It wasn’t until I came to Western that I realized how four numbers alone could instantly strike fear into a student’s heart.
1220 and 2257 are Ivey Business Foundations courses commonly taken by first and second year students. Their reputation precedes them—whether from upper year students' anecdotes or the prospect of weekly cases and contributions. Despite these fears, they’ve become some of the most impactful courses we’ve taken. Join us as we peel back the curtain with PJ Parmar and Martin Eidenberg, members of the Ivey faculty who teach 1220 and 2257 respectively. Thank you both for sharing your insights!
As an introduction, can you give a bird’s eye view of 1220/2257, and what made you want to come back to Ivey and give back through teaching?
PJ (1220): Bus1220E is a full-year course that consists of five units: Finance & Accounting, Marketing, Operations, Organizational Behaviour, and General Management. We commit ourselves to the case study method, where we assume the role of an executive facing a critical business issue. As an HBA grad, I am extraordinarily lucky to have received a fantastic university education. Teaching Bus1220E allows me to pay that experience forward.
Martin (2257): The first half of Bus2257 covers the basics of financial accounting, recording financial transactions, and developing financial statements. The second semester covers business decision making, managerial accounting, and entrepreneurship through the course’s signature project, the Feasibility Study. A typical lecture is 80 minutes of discussion on a particular case study where we apply concepts in real time. Teaching this course is such a unique way to make a positive impact that, for me, it was a can’t miss opportunity.
Beyond the pure content – what do you think is the higher purpose of 1220/2257 for students?
PJ (1220): Communication skills are one of the—if not THE most—important traits. Whether you’re in school to be a pilot, software engineer, investment banker, or geologist. This means articulating your thoughts and opinions and defending your stance against differing perspectives. Bus1220E students are given an opportunity to do exactly this, three times a week, for the entire year. As faculty, we aim to do everything we can to develop well-rounded students who are willing to speak their minds and stand by their ideas. Ultimately, Bus1220 transcends the typical business curriculum---it’s a training ground for how to think and communicate in any field.
Martin (2257): Nothing tops the critical thinking skills and strong work habits that Bus2257 begins to instill in students. Beyond this, giving students a sense of what an Ivey classroom feels like is an important preparatory tool and a useful checkpoint to determine whether this is the right direction before crossing the street. Finally, I’d be remiss not to note the importance of the basic accounting concepts we teach that are built upon in a variety of classes in HBA1.
Why does the Ivey case method work, what does it train students to do well, and why is it beneficial—particularly given today’s rapidly changing business world?
PJ (1220): I like to think of each of the five units in Bus1220E as a “mini-internship”. Unlike high school, where you learn content in class and then practice with homework, the case study method requires students to come to class prepared with casework and actively apply your thinking in real time. More than ever, new grads need to be autonomous and proactive, and the case study encourages that from their very first class.
Martin (2257): I think the case method really shines in today’s environment. With advancements in technology, everyone has access to information at their fingertips. Thinking critically, understanding both basic and complex concepts, and making decisions from incomplete or conflicting data is the skillset of the future—and exactly what the case method develops.
Is there a “classic” case from your time as a student that still holds up and offers powerful lessons today, even if it’s set in the past?
PJ (1220): So many great ones to choose from! I’d say my favourite case as a student was my marketing report case on the company Speaker Labs. I thoroughly enjoy teaching it because it highlights the complexity of marketing challenges that companies selling business-to-business face, which is especially insightful because most of our case lineup is focused on business-to-consumer firms. It also doesn’t hurt that the co-founders, Eric Silverberg and Eli Gladstone, are two fantastic Ivey alums and former Business Foundations lecturers!
Martin (2257): TerraCycle is a classic case that I remember fondly as a student and love to teach as a faculty member. It has such a rich qualitative analysis alongside financials that do an outstanding job of showcasing the need for financing for a high-growth company. A slightly more recent case that also really stands out is RollUP Solutions. Not only is this an excellent marketing case, but the organization does outstanding work in the community and was started as a Feasibility Study project in Bus2257!
You have said that there are no wrong answers, only poorly defended ones. As someone who has been on both sides of the classroom, what skills does this bring out of students?
PJ (1220): I say this often, because oftentimes there is no “right” solution to a profitability, brand marketing, or operational issue. This can be challenging at first for Bus1220E students, because there is very much just one right answer in their math, economics, and accounting classes. In today’s rapidly changing business environment, it is very important to be pragmatic and open-minded – everyone in the classroom wins (myself included) when a student shares an unconventional idea. Even a course of action that is unfeasible provides an opportunity for discussion, and once again everyone wins.
Martin (2257): As it relates to Bus2257, there can certainly be wrong answers to specific accounting practices. But I actually think it is powerful when a students voice confusion about a concept in the classroom as it gives other students or myself an opportunity to explain why something may be incorrect which can help deepen understanding of the topic at hand. Certainly, when it comes to making forward-looking business decisions, as we focus on in the second half of Bus2257, there can be strong reasons to pursue different courses of action, and these discussions are often the most memorable ones in the classroom that really push students to think outside of their comfort zones.
Contribution is a key component of Ivey's learning model. Can you explain the importance of contribution in 1220/2257, and what makes these discussions exciting for you personally?
PJ (1220): The case method only works through contribution. It is what makes Ivey classes so unique, because whether it’s Bus1220E or an HBA course, the classroom is comprised of 70+ unique individuals with diverse experiences. My favorite classroom moments happen when a niche topic sparks a quiet student to raise their hand and share a thoughtful, unexpected idea.
Martin (2257): Contribution is what allows for different perspectives to be brought into the classroom and allows students to not only learn from faculty, but also from each other. From an instructor’s perspective, it means that each class we teach, even on the same case, will be different. This makes an Ivey classroom such a dynamic and exciting place!
There’s a common urban legend among AEOs that 1220 is a high-risk elective in terms of your GPA and historical course averages. How would you frame 1220 for new students who are on the fence?
PJ (1220): I’ll take a two-pronged approach. Firstly, Bus1220E averages are consistent with other large-scale first year courses at Western University—any former student will be able to attest to this, as we are very transparent about our averages. Furthermore, we have conducted internal studies on the last decade’s worth of student data, showing that students who take Bus1220E end up scoring, on average, 5.5% higher in Bus2257 (a mandatory course for Ivey AEOs) than their counterparts who didn’t take the first-year class.
Bus 1220E is just one of ten credits in your pre-Ivey GPA. You already bet on yourself by accepting your university offer—bet on yourself again. This is the only course that truly prepares your personal and professional toolkit for 2257 and HBA.
Many students enroll for 2257 having never taken 1220 or even a business course before. How would you suggest students from non-traditional business backgrounds approach the course to hit the ground running?
Martin (2257): Bus2257 is designed to allow everyone to learn the basics of financial and managerial accounting from scratch. But it is fairly fast-paced. Therefore, it’s critical for students to keep up with the course material from Day 1. Taking September off will leave you behind on material that builds on itself, making later concepts much harder to understand. Keep up with the material and ask questions if you don’t fully understand something!
Writing this, we are reminded of our very first days – the quiet anxiety of sitting in a 1220 and 2257 classroom. But looking back, they are the best courses we’ve taken at Western, because they uniquely challenge you to be a higher-level thinker.
After hearing from PJ and Martin, the advice from the front of the classroom is clear: Bet on yourself. Take the course. Prep the case. And most importantly, raise your hand!