B-School Bulletin: 4 Reasons To Hire Veterans

The Status Quo Isn’t Working For Two-Career Couples

News from INSEAD

“Statistics suggest that the dual-career lifestyle is well on its way to dominance, at least among the professional classes. Fifty-seven percent of full-time employees in the United States have a spouse or partner who also works full-time; if you only count millennials, the figure climbs to 78 percent. You could view this trend as laudable evidence of genuine social progress — gender equality in action. The prevailing view of dual careerism, though, is that it is a zero-sum game where, at best, both partners sustain their union by making killing compromises.

“However, Jennifer Petriglieri, INSEAD Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour, argues that the problem isn’t baked into dual careerism itself. Decades-old talent management programs — created to serve the needs of a mostly single-earner workforce – too often force painful choices on couples, rather than capitalising on the flexibility enabled by new technology. Over the past several years, she has studied more than 200 dual-career couples at the executive level, and conducted interviews with HR leaders at 32 large companies. Petriglieri’s recent article in Harvard Business Review encapsulates some of her research insights about why the status quo isn’t working for today’s relatively egalitarian couples, and how organisations can better serve (and ultimately retain) their priceless executive talents.”

No End In Sight For The ‘New Normal’ In Monetary Policy

News from INSEAD

“Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, did his best last week to justify the decision of keeping the Bank of England’s interest rates at 0.5 percent at the same time that it was promising that the economic momentum will be regained and that interest rates will have to rise soon.

“Unfortunately, this is not new. Since 5 March 2009 (more than nine years ago), when interest rates were lowered to 0.5 percent in the U.K., we have not seen much action despite all the talk and promises of higher interest rates. And inaction of interest rates has come mostly as a surprise as projections on interest rates were always much higher than what was later delivered by the central bank.”

Kathryn Graddy

Kathryn Graddy Named Dean Of Brandeis University International Business School

News from Brandeis University International Business School

“Brandeis University has named Kathryn Graddy as the new dean of the International Business School (IBS), a post she will begin on July 1. Since 2016, Graddy, the Fred and Rita Richman Distinguished Professor in Economics, has been serving as the senior associate dean at IBS.

“Graddy, who came to Brandeis in 2007 from Oxford University, has held numerous leadership positions at Brandeis. She served as program director for IBS’ Ph.D. program as well as chair of the university’s economics department. Under her leadership as senior associate dean, she spearheaded innovations at IBS, from achieving STEM designations for its core programs to developing a new master’s in business analytics to be launched in the fall. She has been instrumental in expanding the school’s global footprint by strengthening and widening its partnerships with academic institutions worldwide.”

Ontario Economic Development Minister Steven Del Duca chats with founders at this year’s U of T Startup Showcase while Derek Newton, U of T’s assistant vice-president of innovation, partnerships and entrepreneurship, looks on. Photo by Laura Pedersen

Universities Drive Startup Activity In Toronto-Waterloo Corridor

News from University of Toronto Rotman School of Management

“The Toronto-Waterloo corridor ranks as one of the world’s top 20 startup ecosystems thanks in part to leading computer science and engineering research at the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo, a recent Silicon Valley think tank report says.

“The report, released earlier this month by Oakland, Calif.-based Startup Genome, surveys several different sectors of startup activity, from artificial intelligence to consumer electronics, and takes a “deep dive” into more than 40 startup hubs around the globe.

“In the case of the Toronto-Waterloo corridor, the authors say the region ‘attracted international attention for its AI ecosystem’ last year, noting Uber’s decision to start a Toronto research lab and the launch of the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence.”

Jonathan Fielding, Co-founder of the Business School Student Investment Fund, at the launch evening. Imperial photo

Imperial Students Launch Investment Fund To Enhance Financial Skills

News from Imperial College London Business School

“The Imperial College Business School Student Investment Fund has been established by students from the Business School’s MSc Investment and Wealth Management, and the MSc Finance & Accounting programmes with the aim of equipping students with the necessary practical skills to work in a buy-side role within the financial sector. These roles involve advising companies concerned with buying investment services such as private equity funds, insurance and pension funds.

“The students will manage £100,000 in assets and the fund will provide students with another method of learning financial skills, in addition to the content of their degree programmes. By working with external companies, the investment fund will also help to connect ambitious students with potential future employers.”