Bigger means better

Bachelor of Business Administration, Finance student Ronald Chen, Marketing Management/Accounting student Aleem Jinnah and Business Management student John Hua promise to play nice in the new Business Association.

Students from across the Commerce and Business Administration Faculty are banding together to create a new student association that will mean improved networking opportunities, more face-time with potential employers and a greater array of special events.

The Douglas College Business Association (DCBA) launches on March 20, replacing the Marketing Students Society (MSS).

"Working together will help to increase student engagement within the faculty and the school as a whole," says Aleem Jinnah, a second-year Marketing Management/Accounting student. He and classmate Andréa Biason were given the task of launching the new DCBA as part of their final-semester marketing practicum course.

"We are very excited to work on this project and the faculty is being incredibly supportive of this initiative," says Biason.

Students will get a better opportunity to network with peers in other programs within their faculty. An improved level of student involvement will mean the association can work on bringing recruiters in from high-profile employers to Douglas, says Jinnah. This will put students at an advantage when it comes time to look for a job, as an employer may better be able to put a face to their name, which is critical in a competitive job market, he explains.

Working within the DCBA, participants will also hone skills they can apply to their future careers, says Bachelor of Business Administration, Finance student Ronald Chen, who is working with Jinnah and Biason to promote the DCBA.

"Students can take on different job roles and positions based on how involved they want to get with the association. Through these roles, students will gain critical leadership and management skills, making them a valuable commodity to potential employers. This will help them transition to the business world," says Chen.

The DCBA was built on the momentum of a social media event hosted by the outgoing MSS this Winter.

"A lot of students from other schools came to our event. In order to encourage networking, we forced people to sit at tables with people they didn't know and it was a great success. Networking is a big part of what we'll be doing professionally. This event made us realize how much potential there is for doing it more effectively within our faculty as a whole while we're still at school," says Jinnah.

Future events will include workshops, speakers' nights with a focus on business and marketing-related topics, along with club nights and sports events for more casual networking.

Links:

Information Sessions
Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration
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