UNews - professor of Information Systems

Kelley named Acting Associate Dean of SGS

trevor.kenney — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 16:19:25 +0000

Dr. Helen Kelley's part-time position as Assistant Dean of the School of Graduate Studies has been reclassified to a full-time Acting Associate Dean position, with the term ending on Dec. 31, 2014.

This reclassification enables Kelley to fully commit her time and professional activity to the School of Graduate Studies and to assume oversight of additional areas of responsibility.

The vacated Assistant Dean position will not be re-staffed. If the need is demonstrated for continuing senior administrative assistance in the SGS then a full and open search will be conducted for an ongoing position of Associate Dean in the latter part of 2014.

Such a process would be contingent upon receiving necessary approvals and the availability of the requisite resources.

Kelley is a tenured associate professor of Information Systems, in the Faculty of Management, and her current research program focuses on E-health and wellness. In her capacity as Acting Associate Dean, she will assume a leadership role in all strategic enrolment management activities in the School of Graduate Studies, working collaboratively with all Faculties and graduate program areas.

Kelley will continue her work in developing a Graduate Professional Skills program, and will assume strategic oversight of the development of other internal programs which will enhance and add value to the graduate student experience at the U of L.

She will also assume a leadership role in ongoing efforts to optimize the administration of graduate education at the U of L, working collaboratively with department chairs, program chairs, area heads and other administrators.

Kelley named assistant dean of SGS

trevor.kenney — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:11:26 +0000

The School of Graduate Studies is pleased to announce that Dr. Helen Kelley has been appointed to a three-year term as assistant dean of the School of Graduate Studies, effective January 1, 2012.

Kelley is a tenured associate professor of Information Systems, in the Faculty of Management, and her current research program focuses on E-health and wellness. Since 2006, she has served as the director of the Master of Science in Management program, and under her stewardship has seen the program thrive.

In her capacity as assistant dean, Kelley will play a central role in School of Graduate Studies initiatives related to recruitment, retention, and program development.

Evolving empires

trevor.kenney — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:58:12 +0000

What began as a project in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Integrated Management Experience (IME) class evolved first into a book, and now into a Small Business Institute centred at the U of L.

Dan Kazakoff, director of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Theory Into Practice programs, and Dr. Gordon Hunter, professor of Information Systems in the Faculty of Management, are embarking on an undertaking to link small businesses to the expertise of researchers, professionals and other business people.

Recently, the pair co-authored Little Empires (2008), a book that focused on 11 multi-generation small businesses in Lethbridge, and dedicated a chapter to each. Their findings provide insight for small business owners and for those with entrepreneurial goals.

Dr. M Gordon Hunter, left and Dan Kazakoff bring expertise to entrepreneurs through the Small Business Institute

"Many of those small businesses were actually family businesses that had gone through more than one generation," says Kazakoff. "So through general discussion, Gordon and I thought it might be extremely interesting to find out why it is that some companies or businesses are successful from one generation to another."

Little Empires exposed some unexpected practices within family-run businesses, Hunter says.

"One of the things we found was, in order for these businesses to continue on over multiple generations, someone within the family had to step forward and take over—not only the business but the family entity."

He adds that those who take over often feel a responsibility to interact with their family members in a way that their parents would have wanted or expected - they endeavour to make decisions that benefit both the business and the family as a whole.

Following a presentation to fellow faculty members about the book, Hunter and Kazakoff realized their research and findings dealt mainly with success stories and the associated rationale. It spawned exploration into businesses that fail, and the cause.

"We also recognized, of course, that we needed to talk to those other than the original owners," says Hunter. "If, for example, Dan and I had a business and it failed, first of all Dan probably won't provide an interview regarding the cause of the failure. But if Dan does agree, he's going to say the business failed because of Gordon. And Gordon's going to say the reason the business failed was because of Dan."

That realization led them to interview bankruptcy professionals who assisted them with examples and underlying factors that led to business failures. Thus, the concept of a Small Business Institute took root.

"The whole notion is that with an institute, you get people together who might have a common interest in the subject area, so it's more than just complementary; it should also be synergistic," says Kazakoff. "By discussing ideas around the table with other individuals, you may find that you get more depth of understanding. Through that discussion, your research is enhanced and that's really the purpose of the Institute—to bring some synergy to people who have an interest in doing research in small business areas."

The focus of the Institute's investigations will be on privately held small businesses varying from start-up to multi-generational. In addition to entrepreneurship and family-owned operations, other aspects of their investigation will include franchises, not-for-profits, non-participating family members, succession and sustainability.

An advisory council is currently being organized that will provide guidance to Kazakoff and Hunter with regard to the Institute's direction.

"I think you'll see it almost like a viral idea — you start off with that initial spark as a catalyst and as more and more projects are completed, it will just grow," says Kazakoff.

"Students will benefit from the exchange of ideas with business people and faculty. Courses may be developed or modified to incorporate some of the ideas documented in journal articles and conference papers," adds Hunter. "What will make our SBI unique is the focus on Lethbridge and surrounding area within southern Alberta."

Kazakoff agrees: "In Lethbridge you have this richness . . . and possibilities – there was no one really leveraging that."

A healthy collaboration

trevor.kenney — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:51:05 +0000

The inspiration to house the faculties of Management and Health Sciences in Markin Hall has already begun to generate important inquiry through cross-disciplinary collaboration. It has brought together great thinkers and masters of knowledge to tackle some of society's most complex issues.

Dr. Helen Kelley, associate professor of Information Systems in the Faculty of Management, and Dr. Claudia Steinke, assistant professor in both Management and Health Sciences, have launched a well-timed research project that, once complete, may have far-reaching significance in the health-care industry.

Kelley, whose research broadens out into areas such as e-health and change management, says she has always had an interest in health care and how change occurs.

Dr. Helen Kelley, left and Dr. Claudia Steinke work in different faculties but their collaborative work may lead to inspired solutions down the road.

"Certainly, how you manage change and create cultures within the health-care environment is very important. Leadership is key, as is developing cultures that align with the vision that is being established by decision makers here in Alberta."

Kelley says establishing a vision requires buy-in from an entire organization. The very nature of health care sets it apart in many ways from other organizations, not only because of its sheer size and breadth, but also because of the nature of caring for individuals, life-and-death situations and the fast-paced environment.

Steinke's background as an emergency room nurse drew her to the project.

"My experience evolved as a result of being both a recipient and a provider of health-care services in the emergency department. My interests are in applying a service management perspective to the design of service in health care. I focus on the structure, process and outcomes of designing for service excellence in health care."

Steinke says the bottom line is to impact and improve the quality of health-care services being delivered to people, and that begins with improving the quality of the working environment for staff.

"Employees will deliver excellent service to clients when the organization provides them with the resources necessary to deliver excellent service – and when the organization treats them as it would want them to treat customers. Currently, this is not happening in many of the organizations in health care for various reasons."

Educators across Canada and the United States are recognizing the need to offer health-care providers management knowledge, Kelley says. And "having the two disciplines housed in the same building provides more opportunity for those conversations and discussions to start to percolate and bloom."

Kelley and Steinke agree both disciplines need to work together to influence the efficiency and effectiveness of the health-care system.

"The problems in health care are not going to be solved if we continue to work in silos," Steinke explains. "We need a joining of the minds from a number of fields – we need to prepare our students to become leaders and managers in health care who think differently, innovatively, act responsibly and have a broader mindset. We need to foster a culture that thrives on service excellence and we have an opportunity here to promote this within our undergraduate and graduate programs."

Hunter receives prestigious FCMA designation

trevor.kenney — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 22:13:21 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Faculty of Management professor Dr. M. Gordon (Gord) Hunter was recently designated a Fellow of the Society of Management Accountants of Canada (FCMA).

The FCMA, presented to Hunter and five other Albertans, is a prestigious national honorary designation that is awarded to CMAs who, through their own outstanding achievements, bring distinction to the management accounting profession and serve as role models for others.

Hunter is the fourth
U of L faculty member to achieve this designation. Past recipients of the FCMA in the Faculty of Management include
Dr. Murray Lindsay, as well as instructors Bruce Thurston (Lethbridge campus) and Tim Spielman (Calgary campus).

Faculty of Management Dean, Dr. Robert Ellis, says that Hunter's dedication to research, teaching, and his association with CMA Alberta, allow him to continue providing relevant and student-centred learning opportunities.

"Gord has made exemplary contributions to scholarship, teaching and to the professional community," says Ellis. "I speak for all our faculty members when I say that we are very proud of Gord for being honoured by his peers in the Society of Management Accountants."

In his current role as a professor of information systems at the U of L, Hunter teaches several courses and, in 2009, developed a new accounting information systems course. He has been an advocate for the CMA designation in several capacities, including acting as a coach in the CMA Alberta Board Governance and JDC West Case competitions. He has also been a CMA
ambassador in the post-secondary community at CMA Alberta events.

Hunter has continually shown a commitment to enhancing the profession and designation through written publications; developing, delivering and overseeing a variety of post-secondary courses; and sitting on international conference committees.

For a look at the full issue of the December Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

UNews - professor of Information Systems

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