Wenxi Pu (Associate Dean, Assistant Professor, The Associates Fellow in Innovation) has spent about eight years working to do just that in a piece now published in the FT50-ranked Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal.

Pu and co-authors’ work, “Shifts in national entrepreneurial culture: The promise of linguistic cultural artifacts and machine learning analysis,” looks at national entrepreneurial culture, asking how cultural attitudes have shifted over time.

“One of the things I’m most proud of is how this study offers new ways to capture culture about entrepreneurship at the national level,” says Pu.

With a dataset of close to 700,000 articles published about entrepreneurship and related topics in over 100 regional and national US newspapers (two decades’ worth, spanning 1996 to 2016), Pu argues that a linguistic analysis of a nation’s media production, supported by machine learning algorithms and AI, can reveal and capture cultural attitudes about entrepreneurship.

In other words, researchers can infer how we think and feel about a topic over time by analyzing huge amounts of written data.

When it comes to entrepreneurship in the United States between the mid nineties and 2010s, the general trend is that positivity bias toward entrepreneurship has increased.

“We found the emotional tone trending up and the analytical thinking trending down in the news articles about entrepreneurship that we analyzed, suggesting that we are culturally more emotional while less analytical about entrepreneurship over time,” Pu explains.

Pu’s study found that positivity bias toward entrepreneurship increased the most in accounts of entrepreneurial aspirations and journeys—the starts of startups and the entrepreneurial path.

The also team found a correlation between this rise in positivity about entrepreneurship with the quality of entrepreneurial ventures taking place at the same time. As positive attitudes about entrepreneurship increase, more ventures got started, but they also had lower growth potential.

“Further analysis suggested that this positivity bias might have encouraged entrepreneurs to create new ventures but might have limited the growth potential for those start-ups, so we need to strike a balance,” Pu says.

For Pu, this study has been generative, showcasing innovative ways to imagine culture and opening up a slew of questions to pursue.

“As a method paper, this study contributes more than just these findings about shifts in national entrepreneurial culture. It also allowed us to test a method using machine learning and AI to make this process of qualitative analysis far more efficient,” he says.

As a researcher and the Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning at the Asper School of Business, Pu encourages his colleagues and students to tap into the ways that AI allows us to do what we haven’t been able to do before and the ways that AI allows more time for truly creative, innovative pursuits.

The future is exciting to him, and he looks forward to seeing how AI transforms businesses and our daily lives.

Reading Pu’s work, it is hard not to imagine new applications for both the AI-supported methodology and for the questions the study raises about entrepreneurship itself. It’s certainly generative; more than that, it is creative.

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The Asper School of Business aims to expand global knowledge and engage in intellectual exploration to advance teaching, learning, and research. Our researchers’ scholarly work is regularly published in internationally renowned publications.

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“It starts and ends with the Associate Dean,” the podcast hosts quipped as they led Asper School of Business faculty members, leaders, and students through the day’s programming.

The podcasters were enthused about Pu’s scheduled introduction to artificial intelligence, excited to hear Lukas Neville’s best practices for AI in the classroom, intrigued by Kiran Pedada’s Harvard-informed workshop, and utterly curious about guest speaker Xuan Zhao’s keynote address titled “Student Wellbeing in the Age of AI.”

Wenxi Pu, Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning

(The hosts and the podcast were—surprise—AI generated.)

Pu (Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning, Assistant Professor of Management Information Systems, and The Associates Fellow in Innovation) began the day with this demonstration, scratching the surface of what generative AI can do and encapsulating the theme of the 2024 Reg Litz Teaching Day: Student Success in the Age of AI.

Named in memory of beloved instructor of entrepreneurship, Reg Litz, the day is held annually and dedicated to helping Asper School of Business instructors develop their pedagogical skills to enhance student learning.

Pu explains why this theme seemed the perfect fit for the 2024 instalment.

“AI is transforming the business landscape at an unprecedented pace, presenting both challenges and opportunities for innovation in business education. Reg Litz Teaching Day is the perfect platform for Asper faculty and students to brainstorm strategies that empower students to achieve what once seemed impossible.

“At Asper, students are at the heart of everything we do, and we are committed to fostering not only their academic excellence but also their psychological well-being in this dynamic age of AI.” Pu said.

In his opening remarks, Bruno Silvestre (Dean, CPA Manitoba Chair in Business Leadership) echoed this sentiment, reminding participants: “AI is not the future for our students; it is the present.”

Featuring lively discussions and insights from Asper faculty members and students across departments, the day was spent volleying the implications, challenges, and opportunities of AI in teaching and learning. From questions of accessibility and privilege to considerations of the environmental cost of technology, the workshops encouraged open conversations and reflections.

Many teachers and students in the room noted that clear parameters are important—whether in individual AI use or in widespread academic AI usage.

To this point, Neville (Associate Professor of Organizational Behaviour) offered the following considerations for instructors navigating AI in the classroom:

1. are we teaching students what AI tools are and how to use them?
2. is AI usage augmenting or replacing learning?
3. how can we ensure AI usage is ethical and sustainable?
4. how does AI usage impact assessment?
5. how will AI affect professional practice for students and grads on the job? and
6. how do we foster critical thinking while embracing AI?

The discussions that followed centered on experience, with many instructors sharing both their successful and less successful forays into AI in the classroom. This experimentation, a tangible sense of play, reflected the intent and legacy of the Reg Litz Teaching Day itself—a decade after the first instalment in 2014.

Litz himself was known and loved for his unconventional teaching methods (and props) in the classroom, his creativity, his insight, his encouragement, and his compassion for students.

This last sentiment run throughout the day as well, culminating in Zhao’s (CEO and Co-Founder of Flourish Science, Behavioural Scientist at Stanford University) keynote discussion considering the value of AI for student wellness and wellbeing.

The 2024 Reg Litz Teaching Day focused on AI and emerging technologies because at its heart and despite its name, the day itself is about learning. It is a day when experienced instructors, who spend most of their time in classrooms at the front of lecture halls, instead sit where their students normally would. It’s a day that celebrates learning as part of any excellent teacher’s toolkit.

The late Dr. Reg Litz, respected alumnus and professor of entrepreneurship.

At the Asper School of Business, students thrive thanks to a strong commitment to teaching excellence. Asper’s intimate class sizes and dynamic course offerings provide opportunities to exchange ideas and dig deep into the issues and challenges of today’s business world. Learn more about programs of study, from undergraduate and research, to professional and executive programs here.

“I am thrilled to welcome Nathan and Wenxi to these roles and to work closely with them to continue to advance the Asper School of Business’ mission to offer exceptional business education here in Manitoba,” says Dean Bruno Silvestre. “Both highly regarded in their teaching and research, Nathan and Wenxi demonstrate impressive drive, innovation and bring unique insights from their years of experience. The Asper School of Business is really well-served for the years to come.”

Associate Dean of Professional Graduate Programs and Executive Education – Nathan Greidanus

As Associate Dean of Professional Graduate Programs and Executive Education, Greidanus will oversee strategic initiatives related to the MBA, MCSM and MFin programs, offered by the Stu Clark Graduate School, and the James W. Burns Executive Education Centre. Greidanus has previously taken on this portfolio, serving as acting associate dean in 2023.

During his 15 years of service at the Asper School of Business, Greidanus has been involved in professional graduate programs and executive education at both administrative and teaching levels, chairing the MBA committee from 2013 to 2015 and later serving on the professional graduate programs committee.

Greidanus is also the academic director for Manitoba’s Director Education Program, a program jointly offered by Asper Executive Education, the Institute of Corporate Directors and the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

The Associates Fellow in Entrepreneurship, Greidanus is motivated by the desire to increase societal well-being through sustainable economic development in both his research and teaching. His research focuses on entrepreneurship, international business strategy and sustainable development and governance, with recent publications exploring ADHD and entrepreneurship and economic inequality and entrepreneurial activities.

Says Greidanus, “For over a decade I have had a strong passion for growing and supporting our professional programs. I’m excited to continue this work as associate dean, and plan to focus on the quality and student experience within our current and to-be-developed offerings.”

Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning – Wenxi Pu

Taking on the new Teaching and Learning portfolio for the Asper School of Business, Pu will support innovation and improvements in teaching to elevate student learning both inside and outside of the classroom, working with all faculty members to embed quality, development, benchmarking and review processes across the Asper School.

Since joining the Asper School of Business in 2020, Pu has crafted four courses in management information systems, incorporating cutting-edge technologies and experiential learning into his teaching. In his previous role at Clemson University, Pu won multiple teaching awards for his approach to business statistics and management information systems courses.

The Associates Fellow in Innovation, Pu researches topics like stigma and mental health in the ever-evolving context of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI). His recent work has examined social media, post-traumatic stress disorder and hiring and media coverage of climate change.

Pu looks forward to bringing his technological expertise to the role, preparing faculty and students for an AI-infused future.

“I believe what we teach, how we teach, and how we test will go through a vast transformation, and I hope to facilitate that transformation here at Asper by building AI-powered platforms for our instructors and students, taking advantage of experiential learning and working closely with companies in and beyond Winnipeg. I also aim to reinforce sustainability and human flourishing in our teaching and learning practices,” he says.

Nathan Greidanus has been named the Associates Fellow in Entrepreneurship, Wenxi Pu has been named the Associates Fellow in Innovation, and Raj Manchanda has been named the Associates Fellow in Sustainability. The new Associates Fellows were honoured at a celebration in the Drake Centre last week.

Bruno Silvestre, Dean of the Asper School of Business, comments on the significance of the fellowships and the Associates Achievement Awards.

“As a world-class business school, the Asper School of Business is driven by 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 Nathan, Wenxi and Raj for this well-deserved recognition!”

The Associates Fellow in Entrepreneurship: Nathan Greidanus

Nathan Greidanus is an associate professor in the department of business administration and is currently serving as the acting associate dean of professional graduate programs and executive education.

Greidanus’ research interests lie at the intersection of entrepreneurship, international business strategy and sustainable development. His recent work has examined the connections between ADHD and entrepreneurship, co-authored with 2022 Associates Fellow Chi Liao. In the classroom, Greidanus includes a strong experiential component, with his Entrepreneurship and Innovation class in particular offering students opportunities to apply in-class theory to real-world contexts.

The Associates Fellow in Innovation: Wenxi Pu

An assistant professor of management information systems in the department of accounting and finance, Wenxi Pu examines machine learning algorithms, artificial intelligence and stigma.

His research broadly focuses on the transformative impacts of IT innovations on organizations and individuals. In recent work, he explores how mental health stigma can impact hiring assessments, focusing specifically on post-traumatic stress disorder and veterans seeking employment. Pu engages with AI-driven technology in the classroom and in his research, advocating for students, researchers and practitioners alike to learn more about emerging technologies in order to better work alongside them.

The Associates Fellow in Sustainability: Raj Manchanda

Raj Manchanda is a professor in Asper’s marketing department. His research interests include the role of negative affect in marketing, as well as sustainability and social marketing.

In his recent work, co-authored by fellow Asper professor Bruno Dyck, Savanna Vagianos [BComm(Hons)/19, MSc/23] and Michèle Bernardin [BComm(Hons)/21], Manchanda has examined sustain-centric approaches to marketing. His research and teaching challenge current dominant world views, seeking to re-envision many of the fundamental concepts and frameworks of business, and specifically marketing.

Emerging Topics Speaker Series

As Associates Fellows, Greidanus, Pu and Manchanda will pursue their creative, impactful scholarship and soon share their work with the academic and business community through the Emerging Topics Speaker Series.

The 2022 Associates Fellows—Sean Buchanan, Kelsey Taylor and Chi Liao—have been presenting their work throughout this academic year, with Buchanan discussing “the new corporate activism,” and Liao set to present a lecture entitled “ADHD in Finance and Entrepreneurship” on January 24, 2024.

Associates Teaching Achievement Awards

In addition to awarding these multi-year research fellowships, the Associates took the opportunity to recognize excellence in the classroom with the Associates Teaching Awards, valued at $5,000 each. Narendra Malalgoda and Judy Jayasuriya each received an award recognizing their commitment to engaging and transformative teaching.

Dean Silvestre says: “Congratulations to Narendra and Judy! The teaching excellence that you practice every day in our classrooms enhances the learning experience of Asper students. Thank you for you continued commitment to training our business and community leaders of tomorrow.”

Associates Achievement Award recipient Narendra Malalgoda with Denise Zaporzan

Malalgoda, assistant professor of supply chain management, is described by students as an engaging and effective teacher who makes theoretical concepts accessible through a deft ability to demonstrate them through real-world examples.

As a coach, he led a team to first place at the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM) London Student Case Competition. His willingness to mentor students and investment in their personal and professional development have left a lasting impression on his students.

Associates Achievement Award recipient Judy Jayasuriya

Jayasuriya, lead of experiential learning at Asper, has already made a name for herself at as an exceptional case coach and mentor, receiving the J. Pierre Brunet Coach Award from the John Molson School of Business earlier this year. Jayasuriya has also built a robust volunteer base for case competition coaching, judging and mentorship, exceeding 100 individuals annually.

In support of her nomination for the Associates Achievement Award in Teaching, her students emphasize her attention to training well-rounded business professionals, emphasizing both hard and soft skills that allow them to flourish.

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Comprised of 365 senior executives, the Associates have been a driving force in advancing business education at the Asper School of Business since 1982. The Associates Achievement Awards and the Associates Fellowship represent their commitment to giving back to the Asper School of Business and the business community broadly.

“AI is embedded in so much of our daily life now. It is not just a tool; it is actively shaping and mediating social processes, shaping how we view the world and how we view ourselves,” he says.

In discussing the impact of AI on business, Pu points to a shift from automation to data-driven machine learning. AI was initially introduced in the workplace to perform simple, repetitive and rule-based work, but today AI can complete more complex tasks, recognizing patterns in data and even generating content.

Pu contends that like business, education will continue to be transformed by AI, prompting educators to evolve as well, developing new teaching and testing techniques to keep up. Rather than prohibit students from using AI resources like the now infamous ChatGPT, Pu brings the technology into the classroom, teaching students how to use it instead of instructing them to avoid it.

“We should actively train students to learn how to use AI effectively and responsibly, which is why I incorporate ChatGPT in my BComm and MBA courses,” says Pu. “At the same time, we need to focus on enriching students’ understanding of course materials, on developing their critical thinking skills in class and on cultivating their communication and interpersonal skills.”

In addition to teaching students how ChatGPT works and how to work with it by creating more effective prompts, Pu teaches students how to imagine themselves in relation to AI and to consider its downsides.

“A generative AI like ChatGPT can create new content, but it doesn’t have any sense of what the content means. AI also has the potential to shape our values and create echo chambers of perspectives or polarization,” he says.

For Pu, it is important that students and users of AI remain “in the driver’s seat,” and think of themselves as responsible for the work that the technology generates.

“I also teach them to give the machine time to ‘think’ if it doesn’t produce the right material on the first try. They can ask the machine ‘are you sure about that?’ to generate alternative responses” he says.

His teaching practice encourages students to collaborate with the technology and think critically about the content it produces and, in turn, reminds them to ask the same questions of themselves.

Pu’s investment in teaching students to work with AI demonstrates his acknowledgement that AI technology isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. His research is similarly invested in understanding how organizations use AI and the possible implications of this use.

In a working paper, Pu and colleagues investigate the use of AI and machine learning algorithms in hiring practices, specifically the use of automated video interviewing (AVI) tools. In AVI, jobseekers record video responses to text-based interview questions. Machine learning algorithms then analyze these responses, assessing their answers as well as their tone of voice, verbal styles, facial expressions and more.

The algorithm evaluates qualities that the hiring organization can specify, including the future job performance, personality and organizational fit of interviewees.

Pu and co-authors ask whether individuals who experience mental health challenges face barriers when using this software, and their preliminary findings suggest that individuals with depression, anxiety and ADHD scored lower in the interview rankings.

While the researchers are still preparing their findings for review and publication, their work suggests a need to revisit the invisible stigma of mental health challenges and to further investigate the use of AI in hiring processes.

AI, besides transforming the hiring processes, is becoming part of business more broadly.

Says Pu, “While many companies are still in the adoption stage of AI, advancements in the technology make it easier for even more companies to use and implement it. Effective integration of AI requires companies to rewire their organizational structures, to unify data organization and to create more collaboration between units.”

Pu’s work as an educator and researcher demonstrates that the changing relationship between individuals and AI technology is worthy of careful attention.

This is why he commits to teaching future business leaders more than just how to use AI. He also teaches students how to imagine themselves in relation to AI, how to see its positive and negative potential and how to recognize it as something that can reflect—and shape—how we see the world and ourselves.

Supporting veterans returning from combat zones and re-entering civilian life through social media platforms is becoming increasingly popular, with many of these platforms connecting veterans with PTSD to resources as they make the transition. PTSD, a typically invisible stigma in offline contexts, can become starkly visible online since a significant number of veterans disclose their PTSD status on social media platforms. These online disclosures may be inadvertently discovered by hiring managers performing social media assessments (i.e., using social media to check job candidates). The disclosure of one’s PTSD status through joining an online group or posting to such platforms can have negative effects on hiring decisions, due to the bias against those struggling with combat-borne mental illnesses. The consequences might include greater suspicion of those with PTSD and the fear of PTSD-related outbursts. Oftentimes this means veterans with PTSD are given lower hiring-related ratings.

There are crucial ethical and legal implications of the authors’ results, since stereotypes about veterans with PTSD can influence hiring decisions, oftentimes without hiring managers’ awareness. The law has not yet caught up to technology in this way, since social media assessments can inadvertently identify aspects of a job applicant that would otherwise remain private and can lead to differential impact on an applicant regardless of the legality of using the discovered information in the hiring process. This can be a significant barrier for veterans attempting to secure private sector employment.

Dr. Pu’s co-authored paper covers these concerns by examining the stigma around veterans with PTSD during social media assessments. The research joins the debate about using social media searches in the hiring process and offers implications for organizations looking to hire veterans. The study contributes to social identity theory, staffing literature, and stigma literature.