Faculty of Business Administration - University of New Brunswick

Two teams of UNB Fredericton business administration students have been selected to be among the top ten finalists in Canada’s Next Top Ad Executive “Face the Fear” Competition, taking place in Toronto March 30-April 1.

Volkswagen Canada, the leading sponsor of the competition, is the “client”; the student teams are the ad executives who must develop a marketing plan to promote the new Volkswagen Routan. The best campaign wins.

Mitchell Bernard and Laura Noseworthy, both BBA students in their fourth year, form one of the teams from UNB’s faculty of business administration, while MBA students Elizabeth-Anne McCleave and Matt Daigle make up the second. Both teams, chosen from among 143 teams representing 36 different universities across Canada, were coached by Dr. Kirby Shannahan who teaches marketing courses at UNB.

Operating within a shrinking minivan market and a shrinking minivan segment, students in the competition are tasked with the challenge of creating a marketing campaign to promote awareness of the new Volkswagen Routan. The theme of the marketing campaign students develop has to be consistent with Volkswagen Canada’s positioning strategy for the Routan, and the marketing campaign budget must stay within $250,000.

The top ten finalists will deliver a 30 minute presentation to a panel of academic and industry experts. All of the top ten finalists will be offered internships with advertising agencies; the two members of the winning ream will each receive a new Volkswagen Golf, in addition to an internship.

Organized by engineering management and commerce students, Canada’s Next Top Ad Executive Competition aims to promote learning through active participation in service experiences, provide opportunity for students to apply their knowledge and skills in real-world situations, and extend learning beyond the classroom into the community.

Posted at 10:46 AM

Thor Jenson, a fourth year bachelor of business administration student at UNB Fredericton, was one of six business students studying at an Atlantic Canadian university to receive $10,000 last week as a recipient of the 2009 Frank H. Sobey Awards for Excellence in Business Studies. “Year after year, it is inspiring to see the recipients of the Frank H. Sobeys Awards for Excellence in Business Studies continue to demonstrate dedication, entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to not only succeed, but excel as business leaders,” said David F. Sobey, Chair of the Board of Directors for the Frank H. Sobey Awards for Excellence in Business Studies.  “It is both an honour and privilege to meet these remarkable students from Atlantic Canada whom we recognize today, and we offer each of them our sincere congratulations for their achievements and best wishes in their future endeavours.”This year’s award recipients along with their respective Business School Deans were formally recognized today at a presentation ceremony held at Crombie House, home of the late Frank H. Sobey, in Abercrombie, Nova Scotia.  The event was attended by Board members of the Frank H. Sobey Awards as well as executives of Empire Company and its subsidiaries, Sobeys Inc. and Crombie REIT.  Thor Jensen, of High River, A.B. is a fourth-year bachelor of business administration at the University of New Brunswick. He is a member of the Student Investment Fund (SIF) as well as the Law in Society program, which explores the economic, social, and philosophical interactions of law. In addition to his studies, Thor volunteers with a literacy program designed to help children develop reading skills.  Upon graduating from university, Thor looks forward to completing the Chartered Financial Analyst designation or studying law. Each year, the Frank H. Sobey Awards for Excellence in Business Studies presents six awards of $10,000 each. All full-time business students attending Atlantic universities are eligible for consideration. Deans of Business at each university are asked to nominate candidates – based on academic standing, entrepreneurial interest, extracurricular and community activities, employment history and career aspirations.Since their establishment in 1989, the Frank H. Sobey Awards for Excellence in Business Studies have awarded more than $700,000 to business students in the four Atlantic Provinces. Each university in the region offering a business program has had more than one recipient of a Frank H. Sobey Award.- 30 -

Posted at 2:02 PM

The huge global economic crisis is making Corporate Social Responsibility all the more important in today’s business world. With industries needing to be bailed out by the government, people need to be assured that their tax dollars are being spent properly. Here at UNB, students in the new MBA Professional Development program are being taught to think about more than just the bottom line.

Students helped contribute to the over $19,000 raised by the Fredericton community for the Canadian Cancer Society. The students raised the funds and competed in the annual Curl for Cancer fundraising event held recently at the Fredericton Curling Club.

In addition to the funds raised for cancer research the event provided the students an opportunity to learn about corporate social development. Students had the opportunity to network with members of the business community while learning how not-for-profit organizations raise their funds.

Mike Randall, President of Mike Randall Communications, also recently gave a presentation on Corporate Social Responsibility to the students. He emphasized that Corporate Social Responsibility has to be embedded into what a company is doing and if it is used only as a public relations tool it generally will not be effective.

By participating in events such as Curl for Cancer, and presentations from professionals like Mike Randall, MBA students are learning more than they ever could from reading a text book or listening to lectures.

As one MBA student, Christine Hartnoll put it, “The Professional Development course is a valuable new addition to the MBA program. I feel like I have developed a lot of new skills that I could not have learned in the classroom”.

However the true success of the events didn’t come from the amount of money raised or the lessons learned, but from the community support. One of the biggest things for Lloyd Chambers, Western Director of the New Brunswick chapter of the Canadian Cancer Society, was being able to attract the MBA students.

“Having a long business career, I think it’s very important for tomorrow's leaders to
participate in events like the Curl for Cancer,” said Chambers.

“As these MBA students turn into tomorrow's leaders, I would hope they remember the value of being socially responsible. It’s important in tough economic times to focus on community support, as that's when the community needs their leadership the most. They must learn to focus not just on their bottom-line, but to look to the future and recognize the value of supporting the community”.

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Posted at 2:00 PM