by Clarissa, IMBA candidate

My favourite class(es) to date in the IMBA program have been Integrative Management Experiences (IME) 1 & 2. These multi-disciplinary core courses are taught for those of us in the IMBA program only. IME classes incorporate all the subjects and skills we’ve learned during the semester (from business communication, to team dynamics, to strategic analysis) and invite us to apply what we’ve learned to an actual company. At the end of the term, students have an opportunity to present their findings and recommendations to a faculty panel.

For me, IME 1 was taught by the one of the best marketing professors at Schulich, Ashwin Joshi. We learned a lot about presentation skills, such as using PowerPoint, engaging your audience, and mastering visual and public speaking. IME 2 was taught by an outstanding strategy professor, Graeme Deans, who is a senior partner in one of the “big four” consulting firms. We learned about strategy, prioritizing problems, high-impact charts and graphs, and dealing with Q&A from senior management. Both professors are regular winners of the Schulich Teaching Excellence Awards and I can say that both of them very much deserve that.

Putting My IME Into Practice

I’m an international student from Indonesia, so I am currently doing my IMBA work term here, in Canada. I intern in Supply Chain Operations at a growing company called Simpli Home in Vaughan, alongside some other international IMBA students. Simpli Home has global offices in four countries and partners with sellers such as Amazon and Home Depot.

The company has a culture of doing regular presentations every single week. Four employees are selected each week to present on topics ranging from the company’s products to an analysis of monthly sales. Presentations are reviewed by the president of the company.

Our IME courses have prepared me and my colleagues to tackle the presentations really well. As students who have completed IME courses, we know what senior management looks for in a presentation, we are able to review problems from multiple points of view, and we feel prepared to speak in public and deliver high-impact presentation decks and charts.

I feel proud that we are able to fulfill the president’s expectations. Some of our colleagues have even approached us and complimented us on how comfortable we appear while presenting! When I’m asked how many presentations I have done in my MBA so far, I can sincerely thank both of my IME professors.