Business students earn Ontario Graduate Scholarships

Three students in the DeGroote School of Business have been awarded Ontario Graduate Scholarships.

Andrew Carrothers, Hamed Qahri Saremi and John Laugesen were each named the recipient of a $15,000 scholarship, meant to encourage excellence in graduate studies.

Carrothers will use his scholarship to continue his research in to executive compensation. The PhD student has already created a database of the “perks” – company cars, drives, golf course memberships – given to the top five pai d employee positions for large corporations.

With his new funding, Carrothers will expand his data to include the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009. His results so far have indicated that monetary compensation decreased during the crisis, while the number of perks given either stayed the same or increased.

“Perks mean status,” he said. “Tangible benefits may have been rewarded through these perks to motivate higher paid employees.”

Hamed Qahri Saremi, who came to McMaster after earning his master’s degree in Iran, focuses on online communities and their influence on the adoption of consumer-based technologies. These include airline check-ins and e-banking.

Laugesen earned his scholarship for his work on eHealth, mobile technology and the management of new technology in health care.

He is examining the adoption of electronic personal health records by chronic care patients, such as those with Type 2 diabetes.

The health records can assist people suffering from chronic diseases through the monitoring and analysis of things such as blood glucose levels, exercise and weight.

The PhD student developed his passion for improving the health care system when he was diagnosed with auto immune pancreatitis.

He said he is extremely grateful for the support he will receive from the Ontario Graduate Scholarship.

“I’m married, with a mortgage and two children, so every little bit counts,” he said. “The money will help go a long way.”