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Social Media Skills Payoff for Acadia BBA Grad

Interests in social media and marketing have paid off for a May 2016 BBA grad of Acadia University’s Fred C. Manning School of Business Administration. CaseNet Media Inc. a spin out of Acadia University, has been awarded funding for a Youth Green project from the National Research Council’s (NRC) Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) to hire a recent graduate, Mike Dubee, to help it effectively market its innovative streaming video teaching cases to the higher education sector and corporate trainers. CaseNet streams cases licensed from Acadia University and developed as part of the Acadia International Executive Insight Series.


A Good Fit


Dubee will focus on the development of a social media strategy and recurring use marketing correspondence, contact databases, promotional content as well as the use of channels such as You Tube, LinkedIn and Twitter. He is well positioned for this task having recently completing his studies which included learning in flipped classroom settings and honing his analytical skills using the case method, He comments, “As a recent graduate, I’m one of many who would rather consume educational content through a multimedia platform than print. Think about our classrooms in the future – do you believe paper textbooks will increase in popularity? If you look at recent acquisitions, even textbook giants Pearson and McGraw-Hill are pushing toward digital. CaseNet.ca represents a shift in education, and it’s my job to place content where our consumers’ eyes are already looking: online”.


Innovative Undergraduate Business School


The AIEIS multimedia teaching case collection is created at Acadia University and streamed through cases.casenet.ca The AIEIS is international, commercially focused and supported by Acadia’s Office of Industry and Community Engagement (ICE) and the Fred C. Manning School of Business.  To learn more, contact Dr. Conor Vibert at conor.vibert@acadiau.ca or ICE.

Mike Dubee, Social Media Strategist for Casenet Media Inc.

December 2016 Stories: Widget
The Power of Serendipity and Informal Networks: Building International Relationships

Informal networks and serendipity can be very powerful factors in building important international relationships. A recent example of this can be found in the creation of a collaborative relationship between Acadia University ’s through its Acadia International Executive Insight Series (AIEIS) and the Talent Management Research Unit (GIFT) of North West University’s Mafikeng Campus in South Africa. F. C. Manning School of Business professor, Dr. Conor Vibert recounted the series of events:


“We have always pursued opportunities to create new cases when they arise. Sometimes they just fall in our laps. We had an interest in creating a case about Velsoft, a successful regional exporter that was a recipient of an Export Achievement Award as Exporter of the Year in 2013. By coincidence the owner’s daughter was a student in one of my classes. So we quickly arranged for him to visit the campus and create a case with us. Not too long after, I received a call asking if we would host a delegation of academics from South Africa. A visit took place in later October of 2015. It turns out that the reason for the visit was our multimedia case initiative and our CaseNet.ca platform. We showed them how easy it is to use the cases and how they can serve as a means to bring local businesses into the classroom. A few months later I was asked to travel South Africa to kick start the relationship.”

Image of South African and Canadian flag

Image of Dr. Nicolene Barkhuizen or Dr. Nico Shutte or GIFT Logo

Enhancing Talent Management Research


Leading the relationship in South Africa are Dr. Nicolene Barkhuizen and Dr. Nico Schutte. The founder of GIFT, Dr. Barkhuizen views streaming multimedia cases as a very practical, cost effective, and innovative means of growing the influence of the research unit and improving how it can deliver its educational services.

 

Working with Acadia University also helps meet important goals of creating strong international research links.
Commenting on his late August 2016 trip to South Africa, Dr Vibert offered, "this is exactly what we are hoping for in an international relationship. Our colleagues in South Africa are solid researchers who also want to build and share cases in Africa and beyond. They understand the power of streaming video and the role that the internet is playing in connecting learners around the world. They also understand how the case method can play an important role in honing important critical thinking skills. We are looking forward to building this relationship."

Innovative Undergraduate Business School


The AIEIS multimedia teaching case collection is created at Acadia University and streamed through cases.casenet.ca The AIEIS is international, commercially focused and supported by Acadia’s Office of Industry and Community Engagement (ICE) and the Fred C. Manning School of Business.  To learn more, contact Dr. Conor Vibert at conor.vibert@acadiau.ca or ICE

December 2016 Stories: Widget
Acadia University begins Collaboration with the University of Southern Queensland on Multimedia Cases

International teaching cases are an important part of the Acadia International Executive Insight Series (AIEIS). Decisions faced by business managers operating in locations such as Hong Kong, Japan, Iceland and the Caribbean are a prominent part of this large web hosted collection that encourages learning in flipped classroom settings and honing of analytical skills using the case method. Now, internationalization is taking on an added dimension through ongoing collaboration with the University of Southern Queensland in Toowoomba, Australia.
 

International Reach


The development of multimedia teaching cases is being led by Dr. Mehryar Nooriafshar of the School of Management and Enterprise. USQ delivers its courses in the classroom and online making streamed video cases a natural fit. Its location in a region of Australia known for growing dynamic business enterprises positions the school as an obvious hub for creating innovative educational content. The development of two pilot cases featuring Finlay Bulk Freight Services has concluded successfully. The remainder of 2016 will see the creation of more multimedia cases that will initially be offered in a USQ course commencing with in 2017 with the new academic year. Recently, Dr. Nooriashfar suggested, “multimedia cases will, in an effective manner, bridge the gap between theory (academic world) and practice (real world)”.
 

Timely Research


An important part of this relationship is also exploring the effectiveness for learning of streaming video multimedia cases. Acadia University co-lead Dr. Michael Sheppard, commented,
“Our findings to date indicate that students prefer multimedia over text-based cases and that the quality of the content, rather than skills developed or the quality of the technology platform, explains the students’ preference for multimedia cases. Despite our results we do not yet know why multimedia cases, in general, are not getting more traction in business schools.  This question guides our current research to delve deeper for possible explanations, and on the practical side what we find will allow us to improve the user experience and content presentation in a way that motivates students to learn.”

 

 

Dr. Mehryar Noorisfshar of the School of Management and Enterprise, USQ

Innovative Undergraduate Business School

The AIEIS multimedia teaching case collection is created at Acadia University and streamed through cases.casenet.ca The AIEIS is international, commercially focused and supported by Acadia’s Office of Industry and Community Engagement (ICE) and the Fred C. Manning School of Business.  To learn more, contact Dr. Conor Vibert at conor.vibert@acadiau.ca or ICE.

December 2016 Stories: Widget
Not Your Typical Mining Services Company

If you happen to be interested in companies that are charting unique paths, Orix Geoscience Inc. should be on your list. Indeed, click through the company website and your will notice something different. The talent or, team of geologists forming the core of this dynamic company are mostly young recent female and male graduates. Interestingly the majority are female, a characteristic that makes this company stand out in a traditionally male dominated industry.
 

Dynamic Executive


Co-founder, President and Principal Geologist of Orix Geoscience Inc. Shastri Ramnath recently shared some of her thoughts in a multimedia case filmed in her firm’s downtown Toronto offices. Its subject is talent management and was created for the Acadia International Executive Insight Series (AIEIS). This large web hosted collection of streaming video cases encourages learning in flipped classroom settings and honing of analytical skills using the case method. Orix specializes in 2D and 3D modeling and has built its reputation compiling, interpreting, and modeling 3D data for mining projects with large datasets. Commodity cycles are a headache for companies large and small in the mining sector. The industry has reputation for hiring when times are good and firing when they are bad, resulting in a discontinuity of knowledge over time. This entrepreneurial executive realized that if her company was to thrive over time, this challenge would need to be addressed head on. Regarding Acadia’s case collection, Shastri commented,

“The value of multimedia cases is that they present issues common to many different industries but do so from different perspectives. As a business operator, these cases are ideal as they can help educate our team about alternatives and possible solutions for our current challenges.”

Image of either:

-3D printer

-mining/ mine

Image of Shastri Ramnath

Engaged Students


In October, the Fred C. Manning School of Business and the Earths & Environmental Sciences Department of Acadia University were proud to host Shastri. Careers in the mining sector was the subject for her talk with undergraduate geology students while she also engaged 4th year business students with a live teaching case.

Innovative Undergraduate Business School


The AIEIS multimedia teaching case collection is created at Acadia University and streamed through cases.casenet.ca The AIEIS is international, commercially focused and supported by Acadia’s Office of Industry and Community Engagement (ICE) and the Fred C. Manning School of Business.  To learn more, contact Dr. Conor Vibert at conor.vibert@acadiau.ca or

 ICE.

December 2016 Stories: Widget
Casenet.ca Presents to Launchbox

This large web hosted collection of streaming video cases encourages learning in flipped classroom settings and honing of analytical skills using the case method.

Innovative Undergraduate Business School
The AIEIS multimedia teaching case collection is created at Acadia University and streamed through cases.casenet.ca The AIEIS is international, commercially focused and supported by Acadia’s Office of Industry and Community Engagement (ICE) and the Fred C. Manning School of Business.  To learn more, contact Dr. Conor Vibert at conor.vibert@acadiau.ca or ICE.

Insert image of Launchbox logo

December 2016 Stories: Widget
Databases Not Textbooks - Teaching Undergraduate Business Students

Coming Soon

Coming Soon.

December 2016 Stories: Widget

McGill banner image here

McGill Using Casenet

Successful Business Owner & Passionate Teacher Gary Whittaker has many business experiences to share.  This McGill University Instructor is a retired successful business owner who wanted to give back to the community and decided that teaching students about being entrepreneurs and running a smaller business might be a good way to do so.  An innovator at heart, he was also looking for a way to bring his classes to life and give his students a learning experience different from what they were used to.  Not only would teaching with streaming video cases allow him to meet this goal, he also found that preparing and delivering these classes was easy. In a recent conversation, Gary commented on his experience taking the plunging and using multimedia cases in live classroom settings.  From his perspective, students like using streamed video cases because they are delivered in a format that is familiar to them and easy to use.  The cases are all recent, timely and focus on the types of businesses and owners that they can relate to.

Relevant Cases


He found two streamed video cases in particular to be quite effective. A case featuring Halifax based CarShareHFX was one that grabbed his attention.  As Gary says,

“This case is right up to date and deals with a blossoming service to which students can relate. The owner is particularly open, honest and persuasive. And, she leads us to discover the 2 critical success factors which differentiate her business.”

Entrepreneurial Insight


A second case featuring Montreal based Haivision and its owner Mirko Wicha was also particularly appealing for his Entrepreneurship course.   

“Again, a timely IT challenge dealing with a premium video product customized for the commercial and military market. The owner is engaging, committed and an excellent example of an open, participative manager who challenges and motivates his staff”, says Gary.

This large web hosted collection of streaming video cases encourages learning in flipped classroom settings and honing of analytical skills using the case method.


CONOR TO CREATE WRAP UP

Innovative Undergraduate Business School
The AIEIS multimedia teaching case collection is created at Acadia University and streamed through cases.casenet.ca The AIEIS is international, commercially focused and supported by Acadia’s Office of Industry and Community Engagement (ICE) and the Fred C. Manning School of Business.  To learn more, contact Dr. Conor Vibert at conor.vibert@acadiau.ca or ICE.

Image of Gary Whittaker

Image of CarShare HFX

Image of Haivision 

Image of Mirko Wicha

December 2016 Stories: Widget
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