across Canada took part in the 47th annual Rocky Mountain Business Seminar. The conference brought together students, faculty and business professionals at the incredible Jasper Park Lodge in the Rocky Mountains.

Delegates were engaged with speaker sessions, participated in a CMA Case Competition, and enjoyed nightly events to mix and mingle. A combination of remarkable delegates, great location, amazing food, and passionate speakers were united to form a memorable experience for all involved.

At the beginning of this past academic year we hosted our 40th Annual CA dinner and CA golf that presented students with the opportunity to network one-on-one with industry leaders!

Also, UAAC hosted the 2nd annual Alberta Accounting Student Conference at the Westin, Downtown. This event had a great turnout with student delegates from the University of Alberta, Grant MacEwan University, Univeristy of Lethbridge and NAIT. Industry representitives from the CGA, CA and CMA designations were present to share their experiences with students during our speed networking session.

Our last event highlights our annual tax clinic which is the largest student run charitable event on campus. We had $99,000 in professional services rendered, over $1.1 million in refunds and 2500 returns completed by over 160 volunteers!

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The University of Alberta Human Resources Management Association (UAHRMA) has had a wonderful year with many successful events! In September, we launched our annual Mentorship program, pairing students with professionals who guided them and gave them real world experience. Later in the year, we held our annual Speaker Series, hosting a multitude of presenters who spoke about their experiences in the HR industry and why they chose to pursue HR. This intimate event facilitated one-on-one networking, building some amazing connections. “Creating Connections” has been a repeating theme this year with UAHRMA, so much so that it became the main focus of our 6th Annual Conference. This conference connected students to professionals, and allowed for excellent learning opportunities for delegates and speakers. A multi-disciplinary lineup of speakers was highlighted in this two-day event. It’s been a great year and we are so proud to be part of UAHRMA! The UAMA is a dynamic and exciting student club that offers marketing students opportunities to connect, collaborate, and communicate.

We have a series of events that run throughout the year that engage students and other student clubs. Our annual kick-off event at the beginning of the school year was our “Graffiti Pub Crawl”. This event sells out every year, not only drawing in business students, but students of other faculties as well. In November, the UAMA created the “Team Alberta School of Business” Movember team which raised over 7,000 dollars. Last weekend we hosted the UAMA Labatt Case Competition. Congratulations to Raphael Mlynarski, Harry Hothi, and Fraser Marr for winning first place! On March 29, we will be holding our second annual Wine & Cheese Networking event. We have a fantastic list of corporates coming to network with students. In the Fall 2012 be sure to check out the UAMA at the Business Clubs Fair. You won’t regret getting involved with our student group!

Alberta Energy Challenge (AEC) is a student run business case competition focused on real opportunities and challenges that appear in the energy sector. Teams comprised of four undergrad students from each participating institute will compete in developing a comprehensive and innovative solution to a case provided by one of Alberta’s energy companies. We are proud of how AEC has grown and we hope to resume this expansion. Our new Organizing Committee is excited to continue with the success of 2011’s Challenge, and we are looking to bring in some new aspects to the upcoming event. In the 2012 Challenge we are working towards a partnership with the Telus World of Science for one of the events, and are also in talks with an associate from the Aligarh Muslim University in India about having a team participate! In the near future we will be recruiting for students to join our team as Delegate Ambassadors or event volunteers. The 2012 Alberta Energy Challenge will take place on September 27th – October 3rd.

5 Days for the Homeless is a charity campaign that hopes to raise awareness and funds for the Youth Emergency Shelter Society (YESS).

Founded in 2005 at the University of Alberta, 5 Days for the Homeless has now grown to 24 schools throughout Canada. Through sleeping outside for 5 days with only a sleeping bag and cardboard, eating only donated food and attending all classes our team tries to show students a glimpse of how hard it might be to be a homeless youth in Edmonton. Every year over 3000 youth visit the Youth Emergency Shelter in search of shelter, safety, and hope. This year we were able to raise over $27,000 to contribute to YESS and hope to keep that total growing in the future years!

2011 was a year of learning. PRIME managers honed their skills in risk management and they were schooled in the need for contingency plans. The PRIME Fund’s performance lagged the S&P/TSX Composite as both economic and political torsions caused poor market returns.

Changes in our portfolio holdings during the latter half of the year were accompanied with consistent outperformance, although it was not enough to make up for losses in the earlier half of the year.

As the school year comes to an end, the annual turnover of duties from graduating managers to the current analysts – who are next year’s managers – has begun. Needless to say, the analysts are very excited about PRME recruitment in the fall as this always exposes the fund to new talent. PRIME targets students with majors in Finance, Accounting or Business Economics. The recruitment process is composed of three phases: 1) A letter of intent, 2) a finance-based interview, and 3) two research papers on topics to be announced in the fall. We also take this as an opportunity to say that we are always open to questions from interested students. Please don’t hesitate to reach us at prime@ualberta.ca.

Also don’t forget these clubs!

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The New, Emerging

This past year in the SoB, many clubs hosted events, organized competitions and recruited new members to their teams. But what about the clubs who are only getting started? Next year marks the beginning for many reinvented and emerging clubs that everyone should keep a look out for. Here’s what to expect from these clubs in the 2012/2013 school year!

Strategic Management and Organization Club

Newly founded in September 2011, the Next Generation Leadership Club (NGLC) is designed to be a platform to connect business students to the people and resources necessary to develop them to be the leaders of tomorrow. NGLC focuses on two main elements, leadership and entrepreneurship.

Our key event this semester, sponsored by the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Family Enterprise, was Progressive Dinner. Progressive Dinner was an event designed to connect undergraduate students with current business leaders, entrepreneurs, school alumni, and faculty members in a slightly more informal environment. The actual logistics of the event are a little complicated but put simply it is a rotating dinner event where students and corporates were grouped together and assigned to either prepare or attend meal courses at different residences. Each group starts at the first home and enjoy appetizers, travels to a second home for a main course, and travels to a third home for dessert. After all three courses the evening concludes with everyone meeting for drinks at a single venue.

The Strategic Management and Organization Club is a club dedicated to raising awareness about the SMO major, as well as creating a strong network and foundation for those who want to pursue a career in management and consulting. This club wants to ensure that all students interested in this field of work, are given valuable opportunities to get involved. Perhaps having a SMO major has its perks, such as few finals and textbooks and knowledgeable professors but ultimately, this major allows to you to be flexible and diverse with your studies. Along the way, you’ll gain numerous intangible skills, unlike any other major.

That being said, the SMO Club wants to use those valuable skills they’ve gained from their SMO courses and create innovative and engaging events, such as the upcoming Social the week before finals begin. This will allow you to meet your colleagues who have or are interested in having a SMO major or minor.

Next year, we hope to make an IMPACT on the School of Business.

We want to: - Get involved with more management-focused case competitions or maybe even create our own - Provide SMO course tutoring - More socials and networking opportunities If you are interested in getting involved, feel free to contact us. Because this club is new to the University of Alberta, it gives you, the students, the chance to get involved at the roots and provide ideas and directions for this club’s bright future. Not only that, you will be able to work with a diverse group of students and really learn and prosper as a team.

If you want more information about us or our events, we can be contacted at: E-mail: uofasmoclub@gmail.com Facebook Page: Strategic Management and Organization Club Twitter: SMOClub

Going forward, we plan to organize Progressive Dinner again in the fall semester as well as additional events. To stay updated on upcoming events for next year, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NextGenerationLeadership

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Business

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Reinvented

Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) is an international organization that brings together a diverse network of university students, academic professionals and industry leaders to empower people and organizations in need through the planning and implementation of various projects. By contributing their talents to these projects, SIFE members demonstrate that individuals can be a mighty force for change through the positive power of business.

During the year of 2011-2012, SIFE UofA team initiated three projects: * Ropecor - Ropecor is a new venture started by a triplegic man with the use of only one arm, who designed a product by adding innovative changes to improve the existing wheelchairs. Partnering with Edmonton Business Pro, SIFE uofA is helping him develop marketing strategy and obtain letters of intent from potential customers to secure a loan. * Transition in to New Culture- Sponsored by EEDC, SIFE UofA team helps new international students and immigrants transit into Canadian culture by a series of activities. Meanwhile, SIFE UofA is working on connecting those students and immigrants with local small businesses to improve their employment opportunity. * Financial Literacy Education – Sponsored by ATB Financial and partnering with Edmonton Financial Literacy Association, SIFE UofA team provides various avenues for high school students to develop a better financial plan for university education. By holding workshops in local high schools, we teach grade 11-12 students student loan and credit card knowledge and update them with the latest financial information via a Web 2.0 tool.

In addition, SIFE UofA particiates in regional and national SIFE competitions. In early March, 6 SIFE members joined the regional competition held in Vancouver and competed in two streams – financial literacy education and entrepreneurship. Two of the delegates got internship interviews at the competition from SIFE sponsors. In May, we expect to send 10 – 15 delegates to take part in national competition held in Calgary.

The membership and sponsorship level for SIFE has increased drastically this year. For next school year, our goal is to increase and diversify our membership as well as remain financially sustainable.

“All business students should consider joining SIFE because SIFE offers students an opportunity to not only develop business plans and skills, but also to carry them out and present them at competitions.” – Matt Kennedy (Outgoing VP Public Relations)

Year 3

Year 2

Year 1

Did you know we at Lazy Faire have been reinventing ourselves every year?!

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Achievements Throughout the Year

by Matt Crowely & Kirsten LePage

We all know that the students at the SoB excel when it comes to competing in case competitions, organizing conferences and events, or simply acting as leaders in the community and on campus. Truly, the 2011/2012 school year was no exception! Here are just some of the achievements of your fellow Business students this year.

Intercollegiate Marketing Competition Congratulations to Kristiann McCool, Kelsie Kozakevich, Adam Danyleyko who placed third at the competition that was held at the beginning of March. The team first began training for this competition after placing first in AICC in the fall.

5 Days for the Homeless The student organizers of 5 Days for the Homeless surpassed their goal of $25,000 in funds raised for the Youth Emergency Shelter. During the campaign, eight of our very own camped outside the Business building to raise awareness for homelessness in Edmonton.

StĂŠphane Erickson Receives National Recognition StĂŠphane Erickson, a soon-to-be-graduating Bilingual BCom student, was the recipient of the Futures Fund Scholarship for Outstanding Leadership. He is one of ten people chosen throughout Canada for the scholarship.

JDC West 2012 Overall, 51 UofA Business Students, who won 5 trophies and finished 5th overall competed in JDCW 2012 that was hosted by the Alberta SoB!

UAMA Labatt Case Competition Harry Hothi, Fraser Marr and Raphael Mlynarski, a group of first year Business students, placed first in the competition sponsored by Labatt. The winners walked away with two-day ski passes and all competitors had the chance to tour the Labatt brewery during the competition.

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Colten Yamagishi Becomes President of Students’ Union Business student, Colten Yamagishi was elected President of the Students’ Union in the election that took place in March. Colten was VP Student Life last year and organized the world record breaking dodgeball event.

Edge Case Competition Second year in a row, Universty of Alberta business students (L to R) Michael Fok, Kyle Parrotta, Hassan Qadri, Lief Williams and Chris Smith achieved first place in Edge Business Competition.

Dear First Year Me

Business

Dear first year me, If I had to describe your journey for the next few years, I would have to say that it was epic. Unbelievable. Scary but life changing. I want to let you know that your degree is going to be more than a piece of paper. In fact, it’s going to represent one of the greatest chapters in your life. It’s where you met some of the most incredible people, learned lessons that will change who you will become, and did things that you probably don’t want on your facebook. There are times when you are going to go insane while dealing with school, work, and a lot of drinking in between.

But, I want to let you know that you’re going to live.

You’re going to pass and surprise yourself at how well you’re going to do. Don’t hold back and get involved in the School of Business. It’s actually not as scary as you think! You may not remember what you learned in class but those experiences will stay with you. Don’t be afraid to make new friends and take the initiative and say hi to all those strangers in your classes. They’ll end up being the most influential people in your life.

Like they say, your network is your net worth! Also, talk to your professors; they will be your greatest resource for jobs once you graduate.

There’s going to be a lot of late nights, with a lot of coffee and energy drinks. But, you’re going to get through it even if you feel like you’re going to pass out at any moment. You can only get one B’Comm, so have fun and enjoy the journey. Take in every moment of business school and challenge yourself. Above all, don’t ever turn down a beer and just show up, party, have a good time. You only get to do this once, so give it everything you got! Finally, I want to let you know that I’m proud of you. Because you’ve taken the first step towards something incredible. Cherish every moment that you have at the School of Business because it’s going to go by fast. Next thing you know, you’ll look back and realize, you’ve finally made it.

Other Achievements: ISEEESA Case Challenge (UofC) - 1st Place CMA Alberta Board Governance Competition - 3rd Place Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec - Top Ten (Kirsten LePage & Alex Manolii) 17

Business

By Sally Au

LF had the opportunity to speak with the executives of the Management Information Systems Club at the School of Business about its plans for the upcoming year and the increasing importance of technology in the business environment.

Jeremy is the president of the MIS club and is completing a double major in MIS and Accounting, as well as being a pro bowler.

As VP External, Menard majors in MIS and is enrolled in the co-op program. He plans to be a project manager or IT consultant in the future.

Sarah holds the VP Internal position: she is graduating in spring 2012 with an MIS major and minor in accounting and has taken part in an exchange in Germany.

Curtis is VP Finance and is majoring in Operations management with an MIS minor and enjoys playing badminton, piano, and the snowboarding. He will also be participating in an exchange to Japan in the Fall.

Matthew is both VP marketing and VP Academic and is minoring in Computing Sciences. He likes to go biking, rock climbing, and dabble in web design in his spare time.

So first of all, can you tell us a little about the background of the MIS club and how it got started?

Jeremy - In fall 2010, Menard and I wanted to learn more about the MIS

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club at the time, so we went around business 2nd floor to see where the club was with no luck. Later on, we all received an e-mail from Lacey, the former BSA president, and learned that the MIS club had folded as there was no turn over from the previous year. She had hoped to restart it with anyone who was interested. All the MIS majors and minors were e-mailed and all of us who were interested in reviving the club met up and Lacy went over what the MIS club did the previous years and how it could resume operation. So we went from there, but didn’t end up holding a fall event last fall due to the lack of time and resources. Instead we decided to place the 2011-2012 academic school year as the first whole year for full operations and successfully held a speaker session this year.

Sarah – Yes, reviving the club from scratch was a bit overwhelming at first as you have no idea what you’re going up against. On top of that, none of us really knew each other, so there was a slight awkwardness at the beginning. However, it was just like working on a long term group project and everything came along eventually.

What made you interested in MIS as compared to the other majors?

Menard – I really like technology and decided that it was something I want to pursue in my career. Also my uncle was an MIS grad from the U of A and I find his work very interesting and with good benefits.

Business

Jeremy – I remember listening to one of the MIS professors, Raymond Patterson’s talk at the U of A open house one year. He was very informative on the benefits of graduating and pursuing a career in MIS. He left a good impression of MIS in my mind and after doing some research on my own about the industry and the related courses offered I decided it was something I was interested to learn more about in a higher level.

Curtis – As for me, I started in accounting at first but then decided that I was more interested in technology. Taking MIS311 in my first year of business kind of opened my eyes to the importance of technology in business and being more involved with MIS just kind of followed up after that.

Sarah – Taking MIS as a major was really just a natural thing for me as I grew up with parents who both started their career as programmers in the 80s. So when kids were raised by TVs, I was raised by computers. It was something I’ve always had an interest in.

What kind of events/activities does the MIS club host?

Jeremy – We’re planning to host Database Deathrace, a database case competition in the fall next year. We tried to run it this spring, but unfortunately ran short of time for the logistics to go together. A new VP academics position has been created for next year, whose role will be to liaise with the sponsors and build a case during the summer for the fall competition. We also want to continue holding social events for next year, this year we held Gutterbytes, an event for a night of bowling fun at the Gateway for anybody interested. For next year, my personal view is that I want to hold another social event but whether or not it be bowling again is up to discussion. Then in the winter semester, we want to hold an academic event, could be another speaker session as we’ve done for the last 2 years. This year we had Susan Johnson from Accenture and Chris Hayman, who is the former vice president of Finning. Chris talked about the correlation of finance and IT and Susan talked about the importance an online presence has on job searching.

Why would you encourage students to join the MIS club or take MIS as a major/minor?

Jeremy - Back in the early 2000s, MIS was huge, it was almost as huge as HR. Then when the dotcom bubble burst, everybody got scared and turned away from it because they thought this was related and didn’t want to be trapped doing something that doesn’t exist, so MIS really dropped in numbers and ceased to exist. It kind of started to build up a little again recently but we want to bring it back to the level that it was back in the early 2000s. By getting more people involved it shows that there is a community for MIS students. Right now students think that taking MIS may not lead to anything after graduation. We really want to reverse this mentality and accentuate the benefits of MIS as career. I would encourage students to sign up on our mailing lists to keep updated on our events and volunteer opportunities.

M – Definitely, and furthermore, MIS is starting to grow again, and this time, it is here to stay. technology prevails in every industry and MIS is a really good degree for that.

What kind of advice would you give business students in general?

Sarah – You need to start putting yourself out there and overcome that fear of meeting up with new people and network. This is a big one; you need to start enjoying the initial awkwardness, as those encounters are the opportunities that will open the doors for you. You can’t focus on that one word that was wrong on your resume, that one thing that you said wrong, or that interaction with somebody. Put it behind you and work on upcoming opportunities.

C – You need to force yourself into the situation, and then it’s just practice.

J - The more you do it the more comfortable you will get with it. Think of how you’re feeling and you realize that the other person is feeling the exact same thing so you’re not in the boat alone.

M – Just throw yourself into as many things as possible.

How do you think students should go pursuing a career in MIS? C – There are basically 2 routes for MIS, you can do more of a technical background and do computing sciences as a minor or you can have MIS as a minor. I have taken the second route and have found MIS to be one of the best supplements to the other majors because in any aspect of business you have to utilize technology.

S - I think people worry about that so much; getting the exact right degree, and the exact right combination. Accounting and finance may not always be the answer as opposed to popular perception. I think that is becoming more and more obvious, and especially with such high unemployment rates among graduates of those majors, students may need to start looking at alternate routes.

C - Even if you look at surveys from career services, you see that MIS is actually one of the higher paying jobs than some of the other majors and minors.

J – I think that accounting and finance tend to be the defaults for people who are still undecided on what they want to do, whereas I want to encourage students to start looking at the smaller majors like MIS, OM, international business, and just to see what they can offer because I think there is a lot hidden gems in there that once you do the research, it definitely shows what else you can do in the School of Business.

S- Speaking from personal experience, I’m walking from school with a job set 6 months prior from graduation, I think that’s a pretty stellar example to see what you can do with this major and the value that it has in the actual real world, not just at the School of Business.

Lastly, if you were a button on FB, what would it be?

S – I think I would be post button on FB, because everything would be fed through me, I would know everything beforehand.

J – I would be the poke button.

M – Definitely the like button.

C – Probably delete post button.

I’m an excellent keeper of secrets.

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