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Stephen Murgatroyd

Instructor, Faculty of Education, University of Alberta
Former Professor of Management and Applied Psychology and Dean, Faculty of Administrative Studies, Athabasca University and later Executive Director, Centre for Innovative Management, Athabasca University. Founder of the world's first fully online MBA. Now management consultant, writer, and entrepreneur. Currently teaching and focusing on strategic foresight.

Stephen holds a BA(Hons) in research methods from the University of Wales, an MPhil in psychometrics from the Open University (UK) and a Ph.D. in psychology from the Open University (UK). He was awarded an honorary doctorate in e-learning in 2000 from Athabasca University.

Stephen is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Manufacturing.

He has written over 40 books in the fields of counselling, education, leadership and innovation and over 400 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters. He is a frequent keynote presenter at conferences focused on education, innovation and social change.

Canada’s skills crisis is growing — here’s how we can fix it

May 26, 2025 08:42 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

Canada is facing a significant skills shortage. According to recent data, 77 per cent of Canadian businesses surveyed say they are unable to find suitably skilled candidates for the jobs they have available. Even among...

Economy

SNB Flags Global Risks, Urges Stronger UBS Oversight Amid Economic Uncertainty

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has warned of a highly uncertain economic outlook due to rising trade and geopolitical tensions, emphasizing the need to strengthen UBS oversight. In its 2025 Financial Stability Report, the...

Trump Slams Fed Chair Powell Again After Rate Hold

U.S. President Donald Trump reignited his criticism of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday, calling him the WORST and a real dummy in a social media post. The attack followed the Feds decision to leave...

Dollar Gains on Safe-Haven Demand Amid Middle East Tensions and Fed Caution

The U.S. dollar strengthened on Thursday, driven by safe-haven demand as fears of an escalating Middle East conflict intensified. Reports that Washington is preparing for a potential strike on Iran pushed investors toward...

Asia Stocks Slip, Gold Gains as Trump Weighs U.S. Strike on Iran

Asian stock markets slipped Thursday as investors sought safe-haven assets amid rising geopolitical tensions. Concerns over possible U.S. involvement in the escalating Israel-Iran air war drove demand for gold and the...

Macquarie Now Expects Fed Rate Cut in December Amid Shift Toward Inflation Tolerance

Macquarie has reversed its no-rate-cut stance for 2025, now predicting a 25-basis-point cut by December after the Federal Reserve maintained its projection for two rate cuts despite raising its inflation forecast. The...

Politics

Iran-Israel Conflict Escalates Amid Rising Civilian Casualties and Global Tensions

Tensions between Iran and Israel have escalated into the regions most intense conflict in decades, with mutual missile strikes killing hundreds and damaging key infrastructure. On Thursday, Iranian missiles hit a hospital...

Thai PM Paetongtarn Faces Crisis as Coalition Partner Exits Over Cambodia Leak

Thailands Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is facing a political crisis after a key coalition partner, the Bhumjaithai Party, withdrew support late Wednesday. The move threatens to collapse her 10-month-old government...

U.S. Prepares Potential Strike on Iran Amid Growing Israel-Iran Conflict

Senior U.S. officials are reportedly preparing for a potential military strike on Iran as early as this weekend, Bloomberg reported. Multiple federal agencies are mobilizing in anticipation of a possible escalation, though...

Nippon Steel Closes $14.9B U.S. Steel Deal with Trump-Backed Golden Share

Nippon Steel has finalized its $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel, buying all shares at $55 each in a landmark deal supported by President Donald Trump. The Japanese steelmakers 18-month effort to secure U.S....

Trump Faces MAGA Rift Over Possible U.S. Strike on Iran

President Donald Trump is facing internal divisions within his America First coalition over potential U.S. military involvement in Israels conflict with Iran. Key allies like Steve Bannon and Representative Marjorie Taylor...

Science

NASA Astronauts Wilmore and Williams Recover After Boeing Starliner Delay

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are steadily recovering after spending nine unexpected months aboard the International Space Station (ISS) due to issues with Boeings Starliner capsule. Initially intended...

SpaceX Starship Test Flight Reaches New Heights but Ends in Setback

SpaceXs massive Starship rocket, central to Elon Musks vision for interplanetary travel, launched its ninth uncrewed test flight from Starbase, Texas, on May 27, 2025. The two-stage vehiclecomprising the upper-stage...

Trump’s nomination for NASA leader boasts business and commercial spaceflight experience during a period of uncertainty for the agency

Jared Isaacman, billionaire, CEO and nominee to become the next NASA administrator, faced questions on April 9, 2025, from members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation during his confirmation...

Lab-grown meat: you may find it icky, but it could drive forward medical research

Lab-grown meat causes heated debates. Proponents see benefits for the climate and animal welfare. Opponents worry about a Frankenstein food they regard as risky and unnatural. Whatever your opinion, the technology...

Kennedy Sets September Deadline to Uncover Autism Causes Amid Controversy

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a bold plan to identify the cause of autism by September 2025. Speaking at a cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump, Kennedy declared a global...

Technology

Malaysia Sues Telegram Over Alleged Illegal Content

Malaysias Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has launched a civil lawsuit against Telegram and two channels on its platform for allegedly distributing illegal content, marking a significant escalation in the...

Texas Lawmakers Urge Tesla to Delay Austin Robotaxi Launch Amid Safety Concerns

A group of Democratic lawmakers from Texas is urging Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) to delay its upcoming robotaxi launch in Austin until new autonomous vehicle regulations take effect in September. In a letter sent Wednesday,...

Alibaba Cloud Expands in South Korea with Second Data Center Near Seoul

Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group (HK:9988, NYSE:BABA), is expanding its presence in South Korea with a second data center near Seoul. The move is part of the companys broader effort to scale its...

Apple Eyes Generative AI for Custom Chip Design, Says Exec

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is exploring the use of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) to enhance the design of its custom silicon chips, according to a recent Reuters report. Johny Srouji, Apples senior vice...

Meta Eyes $1B AI Fund Deal to Boost Artificial General Intelligence Ambitions

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) is reportedly in advanced talks to acquire a partial stake in a prominent artificial intelligence venture fund managed by Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross, according to The Information. The...