The Sobey School of Business
In the trying times facing the world today, the Sobey School of Business continues to innovate and improve its business programs. The Sobey Executive MBA (EMBA) program has been awarded a Silver Accreditation by the international Center for Evidence-Based Management (CEBMa). The program, located at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, is the first to receive this level of accreditation in Canada.
The Sobey EMBA program emphasizes evidence-based management, a framework which originated in medicine and has since migrated to other disciplines such as business and management. The accreditation recognizes that the program has “a series of courses that connect, build, and integrate evidence-based management principles.”
“With the topics dominating our news media and board table discussions across the country, we know now more than ever that evidence is essential in good decision making,” said Dr. Harjeet S. Bhabra, Dean of the Sobey School of Business. “When I took on this role, I brought a goal of enhancing the School’s research program. I immediately recognized that this evidence-based approach is central to our impact.”
The Sobey EMBA program recently was revitalized, and an important part of the renewal was pursuing this accreditation. Wendy Carroll, Academic Director of the Sobey EMBA program, has been a fellow with the CEBMa since 2009 and has engaged with members there to help build the rigour of the practice and with colleagues in the Sobey School of Business to create innovative approaches within the refreshed curriculum. The first cohort in the refreshed EMBA program began classes in January 2020.
“Our graduates learn to use and critically appraise multiple sources of evidence to inform their decision-making process which in turn helps them lead with confidence,” said Dr. Wendy Carroll, Academic Director, Executive MBA Program. “We look forward to acknowledging this achievement with our community both online and when we are together again in person on campus.”
“We have been impressed with the Sobey program’s willingness to submit to the rigour of the process,” notes Eric Barends, Managing Director, CEBMa. “We have three levels of accreditation. We thought early on that Sobey could probably achieve level 1, but the outcome of our assessment was that the school merited a silver accreditation.”
The Sobey School of Business is a recognized leader in business education and responsible management. The School has been recognized in 2020 as PRME Champions by the UN’s Global Compact and Principles of Responsible Management Education. The Sobey MBA program ranks in Corporate Knights’ top 10. Ivy Exec recognized the Executive MBA program as number five in Canada in 2017.
Denise Rousseau, who consulted on Sobey EMBA program development and serves as chair of the CEBMa Academic Council, was recently recognized with the Distinguished Scientific Contributions Award from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP). The annual award is given in recognition of a lifetime of outstanding contributions to the science of industrial and organizational psychology.
The Center for Evidence-Based Management (CEBMa) is the leading authority on evidence-based practice in the field of management and leadership. The Center is an independent, non-profit foundation that provides support and education to managers, leaders, consultants, teachers, and others who want to enhance their understanding of how an evidence-based approach helps people in organizations make better decisions.