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This week's #InnovationSpotlight belongs to Shopify's Steeve Vakeeswaran who gives us a glimpse into the world of a Business Operations Analyst and how innovation is everpresent at this billion dollar merchandising start-up. How does your company promote innovation? “I think there's a genuine culture around here of being ahead of the ball and out innovating ourselves. I've found that people will always support your ideas and empower you with the right tools as long as you're willing to get things done. Organizationally, we have HackDays where the entire company comes together for a 48 hour period to drop their work and work on anything. This can be anything from a culture project, bringing together a diverse team to build out product initiatives to even figuring it how to optimize feedback on our daily lunch caterers. On top of that, you'll always find interns and full timers grabbing a coffee or playing a game of pong to discuss their personal development via projects and ways they can improve themselves.” Tell me about your corporate culture. “There was a recent WSJ cover where Tobi Lutke, our CEO, talks about the importance of having a dull "trust battery" with one another in order to do meaningful work. We have a term here that we call "default to open" which essentially means employees have full access to company wide documents, calendars, data, reports for full visibility. Many see this as a security risk but here at Shopify, this company culture leaves everyone enabled to have a full view of the rocketship and suggest improvements anywhere.” What’s your favorite part about working at Shopify? “For context, I spent a summer in the Business Operations and Strategy division within Shopify Plus, our solution for larger merchants including the Lakers, October's Very Own, Kylie Jenner, Tesla and many more. BizOps helps align the different functional groups within the organization by working side-by-side with their leaders on strategy and execution of key projects. Each analyst is staffed on a specific "internal client" such as Sales, Merchant Success, Talent Acquisition, etc. There's a ton of things I like but my favourite part about my work at Shopify is being able to see the brainstorming sessions, lunch line chats with executives and other brief ideas flourish into an executable vision that moves the company forward. Everyone is always buzzing with ideas with how to better empower our sales team or different growth tactics that might increase overall efficiencies. Having a company culture where these micro-interactions are encouraged coupled with a "get shit done" attitude allows us to be agile and on top of our game.”

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For today’s #InnovationSpotlight, we’re discussing the innovation culture at Labatt with COMM18 students and past QBET delegates, Ian de Souza and Greg Kofman. How is Labatt innovating? “Taking calculated risks on disruptive innovation is engrained in Labatt’s culture. There’s an entire team in Canada dedicated to challenging the norms of the beer industry. A great example of this is the recent launch of Budweiser Prohibition. Although non-alcoholic beer isn’t ground-breaking on its own, backing it with the entire marketing force of the #1 beer in the country is. BIG things are coming, stay tuned ;)” How would you say Labatt promotes innovation? “Labatt is able to promote innovation by encouraging collaboration and staying up-to-date on new technological advances. Our senior management team is willing to take risks on new technologies to create internal efficiencies and to improve the consumer experience.” Tell us about the corporate culture at Labatt? The Labatt culture is very much a work hard, play hard culture. You work with extremely driven, smart, people everyday who all expect to succeed. There are definitely a lot perks to working at a beer company so everyone knows how to socialize over a drink at the end of the week. The thing that surprised me the most about the Labatt culture was how seriously everyone takes their work. This is not your typical "beer company". As the biggest and most successful beer company in the world there is an expectation of excellence to keep the company growing and succeeding.

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For our first #InnovationSpotlight, we are excited to introduce Melody Woo, Brand Loyalty & Digital Marketing Intern at Shell. “How do you feel Shell promotes Innovation?” “In a rapidly evolving business environment, it is imperative for companies to push for innovation in order to stay competitive and rise as a market leader. Working in the energy industry has put me on the forefront for answering today’s greatest energy challenge. Shell is a multinational corporation that has launched several initiatives such as the Shell Eco-Marathon to challenge students to design and build energy-efficient vehicles and Shell Ideas360 which is a global competition that connects students to develop ideas to tackle the pressures on the world’s Food, Water and Energy resources. Additionally, I have the honour to collaborate with bright individuals to innovate new strategies to position Shell as a pioneer in the digital marketing sphere and reach customers on new dimensions.” -Melody Woo, Comm’17 #InnovationForTheNextGeneration

Queen's Conference on the Business Environment Today (QBET)'s cover photo

For forty years we’ve brought together Canada’s business leaders with some of the best business students in the country. QBET is Canada’s oldest student run business conference but don’t worry, we’re getting better with age. To honour our constant push for innovation, we’ve refreshed our brand, gearing up for one of the biggest events of the year: QBET 2016. Celebrating 40 years of success.

Dollar Shave Club snapped up by Unilever

Picking your courses for next year? Might want to consider some with an entrepreneurship focus. Unilever just acquired Dollar Shave Club. This is a billion dollar all-cash deal. Dollar Shave Club disrupted an industry where mega brands like Gillette have made incredible profits for decades. This acquisition shows that innovation can not only advance stagnant industries, but can challenge even the largest companies and create better solutions for customers. Read more below: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/unilever-dollar-shave-club-1.3686960

Tesla shares crater as Wall Street reacts to bid for SolarCity

Tesla just invested in renewable energy in a major way. Their $2.8b acquisition of SolarCity shows the company's commitment to efficient renewable energy which will inevitably be incorporated into Tesla's vehicles and home products. Despite this, Tesla's stock dropped quickly after Wall Street got ahold of the news. Learn why below: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/22/tesla-shares-crater-as-wall-street-reacts-to-bid-for-solarcity.html

Microsoft is adding LinkedIn to its professional network

Microsoft acquired LinkedIn for 26.2 Billion today, merging one of the world’s biggest social networks with the software powerhouse. Microsoft is widening its services in realizing that human talent and information is becoming one of the most valuable assets for companies. Microsoft will be able to leverage this information in order to make their own products more intelligent and advanced, while also offering more enriched and integrated services to consumers through LinkedIn. Read more about this and the future potential from this deal here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/06/13/microsoft-is-about-to-add-linkedin-to-its-professional-network/

Facebook set to foster popularity of branded content

Facebook is following in suit with digital trends that are driving branded content online. Branded content is becoming the future of online marketing, with big brands leveraging celebrities and online personalities as an alternative medium to reach their customers. Facebook announced at their annual conference that they will now permit verified accounts and publishers to include this content on their pages, paving the way for brands to profit from organic posts while tapping into Facebook’s vast user base. This announcement will shape the online marketing strategies taken to stand out in today’s saturated landscape. Read more about this and how it will change what you see online: http://techcrunch.com/2016/05/30/with-facebook-driving-branded-content-demand-will-boom-for-original-content/

All the Biggest Announcements From Google I/O 2016

Happy Victoria Day long weekend! As summer begins to shift into full gear and orientation week at your new job comes to an end, staying up to date with the latest business news might be the last thing on your mind. Give our page a “like” if you haven’t already to receive weekly updates right in your newsfeed on what’s trending in the world of innovation and the Business Environment Today. To kick things off, last week Google held its annual I/O conference, showcasing its latest innovations and breakthroughs. Google has always been at the helm of innovation and their newest announcements are exciting to say the least. Check them out below:

Queen's Conference on the Business Environment Today (QBET)

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A lot can happen in 40 years. The Apple 1 can become today’s revolutionary computer. Computers aren’t the only thing that get better with age, though. Our conference is constantly innovating too, and Tommy McDonell, this year’s I.T. coordinator has coded a fresh new look for us with a brand new website! Just launched, we are looking better than ever. Check us out at www.qbet.ca to see some more of the exciting things we have in store for you this year.

Photos from Queen's Conference on the Business Environment Today (QBET)'s post

What company do you think is innovating ? Thanks to all those who came by our booth to support QBET's 40th anniversary theme: Innovation for the Next Generation