The research of Mark DesJardine, PhD ’16, might have been focused on businesses and the short term, but his findings have been lauded for their long-term impact.
DesJardine, now an Assistant Professor of Business Strategy and Policy at L’École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) in Paris, France, recently received a Governor General’s Gold Medal for his research on corporate short-termism and its impact on organizations and sustainable development. The medal recognizes outstanding scholastic achievements. Former prime minister Pierre Trudeau and French Canadian author Gabrielle Roy are well-known recipients of the award.
His three-paper dissertation, The Causes and Consequences of Corporate Short-Termism, provides a new measure of organizational time horizons to test for short-termism in companies that can be re-used by scholars from various disciplines.
“His dissertation research is important and impactful and he has the energy, commitment, and capabilities to significantly impact the field,” said Professor Tima Bansal, who was DesJardine’s thesis supervisor. “I feel truly honoured to have had an opportunity to mentor Mark as he is a true teacher and scholar who will have international impact.”
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The Governor General’s Gold Medal follows on the heels of numerous awards and scholarships during his tenure at Ivey. Among them:
- DesJardine won the Academy of Management’s Sumantra Ghoshal Research and Practice award for research that has important implications for practice;
- He won $20,000 for a business sustainability idea he presented to the CEOs of some of the world’s largest companies; and,
- He was given the title of Strategic Research Foundation Dissertation Scholar and awarded a highly competitive two-year research grant by the Strategic Management Society.
DesJardine also obtained his Chartered Financial Analyst designation in just 18 months while still in Ivey’s doctoral program.
Bansal said such accomplishments were quietly obtained by the hard-working scholar.
“Most people do not know Mark’s success, because he is so humble, thoughtful, and considerate of others,” said Bansal.
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