S.07-4

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SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

Senate Committee on University Priorities

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Memorandum

TO: Senate FROM:

John Waterh

Chair, SCUP

Vice Preside

RE:

Faculty of Business Administration ?

DATE: ?

December

External Review

em ic

The Senate Committee on University priorities (SCUP) has reviewed the External

Review Report on the Faculty of Business Administration, together with a response from

the Faculty and input from the Associate Vice-President, Academic.

Motion:

That Senate approve the recommendations from the Senate Committee on

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University Priorities concerning advice to the Faculty of Business Administration on

priority items resulting from the external review.

The report of the External Review Committee for the Faculty of Business Administration

was submitted on April 27, 2006 following the review team's site visit, which took place

March 8 - 10, 2006. The response of the Faculty was received on September 27, 2006.

There was general agreement on the recommendations in the External Review from the

Faculty.

SCUP recommends to Senate that the Faculty of Business Administration and the Dean

are advised to pursue the following as priority items.

1. Research:

Develop a Faculty Research Strategy that;

a.

Has both qualitative and quantitative goals

that are indirect relationship

with the level of resources available to the Faculty.

b.

Reviews the longterm financial commitments to the new and proposed

Research Centres.

c.

Considers the appointment of an Associate Dean for Research.

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d. Continues to incorporate the research potential of all new hires relative to

long term research goals.

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e. Ensures that the entire strategy development process is transparent and

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that the agreed strategy is communicated to all concerned.

2. Faculty Strategy:

Review the following issues related to the overall strategic

planning for the Faculty, including;

a.

The determination of the appropriate balance and global focus of the

Faculty's target market.

b.

A review of its competitive advantages with regard to other Canadian

business schools and the broader impacts of being a 'ranked' business

school.

c.

Possible benchmarking against other Canadian business schools and be

continuously vigilant regarding the broader impacts of being a 'ranked'

business school.

3. Teaching:

Consider the broader collateral impacts on teaching resources when

expanding teaching programmes.

4. Outreach:

Continue to identify and develop opportunities for greater visibility and

community relations in the areas of the three campuses.

5. Student Services:

Continue to improve the services to students across all

programmes.

6. Communication:

Continue to seek ways of increasing communication between

faculty and staff members at the three campuses including the use of technology,

a web portal and the consideration of the introduction of an annual retreat.

Cc: Carolyne Smart, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration

is

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[1

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Faculty

of

Business Administration

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Response to the External Review Committee Report

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of April 27, 2006

Submitted September 27, 2006

This document provides a response to recommendations and comments from the external

review of the Faculty of Business Administration conducted in March 2006. The

response is based on discussions and input from faculty and administrative staff members

of the Faculty of Business Administration.

The external review report overall is positive and has noted the strengths of the Faculty

and the progress it has made since the last review in 1999. The reviewers recognize that

like most schools of Business the FBA has gone through a period of significant turmoil

that includes pressures on enrollments, changes in market demand, increased

competition, changes in critical success factors, and an extraordinarily competitive

market for faculty. In spite of these stresses the Faculty has responded successfully to

most of these challenges. The report notes accreditation of the FBA in 2006 by the

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) as a benchmark of our

success.

The reviewers made comments and/or recommendations in seven categories:

1.

Research

2.

Teaching

3.

Administration

4.

Environment

5.

Programs

6.

Outreach activities

7.

Student Services

Research

The external review committee arrived at a number of conclusions that collectively can

be summarized as a recommendation to continue to strengthen research productivity

across all areas of the FBA and to maintain the momentum achieved to date. We concur

that maintaining a focus on research should be the highest priority for the FBA and it will

be identilied as such in the next 3-year plan.

As the review notes the FBA has made progress in research performance since 1999.

5.

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• At least 3 disciplines have achieved Financial Times 40 ranking levels (notably

Management and Organization Studies, Marketing, and International Business).

• The Report also noted that the FBA is now ranked in the top 100 worldwide on at

least one research ranking - the University of Texas at Dallas ranking.

• More recently a 2006 report on Canadian University Publications ranks the FBA

third (often institutions) in the Comprehensive University category. (The results

are organized by the Macleans ranking categories).

• External research grants have grown from $145,920 in 1999 to $1,453,219 in

2006.

. We have achieved a 60% success rate with SSHRC/NSERC applications over the

past few years.

We believe that these achievements are indicative of a strengthened research culture

within the Faculty as well as strategic hires that have been made in the past few years.

However, we do recognize the opportunity for continuous improvement.

The external reviewers recommend that the FBA clearly define its research goals and

develop a clear research strategy. We agree that this is an important step and it is the

Faculty's intention to focus on developing this strategy over the next six months. While

the process must be widely consultative within the FBA and be cognizant of different

disciplines, the Research Director and the Research Committee already have started this

process. Initial discussions around developing a research strategy are scheduled for the

Faculty's next Priority and Planning Committee in September.

The Research Committee's goal is to promote excellence in research at SFU Business,

however, to achieve this there are many operational issues that need discussion. As part

of the Research Strategy development process we will consider issues such as:

• I low do we define excellence across the various disciplines and the Faculty as a

whole?

• Do we focus on specific areas likely to make the most impactor focus on all

disciplinary areas?

• What are the explicit objectives to be achieved; e.g. rankings, numbers of

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publications, types of publications, publication outlets, citations, etc.?

• What should be the goal of research; e.g. quality of publications vs. quantity of

publications?

• What specific metrics need to be developed to measure progress?

q.

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• What specific tactics will help us achieve the objectives; e.g. incentives, faculty

support?

During the past year (2005 - 2006) the Research Committee has made significant

progress in promoting and developing research productivity. Specific initiatives include:

• Creating a Research Website that includes a password-protected area for faculty

to access information on grants and other research funding.

• Establishing a Database of Faculty Publications

• Creating a New Research Initiatives Fund ($81,000 distributed in the last year)

• Establishing Relationships with Faculty Research Centres so that efforts in

various parts of the Faculty are being tracked and coordinated

• Creating research awards including an open award and new scholar awards

• Sponsoring faculty media training

The external reviewers stated they "did not see evidence of efforts to track and

communicate research successes across the faculty in a timely fashion" citing items from

2005 appearing on the FBA website. As the activities of the Research Committee noted

above show, timely reporting and visibility have been a priority of the Research

Committee. We do accept, however, that there needs to be better coordination and

communications between the Research Corrimittee and the Faculty's Marketing and

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Communications group responsible for the FBA website and this is being rectified

immediately.

Recruiting is perhaps the most critical lever for improving research quality and

productivity. The FBA has hired 35 new faculty members over the past 6 years (almost

half of our faculty complement) and we are seeing the results in increased research

success from these hires. Many of those hires were at the senior assistant and associate

level because we were looking for established research records. Those more senior hires

have enabled us to improve the research in the faculty not just through increased output

but also from the rebirth of interest in research promoted by the new faculty and the

growth in research grants. Faculty members are more vitalized now than they were seven

years ago.

The Appointments Committee has articulated the objective of hiring new faculty

members who have both the potential and demonstrated ability to contribute to the

research output of the Faculty. For both the 2005/06 and 2006/07 recruiting years, the

Appointments Committee has followed a strategy of seeking candidates who already

have established a track record rather than candidates who are untested ABDs (and who

likely would need a number of years to become productive members of the FBA). Our

recruiting strategy will continue to focus on individuals who:

1.

have completed their Ph.D.s or are near completion,

2.

have published research papers in quality journals,

3.

have a demonstrated stream of research as evidenced by working papers and

papers submitted to journals

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4. ?

have demonstrated teaching ability

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All the candidates invited

for

interviews during 2005/06 met the above four criteria. Even

in the instances where ABDs were made offers, these individuals had high quality

publications in journals, demonstrated streams of research, and were slated to defend

their dissertations prior to their employment at Simon Fraser University. It is anticipated

that this strategy will continue to improve the research output of the Faculty of Business

Administration in the coming years.

The external reviewers made comments several times on the relationship between

research and teaching noting that "hiring may be too program oriented rather than

research driven to be consistent with a strong research agenda" and that the FBA should

ensure that "appointments [are not] solely driven by teaching program needs." If the

Faculty is to achieve success, there must be convergence between the research and.

teaching missions. For this reason, we have attempted to seek individuals that can

contribute effectively to both research and teaching. It would be foolhardy to do

otherwise. However, it is clear that some faculty have comparative advantages in either

domain.

At times wehave sought specific candidates who could effectively contribute to

programs' teaching requirements. However, this has never been at the expense of

research (and vice versa). For example, two years ago we sought a senior individual to

teach in the Executive MBA program (which requires a special skill set - the ability to

effectively deal with adult learners). This individual is an excellent teacher and one of

the most Productive researchers in the Faculty. We also followed the same strategy with

respect to a hire last year for the new Entrepreneurship concentration in Surrey. We seek

the well-rounded individual. In this respect, the FBA's actions are entirely consistent

with SP J values: seeking excellence in both research and teaching.

Teachint

The External Review Report notes that in general teaching quality is high and there are

appropriate measures in place to ensure evaluation and revision. The FBA does place a

strong emphasis on teaching. We have a Teaching Effectiveness Director and

Committee. During the past year the Faculty has hired a teaching a teaching

enhancement specialist. High quality teaching is a key success factor for the Faculty

given that Business programs are premium fee programs and the competition for students

is intense (especially at the graduate level). We intend to continue our focus on

promoting quality teaching and in providing the tools to enable faculty to achieve success

in the classroom.

The reviewers note that some faculty members are very interested in overload teaching

through the Learning Strategies Group. These opportunities are controlled and

scrutinized by the Dean. Generally teaching permission is given only to faculty members

who are achieving satisfactory performance in their research programs.

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There is an error of fact in the report. The review states:

"

...there appeared to be no

operations management offering." In fact, there is an operations management course in

the Executive MBA (required for students in the CMA stream; elective for others). There

also is a similar required course in the Management of Technology MBA Program.

While the flBA program currently does not have an operations management course, one

is under consideration.

Administration

The External Review recommends that the FBA carefully assess what it means to be a

ranked business school. We have done that assessment. For the past few years this

objective has been operationalized as achieving Financial Times 100 ranking. Whether

or not we continue to pursue this objective or broaden it to focus on rankings of different

functions is an issue with which the Faculty must collectively deal over the next year.

We recognize that there may be inherent trade-offs to be made between achieving

research ranking success and Financial Times ranking success, which focuses on a wider

group of criteria including student-oriented issues.

The External Review notes that it had the "impression that the FBA does not have

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sufficient support staff to achieve the levels of student and other services that are

delivered at other ranked schools." We do have a dedicated staff complement that work

very hard and are effective. We do not intend to rapidly increase our staff complement if

program revenues cannot sustain this. The FBA is focused on continuous improvement

but administrative growth only will occur in targeted areas that meet our strategic

objectives. For example, we have recognized the need to add staff for graduate recruiting

and Career Services.

At the graduate level, it has become imperative to hire professional recruiters in order to

compete effectively with other schools all chasing the top candidates. Since the FBA's

graduate programs are primarily industry-focused (as opposed to having a general focus)

effective recruiting requires knowledge of both the educational content and industry-

specific experience e.g. financial services industry, technology, or biotechnology. This

skill set is difficult to find and when found it is expensive. The FBA's ability to hire

appropriate graduate recruiters has been hampered by existing HR policies (particularly

job grades) at the University level that do not differentiate between undergraduate

recruiting and premium business program recruiting. This is an issue that must be

addressed quickly to maintain graduate enrollments.

The reviewers at various times commented on the potential difficulties involved in

managing three campuses. They specifically recommended a focus on technology

solutions to facilitate communications and interactions between the campuses. In large

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part, this is a broader University issue facing more than just the FBA and we cannot deal

with it in isolation. However, within the scope of our own activities we have attempted

to find technological solutions.

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The FBA has experimented with many video conferencing technologies since 1999. The

current technology, a Polycom video conferencing system that is available thru LIDC

(Learning and Instructional Development Centre), has proven to be the optimal solution

within our budget. Meetings between campuses have been successfully conducted in the

last two years on numerous occasions. The faculty is currently seeking to increase the use

of this valuable resource.

The Faculty of Business Administration also has a Microsoft Exchange calendaring and

collaboration system. This system provides a valuable tool for our program

administrators especially to co-ordinate schedules and to facilitate email communications.

Currently the system is deployed only on a dedicated server at our Segal location,

however, there is an opportunity to expand the use of this system to our other locations

and to a broader group of users.

The reviewers recommend that the University should carefully evaluate its long-run

financial obligations to the FBA research centres. There appears concern that there may

be substantial exit costs. We do not see this as an issue since staff are not being hired on

a permanent basis. All parties involved recognize that only "soft" money is available so

short-term contracts and co-op placements are being utilized as required. No substantial

outlays for equipment have been made.

G

Environment

The Review team recommends that the FBA consider mechanisms to better coordinate

activities in a complex (3-campus) environment. We believe that many of their concerns

are over-stated. Technological solutions have been briefly discussed above. This is a

university-wide issue that affects all departments and Faculties who are active on three

campuses. (And other institutions that have multiple campuses). The FBA cannot solve

the perceived problems on its own. The reviewer's solutions to set aside a block of time

when all ficulty are available simply no longer is feasible. Our practice in earlier years

was to reserve Thursdays 11:30 -1:30 for this purpose. Since our Faculty has grown and

become more complex we've had to abandon this practice.

We do attempt to schedule events and meetings on all three campuses. Additionally, we

currently are developing a faculty web portal to provide one point of access for

information on events, policies, new initiatives, committee minutes, and discussion

groups. While technology may offer the opportunity for better coordination and

participation across our campuses, spending money on an annual retreat would be a good

way to ensure an ongoing collegial environment.

Programs

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The External Review Report made comments and observations with respect to FBA

programs. Many of these had to do with specific operational issues. We thank the

reviewers for their comments; these will be forwarded to the Program Committee of each

program for their information and review as part of the process of continuous

improvement.

Currently, the FBA is in a period of program renewal. The graduate programs especially

are under review due in part to a change in administrators and organizational structure

triggered by the move to the Segal Graduate School building. It has been open for one

year; consequently, the Faculty is going through a review process for virtually all the

graduate programs since it has become obvious that there are significant opportunities for

integration and synergy now that all graduate programs are located in one space.

It is likely that there will be changes in the content and structure of the graduate portfolio

over the next year. Competitive market changes as well as faculty interests and the new

Segal building drive this. Specific graduate program initiatives that the Faculty must

consider include:

. whether or not to replace the cancelled Specialist MBA Program with anew

program;

• whether or not to replace the current Special Arrangements MA in Financial Risk

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Management Program with aperinanent program;

• consider changes to the content and structure of the PhD program now that it has

achieved its target equilibrium enrollment figure;

The BBA program also has new opportunities to consider:

• seek approval for and develop implementation plans for the proposed BBA joint

program with ZU;

• successfully implement the new BBA concentrations at Surrey.

These iSSUeS will be managed through the appropriate governance committees in the

Faculty.

Outreach

The Review team notes

"

...the FBA has been quite successful in developing relationships

in the community." We are pleased that the reviewers have recognized our efforts in this

area. The FBA will continue to leverage the opportunities for greater visibility and

community interactions presented by the Segal building in downtown Vancouver and the

new Surrey campus. Also the Research Centres are ramping up their activities to present

lectures, breakfast seminars and other events of interest to the community.

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The Learning Strategies Group of the FBA also has been an effective vehicle for

connecting faculty members to the broader community. This group carries out the

executive education function for the Faculty. It develops educational programs for closed

enrollment MBAs (e.g. the Executive MBA cohorts for Alcan, Weyerhauser/Highland

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Valley delivered onsite in Kitimat and Karnloops; and a Graduate Diploma in Business

Administration program for Teck Cominco in Trail) and open enrollment executive

education certificates. The group also develops and delivers targeted short non-credit

leadership and management courses that are provided to companies primarily in the

Technology and Mining sectors.

The FBA also is supported by an active and interested External Advisory Board, which

sees its primary purpose as linking the Faculty to the business and government

communities. In addition, both the Global Asset and Wealth Management and

Management of Technology MBA programs have active business/advisory councils that

connect us to these critical industry sectors. All of these activities will enhance FBA

outreach.

Student Services

The reviewers pointed out that premium fee business programs across Canada have been

expanding the range and level of services they offer students. We concur with this

observation since it has become clear that the quality of the "student experience" is a key

success factor that influences both recruitment and retention. Our initiatives to address

this - hiring a student affairs officer for the BBA Program and developing a Career

Management Centre - were in recognition of the changed competitive landscape.

Prior to July 2004, SFU's Health, Counseling and Career Centre (HCCC) provided career

services for all Undergraduates and Graduates. The FBA funded two Career Managers

who worked within HCCC and provided services to SFU Business undergraduate and

graduate students. After conducting a strategic review in early 2004, the FBA decided to

create a new Faculty Business Career Services (BCS) to address the specific needs of our

graduate and undergraduate students. In July 2004, the new services began. An

Executive Director of BCS was hired to oversee the new operation. The Director is a

career professional with over 15 years of experience in marketing with the venture

capital, executive education and executive search industries at the international level.

In September 2005, the group changed its name to the SFU Business Career Management

Centre (CMC). This name change reflects the CMC's mission and emphasis on

education versus a placement service. It's mission is 'to provide exceptional career

management education and services to our students, alumni and the business

community'. CMC aims to do this through excellent career management education;

coaching and advising; efficient customer service for employers; and a high level of

engagement with students, alumni, employers, faculty, strategic partners and suppliers.

In the past two years the CMC has grown from two staff members to seven and a half

members.

The 1999 External Review was critical of student services. It can be seen from the

previous description that the FBA has invested heavily in Student Services over the past

'a.

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few years and we will continue to focus on this aspect as part of our next 3-Year Plan to

ensure the success of our programs.

Conclusions

We thank the reviewers for their recognition of the significant changes that have occurred

in the Faculty in the last seven years. The FBA has made progress on many fronts since

the 1999 review and we appreciate the reviewers' comments to help us refine our efforts

to sustain and enhance our reputation.

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REPORT OF THE EXTERNAL REVIEW COMMITTEE

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ON THE FACULTY OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

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SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

April 27, 2006

R. M. Korkie, ?

Professor Emeritus

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University of Alberta

J. I. McGill

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Associate Professor

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School of Business, Queen's University

V. L.

Pearson ?

Dean ?

College of Commerce, University of Saskatchewan

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REPORT OF THE EXTERNAL REVIEW COMMITTEE ON

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THE FACULTY OF BUSINESS SIMON FRASER

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UNIVERSITY

Summary

Introduction

This report presents the findings of the 2006 external review committee for the Faculty of

Business Administration (FBA) at Simon Fraser University. In this section we present an

overview

of

our main conclusions and recommendations. Detailed observations and

recommendations are provided in the body of the report.

Terms of Reference for this Review

The terms of reference furnished by the university are provided in Appendix 1 of this

report. The university seeks assurance that; a) quality in teaching programs is high, b)

quality in faculty research is high and a stimulating research environment is present, c)

faculty participation is high, and d) the environment is conducive to attainment

of

objectives. In addition, we were asked to comment on seven issues of particular interest

to the FBA. Since there is overlap between the university's concerns and the FBA issues,

our comments on the seven issues are provided throughout and at the end of the body of

the report.

Our views are motivated, in large part, by the fundamental objective of the FBA

expressed in the 2004-2007 Three Year Plan: "...

to become a ranked Business School

with an international reputation for excellence in research and its teaching programs

Overview of Conclusions and Recommendations

The following overview is brief and presented at a high level due to the large number of

detailed recommendations contained in the body of the report.

Research

We find that there has been some improvement in FBA research since the 1999 review;

in fact, the school is now ranked in the top 100 worldwide in at least one research ranking

[administered at the University of Texas at Dallas]. Simon Fraser FBA is ranked

82nd

in

North America and 93 in the world for publications in 24 top-tier business research

journals in the five year period 2001 to 2005. However, this research productivity is not

consistent across the FBA - most

of

the publications in the UTD ranking come from

three FBA areas. We see maintaining research momentum as the greatest challenge

facing the FBA in the coming years.

There are opportunities to develop a stronger research culture in the FBA. In order to

accomplish this, our conclusions and recommendations are as follows.

- Research goals and strategies need to be clear and accepted by a significant

number of faculty members.

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- Faculty salary budgets need to be consistent with the goals.

- Research areas need a critical mass of researchers and may therefore need to be

more focused.

- The criteria for merit compensation and other incentives for research performance

need to be clear and transparent and supportive of the research goals.

- Communications and mechanisms to deal with the possible adverse effects of

three campuses need to be found.

- The introduction of an Associate Dean of Research should be considered.

Teaching

Teaching quality seems high and measures are in place to ensure evaluation and revision.

In fact, the teaching emphasis seems to be stronger and more visible than the research

emphasis. Teaching allocation and programs needs to be linked to the goals of the FBA.

We strongly recommend that any plans for expansion or revision of teaching programs

consider the full cost, including faculty energy and effort required.

Administration

The overall administration seems to be handled well, particularly given the number of

new programs and resource and time constraints. We did have concerns, however, at the

tracking and reporting of research and in the presentation of clear guidelines to faculty

members regarding research expectations. We recommend that the FBA carefully assess

what is meant by a 'ranked" business school and the steps necessary to achieve such an

objective. Priorities and focus need to be established and trade offs will need to be made,

for example, between efforts to introduce new programs versus strengthening research

activities. The FBA is entering a period of significant faculty renewal. Hiring of new

faculty members must be based on the objective, the strategy, and the priorities of the

FBA.

Environment

The expansion into three campuses presents the greatest challenge to the attainment of

FBA goals, particularly those related to research. It is imperative that the best video-

conferencing and communication technology be available. In addition, mechanisms need

to be found to bring the faculty together on a regular basis, for example, in faculty forums

or cross-faculty research seminars.

Programs

The review committee considered each of the programs of the FBA. We recognize

significant improvements that have been made in the undergraduate BBA program since

the last review and note the strength of the Graduate Diploma in Business

Administration. Specific comments related to these and the other programs are provided

in the body of the report.

Outreach

In general, outreach activity is excellent. This is a particular strength of the FBA in our

view.

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Student Services

Services for students, particularly the BBA students, have increased significantly. There

is a broad range of services for all students. Services for students at the graduate level are

particularly important in premium-fee programs in a very competitive market place.

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REPORT OF THE EXTERNAL REVIEW COMMITTEE ON

THE FACULTY OF BUSINESS SIMON FRASER

UNIVERSITY

Introduction

This report presents the findings of the 2006 external review committee for the Faculty of

Business Administration (FBA) at Simon Fraser University. Many of the following

observations are based on the information provided the committee in the self-study guide,

while other observations are based on information obtained in our three days of meetings.

In some cases, the information available was limited and definitive conclusions were

therefore difficult.

Before presenting our conclusions, we offer a background comment. The FBA, like most

other schools of business in Canada, has experienced a period of significant turmoil in

recent years. The sources of this turmoil are well-known - changes in funding policies,

pressures to increase enrollments and access, a rapid drop in MBA and Executive MBA

enrollments across North America, entrance of new, private business education and

distance-learning enterprises, new competitive pressures to provide high levels of service

to business undergraduate and graduate students, and a highly competitive market for

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new faculty talent. Compounding these widely-experienced challenges, the FBA has also

had to manage a move into the downtown Segal Graduate School and an expansion into

the Surrey campus. The University should recognize that the FBA administration and

faculty have had to endure significant stress in the period since the last review in 1999.

They deserve credit for their efforts to respond to these challenges. The recent

accreditation of the FBA by the AACSB is a measure of the extent to which they have

been successful.

The report is arranged by topic that includes note-form observations, conclusions, and

recommendations relevant to each topic.

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Research

We were asked to provide assurance that: "The quality of faculty research is high and

faculty collaboration and interaction provides a stimulating academic environment."

Observations

• The FBA is now ranked in the top 100 worldwide in at least one research ranking -

.

• The Dean and the Tenure and Promotion Committee are willing to evaluate research

quality. Citations are viewed as very important and course release is provided for a

quality research record. However, signals to motivate research may not be

sufficiently clear and strong. For example, there seems to be some reluctance to

clearl y

reveal what the decision process is for merit salary increases and there does

not seem to be a transparent list of appropriate journals.

• We did not see evidence of efforts to track and communicate research successes

across the faculty, in a timely fashion. For example, the first two items in the

Research News section of the FBA website have items from, respectively, September

2005 and January 2005. For examples of such a newsletter, the FBA may wish to visit

some web-sites of other Canadian schools.

• The grants facilitator has made a difference in terms of the number and dollar value

of the grants obtained. The 'Research Funding Tracker' indicates a few large grants

and many small grants. However, it seems unusual and opaque that publication

records are not available at least for 2004.

• We were pleased to hear that there is an enforcement of no teaching in a faculty

member's research semester becasue this is a policy that other schools experiencing

rapid program change often fail to maintain.

• Research seminars may not be uniformly well-developed and seem haphazard.

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• The fund raising arm, SFU Business Advancement, intends to raise funds for faculty

chairs.

• Hiring may be too program oriented rather than research driven to be consistent with

a strong research agenda.

• Overall, the faculty is involved in many different programs that are likely to subtract

from a research objective.

• The three campuses present a very large obstacle to collegial interaction on research

matters.

Research

Conclusions and

Recommendations

• In the current period of faculty retirements, expansion, and renewal, there is an

opportunity to develop a stronger research culture in the FBA. However, budgets and

the challenge of operating on three campuses may work against such efforts.

• On Goals and Strategies

o Because the FBA has not clearly defined its research goals, it is difficult to

operationalize any goals related to becoming an internationally ranked school.

We suggest that the FBA clearly define its research goals with respect to the

levels of quality and quantity as well as the areas where they wish to compete.

For example, there is a difference between a ranked versus a recognized

faculty. The various Business School ranking organizations need to be

prioritized or dismissed. The issue of a critical mass of researchers needs to

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be addressed.

o Establish whether the University is prepared to provide the required resources

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to support the goals. If not, the goals need to be set in conjunction with the

;ç.

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University and related to its resources and the ability to raise external chair

funds.

o One of the issues facing most business schools is the importance of research

in a large number of internal and diverse areas, compared to other faculties. It

may be important for SFU and the FBA to decide on whether research

concentration in a limited number of areas provides the best allocation of

resources with the greatest impact.

o Irrespective of the selected goals and their operational ization, there needs to

be more transparency and benchmarks for faculty performance measurement

related to research. Clearly communicate the measurement, penalties, and

rewards to members of faculty. Note that these not be absolutely rule driven

but rules and judgment points should be revealed. (See the subsequent

comments on transparency.)

On the Effectiveness of the Current Strategy for Deliver

y

and Raising Profile

o We were asked to comment specifically on the effectiveness of the current

strategy. Based on our previous section's comments, it is difficult to respond

because of the lack of a clear objective and strategy, and resource constraints.

However, the addition of active new faculty and research grant success is

promising. The FBA appears to have made significant improvements since

the last review in 1999. Some suggestions in addition to the preceding section

are contained in the subsequent Administration subheading.

On the Effect of the PhD Program

• We were asked to comment specifically on the effect of the PhD program on

research. We view it as a necessity for a research oriented faculty but there is

unlikely to be significant research impact in the short term.

• The Ph.D. program need not be offered in all areas unless program quality and

student input quality are assured; a bad PhD program will be detrimental to

the faculty's reputation. The University and the FBA must ensure that there

are sufficient resources to attract very high quality students. The issue of

accepting students into areas where the market professorial demand is low and

not very deep needs to be addressed. In implementing the program, the FBA

must ensure that the reward structure for supervision and related issues is well

communicated to the faculty.

On Intra Faculty Communication and Transparency

• Clearly defined research objectives require incentive compatible rewards and

penalties that are enforceable. Without this, it is unlikely that the research

objectives can be attained. In addition, we suggest the following.

• Decide and communicate to the faculty members how publication outlets are

ranked with respect to the FBA's objectives.

• Specifically, address the evaluation and reward problem of multiple

publications in poorer quality outlets versus fewer publications in high quality

?

is

outlets, as defined by the FDA's objectives.

jq.

I

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o Ensure that research seminars and brown bag luncheons are working to

enhance mentoring, exchange, etc.

• The existing idea of giving teaching release for good research is reinforcing if

it is transparent and widely known.

• Two year review periods may not be the best for efficiently evaluating and

rewarding ongoing research programs that have longer publication cycles.

• The AACSB peer review suggested more detail on getting academic staff on

side. How has-the FBA addressed that issue?

On Research Administration

o We recommend that the faculty consider creating a new position of Associate

Dean of Research. This position would be empowered to greatly expand the

profile of research in the FBA and could also assume direct responsibility for

any non-MBA, research-oriented graduate programs, administer grants, sit on

SFU boards, coordinate research activities and announcements, and work with

the PhD director. This is an administrative model followed at other schools of

business. (Note: one committee member is reluctant to give this high priority.)

o Pay very careful attention to the research potential of any future faculty hires

?

- such appointments cannot be solely driven by teaching program needs.

.

0

Foster research collaboration and communication across the three campuses

Videoconferencing technology can be used to encourage 'virtual' attendance

and participation at the three campuses.

o Communicate and celebrate research success internally and publicly. Improve

the timely tracking and reporting of research accomplishments by introducing

a research news bulletin or online equivalent - top-tier journal and other

Observations

• The teaching emphasis seems to be stronger and much more visible than the research

emphasis.

• In genera!, teaching quality seems high and measures are in place to ensure evaluation

and revision. The concern for the quality of teaching is indicated by the hiring of a

teaching facilitator, which is likely to further enhance quality.

• The undergraduate student involvement and initiatives are quite remarkable and a

major improvement since the 1999 review.

• The Teaching Effectiveness Committee indicates contentment with the current state

of affairs. However, there exists heterogeneity in teaching quality that could be

addressed. For example, a number of students have indicated a persistent problem in

the teaching quality of TAs in other Faculties as well as in certain internal foundation

courses. The complaints are as simple as the TA not being able to communicate

clearly in English, which is inconsistent with University policy.

• Whereas the longitudinal exit surveys of students are a good idea, the FBA should

also pay attention to the BC University Student Outcomes Surveys that give relative

statistics. For example, the 2004 survey of 2000 graduates suggest that the education

and information acquired at the Faculty is not at all useful in their work. Also, a

higher percentage of the FBA's grads think that the acquired or facilitated

quantitative and computer skills were very low and, in addition, they seem to end up

in jobs that don't require them. Also, it seems that a much higher percentage of SFU

grads are employed in the Government, Education, or Social Science category than

the Business, Finance, and Administration category and with a relatively low pay

skew.

Teachinj' Conclusions and Recommendations

We were asked to comment specifically on the FBA's teaching/research portfolio. Some

of our preceding comments on research are also germane to this question.

• Again, there is a need to tie teaching allocations back to the FBA's goals and manage

the teaching-research allocation components. Clearly, there are some faculty that

have a comparative advantage in teaching vis a vis research.

• It is strongly recommended that, in any expansions and revisions of teaching

programs, adequate account be made of collateral impacts such as the division of

faculty energies and the extra effort required. One possible way to accomplish

accurate assessment of new programs is to develop transfer pricing

of

faculty

teaching time that is commensurate with the actual impact. Thus, for example, a

proposed program could be 'charged' on paper twice the actual faculty compensation

per course as an overhead tariff. This will lead to more rational decisions about

viability of new programs and determination of break-even points in revenue-based

planning.

• There are some indications that some faculty members are uninterested in regular

program teaching yet seem very interested in overload teaching through the Learning

Strategies Group (EMBA). This may be attributable to the attractive added pay as

well as the fact that the teaching is of very short duration. If the cost

of

a faculty

cf.

---

.

member buyout is not equal to these external teaching opportunities, the FBA will

encourage these and other less desirable substitutions.

The quantitative course offerings seemed somewhat limited; for example, there

appeared to be no operations management offering.

Administration

We were asked to provide assurance that, "The Department members participate in the

administration of the unit and take an active role in the dissemination of knowledge."

Observations

• Overall, the existing administration of the FBA seems to have done an excellent job

in a very difficult situation regarding new programs, resource constraints, and time

constraints.

• The committee spent most of its time during the campus visit with a subset of faculty

who seemed to be carrying most of the administrative burden. Many of them carry

multiple roles. Attendance at an open meeting with faculty was small and this limited

contact with regular faculty left us unable to assess faculty-wide commitment and

involvement with the FBA's many new initiatives.

•

?

• A first impression is that the number of new initiatives seems large. This is tempered

by the fact that there is a renewal of programs where some have been cancelled and

replacements established. In addition, this is probably a high point in the cycle.

• We assume that the FBA objective to become a 'ranked' business school refers to

placement in one or more of the national or international business journal or

newspaper rankings that have become, for better or worse, so prevalent in recent

years. Perhaps the best known of these are

Business Week (U.S.), Financial Times

(U.K.), The Wall Street Journal (U.S.),

and

Economist (U.K.).

It was not clear to the

committee that the FBA had explored the implications of such rankings. For

example, these rankings typically give substantial weight to such measures as

graduate salary increases and graduate and employer satisfaction while placing little

or no weight on research, or distinctive and innovative teaching programs, or the

environment.

• If the FBA intends to be mission driven, then the mission statement should reflect the

objectives and accomplishments. The current mission statement and its supporting

statements do not describe reality in the FBA.

• It is not clear how any of the 3-year plan impacts individual faculty members who

will be, in part, responsible for achieving the objectives. What are the tactics and

incentives compatible with accomplishing the objectives such as reward for

compliance, penalties for non-compliance, resource allocation, and dismissal?

• There seems to be very little open discussion about the FBA's strategy for

differentiating itself from the UBC Business Faculty.

. ?

• Issues of tenure denial at the faculty level and lack of concordance at the University

?

level may be an issue in the future development of the Faculty.

vI

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• Does the FBA have a comparative advantage in tailoring programs and research to

the Pacific Rim, as advocated by some faculty members?

• The FBA has consolidated the many previous points of contact with Graduate Studies

that should encourage efficiency at both levels. However, small and sometimes

inconsequential points of disagreement seem to exist that should be resolved.

• There seems to be an issue of external teaching, internal teaching, and salary that may

be below market for some faculty. However, precluding external teaching without

other salary compensation may affect retention.

• There has been some increase in the number of administrative staff at the FBA, for

example, in career and student support services; however, the administration still

seems 'thin' relative to other business schools in Canada offering high-service

educational environments.

• There seems to be ongoing technical problems in the intercampus video

?

communication technology that affects all of the FBA's mandates.

• Availability of secretarial staff support for ad hoc faculty needs is not clear and some

faculty are unsure of what is available to them and whether staff can refuse the work.

• There is a perception by outsiders that the faculty has too many support staff and

faculty in administrative positions. At a high level, we do not agree with this

perception; although, at a more micro level there may be need for revisions.

Administration Conclusions and Recommendations

We recommend that the FBA carefully assess what is meant by a 'ranked' business

school and the steps necessary to achieve such an objective. There is a difference

between journalistic ranking (based on income and satisfaction measures) and

international recognition as a fine business school (based on research prominence and

recognized innovative and successful teaching programs). Then, a strategy focused

on placement in rankings can imply increased attention to such activities as generous

student-services, career counseling, and strategic admission of underemployed

students (to achieve greater salary increments after graduation), and less attention to

scholarly elements of a program. If the school really wishes to pursue such rankings,

they may find themselves pressured to relax the interest in increased research

prominence becasue it has little ultimate bearing on rankings success.

We recommend that the FBA benchmark itself against one or two other business

schools in Canada that have received 'ranked' recognition for their programs. We are

certainly not proponents of wholesale expansion of administrative staff; however, it

was our impression that the FBA does not have sufficient support staff to achieve the

levels of student and other services that are delivered at other ranked schools.

Particular attention should be paid to staffing levels in career services, executive

MBA, and executive programs.

• As mentioned above, we were not able to determine the level of faculty member

understanding of and commitment to FBA initiatives and goals for the future. If the

issue of faculty participation is important to the University, we recommend that a

survey relating to these issues be conducted of all faculty members.

,73

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.

?

With regard to friction with the university Graduate Studies Office, this has been

experienced at other universities. We believe that a major source of such problems is

modern pressure on business schools to achieve rapid change, employ revenue-based

planning, and maintain a very high 'customer-service' model for students. There will

be inevitable conflict with the traditional 'student as supplicant at the temple of

knowledge' model found in many graduate studies departments. We recommend that

the university consider relieving the Graduate Studies Office of the burden of

monitoring the large, non-research, professional (chiefly MBA) programs at the FBA.

• The communication technology and resources deserve high priority if the

administrative goals are to be met. Perhaps there is a need for universally compatible

software to facilitate communication between campuses and departments and to

facilitate staff work. For example, common LAN scheduling software, video-over-IP,

and expanded videoconferencing facilities may prove useful.

• If incoming salaries are low relative to market, it is likely that the FBA will not attract

the best research and teaching faculty. This implies that unrealistically high goals

will not be met. It is imperative that the FBA's attainable goals be well established

and their funding be determined.

• The initial hiring decisions seem critical in the SFU environment for a number of

reasons. Policies respecting program versus research hires should be well thought out

and rigor applied to the hiring process.

. ?

. If this has not already been done, the university should carefully evaluate its long-run

financial obligations to the new and proposed research centers. It has been a common

experience at other universities that new centers are formed and, on the strength of

seed money, expand to hire administrative and other staff. Some centers persist as

long as the seed money holds out and then falter. The university can be left

responsible for substantial 'close-down' costs such as those associated with disposal

of equipment and facilities and employee severance or out-placement. One obvious

solution to this risk of new centers is to hold-back a portion of the seed money for

such contingencies.

• Decide whether the Pacific Rim is the area in which the FBA wishes to achieve

international recognition. If International Finance, Marketing, and/or Business are

the priority areas, this may require additional faculty resources.

• Ensure that administrative policies are transparent and readily available.

Environment

We were asked to provide assurance that, "The environment is conducive to the

attainment of the objectives of the Department."

Observations

• The expansion into three campuses presents the greatest challenge to the attainment

of objectives, particularly those related to research. Generally, the FBA is well-

.

?

positioned in the Vancouver area and the province, with a particular advantage in its

reputation for strong interactions with the business community.

V.

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• There is significant concern by faculty for the loss of synergistic environment for

research due to the physical split of faculty into three locations. The biggest effect

would be on interdisciplinary endeavors.

Environment Conclusions and Recommendations

• Regarding the integration of faculty and staff across three campuses, it is imperative

that the best video-conferencing and communication technology be available. It is

important that this is available on demand and does not need to be scheduled.

Innovation in this area will be worthwhile. The IRMACS program, already in

existence on campus, may be a useful starting point.

• Set aside a weekly or monthly block of time when all faculty members, or all faculty

in related areas, are free for research seminars. This may require some rescheduling

of teaching and administrative duties. This can be done on a related-area basis so that

for example, faculty in Accounting can attend Finance seminars and vice-versa.

• Facilitate faculty members visiting another of the FBA's three campuses. For

example, access to computer stations and reading and research kiosks may ensure

efficient use of time.

Programs

We have touched on some program issues in conjunction with other topics. The

following are observations and conclusions related directly to the programs. In some

instances, the responses were requested by the programs.

PhD

• The recent introduction of a PhD program is an essential step if the FBA wishes to

expand its visibility as a research school. The benefits of a program at the FBA are

apparent; the stimulation and amplification of FBA research, the potential for

significant new findings by students fully occupied with research questions, and the

increased incentive for faculty teaching or advising doctoral students to remain

abreast of latest developments in their fields. However, we are concerned that each

student can tailor their program to their own interests. We feel that this might lead to

students obtaining a PhD is areas that are not marketable and that there may be a lack

of depth in the faculty for their interests.

• It is our perception that Grad Studies would like to see a successful PhD program and

may be willing to reinvestigate funding issues.

• There is a difference of opinion between what a PhD student should be in different

areas; this needs to be resolved.

• There seems to be some indifference on the part of faculty. The cause of this requires

investigation and a solution if highly qualified faculty members are opting out of the

program.

• In the core PhD there are three courses called respectively, Theory Development in

Business, Research Methods in Business, and Preparing a Thesis. This seems like a

significant waste of three courses. These should be abandoned and it should be left to

.

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the areas to decide what methodology and research courses are important. (Note:

One

of

this committee's members was not in agreement with this recommendation,

particularly as it relates to research methodology.)

The self-study package indicates that the FBA are developing a system and personnel

for PhD student placement. This also seems like a waste of resources.

For a new PhD program, ensure that travel money for student conference

presentations continues to be available.

Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (GDBA)

• The GDBA seems like a successful program. Being an online program is a great idea

from a variety of viewpoints including being a good feeder to other programs and also

satisfying a market niche. At the moment, it is likely not a good idea to extend this to

an online MBA.

• There seem to be some problems related to lack

of

online student participation.

Perhaps, teams should cross evaluate based on a formal performance contract that

identifies requirement and penalties for lack of participation including grade

penalties.

MBA

We have been asked to comment on the structure, administration, support, and

. governance of MBA programs related to recruitment and long term viability. In addition,

specific questions have been raised by the programs. Our observations and comments are

as follows.

Despite the recent recovery in enrollment, grad student data from SFU programs

seems to indicate the possibility of a dramatic decline in future MBA enrollment,

particularly the EMBA. It wasn't clear whether this is an SFU Business effect or

whether it is a more general MBA market effect, noting that other grad enrollment

seems to be steady or increasing at SFU, and it takes

50%

to

75%

of the time

of

a

regular graduate program to obtain an MBA.

If

it is a general market effect, then it seems reasonable to continuing searching for

market niches. The downside of this turnover in programs is that it takes time for

program reputations to be established and for niches to be discovered and branded. If

it is a SFU Business effect, serious investigation needs to be completed.

• The emerging managers MBA may be a poor name for this new program that appears

to be an MBA program that essentially reduces the entrance experience requirements.

In principle, there is nothing wrong with this, if there is a market for the students and

the academic integrity

of

the program is maintained. There is precedent for this lack

of work experience in many universities that offer joint engineering and MBA and

joint law and MBA programs, for example; however, this program needs to be

carefully thought out before a decision to proceed is made. Aside from joint

programs, we recommend consideration of a cooperative work component to this

program, similar to the very successful undergraduate co-op program. The FBA is

• ?

already a leader in the provision of business co-op education. Such an option in the

MBA would be relatively unique in the Canadian MBA market and would offer

students the opportunity to gain on-the-job experience. Rethink the idea of only

V

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.

allowing specialization in marketing, emerging markets, or general courses. Finance

and accounting may be desirable electives for quantitatively skilled undergraduate

students from engineering and the physical sciences as well as foreign students in

general.

The FBA may wish to query what seems to be an inequity between the funding of non

theses programs in other faculties and the University's allocation of funds to MBA

programs.

• In general, there seems to be a large number of MBA programs in the faculty. This

may be creating a branding nightmare. In general, it may not be advisable to invent

brand names that are not well-known in the market. For those programs that are more

MSc type, look at other programs in the market that you are trying to emulate and

then rename accordingly.

• The Learning Strategies Group has made some good initiatives and has a built in

system for cleansing the system of weak programs.

• The SFU Business Marketing and Communications Group indicates that it is

branding the business school in a manner that distinguishes it among its primary

competitors for MBA students. What is the brand and how successful is it?

EMBA

As mentioned previously, there is a potential decline in future MBA demand. There

is a competitive market reality of program shortening in reputable MBA programs at

other Universities. The FBA will need to monitor the demand and determine if they

are losing students to other programs.

The joint CMA seems like a successful idea.

• There may be a student demand for more electives in the EMBA.

• Cancel the international trips to Europe and potentially substitute a Pacific Rim trip if

?

productive contacts can be made and to make it more relevant to the FBA markets.

• There is an indication that the teaching in some of the program is poor and

detrimental to the EMBA's reputation. A short run alternative may be to hire high

quality visitors providing resources are available.

• The project element of the program is viewed as successful by some students and

some faculty but costly in terms of supervision. Also, there were some negative

comments about the involved firms. It may be advisable to investigate other

programs and simply remove the project in favor of an elective.

MBA in Global Asset and Wealth Mana2ement (GAWM) and Master's in Financial

Risk Man aRement (FRM)

• These are innovative and well-developed programs with a market demand for the

output that is not yet clear. This will depend greatly on the quality of the students in

terms of both their technical and communication skills. Accessing the Toronto

market for student placement will be based on establishing a well respected program.

• The GAWM is a small program evidently motivated by initial industry interest and

funding. The committee questions the long term sustainability of the program and the

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alignment of the age, experience, and language skills of students with the goals of the

industry sponsors.

• There is continuing demand for university graduates with specialized training in a

FRM program beyond that provided in undergraduate or MBA programs. This

program appears well-motivated. There is a possible synergy with the GAWM

program if that program remains viable in the long run. However, as it stands the

FRM program appears to be an MSc program and not an MBA program. There

seems to be a misconception regarding Graduate Studies Faculty rules and whether or

not the degree MSc can be used. Our feeling, based on our conversation with Grad

Studies, is that you will be successful in naming it an MSc program providing that the

case is made.

• In our opinion, it will be difficult to crack both markets nationally because of related

competitive graduate finance programs.

• If you want to call GAWM an MBA, the FBA should require the equivalent of the

GDBA before entry.

• The CFA is becoming a necessity for placement in the finance sector. Consider

integrating the CFA program into the GAWM and FRM programs. Have students

register for the CFA and encourage them but do not require the CFA designation in

order to obtain the degree. You might investigate becoming a partner with the CFA

through their

been made in creating a sense of community for the undergraduate student

population.

• The committee received some anecdotal comments relating to business school

advisors, teaching assistants, and quantitative methods coursework that are detailed in

Appendix 2 of this report. Some follow-up on those issues should be undertaken.

• The FBA may wish to examine whether some of the undergraduate majors should be

eliminated or at least combined to reflect scarce resources.

Outreach

We were asked to comment on the strategies for maintenance and the growth of external

relations.

• In general, outreach activity is excellent and historically has differentiated SFU from

UBC. The activity seems facilitated and enhanced by the various Business Advisory

groups. The co-op option has been a very effective outreach program, as well.

Outreach is also an upside of the three campus configuration. The Segal Centre will

certainly magnify the FBA's presence in the downtown community and could very

well prove to be a significant advantage.

• The FBA's outreach capabilities may position it to offer a downtown business

speakers series, industry funded research, etc. For example, an ad hoc luncheon

speaker series could consist of successful FBA or institute research interpreted for

application, "star" academic, business, and government visitors.

Student Services

While student services were not one of the focuses of the University's terms of reference,

we make special mention here because they were an issue in the 1999 review.

It was evident to us that the introduction of the undergraduate Student Affairs Officer

has been very successful in developing undergraduate student involvement and

community. Perhaps an analogous full or part-time appointment for graduate students

could serve well. We note that premium-fee programs across Canada have been

greatly expanding the range and level of services offered to students, particularly

MBA students. Examples include purchase of textbooks and provision of course

notes and other materials for all courses, availability of professional team and

individual counseling services, enhanced career services, frequent funded social

gatherings, and active support for clubs and other student initiatives. The objectives

of such practices are obvious - wherever possible, remove bureaucratic and

administrative burdens from students to allow them to maximize the time spend on

learning and interacting with fellow students.

.

S

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• There seems to be some inconsistencies in the accuracy of programming advice to the

variety of students entering from diverse entry channels. Business advisors are not of

uniform quality causing unnecessary problems.

• If the FBA decides to be visible in national and international student case

competitions, it will need to provide incentives to attract faculty support from all

areas to assist the students.

Responses to Seven FBA Questions (See Appendix 1)

We repeat below the seven questions that are included in the terms of reference along

with our brief responses. Elaboration is provided in the preceding portion of the report.

1.

How.effective is the current strategy for delivering on and raising our research

profile?

We find that there is a need for increased attention to the research

culture at the FBA. We have responded to this in the conclusions and

recommendations above.

2.

Is the portfolio of teaching programs and overall balance between teaching and

research optimal?

It is difficult to comment on 'optimality'; however, the current standard

. teaching load for faculty is comparable to that in other strong business

research schools. There is a danger, in schools that are rapidly

launching or changing new programs, that experienced faculty will be

under continual pressure to develop new courses and engage in 'short

term' overload teaching as the programs develop. Unfortunately, in a

climate of continual program development, such practices can become

far more than temporary. The careful enforcement of research

semesters, noted above, is an excellent practice and should be

continued.

3.

How best do we achieve integration of faculty and staff across 3 campuses in order to

avoid locational silo effects?

The FBA clearly recognizes this as a significant challenge. As

mentioned above, we can only recommend that active steps be taken to

involve faculty across the campuses in joint activities such as research

seminars or faculty forums and that every effort be made to facilitate

communication through new technologies like videoconferencing and

Video over IP.

4.

What strategies will allow us to maintain and grow our relationship to the broader

community?

In our view, the FBA has been quite successful in developing

relationships in the community. The regional MBA's in Kitimat and

Kamloops and the activities of the Learning Strategies Group (LSG)

should all continue to broaden the FBA's impact. We note that

J

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Executive Programs like those offered-through the LSG are particularly

effective ways of improving contacts with the business community.

5. What are the most effective means for provision of broader services to Business

students - Undergraduate and Graduate?

See comments under conclusions and recommendations.

6.

Evaluate the structure, administration, support and governance of MBA programs,

with particular attention to recruitment and long-term viability oftheprograms.

This is a 'tall order'. We hope our comments in conclusions and

recommendations above offer some useful suggestions. Generally, the

MBA market is very volatile at this time and may remain so for some

time to come. We can only repeat our advice that new programs should

be launched cautiously and with a realistic assessment of the true

impact on other FBA missions such as research. See the conclusions

and recommendations.

7. Evaluate the potential contribution of the new PhD program to the FBA's research

profile.

See comments under conclusions and recommendations.

.

11

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.

Appendix 1

TERMS OF REFERENCE

?

Faculty of Business Administration

?

Simon Fraser University

?

External Review 2006

The purpose of the external review process is to provide the University with assurances

that:

a)

The quality of the unit's teaching programs is high and there are measures in

place to ensure their evaluation and revision.

b)

The quality of faculty research is high and faculty collaboration and interaction

provides a stimulating academic environment.

c). The Department members participate in the administration of the unit and take an

active role in the dissemination of knowledge.

S

d) The environment is conducive to the attainment of the objectives of the

Department.

The Review Committee will assess the Department and comment on its strengths and

weaknesses, on opportunities for change and/or improvement, and on quality and

effectiveness. The Review Committee should make essential, formal prioritized

recommendations that address its major concerns, with reference to the resources

available to the Department and the objectives described in its three-year plans.

Issues of particular interest to the University and/or the Faculty that we would like the

review team to consider during the review are:

1.

How effective is the current strategy for delivering on and raising our research

profile?

2.

Is the portfolio of teaching programs and overall balance between teaching and

research optimal?

3.

How best do we achieve integration of faculty and staff across 3 campuses in

order to avoid locational silo effects?

4.

What strategies will allow us to maintain and grow our relationship to the broader

community?

5.

What are the most effective means for provision of broader services to Business

students - Undergraduate and Graduate?

32

,uI

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6.

Evaluate the structure, administration, support and governance of MBA programs,

with particular attention to recruitment and tong-term viability of the programs.

7.

Evaluate the potential contribution of the new PhD program to the Faculty's

research profile.

.

.

33

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Appendix 2

Anecdotal Comments from Students

• Tutorials handled by TAs in some faculties are poor.

• Computing instruction lacks quality.

• Apparently, there are lecturers in the GAWM program that are saying that the theory

part of the program is a waste of time.

• Entrance to classes, particularly at the 400 level, is sometimes difficult to obtain.

Improvements have occurred but problems still exists making it difficult to plan

programs in advance.

• More theory is required in the statistics classes compared to what is now contained in

the paradigm shift to pure applied courses.

• All students liked the co-op experience.

• Scholarships need to recognize other activities as well as grade point average.

• Business student advisors are not always well-informed

• There may be a need for an operations management course.

• Faculty for coaching cases and competitions are difficult to find.

• Need more electives in the EMBA.

P-j

S