Dean’s Bio

Bio of Dr. Ken Jones, Dean

Dr. Ken Jones is the Dean of the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University. Dr. Jones has earned an international reputation for his expertise in retail research and business geomatics. He founded and directed the Centre for the Study of Commercial Development (CSCA), a world-renowned not-for-profit research centre at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University that provides information and analysis to Canada’s commercial and retail industries.

In his current role as Dean, Ted Rogers School of Management, Dr. Jones leads Canada’s largest undergraduate business school. Located on Bay St., in the heart of Toronto’s business community, the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson is recognized for its innovative programs and for producing students who are immediately able to contribute to Canadian business. The Ted Rogers School of Management focuses on relevant education that is grounded in contemporary applied business practice. The Faculty’s undergraduate Bachelor of Commerce programs are grouped into the Schools of Business Management, Information Technology Management, Hospitality and Tourism Management and Retail Management. Graduate studies are also offered and consist of a broad-based Master of Business Administration (MBA) program with an international focus and an MBA and Master of Management Science (MMSc) in the Management of Technology and Innovation program. In addition to its innovative and solid curriculum, research is a primary focus within the Ted Rogers School of Management.

Dr. Jones holds an M.A. and Ph.D. from York University and has published extensively, including three books that have examined the contemporary retail environment in Canada: Specialty Retailing in the Inner City; Location, Location, Location and The Retail Environment. Dr. Jones has contributed chapters for a variety of university texts and has been published in many professional journals. These works have discussed issues associated with retail site selection methodologies, market area analyses, retail corporate concentration, e-commerce, and future trends associated with Canadian retailing.

In addition to his activities as a researcher, Dr. Jones has been a consultant to numerous retail chains, financial institutions, and shopping centre developers on aspects of store network planning, sales forecasting, market area evaluation, and site evaluation. He shares his expertise in his role as a guest lecturer and presenter to professional and academic audiences on leading edge topics that relate to the emerging retail economy.

Dr. Jones served as the Eaton Chair in Retailing (1995-2005); the NSERC/SSHRC Chair in the Management of Technological Change in Retail (1996-2006); the Director of the Ontario Retail Sector Strategy Project; and Project Leader for the GEOIDE (Geomatics for Informed Decisions) Networks of Centres of Excellence, where he was responsible for co-ordinating the research activities of several universities. He also was a member of an Appraisals Committee for the Ontario Council on Graduate Studies, which was responsible for reviewing all graduate programs in business in the province. In addition Dr. Jones served on both the Research Management Committee and Board of the GEOIDE NCE an currently is a Director of the Canadian Federation of Business School Deans.