Original research – isn’t that just for graduate students? Not for these intrepid BComs. Each year, dozens of Gustavson students complete a comprehensive research project while on exchange, as part of the COM 470 course. Projects by BCom students Ryan Grills and Sadee O’Shea were recognized this year by UVic’s Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Awards (JCURA). JCURA, awarded annually to undergraduate students across UVic, aims to encourage undergrads to tackle their own original and innovative research.
Gustavson checked in with these two students to learn more about the significance and findings of their research papers.
Gustavson: Where did you go on exchange?
Ryan Grills: City University of Hong Kong.
G: What was your paper called?
RG: China’s Growing Debt is a Global Problem.
G: What made you choose this as your topic?
RG: I am interested in finance, so I was looking for topics related to China’s economy and their rise as a global powerhouse.
G: What were the findings of your paper?
RG: What I found was that in order to grow their economy and raise their population out of poverty, China has had to take on a lot of debt in a very short period of time. Global leaders and institutional investors were taking notice and China’s debt sustainability was being questioned. The research focuses on the non-financial sector and identifies key vulnerabilities in the economy and potential for systemic risk.
G: How is this relevant to the industry?
RG: Since China is a key driver of global growth, it is important that we understand what this all means for the global market and recognize the key markets at risk.
G: Does the paper offer any next steps?
RG: The paper provides recommendations to help increase China’s credit sustainability and assist in their transition from a phase of rapid growth to a stage of high-quality development. With the ongoing trade wars, this topic will continue to evolve but this paper provides a snapshot of the current situation.
Gustavson: Where did you go on exchange?
Sadee O’Shea: SKEMA University, Sophia Antipolis campus, France
G: What was your paper called?
SO: Smoking Kills: A Look at the Tobacco Industry in France
G: What made you choose this as your topic? My research paper took an in-depth look at the tobacco industry in France and what the future looks like for big tobacco companies. I decided on this topic because I was studying in France for a semester and noticed a big difference between the smoking culture, as compared to Canada.
G: What were the findings of your paper?
SO: My research focused on the evolution of various regulations, cultural norms, and socio-economic impacts revolving around the industry and all it encompasses. France is well known for its romanticized smoking culture, but in recent years the country has seen rapidly declining smoking rates mostly attributable to new policies and regulations put in place by the government (ex: price hikes).
G: How is this relevant to the industry?
SO: There are five main tobacco companies that control the vast majority of the industry, excluding sales in China, which are government regulated. Despite many countries showing declining smoking rates, these companies (nicknamed “big tobacco”), don’t appear to be very concerned, as smoking rates are actually on the rise in certain emerging and developing economies. Additionally, if big tobacco was concerned about the rising popularity of e-cigarettes, they have invested heavily, if not fully acquired, different e-cigarette companies in order to stay in the game and stay relevant.
G: What was the paper’s takeaway?
SO: My research explained that although to those of us living in Canada it seems as though the tobacco industry should be awaiting a slow burn out, that is not the case on a global scale.
