Cindy Dunne, Director: Brock University Co-op Programs - Interview

Director of Co-op Education at Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions about the Co-op Education Programs at Brock University. Cindy Dunne describes the value and importance of co-op educational opportunities for both students and employers. She shares information on how Baby Boomer executives can get involved in the co-op educational process through hiring graduates, mentorship programs, and recruitment.

Thanks to Cindy Dunne for her time, and for her very comprehensive and informative responses. They are greatly appreciated.

You are director of Co-op Education at Brock University. What is a co-op program and how does it work?

Cindy Dunne: Co-op education offers a valuable opportunity for students to enhance their education by acquiring career-related work experience before graduation. Students gain practical experience, develop a network of contacts, and obtain a better understanding of careers in their field. Co-operative education is an academic program with alternating periods of work experience. The student is engaged in academically relevant and meaningful work.

How does a co-op program differ from an internship?

Cindy Dunne: Internship means many different things to different institutions. Some institutions define an internship as an extended period of employment (8-16 months) that may be paid or unpaid, while another institution might define an internship as an unpaid placement that may be part-time in nature and awarded academic credit. Co-op on the other hand has a very specific and commonly referred to definition as stated by the Canadian Association for Co-operative Education:

Direct from CAFCE website:

"Co-operative Education Program means a program which alternates periods of academic study with periods of work experience in appropriate fields of business, industry, government, social services and the professions in accordance with the following criteria:

(i) each work situation is developed and/or approved by the co-operative educational institution as a suitable learning situation;

(ii) the co-operative student is engaged in productive work rather than merely observing;

(iii) the co-operative student receives remuneration for the work performed;

(iv) the co-operative student's progress on the job is monitored by the co-operative educational institution;

(v) the co-operative student's performance on the job is supervised and evaluated by the student's co-operative employer;

(vi) the time spent in periods of work experience must be at least thirty per cent of the time spent in academic study.”
Source: CAFCE 2007

You describe co-op programs as an employment strategy for business. What do you mean by that?

Cindy Dunne: Attracting and selecting the right person for the job is a critical activity. With fewer and fewer hires being made, recruiting the right person with the skills and competencies required is taking on greater importance within corporations. Assuming an organization has identified key positions within the organization upon which they rely, a sophisticated talent acquisition strategy involves a pipeline approach.

Co-op students provide relief for short-term peaks in workload, or special projects and research; hiring a co-op student is a cost-effective and low-risk means of recruiting and evaluating potential permanent hires. With the looming wave of retirements anticipated in the private and public sector, hiring students is critical to securing employees for the future and cultivating their knowledge of the business.

While many companies have scaled back, or completely eliminated their on-campus recruiting efforts, savvy organizations recognize that maintaining a campus presence in light of reduced competition allows them access to the best and brightest talent available from the student population. Maintaining a campus presence and hiring co-op students when full-time hiring is restricted allows companies the opportunities to build their company brand and position themselves as an employer of choice.

Recruiting directly from University or College programs for specific skills and/or technical training is a very effective in acquiring talent trained in the newest concepts, theories and state of the art technologies. Companies benefit by participating in on-campus recruitment by avoiding the expenditures related to costly advertisements and search firm fees.



How can a co-op program assist Baby Boomer executives nearing retirement with their business succession plans?

Cindy Dunne: The anticipated retirements of the Baby Boom generation requires managers and executives to think about planned exits from the organization and having a ready successor to fill key vacancies within. Typically, those vacancies are filled by internal candidates in an organization, but many organizations have scaled back hiring over the past number of years, reduced spending on skills training and now find themselves facing a shortage of skilled labour within their companies.

Co-op students provide the strategic pipeline of skilled labour needed to address deficiencies in the future. It is well documented that employers providing meaningful employment and learning experiences for students are likely to retain student hires for permanent positions in the future. In fact, 97% of co-op students at Brock return to a previous co-op employer for full-time employment upon graduation.

Taking the time to identify key positions within the organization, and developing the competencies in junior staff to build the organizations skill portfolio is a strategic investment in the sustainability of the organization.

Is there a demand for students who are in or completing a co-op program?

Cindy Dunne: Despite the economic downturn and apparent decline in permanent hires, co-op programs at Brock University continue to be a source of short term hires for many organizations. Innovative and progressive organizations rely upon advanced training provided by post-secondary institutions. Organizations are waking up to the realization that reactive recruiting is no longer an option and that finding qualified candidates is difficult.

Strategic recruiters and managers know that building business and technical competence is a business necessity; they are more concerned with building organization readiness and capacity and less so with finding applicants. As stated previously, organizations recruiting co-op students make an investment in the students’ training, mentorship, organization knowledge and technical skills with an eye toward long term hiring. 97% of co-op students at Brock return to a previous co-op employer for permanent hire following graduation.

Temporary leaves, vacation, retirements, budget cuts, and peaks in work load leave organizations short staffed and challenged to meet company business goals. Resourceful managers find temporary support using co-op students to handle more complex tasks. Employers can use co-op students to fill labour needs with or without a long-term commitment.

How can Baby Boomer business leaders invest in a co-op program for the benefit of both the student and their entire organization?

Cindy Dunne: An effective mentoring relationship is necessary for all parties to benefit from a co-op experience. We want the experience of hiring a Brock Co-op student to be as productive as possible and to ensure maximum contribution. Mentorship can be undertaken by both experienced and inexperienced co-op employers and our Co-op Office assists mangers by providing checklists, orientation suggestions, ideas for work term assignments, performance management tools and much more.

Co-op students require some direction and leadership. The general principle of a co-op placement is to provide the student with meaningful experience which they can learn from and apply to their studies while he/she provides substantial contributions to the business. The whole work term is a continual learning process, and as such, there are rather obvious, but essential roles to be filled in a co-op placement. While the specific role of the student may be different for every assignment, their general role is to fulfill a need in the workplace and perform to a set standard of productivity.

In the beginning, an organization will provide the Co-op Office with a job posting which we can distribute to our co-op students. The posting describes the type of work along with the competencies and attributes being sought in a new hire. After the posting has been received, it will be put up on our job posting board and distributed to our students. Students will be instructed to apply internally to our website or directly to a company website.

Upon receiving the resumes, recruiters/managers will then select those candidates whom they wish to interview. Our Co-op staff will assist with making all interview arrangements to suit organization needs and availability. Once the interviews have been completed, the company contact will inform the Co-op Office of which student(s) to extend offers of employment.

With so many companies competing for similar skills, our best and brightest often enjoy multiple offers of employment. Students will work for a 16 week (extended work terms are available), paid work term. The work terms begin at the start of May, September or January.

The benefits for the students will be learning on the job and developing meaningful experience which they can relate back to their academic studies. The benefits to the employer include a year-round access to a pool of qualified and creative business students, recruitment and strategy support, and government wage and subsidy programs just to name a few.

Where does Brock University rank in relation to other Canadian universities in offering co-op programs?

Cindy Dunne: Brock offers a wide variety of co-op program offerings; 32 to be exact. Students are available in business, accounting; full range of sciences; liberal arts; and social sciences (undergraduate and graduate level programs). Approximately 2600 students participate in a co-op option of a degree program at Brock positioning us as one of the largest co-op institutions in Ontario and nationally. In addition, we offer Canada’s largest Business Co-op Program.

What is next for Cindy Dunne and for the Brock University Co-op Program?

Cindy Dunne: It is a University wide plan to work locally to grow employment opportunities in Niagara. The Niagara Region is a beautiful place to live, work and play, and as we transition from a primarily manufacturing based community to a knowledge based economy, I believe Brock University plays a pivotal role in building talent capacity for the jobs of the future in Niagara. Brock is a beacon of innovation for the Niagara Region and our students are inspired by relevant and current programs of study; top notch research facilities; and engaged and informed faculty.

Tags: Brock University Co-op Programs, Cindy Dunne, marketing studies, Brock University Faculty of Business, business interviews

Antonia Mantonakis: Perception Of A Winery Name - Interview

Antonia Mantonakis, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Marketing at Brock University Faculty of Business, was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions about a recent study she conducted about how consumers perceive the quality of a winery and its products, based on the name of the winery.

Antonia Mantonakis described the background to the study, its methodology, and some of the findings from that study.

Thanks to Antonia Mantonakis for her time, and for the responses to the questions. They are greatly appreciated.

What was the background this study to discover whether or not the name of a winery had any effect on people’s perception of its quality?

Antonia Mantonakis: This is a popular topic in consumer research: How does the ease with which something is thought of related to how much consumers like it?



Antonia Mantonakis, Ph.D. (photo left)

What methodology did you employ for the study to measure people's perceptions?

Antonia Mantonakis: We had people read the name of a winery -- either an easy to pronounce winery name (Titakis) or a difficult to pronounce winery name (Tselepou) -- associated with a wine. Participated then evaluated their perception of the taste of the wine.

What real surprises arose from the study and its results that no one was really expecting?

Antonia Mantonakis: Well we did hypothesize that the wine associated with the more difficult-to-pronounce winery name would be associated with higher evaluations. The reason for this is that consumers tend to place a higher value on things that are rare, and this is especially the case for wine. So, we expected that a wine with a more difficult sounding name might be perceived to be superior.

Why should business people be especially concerned about their company and product names and the perceptions they carry with them?

Antonia Mantonakis: Well we have to keep in mind that this is just one study, and we used only winery names.. so any other brand would need to be examined experimentally, compared to a relatively fluent (or disfluent) name comparative name, in order to determine the boundary conditions of this finding.

What is first step a business decision maker should take toward ensuring their company name offers a good perception with their potential customers?

Antonia Mantonakis: What I would suggest is running a simple experiment! Test out different names, and see what consumers' perceptions are about those names.

What is next for Antonia Mantonakis?

Antonia Mantonakis: My research will continue to focus on these types of incidental factors that can affect a consumer's evaluation of a product or a brand.. It really is a fun and exciting part of my job as a professor at Brock University!

Tags: Perception Of A Winery Name, Antonia Mantonakis, Ph.D., marketing studies, Brock University Faculty of Business, business interviews

Norman Birnbach: Media Trends 2012 - Interview

Public relations and media expert Norman Birnbach, President of Birnbach Communications, Inc., was kind enough to take the time to discuss media trends in 2012. He describes what is happening with television, newspapers, ebooks, publishing, and online media. He also shares a few surprising trends that will be appearing in 2012 as well. Norman also blogs at the popular and highly regarded public relations blog PR Back Talk.

Thanks to Norman Birnbach for his time, and for his intriguing forecasts in the fascinating fields of media and technology.

What was the background to creating the Top Tech, Business, Media Trends for 2012 Predictions report?

Norman Birnbach: Each year for the past 10 years, we've helped our clients develop their communications plans by identifying the trends we think will be important for the coming year. The idea is that clients have certain internal news and milestones and we try to connect those to larger trends that reporters, bloggers and others will be writing about. By putting clients' news into the context of business trends can help anticipate and generate coverage.

One of your findings was the desire to be connected around the clock 24/7 may change in 2012. Why do you say that?

Norman Birnbach: A while back, only the very wealthy could afford to be connected wherever they went – equipped with satellite phones while exploring the most remote locales. These days, teenagers are texting round the clock – or that’s what it feels like to their parents. The fact is we almost never have downtime anymore – I remember hearing a buzzing of someone’s smartphone while attending a funeral. And people are beginning to notice that’s not all good.

Being connected leads to the probability of being distracted on a 24/7 basis. We feel it’s so important to respond that some people text while driving or answer their smartphones while hiking. This lack of downtime may negatively impact our ability to concentrate and avoid distractions at work and at home. And being connected 24/7 isn’t making us happier. Even as we spend more time connecting to people via Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest, we’re spending less time in person with people we care about.

Already a handful of companies have limited corporate email, both during the day and after hours – and we think more will join those ranks. We also think the concept of going on vacation without access to email or cell will become more of a status symbol because it now takes a lot of money to disconnect yourself from your regular workday.

You point out that more people may get rid of cable television. Why will more people cut the cord on cable?

Norman Birnbach: The cost of cable continues to increase, even though Congress passed a bill nearly 20 years ago to keep cable fees in line. The cost that content producers charge continues to climb -- to the extent that even cable operators, who pass along those costs to subscribers, are complaining. Part of the increase is from sports programming like ESPN. And part of the dissatisfaction is that subscribers can pay $1,200 per year to get cable service and still feel like there's nothing on that they want to watch. At the same time, we have new technologies available that provide for the first time alternatives to cable.

Amazon Prime, Hulu.com, Netflix and other new services are popping up offering television shows and movies at a cost that severely undercuts cable or satellite. One problem we've seen is that the experience is not seamless or easy yet. It still takes subscriptions to several different services along with several hardware purchase to give you access to content -- and you won't be able to get all that you may want, like local stations, or all current episodes of a show you want, etc. Still, consumers have a choice, a chance to cut the cable and avoid paying for what they don't want.



Norman Birnbach (photo left)

Media has been converging for at least a decade. Will that trend continue and in what ways?

Norman Birnbach: Yes it will. When you look at how the media – newspapers, TV news and radio – are adjusting to the Internet and to distributing their content via apps, it’s clear the lines among the media has blurred. It’s not just that more people access newspapers online without smudging their fingers with newsprint. It’s that newspaper reporters are more likely than ever to prepare video reports for the newspaper’s website and apps. And TV and radio reporters – who, the joke went, once only needed to know how to pronounce words, not spell them – are now typing up text articles to accompany their video, also available on their websites and apps.

And, of course, they’re all tweeting and blogging about the news they’re covering. So yes, expect more media convergence to the point that the specific media will stop being defined by the device on which we used to consume them. We’re no longer “taping” a “TV program” to watch later anymore because we’re not using tape of any kind – we’re recording it onto a DVR or downloading a show and watching it on a tablet.

E-books are the fastest growing segment in publishing. How will e-books evolve to maintain that growth momentum?

Norman Birnbach: E-books will evolve as the technology allows them to do more things – it has to do with convergence again. Already some publishers are working on combining video and other interactive features into their e-books to provide more value. With the growing capabilities of e-readers like the Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble’s Nook as well as iBook on the iPad, expect e-textbooks to include interactive exercises, and nonfiction e-books to include more video, photos, and audio. We also expect that fiction books will come packed with featurettes much the way DVDs are packaged, with video interviews with the author and interactive guides for book clubs.

We keep hearing dire forecasts that the press release is dead. Is that indeed the case?

Norman Birnbach: Not at all - the press release is alive and well, despite dire predictions to the contrary. It seems like everyday a different blogger gleefully declares something else has died -- PowerPoints, emails, in-person meetings, for example -- and most of those have been wrong. They may be imperfect, but we still use all those tools, including press releases, because they get the job done even as new forms for meeting and collaborating rise up. A lot of those new tools are imperfect, too, by the way, and need to evolve. I think we'll continue to see the press release evolve, but it won't die in the near term.

The reasons press releases continue to be useful is that, even in an age of social media and news by Tweets, press releases still provide more detail than tweets with a 140 characters can. Press releases are important also from an SEO perspective because new content on your website raises your site in searches. And new press releases also show that a company is still alive and active.

How will social media grow in relation to business to business or B2B marketing?

Norman Birnbach: We're seeing B2B clients -- who would have not even considered social media 18 months ago -- to be either seriously considering social media or already actively engaging in social media, via blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. That said, they are not focusing on Facebook to reach their customers.

B2B companies will recognize the need to generate their own multimedia content, and that there are active and engaged business consumers even for niche sectors. We expect that more B2B companies will consider increasing budgets to make engaging their targets through social media, thought leadership and lead generation their top marketing priorities. For example, one of our clients develops and sells an enterprise accounting software, which is as afar from a consumer product as you might imagine. But together we realized they had a lot of great content and insight, and that we couldn't just rely on traditional media to get out that information; so we helped them launch a blog and several Twitter feeds. The response has been tremendous inside and out.

Inside the company, the staff feels proud about the caliber of the content on the corporate blog. As the smallest part of a global conglomerate, our client is getting recognition as the social media leader among all of the company's geographies (including much larger country teams). Further, and more significantly, the client is engendering conversations with customers, influencers and prospects, raising awareness and generating leads.

What is the biggest surprise to most people that you are forecasting this year?

Norman Birnbach: People seem most surprised by the acknowledgement that more connectivity isn’t always good, that we need to take a break, and interact with the people around us. We’re not saying going off the grid, without electricity, is going to be mainstream. But we do think people are burning out from years of always being connected, and when we do talk to people about that, there’s an instant recognition from most people that it would be nice, every once in a while to be able to leave their homes without making sure they have their phone with them.

How have the trends for 2012 built on previous predictions to enhance them?

Norman Birnbach: There are several trends from 2011 that will continue to be significant this year, most of them connected.

· Cloud computing, which actually began in 2010, continues to go mainstream, driven by the need to access your data – content, files, music, etc. – no matter where you are and no matter what device you are using at that moment. There are times when you need to work on a document while standing in line and you need to pick up where you left off when you get back to your PC, for example – and cloud computing makes that happen without having to carry flash drives.

· The post-PC world – or the rise of the tablets. Again, this is a trend that began in 2010. The launch of the iPad has led to the post-PC concept – and to the ongoing battle of tablets. The first round went to the iPad, but so-called iPad Killers have not given up. Competitors still want to get into the action and capture some of the market share. From the media's perspective, it's a two-horse race between the Kindle Fire and iPad. We expect a third option to gain some traction, but the iPad will continue to dominate.

· Mobile, mobile, mobile – arguably the three most important tech trends in 2012, which of course began a year or two ago. People expect to be able to work and access information anywhere on any device (see cloud computing and the post-PC world). We expect to see more consumers adopt cashless payments, using their smartphones to pay for products and services.

· Social, social, social – also arguably the three most important tech trends this year. These days, it seems like everything you do can now be shared online. What you watch, what you read, what you listen to, what websites you visit – these can all easily be shared. But the impact of social goes beyond personal use. Enterprise technology is now informed by social media; we’re advising even our most serious B2B clients that their applications now need not only to have intuitive interfaces, they also must be accessible on iPads.

Which of your 2011 predictions was either too early or a bit off target?

Norman Birnbach: We overstated 2011 as being the Year of the app-based media subscription. We thought the ability to subscribe to a publication via an app versus the print edition would get more attention from the media and social media worlds because publishers still need to find a way to generate revenue from producing online and app-based content. There were some pricing battles between Apple and a few magazine and book publishers. And there are still a number of publications selling app-based subscriptions for a higher price than print subscriptions to the same publications.

And then there are some outlets that provide free online apps to print subscribers. There’s no consistent model, and we thought 2011 would bring clarity to subscription models and pricing, but I think we were too early on this one, but I don’t think we’re wrong about the need for some consistency in how publishers handle app-based subscriptions.

What is next for Norman Birnbach and Birnbach Communications in 2012?

Norman Birnbach: I’m looking forward to the possibility of cutting the cable cord this year, and to the possibility of actively breaking free from 24/7 connectivity. I think we all need some downtime and to reduce distractions that are rampant on our smartphones and tablets. From a business perspective, we love helping our clients take advantage of our insights and trends-spotting to accomplish their communications objectives – as well as to develop new services based on those insights and trends.

We developed new multimedia services in Q4 last year, and have some exciting case studies to offer up this year. So we expect to continue to evolve our practice and to help guide our clients as they navigate the converging media and social media worlds.

Tags: Norman Birnbach, Birnbach Communications, Inc, 2012 Media Trends Report, interviews

Masters of Business Administration admissions questions - Shari Sekel: Brock University Faculty of Business - Interview

Shari Sekel, of the Brock University Faculty of Business was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions about the Brock University Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs, the faculty admissions process, and about applying for attaining the MBA degree in general.

Shari Sekel described the popularity of the MBA degree, what potential students need to know about the admissions process, and how the school will help students achieve the educational goals that are right for the individual.

Thanks to Shari Sekel for her time, and for her very informative and comprehensive responses. They are greatly appreciated.

Why have Masters of Business Administration (MBA) become so popular in recent years?

Shari Sekel: I think that the MBA has always been a popular degree in certain markets. Where we have seen a lot of growth in the industry, however, is in the expanded reach to different types of students. As an example, we now see several programs (including Brock’s) which do not require work experience. When combined with co-op opportunities, the MBA becomes an attractive opportunity for students fresh from undergraduate studies – those who want to set themselves apart from their job-seeking colleagues by achieving the MBA at the commencement of their careers.

We found this was particularly true in 2008 and 2009 when new bachelors grads were faced with a tight job market – the MBA was a way to wait out the economic downturn while setting themselves up with a qualification that would help them accelerate their career progression in future years.

The other area where we have seen a lot of growth in MBA offerings in Canada is the international student marketplace. The global economy of the 21st century demands leaders who are trained in business theory and practices beyond the borders of individual countries. We see a lot more partnerships between business schools in different parts of the world, greater international exchange opportunities for MBA students and a great value placed on the rich cultural diversity that international students bring to classroom discussion and group projects in an MBA program.

With so many students applying for limited MBA spaces, what crucial challenges do students face in their application process?

Shari Sekel: Applying to graduate school, similar to applying for job opportunities, is all about differentiating yourself from the rest of the applicant pool. Students can stand out through strong GMATs and GPAs but there are also other ways that students can bolster their applications. As an example, leadership experience – both paid and volunteer – should be highlighted in any MBA application.

The personal statement (also known as the statement of interest) is important because it can help admissions personnel assess applicant/program fit. I always encourage applicants to talk about two main things in their statement. First, talk about what the student is hoping to get out of the MBA program – how will the program help the student achieve his or her career objectives? Second, talk about what the program can expect to get out of the applicant – highlight experience, previous activities, unique skill sets that will contribute to the program learning environment.

Many students consider the GMAT test to be their nemesis. Is the GMAT a student;'s enemy or does it offer some real benefits as well?

Shari Sekel: The GMAT is definitely not a student’s enemy. There are a lot of instances where it can be one of the most useful parts of an MBA application. Remember, the admissions process is all about trying to predict which applicants will find academic success in the MBA program. Admissions Committees look at lots of factors when trying to make this prediction. The GPA and GMAT are generally the two main objective measures of an MBA application.

Imagine a case where an applicant graduated from his or her undergraduate program fifteen or twenty years ago. In this instance, the GPA is clearly not going to be as reliable a predictor of current abilities as a GMAT score written within the last year or so. So students whose long-ago undergraduate performance was weak can find a lot of benefit in a GMAT score that more appropriately reflects their current potential.

For another example, consider a case where an applicant studied a non-business undergraduate degree (very common, by the way) but has a keen interest in a business career. We often see that students who are not passionate about their undergraduate subject matter have grades which reflect their lack of engagement. In these cases, the GMAT offers the applicants a chance to demonstrate their capabilities in subject areas more relevant to their proposed graduate business studies. On the admissions side, the GMAT is a tool that helps us compare applicants from diverse educational backgrounds. Such comparisons are not always relevant when done using GPA alone as we typically see lower grades in some disciplines than others.



Shari Sekel, Brock University Faculty of Business (photo left)

Many potential MBA students are intimidated by the process, and are afraid to ask questions of the faculty. How can this fear be overcome?

Shari Sekel: At Brock, as well as many other MBA programs, we strongly encourage students to contact us in advance of their applications. We want to make sure that questions get answered, that the application process itself runs smoothly and timely and that the applicant’s objectives are consistent with the program options that we can deliver. You’ll read below that making connections with your schools of choice before submitting your applications is actually a great approach!

Before contacting a school, students need to have a good understanding of their own objectives and need to have done some research through program websites. Most simple questions about program specializations, start dates, fees, and more can be easily located online. Once students have learned the basics from the program websites, they should be able to create a short list of schools that seem to cover their basic needs/wants. At that point, students should make a connection with each program to talk about fit.

But students should be prepared to answer as many questions as they ask. In fact, when I counsel MBA prospects, I always start the conversation by talking about their career objectives. Doing so helps make sure that I’m providing students with information relevant to their individual circumstances.

Choosing a graduate program is a big decision – students owe it to themselves to make a personal connection with their MBA program choices. At Brock, we’re genuinely interested in finding students who are the right fit for our program – and we’ll be honest if a prospect and his or her objectives is not a good fit for what we have to offer. In fact, we’re happy to point you to another program that might be a more appropriate choice for your needs. These are the kinds of things that aren’t on the website so making that connection is definitely worth it!

How does a student know that they are the right fit for the school and courses they are selecting for their MBA program?

Shari Sekel: There are no guarantees in life. All we can do is try to predict the future. On the MBA program side, we have admissions requirements and processes that help us predict which applicants will be successful in our program. These are the people to whom we will offer admission. At the same time, prospective MBA students undertake an admissions process of their own as they decide which programs are worth their application and most likely to help them achieve their objectives.

As discussed elsewhere in more detail, there are three main recommendations that I have for MBA prospects. First, they need to understand themselves, their strengths, their weaknesses and their objectives. Second, they need to do some basic research online. Third, students need to connect with their prospective schools. Talk to people, visit campus, get advice from the program staff who’ve seen previous students come through the program. Ask if these experts have had other students with a similar background come through the MBA? Was the program a good fit for them?

At the end of the day, students won’t know until they are likely long out of their MBA program whether it was the perfect fit for them. A lot of the theory and professional skills acquired in an MBA only show their value when applied in the post-MBA workplace. The steps described above, however, will certainly help an MBA prospect make the best possible prediction.

Students often think that the admissions process is out to eliminate them. Is this a misconception on the part of some applicants?

Shari Sekel: Absolutely! Most MBA programs are looking for the strengths in their applicants. Prospective MBA students come from a wide variety of backgrounds and each application is unique. As such, it really isn’t productive to apply a cookie-cutter admissions approach. There are certainly minimum academic standards that need to be met – we are talking about a graduate degree, after all – but MBA applicants almost always offer a lot of other important factors including work or volunteer experience, diverse academic and cultural backgrounds, extra-curricular leadership positions and more. All of these things are valuable to an application and can really impress those involved in the MBA admissions process.

Is the MBA option the right one for every student; and what should they consider before applying to a school?

Shari Sekel: The MBA is a broad business degree that helps individuals pursue their career objectives – but it is certainly not the only means by which people can further their education. Students who are interested in pursuing a research-based career or further academic study at the doctoral level, for example, are usually better served by a more research-intensive graduate program – like Brock’s Master of Science in Management – where there is a mandatory thesis requirement. In other cases, a post-graduate diploma at the college-level is a viable and useful option for further education.

Before applying to any school, I strongly advise students to make a connection to an advisor for some pre-admission counseling. MBA application fees are usually at least $100 – students who connect with schools early can really make sure that their applications are targeted. At Brock, we have one individual who serves as the point of contact for all prospective students in our traditional MBA program. She works extensively with students from their first inquiry through to (hopefully) admission to the program. I also encourage students to visit campuses – look for opportunities to connect with current students, alumni and faculty at recruiting events.

At Brock, we have launched a live webinar series that includes monthly informal chats with myself and our team, Q&A sessions with current students, faculty and alumni. We’ve been able to connect with prospects from around the world – and, most importantly, they’ve been able to see, hear and ask questions of the very same people who will help them along their MBA journey from first inquiry through the graduation ceremony and beyond. In short, don’t be afraid to connect with your target schools – that is what we’re here for!

What is the first step a student should take before beginning the MBA application process?

Shari Sekel: People who are thinking about an MBA or any graduate program need to make sure that they have a clear understanding of their objectives. Where do you they see themselves in five years? Ten years? Are they looking to shift careers or industries? Ultimately, students who clearly understand their own goals are the most likely to find the best fit with the MBA or other graduate program that they choose.

Prospective applicants also need to understand their own learning styles. Do they learn best in large, lecture-based environments or small, highly interactive classes? Different MBA programs offer different advantages – only a student who understands his or her own educational needs and expectations will be able to make the best choice about their future.

What is next for the Brock University Faculty of Business?

Shari Sekel: The University is in the advanced planning stages for a new $50-million facility to house the Faculty of Business. Space for graduate programs and research are among the top priorities in the planned facility. We are currently pursuing financial support from the province of Ontario.

Tags: Brock University Faculty of Business, Brock University Master of Business Administration (MBA, Shari Sekel, business education interviews

Nigel Cheshire: Teamstudio Unplugged mobile applications - Interview

Founder and CEO Of Teamstudio and Teamstudio Unplugged, Nigel Cheshire was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions about the companies and their products and services.

Nigel Cheshire describes the concepts of mobile data sync, moving Lotus Notes® and Domino® applications over to mobile devices, and some business initiatives taken by the company.

Thanks to Nigel Cheshire his time, and for his informative responses to the questions. They are greatly appreciated.

We’ve heard people talk about Teamstudio Unplugged but many people don’t really understand what it does. What is so unique about Teamstudio Unplugged?

Nigel Cheshire: Unplugged is a mobile XPages engine that lets you build XPages applications that you can easily deploy to mobile devices such as the Blackberry® and the iPhone®. It has a replicating data store so your apps will work offline.

What’s motivating companies to want to move their Lotus Notes® and Domino® applications over to run on mobile devices?

Nigel Cheshire: The first step our customers usually want to take is to provide access to Notes® mail and calendar to their mobile users. Once they’ve done this, they then start thinking about simple productivity boosters, such as an Approvals application that links into the mobile email.

What is mobile data sync and why is it important? Why not just go for online mobile web apps?

Nigel Cheshire: Online mobile Web apps work well when you have good mobile signal strength, but not so well under poor or variable signal conditions. With Unplugged’s support for mobile data sync, the application is always responsive to the user, and data is saved locally and synced back to the server when the signal gets better. Another way of saying this is that Unplugged is designed to support the occasionally-connected model, where the online mobile Web app is designed for the always connected model.

Which platforms do you support; and why not all mobile platforms?

Nigel Cheshire: The first version of Unplugged we brought out last year was for the BlackBerry. We’ve since added versions for Android and for Apple iOS devices. We prefer to support a small number of platforms very well rather than try to cover every single platform and do it inadequately. Especially as these other platforms have very little or declining market share in the enterprise space.



Nigel Cheshire (photo left)

What should my first priorities be when mobilizing my Notes & Domino applications?

Nigel Cheshire: Choose business processes where the addition of the mobile capability gives an immediate and clear improvement in the efficiency of that process. The mobile user interface needs to be sleek and simple. If you take a big bulky Notes application and try to move that to mobile, that’s usually not going to be accepted very well by users.

We’ve heard some debate about whether Lotus Traveler® provides sufficient mobile device management capabilities. What do you think?

Nigel Cheshire: Lotus Traveler is a great first step for companies that want to link in their iPhone®, iPad® and other non-Blackberry mobile users. But I think even IBM® would acknowledge that they never set out to build a fully-fledged mobile device management system. If you are planning to connect a couple of hundred or more mobiles, I’d recommend installing a dedicated Mobile Device Management solution.

Your company has recently formed a partnership with AirWatch®. How does this partnership help Teamstudio® customers?

Nigel Cheshire: We see AirWatch as the market leader in mobile device management delivered as Software-as-a-Service. For large customers, implementing a proper mobile device management system helps ensure that they maintain a high level of data security as they roll out mobile email access and the Unplugged applications. With AirWatch you can roll out quite a lot faster than an on-premise MDM system, and at lower cost.

What are the key trends you see driving tablet penetration in the enterprise?

Nigel Cheshire: In our enterprise customers, the iPad has been the big driver of mobile integration over the last 6–12 months. Looking forward, I’m fascinated to see what’s going to happen when Microsoft® launch their Windows 8 tablets, especially the ARM-based systems that should come close to the iPad on battery life. It’s going to be a massive marketplace battle that will drive all tablet penetration much higher.

What is next for Teamstudio Unplugged?

Nigel Cheshire: We’ve just opened the beta program for for Unplugged for the iPhone and iPad, and we expect to get to the final shipping release within a couple of months. After that, it’ll be a case of listening to our customers and delivering any extra features that they see as crucial to their applications.

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Nigel Cheshire Bio

Nigel founded Teamstudio in 1996, and since that time has led Teamstudio as CEO, building an international business with customers representing some of the world's largest and most successful companies. He comes from a background of software development and networking, starting in the pioneering days of email, by helping build one of the first cross-platform email systems. Teamstudio has traditionally served the enterprise software development community, and in 2010 launched Teamstudio Unplugged, a unique replicating datastore and software development environment for enterprise mobile applications.

Prior to Teamstudio, Nigel was a principal of Ives & Company, a UK-based CRM solutions consultancy that was acquired by Aspective in 1999. Before that, he worked in the R&D group at Data General Corp. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from the University of Teesside, England.

Mark Faust: Steve Jobs Managed From The Heart - Interview

Founder of Echelon Management, growth consultant, executive coach, and national speaker, and author of Growth or Bust: Proven Turnaround Strategies to Grow Your Business, Mark Faust, was kind enough to share his thoughts, about the life and wisdom, of the late CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs (1955 - 2011) (photo left).

Mark Faust writes from the heart as he shares how Steve Jobs truly managed from the heart.

Thanks to Mark Faust for his time, and for his sharing his ideas and feelings about the legendary Steve Jobs. They are greatly appreciated as people mourn the untimely passing of the great innovator Steve Jobs.

How will you remember the late Steve Jobs?

Mark Faust: While Steve Jobs is a business hero of mine whom I admire much, I think it is idiotic for anyone in business to deify him and make it seem as if he had some sort of irreplaceable magic that can't be replicated at Apple or anywhere else.

Steve Jobs and Apple are synonymous with innovation. How important is innovation to a company?

Mark Faust: Peter Drucker proved this out in his research around innovation and entrepreneurship; all innovation is a process and can be replicated when any company puts in place innovation objectives and a process with accountability that has an intense focus on the customer and a goal of a new dimension of performance.

What future do you see for Apple following the untimely passing of Steve Jobs?

Mark Faust: I believe Apple will continue its reign of being innovation exemplars. Jobs and team have been preparing for this for a long time, the new conservators of the Apple culture will communicate and manage the transition well...and while some fear that it is over, there are innovations around the corner that will reassure the public that Apple is not just Steve Jobs.

But gosh how I love and respect that man.

Steve Jobs was a hero to many people. Do we still need heroes in our society?

Mark Faust: We need more heroes in business and he was an exemplary visionary. Like David Ogilvy did with advertising and marketing, Steve contradicted the industry with vision. To paraphrase Ogilvy, “Steve Jobs’ gods were not our gods.” He didn’t bow at the altar of incrementalism but he spoke the words and created worlds of revolutionary growth.



Mark Faust (photo left)

How would you describe Steve Jobs as a CEO?

Mark Faust: He was perhaps the most agile CEO in the history of American entrepreneurialism. Like any great innovator, Steve used defeats like being ousted from the company he founded, Apple, as a stepping stone to still greater innovations to create a groundbreaking company in a different industry – animated movie studio Pixar. His being wooed back to his first love, Apple, happened because the board knew they could no longer ignore his revolutionary vision and optimistic view for his child that was against the ropes and going down for the count, they knew no one else had such hope as Steve did in Apple's ultimate ebb.

How was Steve Jobs so able to continue to achieve breakthrough innovations when so many other business leaders have not?

Mark Faust: His mind was nimble, and he revolutionized animated movies with franchises like Toy Story and Cars shortly before revolutionizing the music industry with iPods and iTunes. He took on portable computing with iPads by taking on a contrary view to rival Microsoft. Bill Gates’ model was to make the computer the “set-top box” that anchored Americans’ living rooms. Instead, Jobs focused on people as the center of their living rooms, and created media and devices that would surround them, instead.

How did Steve Jobs help people gain a different perspective on living life and accepting death as part of life?

Mark Faust: Moreover, he did not allow the cancer that ate away at his body to become an impediment to his impact. He turned it into an asset that empowered him. This passage about how his cancer diagnosis affected him is from his Stanford University commencement address rated the best of all time by USA Today:

"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

What was one important gift that Steve Jobs gave to the world?

Mark Faust: Steve helped us all to think different and think anew.

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Mark Faust, founder of Echelon Management is a growth consultant, executive coach and national speaker. Mark Faust’s new book, Growth or Bust: Proven Turnaround Strategies to Grow Your Business, is now available at Barnes & Noble and Hudson’s airport bookstores.

Tags: Growth or Bust! Proven Turnaround Strategies to Grow Your Business, Mark Faust, Steve Jobs, business interviews.

Local Business Social Media Use: Roost Study - Interview

CEO of social marketing platform builder for individual professionals, businesses, consultants and agencies, Roost, Alex Chang was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions about a recent study conducted by the company into small business success with social media. The study uncovered a few secrets that small business people have used to increase their social media reach and overall effectiveness.

Thanks to Alex Chang for his time and for his intriguing and informative responses. They are greatly appreciated.

What was the background to the conducting this research into local businesses and their use of social media?

Alex Chang: We're constantly trying to understand how to help our local businesses get smarter and more effective at social marketing. Roost is built to suggest the right types of posts for a local business to generate engagement, so it's very important we constantly research and benchmark those types of metrics.

How have local businesses been using social media effectively to boost their engagement with clients and customers?

Alex Chang: Generally speaking the most effective businesses at social media create a sense of community and interest with their brand at the hub. They do this by offering interesting and valuable information, offers & content on a consistent basis that both attracts and engages customers.

Was there a measurable difference in the results from using different types of posts on Twitter and Facebook?

Alex Chang: Yes. Facebook and Twitter behave very differently for our clients and different strategies work well in each. For example we know that Photos are extremely effective on Facebook, while Quotes and Links work better on Twitter.



Alex Chang, CEO Roost (photo left)

What were the most effective results for local business users of Twitter?
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Alex Chang: Generally we find that Twitter is most effective for trying to get quick, large awareness

What were the most effective results for local business using Facebook?

Alex Chang: Facebook tends to be more effective at generating actual customer engagement and dialogue

Your research indicates the importance of photo usage on Facebook. How effective were photos in gaining Likes and other responses on Facebook?

Alex Chang: Photos are extremely effective at generating both impressions, but also engagement (Likes, comments etc) on Facebook. In many ways Facebook is a social networking site oriented around photo sharing

Besides photos, did local businesses find success with other forms of engagement on Facebook?

Alex Chang: Yes. We find asking your audience interesting questions generates significant engagement.

On Twitter, local businesses were often successful in receiving retweets of their tweets. What type of posts on Twitter resulted in retweets for local businesses?

Alex Chang: Quotes and links generate the most retweets, and this makes sense if you think about it. They are easily digestible and prone to sharing.

What was the most surprising result that arose from the study?

We were surprised to see the extent to which Photos outshone other post types in generating impressions. We expected them to do well, but not that well

What is next for Roost?

Alex Chang: We'll be continuing to publish data driven tips for local businesses to get smarter about social media marketing…and we have many exciting new features planned for Roost as a terrific free tool to help them manage this!

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For more information about social marketing platform builder Roost

Tags: Roost, Alex Chang, CEO, small business and social media, business interviews.

Trish Stevens: Ascot Media Group and Reliant Public Relations Partnership - Interview

President & CEO of Ascot Media Group, Inc., Trish Stevens was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions about her exciting new business partnership with CEO of Reliant Public Relations, Monica Foster.

Thanks to Trish Stevens and Monica Foster for their time, and for the interesting and informative responses to the questions. They are greatly appreciated.

What was the background to forming this partnership between Ascot Media Group and Reliant Public Relations?

Trish Stevens: After hearing from authors how they had poured their heart and soul into a book only to find out that getting it published left little for publicity, we put our heads together to come up with a plan that would be affordable for authors and still cover our own costs. We teamed up in such a way that Ascot promotes the Plan, and Reliant handles the processing.

How does this partnership serve authors better as their publicists?



Trish Stevens: Because we have the ability to reach tens of thousands of media personnel, we eliminate the middle man (the one-on-one publicist) and the author handles contact with the media directly. We get the media attention they need – they become their own publicist – all for a nominal fee!

One of the new initiatives you are employing is Author 333. How does this concept work to benefit authors, publishers, the media, and your company?

Trish Stevens: First of all, we have made the cost so affordable ($333) we give authors equal opportunity to hit the top! Publishers can promote several book titles at one time and still pay a great deal less than hiring a one-on-one publicist, ultimately increasing their Return on Investment (ROI). The media actually prefers to read ‘Teasers’ so our way simplifies the process – it is short and to the point versus reading an entire press release. The new Plan benefits us because it attracts authors in volume. Word-of-mouth and results are key!



Trish Stevens, Ascot Media Group (photo left)

How does this initiative revolutionize how authors approach publicists on a cost basis?

Trish Stevens: It revolutionizes the whole process – the author becomes his/her own publicist by dealing directly with the media. It actually eliminates the cost of an individual publicist completely.



How can one firm working alone charge a high fee, while two firms working together charge so little in fees. How does this counter-intuitive concept work?

Trish Stevens: We believe that traditional PR firms do not understand the ROI for authors. Celebrities need publicists but it is not economically feasible for new authors or those who have not yet hit the big time. Once they hit the NY Times best-selling list, they can afford a publicist. We give them an opportunity they normally would not get without a publicist – we get them out there, we get them the attention, and we get them recognized!!



Monica Foster , Reliant Public Relations (photo left)

How important is it for authors to consider working with a publicist in today's crowded book marketplace?

Trish Stevens: Many authors do not have the funds to hire an individual publicist but that doesn’t mean they should give up. In reality, the most important thing to consider is that they need to get their book out there – and that means any way they can! However, if they have the funds or have a busy lifestyle, e.g., a celebrity, physician or lawyer, it would be beneficial for them to hire a publicist to handle every detail. There are so many new authors who are typically ‘writers with day jobs’ – people with a dream who have often worked on their book for years and finally get it published – only to realize they can’t afford thousands of dollars to pay a PR firm for publicity. This is where the Author 333 Plan comes in.

How can this low cost venture help even more authors find success?

Trish Stevens: It’s all about exposure – we write a 6-line Teaser with their approval and distribute it to tens of thousands of media personnel – what better way to give them the opportunity to get in front of the ‘majors’ and a shot at the top!

What is next for Trish Stevens and Monica Foster, and for this new partnership venture?

Trish Stevens: Since our goal is to get clients the recognition they deserve and a chance to achieve maximum success, we see the Author 333 Plan as just another step in this process. It is a win-win for all concerned – the author, Reliant and Ascot! We welcome you to visit our site and view client testimonials at: http://www.ascotmedia.com/testimonials.html. As for future ventures, well, we’ll just have to wait and see…

Tags: Ascot Media Group, Trish Stevens, Monica Foster, Reliant Public Relations, business interviews.

Victoria Livschitz: Founder & CEO of Grid Dynamics - Interview

President and CEO of global leader in scaling mission-critical systems Grid Dynamics, Victoria Livschitz, was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions about her company, and about the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the technology industry.

Thanks to Victoria Livschitz for her time, and for her comprehensive and informative responses. They are greatly appreciated.

When you founded your company, you noticed that some of the problems that had confronted large companies were becoming a problem for Web 2.0 companies as well. What were those challenges that online companies faced?

Victoria Livschitz: I read recently a study from IBM that stated by end of 2010 the total amount of digital information in the world doubled every 11 hours. I did not know this statistic before but it did not surprise me in the least. Five years ago when I founded the company, the trend towards the explosion of data and the enormous aggregation of processing via the Internet was crystal clear for me. What we thought about the scalability problem 10 years ago is child’s play in today’s terms.

The challenges and the opportunities I saw five years ago were: how one can design and deliver a system, which is scalable and elastic, without paying a huge engineering price? Why is it a challenge—because everybody needs it, because it has to be pervasively available, and because a simple application written overnight by a college dropout with the next great idea about web service should be very rapidly developed and deployed and work successfully to support their business model. Delivery of transparent scalability and elasticity is what the world needs badly and has no fixed recipes for. That was the reason I founded Grid Dynamics, to be a part of this quest.

How did handling peak user and processor loads become such a widespread problem?

Victoria Livschitz: I believe the computing is intrinsically elastic, meaning the amount of hardware needed to process a piece of software changes from a function call to a function call, from one input parameter to another, and also depends on the state of the environment where and when the processing occurred. The first 50-60 years of computing did not produce a technological and economical answer of how to let bursting software to consume required hardware resources in a sensible way. Of course in the world of intense Internet traffic patterns we have extreme cases of bursting.

There is always an event which causes an enormous response in the amount of Internet searches, in the amount of twittering, or number of buyers interesting in procuring the next iPod in the next few minutes. The technology services became global and they became a social phenomenon when a little local news can generate a huge spike in demand. Spikes that affect millions or sometimes billions of people mean that in computing we need to manage peaks of unprecedented magnitude.



Victoria Livschitz (photo left)

The Study of Entrepreneurship has found that between 2004-2007 women founded only 1 % off high tech companies in the US. What challenges have you faced as a woman entrepreneur in a high tech field?

Victoria Livschitz: I have to say that entrepreneurship is hard – period. I would say that 90 percent of the challenges facing entrepreneurs are common to both men and women. There are still a few which put us apart. Entrepreneurship is a very time and life consuming activity. It is more like an obsession, especially when you are in a very high-tech business. Theoretically, if a start-up founder is a college-aged kid who has not much social responsibility such as a family, I do not see a lot of difference in patterns for men or women. However, many successful companies are not started by such young people in the greater scheme of things.

Most start-ups are launched by seasoned professionals; people who have reached a higher lever of maturity; or, the pinnacle of their corporate careers. They learned a lot about technology creation and can apply their wisdom and connections to building their own companies. They are mainly middle aged and that means that there are a lot of social and family responsibilities on their shoulders. This does make a difference between men and women. For a woman in her 30’s or 40’s to part with a job and dedicate herself entirely to the new business means that her domestic responsibility will unquestionable suffer. If she has a husband and children, it will have a profound effect on the family.

But it is also a kind of double jeopardy. Not only as a wife and mother are you not able to do what you did before for your family, but another part of the family (the husband and children) has to do more than they did before. It is not easy. Not easy on a woman, not easy on her family. There is another part of the problem. Entrepreneurship is such an intense and high stress activity that in order to sustain the consistent and permanent stress, to perform at your peak every day, every hour, you have to have some place where you can come to decompress, a place where your family and friends give you unconditional love and support.

You can say that a man with family and kids is going into such a business facing similar problems, but again the barrier is higher and implications are tougher for a women entrepreneur.

Many start-up entrepreneurial ventures struggle with achieving profitability, yet your company was profitable from day one. How did you become profitable so quickly?

Victoria Livschitz: Grid Dynamics is a service business. In my opinion, service companies should be profitable quickly, as they don’t have long non-revenue generating start-up periods such as product companies or expensive manufacturing facilities. I started the company with $15,000 of start-up capital, and then looked for creative ways to bootstrap operations without cash. For example, I contracted with one offshore development company that was willing to take stock options instead of cash for their engineering services for the first 6 months of development and another that was willing to give me a long period of time – up to six months – on paying their services fees, so that I could bill my client and get the money long after the engineers were paid their salaries.

I was also very lean with overhead, doing everything myself, including sales, marketing, account management, technical design, operational management, even accounting. Since I started without venture money, and until I raised the first capital years later, we had to be profitable always, or die.

You left the corporate world to start your own company. That bold step is one that you must not have made lightly. What caused you to become an entrepreneur, rather than remain in with Fortune 500 employers?

Victoria Livschitz: Well, for me entrepreneurship was not a question of “if”, but a question of “when”. I got my first taste of the entrepreneurship within a few months after immigrating to the U.S. when I set up a professional chess academy with my husband…basically a private chess school. It was our first business, which allowed us to support the family and put ourselves through college. When I became a high tech professional I began thinking about a number of business ideas. Understanding the work-life balance challenges for women, I did not start my company sooner because those years were dedicated to my family. I have three children and it was not until my youngest turned six years old that I could seriously consider the possibility of leaving my job at a Fortune 500 company and start my own business.

Ultimately, a big part of my decision was a matter of the right timing. I saw a business opportunity as the industry was going through gigantic paradigm shifts, which lead to many fresh ideas and entrepreneurial opportunities.

What advice would you give for entrepreneurs seeking to start a company in the high tech world?

Victoria Livschitz: Well, the biggest advice is for entrepreneurs to stop procrastinating, making excuses and do it! If your dream is big, if you think that you have what it takes to change the world then go try it! You might be successful, and you might not. Actually, I doubt you’ll be unsuccessful in a true sense of this word no matter what happens with your venture. You may not become a millionaire, but you will experience life in a way you never anticipated. It will be a journey, a quest, which will take you places that you would never have gone to otherwise. So, go ahead…try it.

Do you have some additional insights and advice for women entrepreneurs in technology fields?

Victoria Livschitz: Figuring out the work-life balance is the key for success for any entrepreneur. It’s important to have this balance to stay grounded and to take enjoyment out of both your professional and personal life.

What is the first step a person should take toward living their dream of entrepreneurship?

Victoria Livschitz: The first one is to conceive the idea, then try to understand what it means for you and your industry. The entrepreneurs coming from the technology world are mainly former engineers and some have very naive and idealistic images of the world of venture capital, of the world of start-ups, of the world of business management. A lot of things are counter-intuitive to the engineers who turn into entrepreneurs. You have to take time to educate yourself, to speak with people who have done it before. Start getting involved in local organizations, which exist in most places to help you with information, resources, and connections. Find out as much as you can about what you are planning to do, and then learn the rest on the job.

What is next for Victoria Livschitz and Grid Dynamics?

Victoria Livschitz: This is a tough question. I honestly don’t know what the future holds! I know that we have a company to run, to grow, and to take to the next level. I know that we have new and interesting solutions to bring to the market.

Tags: Grid Dynamics, Victoria Livschitz, women entrepreneurs, business interviews.

Ian Alexander Martin: Atomic Fez Publishing - Interview

Independent publisher and proprietor of Atomic Fez Publishing, Ian Alexander Martin was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions about his company, the current state of the publishing industry, the challenges faced by both publishers and authors, and some information on the books his business is publishing both now and in the coming year.

Thanks to Ian Alexander Martin for his time, and for the tremendous and informative responses to the questions. They are greatly appreciated.

What was the background to starting Atomic Fez Publishing?

Ian Alexander Martin: Prior to creating the house, I was the acting head of an English-based small house, with whom I was involved for a little over three years. Prior to that, I was running a Vancouver-centric theatre news-site called The Boards which included reviews, features, editorials, and event listings about theatre in my area. As a stage and screen actor/director, I was dissatisfied with arts coverage in the area by the traditional print media, and recognized that the only practical thing was to take up the coverage slack myself.

In the latter- half of The Boards’ life, the content broadened to include Ontario, much of the USA's Pacific Northwest, and England. That UK content is what resulted in me getting to know Guy Adams, who lured me to his publishing house and into this career in the first place, and then proved he's a completely evil person by encouraging me to start the house which came to be called "Atomic Fez Publishing". It's entirely his fault.

What sets Atomic Fez apart from other publishers, for both authors and readers, in terms of options and benefits?

Ian Alexander Martin: Not all books are 'serious works of art.' When I started Atomic Fez, I wanted to bring some of the fun back into the publishing business and produce books whose primary purpose was to entertain rather than instruct. I wanted to publish books that simultaneously celebrated good (as in highly readable) writing, but were written by people who had a firm grasp of literary traditions; think Jasper Forde, for instance.

Take the logo and name: the absurdity of the fez as a piece of headgear in combination with the hope of the dawning of the 'atomic age’ – that kind of retro glam – made me laugh. Think Mad Men crossed with The Jetsons; if that appeals to your tastes, then have a seat and let me get you something to drink.

What genres of books does Atomic Fez publish currently?

Ian Alexander Martin: I’d say it could be a mystery, humorous, a bit scary, sarcastic, or simply weird. Something with a bit of odd content to make you say “what... but, if you... how does that work, exactly?” Warren Ellis’s “Transmetropolitan” series, Terry Pratchett’s “Discworld” series, Christopher Fowler’s work, and Cherie Priest’s “Clockwork Century” material. Whatever it is I read has to have an element of humour running through it. It’s the light which better defines the point at which you enter the darkness. When selecting material to publish, it’s much the same thing, but with less requirement for humour. I’m going to easily read the material in its totality four times by the time books hit the inside of a box. Logically, it’s going to have to hold my interest somehow through each of those readings.

As someone who lives with clinical depression, I do have to watch getting too firmly pushed into the “bleak and hopeless” end of the spectrum. As long as it’s extremely well-written, then that’s something setting it apart from some material already.

Does having an eclectic group of authors and titles help create a niche for the company?

Ian Alexander Martin: In a sense, it welcomes all interests, but at the same time may make it difficult for some retailers to know what section of the store to put Atomic Fez titles. That said, you’ll find books published by major houses in several areas of stores, so I see this as a strength.

Atomic Fez has shown interest in what you’ve described as ‘genre-busting fiction'. What is that and what is the market potential for this type of book?

Ian Alexander Martin: The five titles produced in 2010 span a variety of genres and combine elements of several in each book. For instance, The Terror and the Tortoiseshell, John Travis's first in the Benji Spriteman series, combines elements of fantasy, mystery, noir and science fiction as the animal kingdom moves from four legs to two and banishes the human population. Benji Spriteman is a sentient, six-foot tall, suit-wearing tortoiseshell cat. And one heck of a detective too.

However, “weird stuff” and “highly eclectic” is about right. There’s the detective story The Terror and the Tortoiseshell that I think is filled with humour, but other people focus on the horror and semi-dark events (which may say more about me than the book, frankly); meanwhile). Meanwhile there’s The Beautiful Red, which is a collection of some of the darkest and bleakest tales I’ve ever read. Wicked Delights is another collection, this one of tales which all include at least a vague reference to sex, but is supremely classy, witty, and intellectual throughout. Twisthorn Bellow is a novel that occasionally revels in its own puerility while delivering groan-worthy puns and sight-gags.

This assortment of styles and story-forms permits both a ‘something for everybody’ aspect to the catalogue, as well as banishing a bit of the reputation of any of the individual genres’ lack of respectability in some people’s minds. Atomic Fez is pre-designed with that “broad tent” approach to fiction.



Ian Alexander Martin (photo left)

This is a difficult time for a new publisher to start up, with both a down economy and some very real turmoil in both the publishing and book retailing sectors. What challenges does a new publisher face in today's volatile marketplace?

Ian Alexander Martin: You're absolutely right about tumultuous nature of the industry: this is easily the most revolutionary period in books since Gutenberg created a reliable printing press using movable type. As Warren Buffet points out, however, “when everyone is doing something, it's time to do something else instead”..” The main challenge any publishing house faces is how to get attention for its titles when more than a million new books are being published in the US alone every year.

With fewer brick and mortar retailers out there in the marketplace, how is Atomic Fez leveraging the internet to help market books?

Ian Alexander Martin: The internet actually allows for simultaneous worldwide distribution and saves consumers both time and money on shipping costs. The cost of shipping printed books from Canada to the UK or vice versa often exceeds the cost of the books themselves, especially when purchasing from online vendors – free shipping offers such as Chapters/Indigo or Amazon only apply in a particular country. Atomic Fez is committed to making its books available in as many formats as technologically possible in accordance with consumer demand.

All Atomic Fez publications have been produced in multi-platform, digital rights management-free eBook formats at the same time as the printed books are released. All of the titles are available in both the Kindle and Kobo stores; as well as epub, pdf, html and mobi formats.

Atomic Fez has always released its titles in both printed and eBook format simultaneously. This year we're going to experiment with this formula a bit. Two of the five 2010 titles were published in jacket-less hardcover format; the other three as trade paperbacks. We're going to do our best this year to reduce production costs so we can also reduce the cost to the consumer. We're also going to consider more trade paperback publishing and, potentially, publishing eBooks prior to printed versions.

Late in 2010 we reduced the price of our eBooks to $6.99 for most titles and $4.99 for our shortest book, Andrew Hook’s Ponthe Oldenguine. I’d like to achieve similar price reductions for the paper books; while still managing to pay the printer, the authors and myself.

What advice would you have for a would-be author seeking to publish a book today?

Ian Alexander Martin: Write the book you want to, and do not submit it to anyone until you’ve worked through it so much that you’re at a loss as to what more can be done to it. Once you’ve done that, then send it around to people; all the time realizing that it’ll change several more times before it sees publication. Everyone’s work needs editing – many authors admit they’d not be able to operate without their editors’ help – so don’t get too precious about your words. That said, if your story is strong, major plot threads and characters shouldn’t have to be changed so much it’s not your book any more.

How can authors contact Atomic Fez to receive consideration for publishing their book?

Ian Alexander Martin: I’ve got more than enough on my desk right now to keep me busy well into the middle of the decade. That said, the door is always open for a proposal. Send me a quick synopsis, something about your writing credits, plus the market or category you see the work appealing to, and not much more. Attachments are best for those, as lengthy blocks of text pasted into an e-mail make for over-load.

Heading to www.AtomicFez.com/about/submissions/ will provide a quick run-down of those things, as well as a few tips on how to get my attention (wine seems to work, for instance). Take a look at the www.atomicfez.com web site; sign up for the blog feed (which features a weekly round-up of articles of interest to authors, both tips on writing and trends in publishing), and talk to (or follow) me on Twitter.

What is the one piece of advice you would give to any would -be author seeking a publisher?

Ian Alexander Martin: Don’t pay anyone for the opportunity to be published. Real publishers pay the writer, not the other way around. That said, don’t give up your ‘day job’, because the likelihood of making a living from your writing is about as slim as becoming a Hollywood star. While not impossible, it’s highly unlikely.

What is next for Atomic Fez?

Ian Alexander Martin: Atomic Fez is committed to the principle of publishing entertaining fiction. Plans are underway to publish four new titles in 2011: two in late spring, two in the fall. We'll be publishing works by new Canadian authors, as well as second books from two of our existing authors.

In spring of 2011, Atomic Fez will publish Gananoque, Ontario-based Carol Weekes' Terribilis, a mystery/thriller and her first novel. Also in the spring line-up is Calgary, Alberta-based Chris Roth's first novel Dirk Danger Loves Life, which tells the story of a young man’s discovery that life can be something other than a complete failure.

Then in the fall of 2011, we'll be releasing the second in John Travis’ “Benji Spriteman” series, a follow-up to The Terror and the Tortoiseshell, as well as John Llewellyn Probert’s first novel. The award-winning Probert wrote – and we published – Wicked Delights – in 2010.

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Ian Alexander Martin has been over the years a photographer, a photo-lab store-owner, stage actor, and performing arts journalist; thus demonstrating a fascination with embracing trends already well into their death throws. Currently he's the Proprietor of Atomic Fez Publishing, which is dedicated to providing well-written stories to people at fair prices in a variety of formats; including electronic, hardback, and soft-cover editions. He's lived in Metro Vancouver all his life, and in Burnaby with his wife and two cats for rather less than that.

Tags: Atomic Fez Publishing, Ian Alexander Martin, publishing industry, business interviews.