RED RIVER COLLEGE Business Applied Research ACME RRC Prepared by Tatjana Brkic 1/20/2013 This document has been developed to provide an overview of applied research activities in business at RRC 1
Table of Contents Overview of Applied Research in Business at RRC ACME 3 Pilot Projects Summary 4 Results 5 Future Steps 6 2
Overview of Applied Research in Business at RRC ACME department: The applied research has been integrated in RRC business department through two initiatives Gateway to Applied Research in Business, phases 1 and 2 funded by internal CARD grants between 2011 a 2013 Applied Research in Renewable Energies funded trough NSERC grant, managed by RRC applied research department in a period 2013-2014 Gateway to Applied Research in Business initiative is intended to assess opportunities in applied research within the ACME department at RRC. The project has been implemented in two phases Gateway to Applied Research in business Phase 1 included environmental scan, short benchmark analysis limited to Canada, USA and EU and a review of strategic objectives at RRC, provincial and federal level. The focus was on identifying opportunities for a sustainable applied business research at RRC... Based on the results of this analysis eight pilot projects have been designed and implemented between 2011 and 2013 within Business Administration (BA) and International Business (IB) Programs. Pilots include: 1. Global Solar Industry research and analysis 2. Socially Responsible Guides to Doing Business in selected countries 3. Guides to Doing Business with Ethnical Communities in Manitoba/Canada 4. Strategic Planning for Microenterprises focused on international and community development 5. Comparative analysis of global economic development strategies in indigenous and aboriginal groups 6. Business Plan Development for Microenterprises 7. Applied research based co-op program 8. Canadian Solar Energy research and analysis Gateway to Applied Research in business Phase II is currently underway. It includes: Research share, feedback gathering and review Implementation of pilot projects 4-7 - Determination of best practices, methodologies and topics in applied business research at RRC Identification of potential funding opportunities for the continuation of applied business research In this phase research reports are shared and feedback is solicited from a review group consisting of academics, business people, community members and government employees. These stakeholders are asked to read one of the reports generated in the Phase I of the Gateway project and provide feedback related to the relevance, usefulness, clarity and content coverage of the particular research report. At the same time students who participated in pilot projects are surveyed to obtain feedback about the methodologies and approaches used in implementing the projects. Feedback is being integrated in new pilots, which are shared with a broader stakeholders group. The idea is to continue this process with every new applied research project in order to create a live, vibrant, pertinent applied research function with a build in continuous improvement process 3
Applied Research in Renewable Energies funded by NSERC represents a continuation of our work in global research of solar sector, which started under Gateway initiative. This project will be implemented between January 2013 and April 2014 and it will result in development of global intelligence reports in Geothermal Energy. If successful, this project may open doors to establishing a permanent applied research practice in the area of eco friendly technologies and renewable energies at RRC. Pilot Projects Overview Pilots successfully implemented under the Gateway to Applied Business Research include: 1. International Solar Energy Industry Analysis, a project fully integrated in International Business program with a focus on Concentrated Solar Parabolic (CSP) technology. The results of this project were 4 industry intelligence reports about large scale CSP applications in Asia, Latin America, Europe and North America. CSP applications were chosen to complement the parabolic trough research in engineering at RRC. The best report in this group has been shared with the review group. Feedback was positive resulting in the expansion of this project to photovoltaic technologies and geothermal energy planned for 2013/14 under the NSERC fund. 2. Socially Responsible Guides to Doing Business - a project involving the development of socially responsible trade guides for Brazil, Turkey, India and China. This project was conducted with second semester International Business students as an assignment in International Political Economy course. The idea was to draw on multidisciplinary, multicultural mix of our students to develop trade guides that would reflect a variety of perspectives and nurture cultural understanding and respect in business conduct. This project was positively evaluated by the review group and the feedback resulted in development of trade guides to doing business with ethnical communities in Manitoba/Canada. 3. Guides to Doing Business with Ethnical Communities in Manitoba/Canada - drawing on doing business with different countries guides, this projects aims to unlock the potential of growing ethnical markets in Manitoba and Canada for all businesses and organizations. It should particularly benefit organisations that are not present in many ethnical markets such as winter sport clubs, symphony orchestra, opera, art galleries or ballet. The idea is to use applied research generated by our diverse student groups to improve integration of ethnical minorities in Canadian society, build better understanding among people in our multicultural society while assisting businesses in increasing market share and improving business results. The project is currently underway. 4. Strategic Planning for Microenterprises this project involves teams of students developing strategies for microenterprises in Canada and abroad based on case studies prepared by faculty and micro entrepreneurs. The microenterprises are chosen so that they generate their revenue based on the same skill set and type of work. Students are challenged to compare two business models and propose strategies that can improve business performance for both firms. The goal is to support business, community and international development by: giving small business access to strategic planning information that is typically beyond their reach (our IB students typically have at least one degree and 3-5 years of professional experience) 4
creating global micro entrepreneurs networks that can improve chances of success for small business globally creating a database of small business case studies that can be use by both students and entrepreneurs and educational tools The pilot project focused on crochet industry has been started in the fall of 2012 with: Peruvian cooperative Awana Wasi that enables indigenous Inca communities to preserve their culture and improve lives of their families and; Canadian microenterprise Snowdrop Difference which draws on crochet skills to create high quality hats for cancer victims who suffer from hair loss. 5. Comparative Analysis of Economic Developments Strategies of Indigenous and Aboriginal Groups - an applied research project implemented as a joined assignment for Business Administration students enrolled in Global Economic Issues course and International Business students enrolled in Industry Project A course. This project is underway. So far it resulted in dozen research reports about the economic systems, business models and resources allocation strategies in different indigenous groups around the World such as Tajiks, Kashmiri Pandits, Yi People, First Nation and Guarani Indios. The research will be used as an educational tool. Students will be challenged to identify common problems and strategies that can be used to overcome difficulties that aboriginal communities face in the global economy. The goal of this project is to identify best practices in fostering economic development around the world and share them with all communities. 6. Business plan development for microenterprises - this project aims to use applied research to identify entrepreneurial opportunities that can be implemented with less than $500. The goal is to build entrepreneurial spirit among our students and educate our graduates on how to start their own business. The project is currently underway. 7. Applied research based co-op The goal of this initiative is to test the feasibility of using applied research framework to substitute regular co-op term. In view of the increased complexity of co-op program resulting from rapid growth in number of students in International Business Program there is a necessity to identify alternatives to traditional business placement. The project is currently underway. So far all projects have been successfully implemented except the Canadian Solar Energy Project a Students have been organized as a consulting firm with an objective to produce a comprehensive report on Canadian solar energy. The quality of this report was inconsistent and the report was not shared with the review group/ Results Supported by the internal funding for applied research at RRC, the Gateway to Applied Business Research projects resulted in: Implementation of the first applied business research initiative within ACME, the largest department at RRC 5
Realization of eight pilot projects within two business programs at RRC: Business Administration and International Business Exposure of over 150 students enrolled in their second year of the Business Administration program as well as the International Business program to social innovation and applied research activities Development of the applied research reports in five distinctive areas including: o renewable energy application o economic development issues associated with indigenous groups and minorities globally o trade and social responsibility o local market development o business development Integration of applied research component within 5 different courses: o In the Business Administration Program: Public Finance and Issues in the Global Economy o in the International Business program: Economic Geography, Strategy in International Business and International Political Economy Integration of the environmental and social responsibility related issues in course curriculum in both Business Administration and International Business programs through students work on the applied research projects In addition the work on this project has enabled us to: familiarize faculty members and decision makers in ACME with the opportunities associated with the implementation of applied business research in academic curriculum of the business school open opportunities for external partnerships with businesses, academia, NGOs and professional associations Future Steps Based on the environmental scan and preliminary work in applied research in business it is possible to conclude that: 1. This type of activity is a growing trend in similar educational organizations in Canada, the USA and the EU 2. It is one of the strategic goals at RRC both in the short and in the long run. The college has an applied research branch with a developed process intended to support the incubation of this activity. 3. Applied research in business is both feasible and opportune for the ACME department. 4. There are external sources of funding that can potentially be used to sustain these type of activities in a long run A possible path to incubation and sustained effort in applied research in business within RRC could be executed in three phases: 6
Phase 1 (2011 2013) - Shaping the Applied Research in Business at RRC supported by internal funding: This phase is about to be completed trough Gateway to Applied Research projects funded internally through the CARD. Evaluation and assessment of the results of the pilot projects, explorations of potential opportunities are currently underway. Phase 2 (2013 2016) Establishment of a Business Applied Research group at RRC With an established track record in applied research by the end of 2013, RRC can apply for a Small Universities and Colleges grant with SSHRC or partnership grants with the same organization. Depending on a success of the Applied Research in Renewable Energy project that is currently underway, RRC can apply for an extension of NSERC funding in support of research in other renewable energies or ecofriendly technologies. This would enable RRC to access funds for 3-5 years and build applied business research in a more strategic way. Phase 3 (2016 and beyond) Established Applied Business Research Group Stable established applied research group complemented with a students run Business and Applied Research Consulting Firm. Once the Applied Business Research Group is established and recognized in the community, it can be sustained through smaller grants associated with specific projects, SSHRC faculty grants, and possibly business donations. Finally the established Applied Business Research Group can be complemented by a student-run business and applied research consultancy that would offer co-op opportunities for students and possible summer employment in addition to building our organizational strengths in this area. This plan reflects the intelligence about the paths followed by other organizations and it is intended to serve as a flexible framework that would lead to an established, stable, reputable, and innovative Applied Business Research function at RRC. 7