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Kenneth Wong

Associate Professor

Overview

Ken Wong is a faculty member at Smith School of Business, where he has held both teaching and administrative positions. 

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Academic Area

  • Marketing

Interest Topics

Faculty Details

Profile

Full Bio

Ken Wong is a faculty member at Smith School of Business, where he has held both teaching and administrative positions. He was the principal architect of the first full-time degree program in Canada to operate completely outside of government subsidy: a distinction that earned him the cover of Canadian Business in April 1994. (The new Program has been rated by Business Week as #1 worldwide among non-US MBAs in the last four bi-annual rankings). Ken is also the Vice President, Knowledge Development for Level 5, a marketing consulting firm focused on brand strategy and execution.

As a teacher, Ken has received numerous awards for his courses in strategic planning, marketing and business strategy. Most recently, he was named an Inductee into Canadian Marketing Hall of Legends. In 1998, Ken won the Financial Post's Leaders in Management Education award, a lifetime achievement award for his work in undergraduate, MBA, and Executive Development programs. Beyond Queen's, he has also taught in degree programs at Cornell, Carleton University, Radcliffe College and Harvard's Continuing Education Program and in executive programs at York University, University of Toronto, Dalhousie University and the University of Alberta.

Ken is a frequent speaker and facilitator in conferences and executive development programs around the world.

As a researcher, Ken has worked with the Strategic Planning Institute (Cambridge, MA) and the Conference Board of Canada. He writes regularly for Strategy magazine,  Canadian Grocer and Meetings and Incentives, and had served as a regular columnist for Marketing magazine and the National Post. He has also written for the Financial Times, Globe and Mail and the Conference Board Review.  His current research focuses on enhancing "marketing productivity" and brand profitability.

In addition to consulting for private corporations,  Ken has served as a marketing and strategic planning consultant to a number of government agencies and departments and on various local, provincial and federal government task forces. He often assists on judging panels, most recently for the 2010 Canadian "Best 50" competition (excellence in management) and the Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year.

He received his B.Comm and MBA degrees from Smith School of Business, Queen's University prior to a period of doctoral studies at the Harvard Business School. He is former Chairman of the Board, PBB Global Logistics Inc and a member of  Advisory Boards/Boards of Directors for the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA), Everest Asset Management AG, Equifax, Nature's Path, Southmedic and the Kingston YMCA.. He is listed in the Canadian Who's Who and International Who's Who of Business Professionals.

Academic Degrees

DBA (ABD) Marketing
Harvard Business School

MBA Organizational Behavior
Queen’s University (1976)

BCom (Hons) Marketing
Queen’s University (1975)

Academic Experience

Smith School of Business, Queen's University
Distinguished Professor of Marketing (2011 - Present)
Commerce ’77 Teaching Fellow in Marketing (2005-2011)
Faculty, Queen’s Center for Enterprise Development, Just-In-Time Seminar Series (2002-2003)
Associate Professor (1990 - Present)
Assistant Professor (1983-1990)
Founding Chair, MBA for Science and Technology (1993-1996)
Chair, MBA Program (1991-1993)
Principal’s Advisor on Student Affairs (1989-1990)
Faculty, Executive Development Center (1985 - Present)
Lecturer (1976)

Center for Executive Management Development, University of Alberta
Faculty (2000 - Present)

Executive Development Center, Schulich School of Business, York University
Faculty (2002)

Dalhousie University
Faculty (1987)

Management, Radcliffe College
Lecturer (1982-1983)

Harvard University, School of Continuing Education
Lecturer (1983)

Harvard Business School
Teaching Assistant (1981)

Carleton University, School of Public Administration
Lecturer (1976-1980)

Publications

Textbook and Cases

Wong, K., McCarthy E., Peareault W. and Shapiro S. Basic Marketing 11th  Cdn Edition, (McGraw Hill, 2004)

  • Included supervision of the assembly of a casebook and numerous ancillary teaching materials including video and CD-ROM.

Author or co-author of over 20 case studies in the marketing area

Other Publications

Author of occasional columns in Canadian Grocer, Meetings and Incentive Travel

Principal  Speaker/Writer of  webinar  and  related  blog  on  Business  Strategy  for  Community Pharmacists (for Teva Novapharm)

Author  of  an  occasional  column  for  the  Financial  Post  newspaper  (Started  May,  2006)

Author of a occasional column (“Renegade CEO”) in Strategy 

Author of monthly column (“Fourthought”) in Marketing - March 2004 – December 2007.

Author of Invited submission to Conference Board of Canada Review - Can Marketing Rebuild Its Brand (Summer 2007)

Author of two invited op-ed pieces for the Financial Post

  • Brain Drain (2000)
  • Shareholder Rights (2002)

Contributor to Financial Times, Special Supplement on Marketing Management (1999)

“The Ultimate Customer Need”, Marketing Magazine, (April 1988)

“What is Marketing Effectiveness?”, 1985 SPI Annual Conference Proceedings, D. Swire (ed), Strategic Planning Institute, Cambridge, MA

Chapman, RG and Wong K B Marketing Research in Canada: A Status Report, Conference Board of Canada, Canadian Study No. 50, (July, 1978)

“Making Use of Marketing Research”, The Canadian Business Review, (Vol. 5, No. 4, Spring 1978)

“Demographic Trends in Canada”, The Canadian Business Review, (Vol. 4, No. 4, Spring 1977)

Nininger, JR, MacDonald VN and Wong K.B “Expanding the Theory of Formalized Goal Setting” Proceedings of the Canadian Association of Administrative Sciences Conference, Quebec City, 1976

Arnold S., Barnes JG and Wong K.B. “Subliminal Perception: Implications for Legislation”, in Marketing in the 1970’s and Beyond , B. Stidsen (ed), Proceedings of the Canadian Association of Administrative Sciences Conference, Edmonton Alberta 1975

Wong K.B. "Measuring  the Propensity to Communicate:  Application  in Marketing",  in Marketing in the 1970's and Beyond, B. Stidsen (ed), Proceedings of the Canadian Association of Administrative Sciences Conference, Edmonton Alberta 1975

Awards

Teaching Awards

Queen’s University, Teacher of the Year (MBA for Science and Technology) (2003-2006)

Queen’s University, Teacher of the Year (MBA) (2000)

Queen’s University, Teacher of the Year (Undergraduate) (1988)

Other Awards

Inductee, Canadian Marketing Hall of Legends (2006)

Financial Post, Leader In Management Education (1998)

Kingston Chamber of Commerce, Entrepreneur of the Year (Education) (1994)

American Marketing Association Doctoral Consortium (Harvard Rep) (1983)

Queen’s University, Tricolour Award - Contribution to University Community (1975)

Direct Mail & Marketing Assoc. of North America – Kleid Collegiate Award (1975)

Service

Board Memberships

Active

  • 2010 – Present, Board of Directors, Canadian Marketing Association
  • 2008 – Present, Advisory Board, Nature’s Path
  • 2008 – Present, Chair, Advisory Board, K-Rock Centre
  • 2002 – Present  Advisory Board, Equifax Inc.
  • 1998 – 2002, Board of Directors (Equifax Canada Inc)
  • 2000 – Present, Advisory Board, Southmedic Inc 

Inactive

  • 2001 – 2009, Board of Directors,YMCA (Kingston)
  • 2005 - 2009, Advisory Board, Armstrong Partnership Inc (Acquired)
  • 2005 – 2009, Advisory Board, Red Flag Deals Inc (Acquired)
  • 2001 – 2005, Board of Directors, PBB Global Logistics Inc. (Acquired)
  • 2003 – 2005, Chairman of the Board, PBB Global Logistics Inc. (Acquired)
  • 2001 – 2003, Director, PBB Global Logistics Inc. (Acquired)
  • 2001 – 2003, Ember Communications Inc, Board of Directors (Acquired)
  • 2000 – 2002, Jetform Corporation, Advisory Board (Acquired)
  • 2000 – 2003, Advisory Board, Promospyder Inc.(Ceased Operation)
  • 1999 – 2002, Q.L. Systems Inc. (Quicklaw), Board of Directors (Acquired)
  • 1995 – 1998, Board Member, Kingston Symphony

Community Service (last 5 years)

  • 2010 – present, Member, Fed-Prov Taskforce on Marketing to Children
  • 2008, Juror, Marketing and Childhood Obesity
  • 1997 – present, Tenured Judge, Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies
  • 2001 – 2010, Judge, Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year
  • 2003 – 2004, Member, Kingston Mayor’s Task Force
  • 2003, Member, Minister’s Policy Review Task Force, Communications Canada
  • 2001 – 2003, Member, Community Editorial Board, Kingston Whig Standard
  • 1999 – 2001, Judge, CASSIES (Cdn Advertising)
  • 1999 – 2001, Member, Kingston Econ. Development Council – Mktg. Comm.
  • 1999 - 2000, Judge, Canadian Sales Hall of Fame
  • 1999 – present, Facilitator, Several sessions for Kingston Area Economic Development Committee on marketing issues