Achievements from Seneca Business | Academic Newsletter | Seneca Polytechnic

in the June 2020 issue

The peer-reviewed article by Sameer Alrishani, School of International Business and Management, called “Activity-Based Costing in a Challenging Business Environment: An Instructional Case” was published in the Accounting Perspectives journal in March 2020.

Cam Tu Doan, School of International Business and Management, is one of the four faculty whose case memos submission will be taken further through the Seneca Case Development Centre. In this case, students will have an opportunity to develop a real solution for a challenge for Aramark, a global provider of food, facilities, and uniform services, and the contractor of Seneca College - "How to make receiving and shipping team safe and productive in coronavirus outbreak?"

Professor Doan also brought Lafarge (Canada's largest provider of sustainable construction materials and a member of the global group, LafargeHolcim) to join Seneca’s COVID-19 Hackathon as a sponsor. Lafarge will create a challenge set suitable for our Business students. The hackathon has been organized by FASET professors for students to solve business challenges due to COVID-19.

Varinder Gill, School of International Business and Management, will be working as Project Director to pursue an interdisciplinary research project in collaboration with the Seneca Innovation department and community organizations. The project will develop a new service with an online communications tool to support community organizations across Canada in delivering tax-filing assistance to people living on low income. This funded project will start in September 2020 with its completion in 2023. The researchers include the project director, a co-investigator faculty from the School of Information Technology Administration & Security, and student research assistants. They will work closely with community organizations, volunteers, and tax experts to create this new virtual service and tool, to ensure that the virtual tax preparation platform directly supports the organizations that deliver this free tax-filing assistance.

Judy Hooper, School of Hospitality and Tourism, shared the following example of one student’s creativity and attention to detail that exceeded expectations:

Students work throughout their entire course to build the confidence and knowledge to conduct a Shouted Command Unplanned Emergency Landing Drill.

This is a requirement of every student in our program, as well as a requirement of all flight attendants, and it is not an easy task. This drill pushes students outside of their comfort zone. Students usually have the luxury to practise these drills and perform their final drill in Seneca's Aircraft Simulator. We had to change this plan with all of our courses turning to an online format.

Shivjot Bining is a fourth-semester student. He accepted the challenge and certainly stepped up to the plate when pushed and did an exceptional job!

His megaphone is made out of a red plastic cup. His door handle was elongated. He selected a chair he could 'kick' up as we would in a real flight attendant's jumpseat. All of this while shouting his commands. What a display of creativity, professionalism, and confidence. These small details show a true understanding of the expectations. This is one example of how students have thought outside the box or the ‘cabin.’ Well done!

Shivjot Bining, a Flight Services student, conducting an unplanned shouted command drill for water evacuation

Professor Judy Hooper demonstrating the unplanned shouted command drill for water evacuation

Shelly Morris, School of International Business and Management, has been the recipient of the grant for developing an oped educational resource for project management. The open educational resource development will be a catalyst for a larger project to have a coordinated approach to project management programs and courses across Seneca.

Enactus Seneca was the runner-up in League I for the 2020 Enactus Canada National Expositions (Opening Round). Our team presented on their project, Access to Aspire. We are so proud of our team and their accomplishments!

Our Enactus President, Ashnaf Tazrian Zara, is a winner of the HSBC Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Award. Zara is the recipient of a $1,000 bursary towards her education and a $2,500 project grant for their Aspire project. Zara is a Seneca Business student and studying in the Honours Bachelor of Commerce - International Accounting and Finance program. She is an inspirational, determined, caring, smart leader and her award is incredible news!

Our team is coached by a fabulous group of faculty: Cristina Italia, Nancy La Monica, and Kareen Hall-Clarke. Nancy is from the School of English and Liberal Studies (NH and MK) and Kareen is from the Faculty of Applied Arts and Health Sciences; they have been there for the team from the beginning. Cristina Italia, School of International Business and Management, is the lead coach for our team. She led this team with passion and commitment – supporting them the whole way. The faculty and Chairs have been there to help guide and lead the students, providing great advice and support.

Access to Aspire (a summary by the students)

Access to Aspire is a multi-tiered project focusing on financial literacy and entrepreneurship that enables participants to engage with each component of the curriculum on an as-needed basis. Our mission is to empower, motivate, and encourage underprivileged youth in Toronto neighbourhoods to break previous barriers and develop a life they never thought possible.

One of our partners, the Toronto Strong Neighbourhood Strategy (TSNS), has designated 31 neighbourhoods in the GTA as neighbourhood improvement areas. These areas are where we will implement our project, starting with Scarborough Village, as its profile shows severe inequalities.

The first tier of Access to Aspire is a free in-person workshop, hosted by Enactus Seneca students, which will take place in local community hubs. This two-day workshop will build financial literacy fundamentals amongst participants and allow them to work individually and interactively in small groups to develop a sense of unity, connection, and commitment. The second tier is to be offered at a nominal fee through Seneca College and will lead to a micro-credential in business. During this course, the student will begin to learn more in-depth knowledge of entrepreneurship and will be introduced to key business concepts.

We will be partnering with Prosper Canada, a national non-profit organization based out of Toronto that aims to help those in need of financial assistance and guidance, to develop curriculum content for the first two tiers. Upon completion of this micro-credential, the student will receive a certificate of completion and will be directed to HELIX, Seneca’s on-campus incubator. This will provide our youth with the tools and resources necessary to develop their ideas and eventually to own and operate their own business. We will target youth with aspirations of leadership, entrepreneurship, and financial freedom in order to support the youth that stand to benefit the most from this initiative. By providing a project that fosters growth and provides guidance for effective entrepreneurship, finance, and business management, we expect to provide communities with much-needed support for the next generation of socially responsible business leaders.

View the June 2020 issue of the Academic Newsletter.