Our MBA class just completed our Management Information Systems (MIS) and Marketing courses which cumulated with a very successful group project. We were encouraged as part of the project to reach out to not-for-profit organizations and create a social media strategy. Not only was it successful from an academic experience but also from the impact we were able to have in the community. SFU’s unique course structure of running two courses together over the course of 5 weeks really emphasized how integrated information systems and marketing have become. The professors used many cases that overlapped course curriculum and it was interesting to apply our marketing knowledge to MIS and vice versa. Our group worked with ThisFish.org, which works with fisheries all over Canada to create a traceable supply chain allowing consumers information on who caught the seafood, how it was caught, when it was caught and how it reached the end user at either the supermarket or the restaurant. This was an extremely interesting project as we got to work closely with the organization, discover their business needs and develop a strategy around those needs. Working in a real life context is always a great opportunity to apply theoretical concepts from class. Our project was just one of nine presentations that were presented on the last day of class. The range of projects and ideas brought together the value that we created for these organizations.
Colin Knudsen has over 10 years experience in the retail furniture industry. He has lived in Canada, Denmark, United States and Singapore and enjoy the challenges in international business and business operations. He is an avid athlete participating in any activity he can, including ironman triathlons and he loves good challenge.