In 2023, the Government of Australia suggested that some of the country’s pension assets might be used to fund social housing or renewable energy. The idea received mixed reception, and to understand why, Lachlan Maddock of Investor Strategy News looked to Canada, where a group of business leaders called for pension funds to increase their holdings of Canadian equities. Maddock quoted research published by McGill Desautels’ Associate Professor of Finance Sebastien Betermier.

McGill University’s standing as a leading global research institution is under threat, writes Professor Anthony C. Masi in a Montreal Gazette op-ed. The Government of Quebec is undermining the university by reducing transfers for construction and renovation. These cuts will affect STEM disciplines, says the Professor of Industrial Relations and Organizational Behaviour and Special Advisor to the Dean.

Inflation has stretched the budgets of individuals and companies alike, and some firms have sought to find savings in the wages they pay their employees. A recent report from the Robert Walters recruiting agency found that Canadian firms are increasingly hiring underqualified employees. But that can backfire, says Professor Jean-Nicolas Reyt in interview with Canadian HR Reporter.

The length of a standard work week has been steadily declining for well over a century. In the 19th century, some factory workers in Canada were expected to work 72 hours each week. It wasn’t until the 1960s that the standard work week reached the current 40-hour norm. Today, the overwhelming majority of workers in Canada are in favour of further reductions. Many companies have already experimented with a four-day work week with reduced hours, and 91 per cent of them have chosen to stay with it.

McCall MacBain Fellowships offer students at select universities an opportunity to spend a year abroad. Valued at up to $30,000 and awarded by the McCall MacBain Foundation, Fellows spend one term studying a language, one term pursuing academic studies, and one term in a job placement or internship. This year, McGill students earned the honour. Mayra Baca El Hachemi, who is majoring in marketing at McGill Desautels and will be travelling to Japan. Monique Machioudi, who is studying for a minor in management, will travel to Taiwan and learn Mandarin.

Generative artificial intelligence promises to transform the way business is done, but in most industries, it’s still unclear exactly how it will be used. Footwear retailer ALDO is working with Montreal’s cluster of AI talent to explore how to leverage this emerging technology. In October 2023, ALDO staged its first Retail Gen AI Hackathon in partnership with the Bensadoun School of Retail Management and Amazon Web Services. The event offered over $10,000 in prizes to teams that worked collaboratively to devise generative AI solutions to real world retail challenges.