Business + Law is different from Business Law. With this framing in mind – and recognising the plethora of issues emerging at the intersection of law, business and finance in an age of rapid climate and technological change – McGill’s Business Law Platform and the University's Sustainable Growth Initiative launched a new collaboration and graduate student mentorship project, under the leadership of the CIBC Office of Sustainable Fina

The Caisse de dépot et placement du Québec is taking a 20% stake in the Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk, England. It is the UK’s first new nuclear power plant since the 1990s, and Professor Sebastien Betermier credits the government there with creating the favourable circumstances for private investors like the Caisse to take part in infrastructure development. “In this particular project, I believe the U.K.
Business leaders understand that AI has the power to generate tremendous value, but it is IT teams that have a deeper understanding of the underlying processes and what’s going on behind the scenes. “They better understand the potential dangers and pitfalls,” says Maxime Cohen, Professor of Retail and Operational Management and Director of Research at the Bensadoun School of Retail Management. And because AI needs significant human oversight, they need to be involved in its ideation and deployment.
Private market developers face an “investment catch-22” in getting infrastructure projects off the ground, Professor Sebastien Betermier wrote in a recent report for the C.D. Howe Institute. Private investors view new infrastructure markets as complex, unfamiliar, and high risk. But the infrastructure bank model can create value as a cost-efficient policy tool in the government ecosystem, Betermier concluded.
Twenty-eight young people in the Cayman Islands recently became the first group to complete the British Overseas Territory’s Youth Financial Literacy Programme. The government sponsored program prepares youth for real-world financial challenges and opportunities—and it is centered on the McGill Personal Financial Essentials course. The three-hour version of the course teaches youth budgeting, investing and retirement planning.
A recent study published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that white consumers with higher levels of ‘white guilt’ were more likely to buy from a Black-owned business than from a white-owned one—even if the Black-owned business was more expensive or had lower customer ratings. “The marketplace is becoming increasingly shaped by ideology and values,” says Siddhanth Mookerjee, an Assistant Professor at McGill Desautels and a co-author of the study.
On June 3, the McGill Sustainable Growth Initiative partnered with the Chinese University of Hong Kong to deliver a workshop called ‘Tackling Food Waste’. Professor Javad Nasiry spoke at the event, which featured discussions on research, business solutions, sustainable practices, consumer behaviour, and the role of technology in food redistribution.
Big problems demand collaboration—and climate change is one of the biggest problems we face. The Sustainability Academic Network (SUSAN) is a collaborative place where researchers from around the world can share their work. “I want SUSAN to be a social network for academics to get to know each other and connect their initiatives, so we can all fight climate change more efficiently,” says Prof. Juan Camilo Serpa, who created the network.
McGill Desautels will offer its Master of Management in Finance program in Luxembourg. The version of the program delivered in Luxembourg will be the same as the one taught in Montreal. A strategic partnership between McGill, Luxembourg’s Ministry of Finance, the Luxembourg Bankers’ Association (ABBL) and the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI). Luxembourg is a major financial hub, and Dean Yolande Chan calls the program “a new chapter in our mission do develop impactful leaders in finance.”
The de minimis exemption has played a major role in the rise of Chinese fast fashion brands like Shein and Temu. The exemption works like this: if an imported good has a value of less than $800, it is exempt from tariffs. The loophole has been around since the 1930s, but in recent years, it has given e-commerce brands that ship many smaller orders an advantage. “A retailer like Wal-Mart buys in bulk, and imports are much more than $800, so they pay tariffs,” Prof.
More than 34,000 Quebec households filed for insolvency between June 2024 and May 2025. That’s an increase of almost 5% over the previous year. For Benjamin Croituru, that’s cause for concern. “Everybody makes mistakes financially,” says Croitoru, the academic director of McGill Personal Finance Essentials, a free online financial course. “People face a system that is kind of rigged against them. There’s a lot of marketing that encourages people to spend too much money, to borrow money the wrong way.
Congratulations to Anabel Gratton (BCom’23), Damiano Mini (BCom’24), Delia Puiu (BCom’24), George Zergiotis (BCom Concordia’23), Giulia Marandola (BCom’24), Harley Belfer (BCom’23), Jade Raynaud (BCom’23), Joanie Marchand (BCom’24), Sarah Green (BCom’24), and Vincent Ducharme (BCom UOttawa’23) who were awarded the Arthur D Ruby Prizes in Management by the Graduate Cert

Hugo Deslandes (BCom‘24, GCPA’25) and Veronica Hall (BCom‘24, GCPA’25), students of the Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting (GCPA) program, have been selected among their graduating class as this year’s recipients of the C. Douglas Mellor Prize for Academic Excellence.
When people an affinity for a brand, they can feel as though it’s their friend. And Lego has a powerful brand. For many, the mere mention of the Denmark-headquartered maker of plastic building bricks evokes memories of wholesome childhood play. And the warm and fuzzy feelings that a brand like Lego catalyzes can have real effects on how people interact with it.
Until recently, the most common way that customers interacted with a company’s customer service was via human agents on the telephone, the web or a mobile app. But increasingly, customer service is being provided by chatbots. Even though chatbots offer instant availability, 24 hours a day, more than two-thirds of people still prefer to speak with a human agent, according to research by PWC, an accounting consultancy. Most companies use chatbots as the first line of customer service, writes Prof.
