A core part of Ivey’s mission is to address critical issues facing organizations and society. Ivey’s goals are to be a thought leader in these areas; prepare our students to meaningfully engage in addressing these issues; and purposefully create spaces and forums where academics, business, and governments come together to understand and address these issues. Ivey has established the following three areas of focus where we will actively engage across research, teaching, and outreach:
Canada’s Place in the World
This critical issue addresses the role of business, government, and individuals to build innovative entrepreneurial ventures and support business to grow and operate in and beyond Canada’s borders, including both Canadian businesses going global and foreign business operating in Canada. It considers various perspectives and levels of analysis, including individuals, businesses, government policy, and the impact on home and host societies.
Areas of focus include:
- Canadian competitiveness,
- Entrepreneurship and innovation, and,
- Global citizenship.
Evolution of Work
This critical issue addresses the challenges faced by leaders, organizations, and institutions in the context of changes within internal and external environments, including changing technology, increasing understanding and focus on equity, and shifting organization-worker relationships. It also includes the roles and abilities of individuals and teams to thrive within an organization, development of leader character and competence, and the ability of leadership to successfully embrace change to create value and build strong, resilient organizations.
Areas of focus include:
- Employee evolution,
- Leadership evolution; and,
- Organizational evolution.
Sustainability
This critical issue explores how business and society meet their needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In this context, sustainability is viewed as a concept with a broad, interconnected agenda representing ecological, social, and economic dimensions. Using the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as guideposts, this issue considers the role firms play in addressing and confronting related challenges. Such related challenges include climate change, biodiversity loss, overconsumption of resources, widespread poverty, and how the prevalence of inequities presents fundamental challenges to societal prosperity and well-being.
Areas of focus include:
- Just transition to net zero,
- A regenerative circular economy; and,
- Sustainable innovation, institutions, and financial models.