2024 was a rough year for retail in Canada, and 2025 doesn’t look much better, writes Charles de Brabant in Retail Insider. The Executive Director of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management noted that the combination of high interest rates and high inflation has taken a toll on consumer pocketbooks, and they are expected to focus on the basics this year. That plays well for mid-market brands.

A Canadian clothing company has recently come under fire for using provocative slogans on some of its clothing. The company claims its target demo is now a confident shopper in their mid-twenties, but Professor of Marketing Vivek Astvansh argues that a company might use controversy to sell, even if their customers aren’t of age.

A stereotypical extrovert loves to engage with people, and derives energy from it. For stereotypical introverts, the reverse is true: they prefer to keep to themselves, and too much interaction with others saps their energy. But ambiverts display traits of both personality types, Professor Karl Moore told CBC Radio’s The Weekender with Jared Monkman. The word dates back to the 1920s, but Moore has revived it after interviewing many senior leaders as part of his research program.

The Laidley Centre for Business Ethics and Equity and the McGill Desautels EDI Initiative recently hosted a panel for Women's History Month to honour the past, present, and future of women of the Faculty. The women featured included the granddaughter of the first McGill Commerce graduate (past), current BCom students (present) and accomplished Desautels alumnae (future).

Explore the insights from the second Sustainable Transportation Roundtable hosted by McGill University's Sustainable Growth Initiative (SGI). This year's event, sponsored by Alstom, focused on road safety and reimagining urban streets. Keynote speaker Tom Flood highlighted the impact of media on street design and the need to shift narratives towards safer, more inclusive transportation. Panels discussed reclaiming streets for diverse users and overcoming barriers to public transportation.

In Canada, we often imitate the US political system without giving it serious thought, says Jean Charest, a former Member of the Parliament of Canada and Premier of Quebec. But growing political polarization and pressures on the Supreme Court shouldn’t be emulated, Charest told Prof. Karl Moore for an article in Les Affaires. “Maybe it’s the right time to ask ourselves who we are, what are values are, and what we hope to accomplish in the world,” Charest added.

Desautels has one of the country’s top MBA programs, and its students come from all over the world. But nearly half of this year’s cohort are Quebec residents. “This allows us to offer an experience tailored to the Quebec market, all while keeping the program’s international perspective,” says Prof. Demetrios Vakratsas, the program’s academic director.