Business research at Gustavson
Producing outstanding business research
One of the key strengths of the Gustavson School of Business is the research ability of faculty members. This capability demonstrates itself in research that not only informs the practices of business and management, but also creates a better learning environment for our students and stakeholders.
For a listing of our researchers, visit our faculty directory and PhD student pages.
New initiatives in research at Gustavson
As the incoming Research Director at Gustavson, Dr. Roy Suddaby is very excited to tell you about the new research initiatives that we have planned for the School of Business. Read more
Design thinking: A different model for solving “wicked” problems
“Design connected the dots for me,” says Dr. David Dunne, the new academic leader of the Sardul S. Gill School of Graduate Studies MBA program. For him, design thinking goes beyond the idea of how things should be done to an almost moral sense that “the people who are affected by problems are the ones that matter most.” Read more
The playing field and the locker room as backdrops for business research
Dr. Richard Wolfe was such a big sports fan as a kid in Montreal that when he watched a Sunday television replay of a championship game he knew football’s Montreal Alouettes had lost the day before—he vigorously cheered them on nonetheless! “They still lost,” he laughs. Read more
Facilitating economic prosperity in Indigenous communities
Float planes, ferries, fog and fried bread are all familiar to Dr. Brent Mainprize, as much of his time as a Gustavson faculty member is spent in more than 25 small, remote Indigenous communities. Mainprize views his engagement with Indigenous communities as “directed facilitation.” His involvement helps gauge what a community is thinking and feeling, and then aids community leadership to determine a direction and come up with implementation options. “It’s participatory action research (PAR),” he says, where the researcher is part of the process to facilitate change rather than someone who stands outside, observing and measuring. Read more
Helping Tunisian youth build a future for themselves
Dr. Adel Guitouni says he’s relatively new to research into entrepreneurship and approaches it from a “systems design point of view.” Originally from Tunisia, he observed social problems increase there as the hope offered by the Arab Spring faded; he saw socially responsible entrepreneurship as “the instrument” that could quickly create the wealth and the “social inclusiveness that is required” to provide youth in that region with the much needed hope for a better future. Micro, small and medium enterprises are responsible for 65 per cent of global GDP, says Guitouni, and represent more than 95 per cent of the economy in most African countries. This sector can be a powerful engine for inclusive growth, enhancing government’s fiscal position and producing goods and services in an ethical and responsible manner. Read more
Customized degrees now and in the future
“Swimming upstream, against the current,” says Dr. A.R. (“Elango”) Elangovan, is a theme that runs through his research into the meaning of work.
He says a lot of his work has been about taking a step back from the way things are and to “critically challenge the core assumptions” on ways of doing and being. His advice can seem counterintuitive. “In a world that’s extremely fast, I tell people to slow down. In a world that tells students to plan their future down to the last small details, I say, know yourself and then allow room for things to be a bit organic.” Read more
Teaming up: How business mentorship is changing with the times
Mentorship invariably conjures images of an old pro passing what he or she knows on to an eager up-and-comer. Dr. Yan Shen says mentorship has been evolving, and dramatically. Read more
An ongoing video series showcasing the passion and commitment of Peter B. Gustavson School of Business researchers.
Double Honours for International Management Scholar Mary Yoko Brannen
Award winning and internationally recognized scholar, Dr. Mary Yoko Brannen, has been honoured for her contributions in the field of international business and elected as a Fellow of the Academy of International Business. The Academy of International Business (AIB) is the leading association of scholars and specialists in the field of international business. The objectives of the AIB Fellows are to recognize outstanding contributions to the scholarship and practice of international business, to exercise a leadership role in education and scholarship in the field, and to provide a forum for interaction among the Fellows as well as for the dissemination of knowledge in the field of international business. Mary Yoko’s formal induction for the AIB Fellow takes place in June 2016 at the New Orleans annual AIB conference.
Mary Yoko has also recently received an honorary doctorate from the Copenhagen Business School for her work in the field of cross-cultural management and international business. Mary Yoko was formally awarded the honorary doctorate at the CBS annual graduation and award ceremony on March 18, 2016. This is an exceptional honour as the award is given to only three individuals a year and has rarely gone to a female scholar or one who is not an economist.
Mary Yoko has made significant scholarly contributions to the field of international management in regards to cross-border knowledge sharing, cross-cultural integration and the role of immigrants and their bicultural children in spanning across cultural and organizational boundaries in today’s global context of business. Her work suggests that contemporary organization still have much to learn about the profound impact that cultural changes — brought about by migration, mobility and shifting boundaries — are having on the everyday life of organizations.
Dr. Brannen serves as the Jarislowsky CAPI East Asia (Japan) Chair and Professor of International Business at the UVic Gustavson School of Business.
2014 Reed Centre Best Applied Paper Award
Congratulations to our Gustavson colleagues, Yan Shen and Rick Cotton on receiving the Reed Centre Best Applied Paper Award at the 2014 Academy of Management Careers Division in Philadelphia, PA for their paper titled: Advancing the Study of Developmental Networks to Include Developer Types and Person-Network Fit! Read more
Dr. Monika Winn, Gustavson Leaders of Excellence (In Research) Award 2014
The Gustavson School of Business recognizes research excellence through its Gustavson Leader of Excellence (In Research) Award. This award is held for a three-year term and is announced annually at the School of Business’ Festival of Distinction Award in May.
Congratulations to Dr. Monika Winn, who is the 2014 recipient of the award. Following work on stakeholder conflicts, her globally recognized research more recently has focused on how climate change affects businesses and how firms can adapt to it. Her current work builds on that expertise from a slightly different angle. Her current work builds on that expertise from a slightly different angle. Dr. Winn has seen, in more than 20 years of scientific research on biodiversity and ecosystems, unequivocal evidence that genetic and functional diversity of life on Earth is critical for ecosystems to function and to continue to provide the resources and services needed for human well-being. In her own research, Dr. Winn examines the risks that businesses face when biodiversity is lost and ecosystems are degraded, leading initiatives and opportunities to transform current business models, and which competences will allow firms to manage biodiversity and support ecosystem resilience. She teaches Business and Sustainability courses in Gustavson’s core curricula to undergraduate, MBA, and PhD students at Gustavson.
Dr. Graham Brown was last year’s recipient of the Gustavson Scholar for Research Excellence. Dr. Brown’s research focuses on territoriality and psychological ownership. He applies these two threads to a variety of research topics including negotiation, creativity, and workplace conflict. His recent research focuses on the impact that feelings of ownership have on innovation and new venture success with the thesis that feelings of ownership are both positive in that they propel efforts but simultaneously negative in that they create resistance to help and feedback from others. His work has been published in the Academy of Management Review, Organization Science, and Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes and featured in Harvard Business Review online. His teaching focus is in the areas of human resource management, leadership and negotiation and he applies these concepts to help others discover and use their passion to lead and create.
Dr. Wade Danis received this previously in 2012 (inaugural year) and holds the title for 1 more year.
Dr. Stacey Fitzsimmons received the prestigious 2013 International Human Resources Scholarly Research Award
Dr. Stacey Fitzsimmons has won the International Human Resources Scholarly Research award from the Academy of Management. This award is given to the most significant article in international human resource management published in the past year (2013) in recognized journals and research annuals. She received this award in August 2014 in Philadelphia, at the Academy of Management awards ceremony.
Stacey Fitzsimmons' research objective is to improve the way people work with others across cultures. Her current research examines how bicultural and multicultural employees contribute to global teams and organizations. She is also interested in the multi-level influence of organizational context on outcomes driven by bicultural employees.
Stacey's research has been published in top journals including Academy of Management Review, Human Resource Management Review, Organization Studies, and Organizational Dynamics.
Stacey teaches in the areas of cross-cultural management, organizational behaviour and human resources, at undergraduate and graduate levels. Prior to joining the University of Victoria, she was an assistant professor at Western Michigan University.