Raylene Whitford earned a bachelor of commerce while attending the University of Alberta. Graduating in 2008, Raylene Whitford has gone on to positions within the finance and energy fields.
A bachelor of commerce aims to provide a so-called T-shaped education. This approach gives broad instruction in all areas of a business while concentrating on a narrow specialty to provide expertise. The curriculum covers a wide range of managerial skills combined with a focus chosen by each student in one particular area of business. Because of this, a bachelor of commerce has a wider and more theoretical focus than a typical bachelor of business administration, covering high-level strategy instead of day-to-day operational logistics.
Originated at the University of Birmingham, the bachelor of commerce was the brainchild of William Ashley, the first professor of political economy and constitutional history at the University of Toronto. After leaving that institution, he eventually resettled in England and founded the School of Commerce at the University of Birmingham. His stated goal with this new program was to equip the industrial and commercial leaders who would shape the business strategy of the future.
