At this point, she’s on fourth day of Manitoba time after two weeks of Hong Kong time (14 hours difference). It was enough to drive Naylor, who works as the Marketing Coordinator of the Asper School’s Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship to get a lunchtime coffee, and she’s not even a coffee drinker.

Was she in Hong Kong for business or pleasure? Well, depends on your definition: where does representing Team Canada for the International Bowling Federation (IBF) Championships fall?

Representing Team Canada

At any point during the last 20+ years, one of the most likely places to find Marissa Naylor would’ve been the bowling alley (the other is the golf course, but that’s another story).

Bowling steady (and competitively) since she was six years old, these days you can find her heading straight to the lanes from the Stu Clark Centre three or four times a week.

So, she’s had some practice. Much like an entrepreneur, she has harnessed focus and dedication over a long time to deliver an amazing product.

The skills she developed made her a perfect candidate for the Canadian team, but first, she had to make the team. This, Naylor says, can be a “ruthless” experience. Canada’s best bowlers come together and each bowl 36 games over three days. 12 a day. The scores are tallied, and the top six make the team.

She first made the team in 2023, and represented Canada at the IBF Championships in Kuwait. But just because she’s been at the IBF Championships before, doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a completely different ball game this time around.

At the 2023 Kuwait Championships there were only seven national teams, but in Hong Kong, there was 32—many of the teams filled with pro bowlers paid to be there.

“It was a whole new level of competitiveness,” she said.

Naylor bowled in four events— Women’s singles, doubles, trios, and team bowling. The unfortunate part to report is that neither Naylor, or her Canadian teammates medaled. But in competitive bowling, making the cut can hinge on the tiniest score differentials.

“I’m talking five or 10 pins,” says Naylor. “So a nailbiter, in other words.”

The upside: Naylor gave her all, got to explore the culture of Hong Kong (Disneyland, “the big buddha,” and unique foods) and learned life lessons.

“That’s the beauty of sports,” she says, “it’s a double-edged sword, right? You want to make the cut but you also realize that not everything goes your way, and that’s okay.”

Community and the next challenge

Perhaps with some inspiration from the Asper School’s values of always prioritizing community impact, Naylor has begun giving back to the bowling community.

Over the last year, she has started coaching 12–21-year-olds. Up until then, she had been so busy that it wasn’t a priority.

“But then I was really thinking about it with a mentor of mine who helped me, […] And he was like, if you’re gonna coach, we need female representation. So in the bowling community in Winnipeg, specifically, there’s only a handful of coaches, and two of them are female,” Naylor says.

She’s proud to be someone female bowlers can turn to, and the time she’s cut out of her busy schedule has been worth it. “In 2025 diversity is so important, especially in sport.”

Already, she’s having the champagne problems of having to compete against people she’s coached in order to earn a spot on Team Canada.

For Naylor’s next challenge, she is already preparing for the 2027 championships, which are going to be in Korea. It’s the biggest stage yet, promising to again make the Asper School proud, in what can best be described as a blockbuster sequel to this year’s championship.

“In Korea, it’s like hockey in Canada, but for bowling,” says Naylor.
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Through the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship, Marissa Naylor will be holding a webinar “Marketing Strategy for Startups” on January 30th, 2026. She will be exploring how early-stage entrepreneurs can build a strong brand, attract the right audience, and turn limited resources into meaningful results. Learn how you can register for her webinar.

The continuing investments in Canadian ports are also largely container-focused, said Barry Prentice, a professor of transportation and supply-chain management at the University of Manitoba. This won’t work for potash, he said. And while Prince Rupert is increasingly a port that handles bulk shipments, it is only serviced by a single class-one railway.

For the full story, please visit The Globe and Mail.

Recently, students in the President’s Student Leadership Program (PSLP) have done both.

PSLP, running out of the James W. Burns Leadership Institute housed within the Asper School of Business—is a fully-funded, pan-provincial leadership program that selects up to 24 PSLP Fellows per year across all disciplines from Manitoba’s post-secondary institutions.

2025 saw the seventh cohort of students enter the program. After engaging in week-long leadership seminars and workshops, where they meet and have in-depth discussions with senior leaders across sectors and learn from subject-matter experts, the group breaks into teams of four. In consultation and then partnership with a community organization, each team designs a project that focuses on filling an identified need and making community impact.

“In each of the five projects this summer, students immersed themselves in a spirit of giving back, using their unique skills to find a community partner, design a project and contribute to community members,” said Suzanne Gagnon, Asper Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Research Programs and Director of the James W. Burns Leadership Institute.

“In addition, each group traversed complex issues that were often new to them, gaining valuable insights and honing a well-rounded set of tested leadership skill,” said Dr. Gagnon.

We detail each team’s story of community impact below.

ALLFOURONE: Stories Across Generations

Team ALLFOURONE created an “intergenerational bonding initiative,” forming meaningful connections between senior residents of a care home (reaching as high as age 103) and elementary school students (reaching as high as age 11).

They called it “Stories Across Generations.” Together, the team designed and facilitated an afternoon where students from Margaret Park School and Luther Personal Care Home could connect through activities like trivia, storytelling and conversation.

The team identified the need for this project when they observed that youth and seniors can both feel overlooked or misunderstood. As these sessions unfolded, Keji Preston (UM Bachelor of Arts in Psychology), a member of the team, said “you could truly feel the room fill with joy.”

“A simple question like ‘what was your favourite game as a child?’ could spark a conversation that had a student and a resident laughing like they were old friends” she said.

The team realized this was special—a true bridge where both generations felt seen and heard.

“This project was a powerful reminder of the value every person holds,” said Preston.

During her time with PSLP, she felt like she realized a fundamental truth about leadership. “It’s not about a title; it’s about the responsibility to identify a need and the courage to take the first step in addressing it.

“This program gave me the tools, the network, and the confidence to do that, and for that, I am immensely grateful.”

GOal Getterz: Weaving Dreams

GOal Getterz partnered with Rising Sun, an off-campus school program of Gordon Bell High School to provide a crafting workshop, that doubled as a seminar on seeing mental health through an Indigenous lens.

As the high school students crafted dreamcatchers, they also had an open dialogue, connecting with the youth about their journeys so far, their dreams, and how they can make a positive impact on their community.

In Indigenous culture, a dreamcatcher is a profound symbol of protection, consisting of a circle and a web. The web is woven to capture bad thoughts and nightmares, holding them until they dissipate with daylight.

One member of the team, Ashley Sinclair (UM Bachelor of Arts in Psychology), is a Knowledge Keeper, and led the discussions. Team member Nicole Herpai (UM Doctor of Philosophy in Community Health Sciences) said that with the easygoing environment of crafting, the students felt at ease, opening up and sharing personal stories.

After the workshop, the team created a manual for how to re-create their event. It includes an explanation of the importance of the workshop and how to do it in a good way while observing appropriate cultural practices. More than anything, it’s a spark—a spark to pay it forward to others, which is what great leaders do.

Team M.I.C.K. – “Soft skills” for University

No matter what subject you study at university, everyone who comes through becomes a true expert in one thing: how to survive university.

Team M.I.C.K. forged an alliance with the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba (IRCOM), to create an event where they could support Canadian newcomers with advice and “soft-skills” to get prepared for university.

Working with immigrants was something everyone in the group could relate to, as they each had either previous experience volunteering, or were a newcomer themselves.

Together with their deep collective knowledge of University, they hosted a preliminary event in August; the full event is planned for February 2026, when most will begin the application process.

During initial discussions with newcomers, group representative Kolby Wiebe (UM BSc in Chemistry) described a moment where they answered students’ questions about financial aid.

“When we saw the students realize that they may actually be able to afford going to university it was really cool,” Wiebe said. Once they understood it was a possibility, the group was flooded with eager questions.

Wiebe found PSLP to be a great opportunity to connect to the community in a way he wouldn’t have otherwise been able to.

“Getting outside the lab and interacting with motivated people across Winnipeg in all different positions really made me think about why I am doing the work I do and what impact it has,” he said.

Team M.A.C.C. – Supporting Newcomers on their Entrepreneurship Journey

If building a business is like building a house, how would you do it without a blueprint, or any way to source materials and equipment?

Entrepreneurship is hard. It’s even harder if you don’t know the local systems, resources, and tools in your toolbox.

Every member of team M.A.C.C. has connections to immigrant communities and identified this seemingly impossible task for newcomers who are aspiring entrepreneurs. Team representative Carolyn Wang (BComm [Hons.]) says they “thought it was important to give back since the resources available for newcomers helped us and our families.”

To help break the barrier, they connected experienced entrepreneurs and newcomers looking to start a business for virtual meetings where they could receive personalized advice.

They also created a guide—2025 Business Start-Up Guide for Manitoban Immigrants—which outlines the many resources available to entrepreneurs. It has gained impressive visibility on LinkedIn, expanding their audience and reaching an even larger community who can use and share the document all year round.

The Breakthrough Project – An Inspiration Fair for Indigenous Youth

Anthony Theriault’s (BComm [Hons.]) team was having a hard time coming up with a name, at first. They created a mission statement: “To build impact to contribute to daily life so people can live their best lives and flourish.” They decided on “The Breakthrough Project.”

Hence, their project became about breaking through: to Indigenous youth.

Partnering with Rossbrook House, an inner-city drop-in centre for youth, they created an event where youth and young Indigenous adults (guides) from a range of paths could share stories.

“Think of it as an inspiration fair” said Theriault.

While sharing a meal, guides and youth swapped stories. Afterwards, each member of The Breakthrough Project hosted a games table where they could personally connect with the youth.

“This was one of the best parts, getting to talk with the youth hands-on about their goals and passions” Theriault said. “We really wanted the youth to lead their own way, and that’s what happened!”

The interactivity of the event turned out to be its greatest strength. A teacher’s assistant told them “This was completely different from other external presentations. The youth got to explore their interests rather than being forced to listen.”

Everyone left the day feeling inspired, knowing they had created authentic connections with the youth. According to Theriault, rumour has it that this might just be the start of an annual tradition.

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The President’s Student Leadership Program, led by the James W. Burns Leadership Institute at the Asper School of Business is a fulfilling opportunity for students to develop a robust, real-world leadership toolkit. It is a transformative experience that builds valuable networks and skills for the next generation of changemakers. Applications to Cohort 8 of the PSLP opens on January 19, 2026. Click here to learn more about PSLP.

For the full interview, please visit CBC.

Hearing this a couple of times might just make you more interested in the tool. But what if you keep seeing this, popping up on different websites and in your news feed? Each time you see it, you start thinking more critically: wait, this technology is really new…and wait, in a space where everything is still up in the air, how did they determine it was the #1 deepfake-detection solution anyway?

At what point do you say to yourself, I’m not sure if I can trust this? When is it too much?

Asper Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Xiumei Li, recently published the article Entrepreneurial Market Leadership Claims, Cultural Resonance, and Investor Evaluations in Nascent Markets: The Goldilocks Effect in one of the most prestigious academic journals in the field, the Financial Times 50 (FT50)-ranked Journal of Management Studies to answer this very question.

She and her co-authors, Jade Lo (Drexel University), Derek Harmon (Michigan State University), and V.K. Narayanan (Drexel University), draw on insights from cultural entrepreneurship and psychology…with a key assist from a fairy tale.

The mere exposure effect

Before this project, Li was working on another study, sifting through data, when she noticed a pattern.

This original study was examining how entrepreneurs establish novelty and familiarity to influence potential investors.

She was looking through press release after press release from various entrepreneurial ventures and couldn’t help but notice—many of them were claiming they were a leader in their field, often in a nascent (new) market where evaluation criteria were not yet established (for example, a technology that is just being introduced to consumers).

“It’s not possible that everyone is a leader, right?” Li says. “In an early-stage market, the evaluation metrics are still being developed, and it’s very difficult to verify. Then I became interested in how investors evaluate these types of messages.”

Investors can make decisions that make, or break new entrepreneurial ventures. Companies therefore need to make the case that they are dependable and a good investment.

That’s where psychology came in. She began consulting classic social psychology papers about the mere exposure effect and the two-factor model—the idea that repetition boosts favorability at first but backfires when overdone.

“If you repeat a message three times, is it a good thing compared to five or more?” Li says.

Their study became about not what entrepreneurs were claiming, but how often they were claiming it—and how different levels of repetition shaped investor evaluations.

The Goldilocks Effect

By taking an innovative angle—frequency of the message, rather than the message itself—Li and her colleagues distinguished their research from other studies.

With their finger on the pulse on the classic social psychology literature, the team hypothesized that too little, or too much exposure to the market leadership claims would sway the investors away in a nascent market.

If there’s too little messaging, investors would experience a sense of uncertainty, and have a cautious reaction.

If there’s too much exposure to the claim, the research suggests that investors would clue into the fact that they’re being persuaded and resist the influence. It’s a movie that’s working too hard to make you cry.

However, if the claim is repeated within these goalposts—enough to have impact without overdoing it—individuals may experience the “truth effect,” the idea that as something is heard multiple times, it strikes a chord with you, and reduces any uncertainty you may have had—like a movie you get lost in, even though you know it’s pretend.

Their evidence included an archival study and an experiment. In the experiment, participants were exposed to fictional press releases with varying amounts of market leadership claims, then asked how likely they would be to invest.

Here, they found support for their theory in the form of an inverted U-shaped graph—showing that as claim frequency goes up in a nascent market, investor evaluations increase, plateau, and then go back down as the claim frequency gets too high.

The only thing left was to name this phenomenon.

Li says she can’t take credit for the name “The Goldilocks Effect”—that goes to her colleague Derek Harmon—but says “It adds more vividity—and maybe more people are interested in reading it.”

There are no bears or porridge in this paper, but the message stays the same: we’re always trying to find what’s just right, somewhere between too much and not enough.
—
This article is only a small summation of the insights in Entrepreneurial Market Leadership Claims, Cultural Resonance, and Investor Evaluations in Nascent Markets: The Goldilocks Effect. You can learn more by reading the article online on Journal of Management Studies.

The Asper School of Business aims to expand the creation of global knowledge and engage in intellectual exploration to advance management research and practice. Our researchers’ scholarly work is regularly published in world’s most renowned outlets in the field.

Be part of this flourishing research culture and learn more about research programs in management (MSc and PhD) at the Stu Clark Graduate School.

“It’s a way of getting people to opt for those more expensive seats. You simply make the comfort differential greater,” said Dr. Barry Prentice, who heads the University of Manitoba’s transport institute. 

To read the entire article, please visit Canadian Press.

What’s one of the only places you can go grocery shopping and clubbing at the same time for free? Filipino grocery chain Seafood City. But the secret to the success of the pop-ups might be part of a larger trend. CBC’s Jim Agapito speaks with Dr. Divya Ramachandran, Assistant Professor of Marketing at the University of Manitoba.

For the full interview, please visit CBC.

The Associates of the Asper School of Business have generously funded research fellowship awards to recognize and encourage scholarship contributions and business community engagement performed by Asper School faculty members.

Each successful fellowship recipient earns the distinguished title of Associates Fellow, as well as $10,000 per year award, for three years, to support their continued excellence and innovation in research, teaching, and engagement.

“The Asper School of Business thrives as a world-class business school thanks to our connections to the local business community. By investing in Asper-led research, teaching and professional collaboration, the Associates support our mission to lead in knowledge creation and produce scholarship that makes impact on the practice of management. Congratulations to Chi, Sean, Mohammad, and Wei for this well-deserved recognition!”
-Dr. Bruno Silvestre, Dean of the Asper School of Business

The two 2025 renewed Associates Fellows are:

Chi Liao – The Associates Fellow in Finance

As an Associate Professor of Finance, Chi Liao’s research focuses on why people make the financial decisions they do, analyzing both individuals and corporations.

Her research interests include household finance and behavioural finance. Broadly, recent studies have analyzed the role of race and the role of ADHD in various financial situations.

Her research has been published in leading finance and entrepreneurship journals including the Review of Finance and the Journal of Business Venturing. She has been interviewed and cited in the Wall Street Journal and CNBC, as well as locally by the Winnipeg Free Press, Global News, and CTV News.

Sean Buchanan – The Associates Fellow in Business Administration

Associate Professor Sean Buchanan studies how organizations and industries engage with contentious social issues amidst rising political polarization.

Recently, he received national research funding for his work investigating how growing political polarization affects the business side of stand-up comedy, and its impact on creative decisions and the public discourse.

His research has been published in Academy of Management Review, Organization Science, Journal of Management Studies, Organization Studies, Human Relations, Journal of World Business, and Organization.

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In addition to awarding multi-year research fellowships, The Associates also generously recognize excellence in the classroom with the Associates Teaching Awards, valued at $5,000 each.

This award distinguishes innovative educators whose work enriches the student experience and strengthens the Asper School’s role in shaping Manitoba’s future business leaders.

Recipients of the Associates Teaching Awards are:

Mohammad Eslami

Mohammad Eslami joined the Asper School of Business in 2024 after serving as an Associate Professor at Jönköping International Business School in Sweden.

At the Asper School he serves as Associate Professor in Supply Chain and Innovation Management. Eslami has taught students to picture the supply chain in fresh perspectives, factoring in critical thought about digitalization, knowledge integration, dynamic capabilities, and uncertainties.

Dr. Eslami’s research pedigree includes publication in journals such as Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, International Journal of Production Economics, Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Business Research, International Journal of Production Research, and Technological Forecasting and Social Change, among others.

Wei Wang

Wei Wang grew up in a family of teachers, and is a lifelong educator in his heart. Students feel that fact; they praise his genuine, caring attitude, and are impressed by his ability to transform seemingly dry material into engaging lectures.

As The Associates Fellow in Leadership and Ethics, Assistant Professor of Business Administration, and the Co-Director of the Behavioral Management Institute, Wang’s research and teaching interests include organizational behaviour, business ethics, and leadership.

Other awards include 2022 Anne Tsui Dare to Care Research Award, Wang was recognized for the ways in which his work seeks to make a difference in the lives of employees. In 2024 he was awarded a UM Teaching Merit Award.
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Other current Associates Fellows include Nathan Greidanus, Narendra Malagoda, Rajesh Manchanda, Kiran Pedada, Wei Wang, Wenxi Pu, and Shiu Yik-Au.

The contributions of four award recipients, which exemplify Asper values, made for a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Asper’s 43-year relationship with The Associates of the Asper School of Business. Learn more about the Associates here.

At the Asper School of Business’ Rod Senft Family Business Conference, taking place November 26, the Chairman of the private equity firm Tricor Pacific Capital explained it as “Business with a twist.”

The twist being the emotional dimension of family—complex family relationships, power dynamics, and of course, the issue of succession. Like our own families, they can be extraordinarily strong and extraordinarily vulnerable in the same moment.

And yet, partially because of this paradox, Senft said, “Family businesses are so much the backbone of every economy.”

This is exactly why he pledged his support for the Rod Senft Family Business Conference; to offer family enterprises a place where they can explore the ideas that allow them to lead with their best foot forward for future generations. To use the parlance of comic books: “With great power, comes great responsibility.”

The conference had a record turnout of over 200 businesspeople, many of whom were Asper alumni currently working in a family enterprise.

The whole team at Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship did incredible work in the planning process to ensure the room was full and filled with infectious enthusiasm. I.H. Asper Executive Director for Entrepreneurship, Debra Jonasson-Young was the host of the day, and dutifully made sure the packed house was in their seats on time.  

The Dean’s advisory board on family business—consisting of Rick Duha [BComm(Hons.)/82], Mark Dufresne [BComm(Hons)/88], and Grant Cockshott—designed the content of the conference. Their precision, experience and expertise allowed the conference to be highly memorable, leaving a meaningful impact on attendees.

(L-R) Rick Duha, Rod Senft, Dr. Bruno Silvestre, Grant Cockshott, Mark Dufresne

Dean of the Asper School of Business, Dr. Bruno Silvestre, drove many of the discussions of the day when he shared statistics from a recent survey of current Asper students who come from a family business background.

“66% of the students from family business backgrounds indicated that they are interested in being involved in the family enterprise, and that carrying on the family business legacy is important to them personally. But only 24% of them are actually involved.”

The two top reasons for the gap: lack of clarity about their role, and concerns about family conflicts.

“They can all be battled with one weapon: communication.” he said.

The theme of communication was one that came up again and again throughout the day. Steve Beauchesne, CEO of Family Enterprise Canada, shared more enlightening statistics for the room; Chad Friesen, CEO of Friesens Corporation, gave a new perspective on Employee-Owned Trusts; and Joy Nott, Partner at KPMG’s National Tax, Trade and Customs practice shared in-depth insights about tariffs and what it means for Canadian business.

Keynote Speaker Dan Hursh – 6th Generation Richardson Family

In a fireside chat with Asper alum Rick Duha, Dan Hursh, Chairman of James Richardson & Sons, Limited (JSRL) shared insights, stories, and historical tidbits as a 6th generation (G6) member of the Richardson family.

Headquartered in Winnipeg, JSRL is a family-owned and operated Canadian corporation involved in the international grain trade and agri-food business, and it has been passed down from generation to generation for an astounding 168 years.

Dan Hursh (right) during the fireside chat with Rick Duha

True to the theme of the day, those 168 years of business were not always smooth-sailing. In 1939, their president, James Armstrong Richardson, unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack.

“The men that formed the executive team were sitting around, trying to figure out, who’s going to lead this business?”

But the next day, his widow, Murial Richardson, gave the company instant reinvention and innovation, even at an intensely personal, emotional moment.

“In what can only be described as a mid-20th-centrury ‘hold my beer’ moment, Muriel walked in and told the senior executives, ‘I’m going to be the next president of James Richardson & Sons Limited’”

At the time, it was unheard of for a woman to lead a Canadian Business of this size. She did it for the next 27 years.

As much as they’ve reinvented themselves over the years, part of the reason for their longevity is the simplicity in their mission: to be a company that people can trust.

The key word is trust—a timeless, universal concept. “It’s so embedded within us as humans. We know what it is. You know what it takes to inspire trust and earn trust. And you know how quickly you can lose trust,” said Hursh.

Surely, things might get a touch more complicated for their family soon. There are 29 G6s in Dan’s generation. For G7, as it is right now, he said: “There’s over 35 of them, and the eldest is 11.”

However, Hursh has seen the way that his generation was treated. He knows that because of the family’s ongoing tradition of inviting the next generation to the table, having respect for their questions and ideas, and the always-compassionate mentorship of the older generation, the succession is nothing to be worried about.

“Of all the things that keep me up at night, this isn’t one of them,” said Hursh.
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A photo gallery, as well as recordings of the 2025 Rod Senft Family Business Conference sessions are now available.