Centre for Business Strategic Plan

Main Content
Exterior of St. James campus with a streetcar driving in front

The Centre for Business has created its Strategic Plan based on the College’s articulated vision, mission, values, and plan. By creating this alignment, the Centre contributes directly to the vision and future of the  College.

The Centre for Business’ Strategic Plan covers the three-year period 2021-24. It allows us to leverage our strengths, tap into the resource base of the College and Division, and reposition the Centre by developing a competitive advantage over other PSEs. The key overarching goal of the Strategic Plan is to create a first-rate teaching and learning experience for our students. This is complemented by investing in developing the Centre’s human resource capacity and capabilities.

The implementation, execution and monitoring of the plan will be expressed through annual Business Plans.

Our Aspiration:

To be recognized as a leader in applied business education supporting lifelong learners in achieving their educational and professional aspirations.

Our 4 Strategic Goals:
  1. Prepare business students to be workplace ready and lifelong learners – increased focus on data analytics/business intelligence and technology skills, experiential learning, interdisciplinary thinking, global skills and an entrepreneurial mindset.
  2. Expand and foster partnerships and collaboration with industries, professional associations, and other post-secondary institutions both domestic and international – mutually beneficial & expansive to include human capital, educational, financial, operational, reputational, and intellectual property.
  3. Build a resilient CfB community with the capability and capacity needed to adapt to a changing external environment - by focusing on training and development for faculty and staff, ensuring that they have efficient and effective systems to support their work, while simultaneously emphasizing equity, inclusivity, and the diverse attributes of faculty, staff, and students.
  4. Establish a strong educational brand globally and be the college sector Business School of choice from which employers recruit - by undertaking a range of academic identity and reputation building practices that attract promising aspirational students and talented faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds.
Our Business Values

Our business values embrace People, Pedagogy and Progressiveness (3Ps) in preparing workplace ready business professionals.  Within each of these three (3) areas, the CfB advocates for, and practices, equity, diversity, and inclusivity, in teaching and learning, and in employee relations.

People – Using Equity, Diversity and Inclusion as a transformational guide, build communities of practice to leverage the expertise of academics and staff who have exemplary industry and professional experience.

Pedagogy – Deliver differentiated learning experiences for development of students’ real-world competencies, such as interdisciplinary problem-solving, experiential learning, digital and analytical thinking.  These enable students to make connections across disciplines to solve problems and provide them with lifelong learning tools that are needed over their careers and ensure employability.

Progressiveness – Maintain a relentless focus on student experience and the pursuit of innovation to maximize learning outcomes for all learners and increase time to market and entrepreneurial approaches to meet the changing needs of industry.

Our Brand Promise

Graduates of the Centre for Business are workplace ready and highly regarded business professionals.

 

The CfB Roadmap

The CfB Roadmap outlines 4 major business plan elements:

  1. Alignment to 4 Strategic Commitments at the GBC Level
  2. CfB Strategic Goals & Priorities
  3. CfB Key Initiatives through which our goals & priorities are achieved, and
  4. CfB Outcomes which include our SMAs and GBC Measurable Outcomes.

Deliver learning experiences that prepare learners for future and global skills.

Strategic Goals/PrioritiesKey Initiatives

Academic Planning in which:

  • Student-experience and real-world skill-building are the central organizing principles driving teaching and learning.
  • High quality entrepreneurship preparation & experiential learning opportunities are essential elements of programs.
  • Business analytics, business intelligence and technology-proficiency enable students to solve complex business problems and develop creative solutions.
  • New programs and credentials mix are optimized based on programs relevancy and financial returns.
  • Embed a laddered CfB Human Skills Framework (HSF) across the learning experience of students.
  1. Envision new ways of Work-Integrated-Learning (WIL) and Experiential Learning activities in the CfB
  2. Audit and update curriculum currency and relevancy for Data Analytics/Technology
  3. CfB Portfolio Optimization
  4. Quality Assurance
  5. Soft Skills Review & Implementation

    Build interconnected partnerships with other post-secondary institutions, industry, and community.

    Strategic Goals/PrioritiesKey Initiatives
    • Develop partnerships with employers and industry to increase career relevancy for learners through curriculum co-creation and collaboration.
    •  
    • Establish and manage Partnerships with Industry, Not-for-Profit, professional associations and community organizations that are mutually beneficial and create opportunities for graduates.
    •  
    • Become the business school of choice for recruiting employers.
    • Increase CfB’s reach, impact and visibility in Ontario and beyond by building networks of relationships.
    •  
    • Build an expansive lifelong learning ecosystem with new and emerging academic and institutional partnerships.
    1. Establish CfB Alumni Relations and Strategic Partnerships Office
    2. Strengthen alumni connections and relations
    3. CfB Brand Strategy and Reputation Development
    4. Establish strong community relations in the GTA to address pressing societal issues and disparities.
    5. Higher Learning Institution Partnerships

      Build a resilient CfB community that is adaptable, entrepreneurial, and diverse. Strengthen pedagogical expertise, delivery capacity and capabilities. In so doing, we raise the standard of the learner experience and expand the variety of delivery models.

      Strategic Goals/PrioritiesKey Initiatives
      • Explore and test new delivery models and revenue generating opportunities.
      • Optimize the learner’s blended learning experience (digital, physical, experiential) with next generation teaching and learning methods.
      • Support a holistic and seamless transition to self-directed student experience.
      • Transition advisory services to personalized service experiences for students.
      1. Strengthen online capabilities
      2. New Models of Delivery
      3. Collaborate with Project RiSE to service delivery-models of self-directed/personalized:
      4.  
      5. Student Success and Digital Engagement Taskforce

        Focus on our fundamentals to help anticipate, absorb, and manage change.

        Strategic Goals/PrioritiesKey Initiatives

        Our business values advocate for, and practice equity, diversity and inclusivity in teaching and learning, and in employee relations. Our priorities include:

        • HUMAN CENTERED. Utilize the expertise of our people, emphasizing innovation, competencies and improving digital fluency.
        • INDIGENIZATION. Deliver on Colleges and Institutes Canada’s Indigenous education protocols and implement a framework for action and accountability.
        • DIGITAL. Enhance data-driven decision making with analytics and introduce digital innovations to optimize how we work, teach, and learn.
        1. Unstoppable Together - CfB Community Building Effort:
        2. Four Seasons of Reconciliation
        3. Digital Transformation Projects:
        4. Monitoring Strategy:
        5. Operational and Service Excellence Taskforce:
        6. Organizational Effectiveness: