Uncharted Waters webinar series

In response to these unprecedented times, Gustavson launched a webinar series to engage and support our alumni, donors and business communities around the globe. We’ve curated topics that we hope you will find useful in your business and personal efforts. 

We hope that offering these sessions helps us navigate uncharted waters together.

Stock Market Swings and the Economic Outlook 

Presenter: Dr. Michael King, Lansdowne Chair in Finance, Gustavson School of Business

Concerned about the wild gyrations in global stock markets over the first months of the pandemic and what comes next? Wondering what the longer term impact of COVID-19 will be? Or curious about how the economy will respond to the many policy actions? Dr. Michael King, will examine these events and discuss historical precedents that provide some insights.

How to be yourself when borders are closed: An expert panel for anyone whose family live in other countries 

Presenters: Dr. Stacey Fitzsimmons, Associate Professor, Gustavson School of Business, UVic MBA Alumnus Wyle Baoween, HRx CEO and Farzana Nayani, author of Raising Multiracial Children: Tools for Nurturing Identity in a Racialized World.

Many people see themselves as belonging to more than one country, and have family spread around the world. Now that borders are closed, you may be thinking differently about who you are and how you’re connected to family in other countries. In this session, we’ll hear personal stories from two experts on navigating international identities and families, plus research about what it might mean for you and how to handle it. 

Personal Finances During the COVID-19 Pandemic 

Presenters: Dr. Michael King, Lansdowne Chair in Finance, Gustavson School of Business, Sybil Verch (BCom ’97), host of “The Wealthy Life”, and Russell Foster, Investment Counsellor with RBC Phillips, Hager & North. 

With the arrival of the pandemic, many Canadians are stressed and facing financial hardships. Whether you are working from home, self-isolating, furloughed or laid off, retired, or about to graduate, you may be seeking advice on how to manage your personal finances in this difficult time. Where should you start? How should you plan? What actions or changes should you make? 

Russell Foster's resource document.

Sybil Verch's resource document.

Giving Customers Certainty in Uncertain Times 

Presenter: Dr. Mark Colgate, Professor; Director, Corporate MBA Programs, Gustavson School of Business

Would you like to improve focus and collaboration in the workplace? As we go through these extraordinary times, you may use the service approach of the 3Rs, be Responsive, build Relationships & be Reliable – as an effective tool to improve experiences for team members - your internal customers, and your external customers. This session covers:

• Service quality in the eyes of the customer can be summarized in the 3Rs:, be Responsive, build Relationships, and be Reliable. The 3Rs also come in a specific order: Find out what they are.
  
• Recommendations are driven by great service, not good service. Customer satisfaction scores of 9 and 10 almost guarantee you positive word-of-mouth. Scores of 7 or even 8 get you nowhere. Only when we provide reliable and responsive service, will relationships become the big differentiator and earn us 9s and 10.
• TOFU is the most important of all disciplines in service – but what even is TOFU – and is this TOFU tasty as well? 

Innovating in a Crisis - Why this is the time for Design Thinking 

Presenter: Dr. David Dunne, Professor; Director, MBA Programs, Gustavson School of Business

It’s said that necessity is the mother of invention. COVID-19 could be the mother of necessity, and we are seeing the world pivot towards urgent and critical innovations. As the immediate crisis subsides, organizations are revisiting the fundamentals of their business models; many are looking to design thinking for solutions. Learn the design thinking approach and mindset, and why its time has come.

By participating in this session, you will understand that to innovate successfully, you need to be open, flexible and deeply understand stakeholders.

Retaining and Regaining Consumer Trust

Presenter: Dr. David Dunne, Professor; Director, MBA Programs, Gustavson School of Business

The Gustavson Brand Trust Index is in its sixth year of measuring and ranking Canadians’ trust in consumer brands. Each year, we release a ranking of the most trusted brands in Canada. Our results show that brand trust is influenced not just by good value and good customer service, but also by how it treats employees, communities and the environment. In this session, you will learn about the importance of brand trust and how businesses are working to retain brand trust through the current crisis.

We will cover:

• Treatment of employees and communities influences brand trust.
• Brands’ response to COVID-19 is likely to influence consumers’ trust in individual brands.

Navigating Uncertainty Part 1 

Presenters: Dr. Vivien Corwin, Assistant Teaching Professor, Gustavson School of Business, Lauren Box, Founder SheCan Consulting, MGB alumnus

Today’s business climate is dramatically different from four months ago or even two weeks ago. It is no longer business as usual. In a time when uncertainty is the new normal, the world of business is transforming at an exhilarating speed. With this reality comes new challenges, responsibilities, as well as opportunities. In the context of a global pandemic, this is truer than ever.

Lauren Box, founder of SheCanConsulting, MGB alumnus will share her insights into navigating the changing landscape and how finding your ‘why’ is where it all starts.

Help or hindrance – Intergovernmental organizations in times of a global pandemic

Presenter: Dr. Kristin Brandl, Assistant Professor, Gustavson School of Business

Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), such as the World Health Organization or the World Bank, have been an important part of the globalized world. Has this role changed in the current uncertain and extraordinary times of the global pandemic or are IGOs stronger than ever? We will discuss the role of IGOs in the past, present, and (predicted) future with a focus on the global business environment.

This session covers:

• the role of the IGOs prior to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing a brief history on their existence and importance to different stakeholders
• the role of IGOs in the recent time of the pandemic and their actions
• what role IGOs might play in the future and how they could impact recovery processes around the world

The Characteristics of Wise Decision-Making 

Presenter: Dr. Mike Thompson, Adjunct Professor, Gustavson School of Business

Every leader is faced with a multitude of decisions making challenges each day. What helps leaders make good decisions? Dr. Mike Thompson will share tips and strategies on wise decision making. Highlighting examples from industry, participants will learn how to make the best decisions possible for their organizations.

Navigating Uncertainty Part 2 

Presenters: Dr. Vivien Corwin, Assistant Teaching Professor, Gustavson School of Business, Felipe Civita, MGB alumni 

Today’s business climate is dramatically different from four months ago or even two weeks ago. It is no longer business as usual. In a time when uncertainty is the new normal, the world of business is transforming at an exhilarating speed. With this reality comes new challenges, responsibilities, as well as opportunities. In the context of a global pandemic, this is truer than ever.

Felipe Civita Ferreira, International Projects Officer, MGB alumnus will explore finding opportunities in uncertain times.

Improving cross-cultural, cross-national and cross-racial connections in your workforce as you re-open

Presenters: Dr. Stacey Fitzsimmons, Associate Professor, Gustavson School of Business, UVic MBA Alumnus Wyle Baoween, HRx CEO and Farzana Nayani, author of Raising Multiracial Children: Tools for Nurturing Identity in a Racialized World.

Businesses’ approach to diversity, equity and inclusion was far from perfect before the pandemic. We are witnessing strong international pressure to improve the way organizations address racial and systemic inequity. The pandemic and the current protests together have been a catalyst for business leaders to redesign the way we interact and work with one another. If this is done thoughtfully, is it possible to do things much better than before? Come discover what you can do as a business leader or employee within your organization.

People, Planet and the Pandemic – Part I: What Role for Impact Investing in the Post-Covid Recovery 

Presenters: Basma Majerbi, Associate Professor of Finance, Gustavson School of Business, Michael Meehan, Board Chair, UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association; Managing Partner, Fullsight Partners , and Director and Chair at Systemic Impact Foundation

COVID-19 brought to the spotlight the fragility of our modern economy and the lack of preparedness of businesses and investors to deal with complex shocks in a highly interconnected world. This puts sustainable finance and impact investing, a type of investment strategy that seeks to tackle environmental and/or social challenges, at the heart of the recovery to build more resilient, sustainable and inclusive economies.

Professor Basma Majerbi will be joined by Gustavson’s alum Michael Meehan (MBA 05) for a discussion about how COVID-19 is changing the global conversation about the role of finance and investment in accelerating the transition to a more just, resilient and sustainable economy. 

This session will help you:

• Gain a better understanding of different approaches to sustainable investing with a focus on impact investments;
• Learn why a more systemic and holistic impact approach to investing is needed for the benefit of people and the planet;
• Get insight on existing barriers to impact investing and the risks to the global economy if financial sector practitioners do not address these barriers.

People, Planet and the Pandemic – Part II: Community Recovery & Resilience Through Impact Investing 

Presenters: Basma Majerbi, Associate Professor of Finance, Gustavson School of Business, Dawn Bowles, Impact Investment Market and Asset Development Expert; Co-Director, Expanding Access to Impact Investment, at New Market Funds 

COVID-19 brought to the spotlight the fragility of our modern economy and the lack of preparedness of businesses, large and small, and investors to deal with complex shocks in a highly interconnected world. This puts sustainable finance and impact investing, a type of investment strategy that seeks to tackle environmental and/or social challenges, at the heart of the recovery to build more resilient, sustainable and inclusive economies.

Professor Basma Majerbi will be joined by Dawn Bowels to learn about the power of impact investing in building local economies resilience and foster strong and healthy communities during the post-pandemic recovery period. 

This session will help you:

• Gain a high level understanding of different types of local community impact investing and how it can be a part of an investment strategy at any level of wealth
• Learn about specific examples of the ways impact investing is being used locally and nationally, and understand how that supports the post-COVID recovery and resilience.
• Get insight on some actions you can take to participate in your community. 

Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins 

Presenter: Dr. Steve Tax, Professor; Francis G. Winspear Scholar; Champion, Service Management Specialization, Gustavson School of Business

Storytelling has been described as “the most powerful way to put ideas into the world.” Good stories surprise us. They make us think and feel. They stick in our minds and motivate us to take action. Today’s webinar will explore the underlying scientific, seductive and human qualities of storytelling.

Impact of Covid-19 on Newcomers: Lessons from the ground 

Presenters: Dr. Sudhir Nair, Associate Professor, Gustavson School of Business, Jean McRae, Chief Executive Officer, Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria (ICA)

In this session you will understand impact of policy on newcomers; see relevance of newcomers to Canadian society; understand importance of newcomers to the Canadian economy. Created in part with the support of local Community Partnership Network of which the UVic Gustavson School of Business is a member.

A responsible management perspective on resilience and robustness along the value chain 

Presenter: Dr. Adel Guitouni, Associate Professor, Gustavson School of Business

The world and our communities are going through a crisis not seen for many generations. The combined affect of several underlying crises such climate change, inequality, and the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing many companies and organizations to rethink and transform their business models as it exposed their vulnerabilities and limitations.

There are five (5) stages to business disruption: shock, fluctuation –in most cases degradation- of performance, containment, recovery and stabilization. How then should businesses respond? The short answer is to be resilient, and build robustness. Resilience is the property of a system to return to its effective operating conditions following a disruption. Robustness is structural property of a system to operate within ‘effective’ operating boundaries under any foreseeable disruption. The understanding of the concepts of resiliency and robustness will take different meanings when explored from the perspectives of sustainable value creation along the supply chain.

In this session, we will:

• discuss the meanings of resiliency and robustness in the business context
• explore the alignment of resiliency and robustness with sustainable value creation along the supply chain
• discuss different long term business upgrading strategies.  

Recoveries, Finales & Rescues 

Presenters: Dr. Brock Smith, Gustavson Entrepreneurship Professor and Jeff Bray, Executive Director of the Downtown Victoria Business Association

Businesses have been grappling with the impact of COVID-19 for most of 2020. From complete closures, or gradual re-openings, to slower summers, how will they fare this fall? Will downtown Victoria businesses be able to weather the storm or will we see a markedly different landscape in our core area when we emerge from the pandemic?

Join Executive Director of the Downtown Victoria Business Association, Jeff Bray, as he shares his insights about economic resilience, what strategies are working well and where we could focus our efforts to improve business supports and keep our downtown thriving.

Business in the Post COVID-19 Era 

Presenters: Dr. David C Thomas, Professor, Gustavson School of Business, and Scott Phillips Founder and CEO, StarFish Medical

In March of 2020, it became clear that the virus known as COVID-19 was a worldwide pandemic. Cities were locked down, socializing with others was discouraged, and international borders were closed. Governments struggled to find the right strategies to control the spread of the virus while also protecting the economic welfare of their citizens. The impact on many businesses has been devastating, while others have prospered.

However, all organizations will need to make adjustments with regard to their people, their processes and their structures in order to survive and thrive in the new business reality. StarFish is Canada’s leading Medical Device Design service provider with a full complement of design, development, and manufacturing services in Victoria and Toronto.  They have successfully partnered with innovative companies (both large and small) to create breakthrough products for a number of medical specialty areas.

In this webinar, Scott Phillips, Founder and CEO of Victoria based StarFish Medical talks with Professor David Thomas about how his award winning firm has adapted to today’s new business environment and his view for the future. 

What’s Next after the U.S. Election? The Outlook for Geopolitics and Markets 

Presenters: Dr. Michael King, Associate Professor & Lansdown Chair in Finance, Gustavson School of Business, and Rudy Narvas, Director, Macro Investment Research - BCI

In this discussion, Rudy Narvas, Director, Macro Investment Research at BCI will look at how the global economy is evolving and the state of the business cycle in leading economies. He will connect both economics and geopolitics to the investment cycle, highlighting what sectors and asset classes tend to do well in this uncertain environment.

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