Business & Geopolitics: A Global View

Interactive Online Program

This online program empowers participants to draw operational implications from geopolitical analysis. We seek to go beyond the headlines and rethink what deserves our attention and resources.

Academic Director

WHEN?

3rd March – 7th April 2025

The first module will be made available to you at the beginning of March 2025. The program is professor-paced and subsequent modules will be made available as the program advances. These modules will take place on your own time with interactive online activities and readings.

Starting March 10th, on each Monday at 14h00 CEST until April 7th, there will be live-time weekly online sessions where you will interact with Professor Ghez and the other international participants. These live sessions are a compulsory element of the program as they provide another dimension and further value-add to this interactive online experience.

Applications for the 2025 edition are now OPEN.

Qualified candidates will be offered admissions on a rolling basis until the programs are filled.

APPLY NOW

Join Us for a Webinar.

Want to know more? Professor Ghez, the Recruitment Manager and a former participant of this program will be hosting a webinar to answer all your questions.

WHEN: Wednesday 11th December @ 1pm CET

What?

A 5-week online program which gives you the opportunity to learn on your own time, whilst interacting with your co-hort, and to supplement your learning with weekly live, interactive sessions with HEC Paris Professor, Jeremy Ghez.

This cutting-edge program is an abridged version of the Geopolitics, Globalization & Business Strategy program taught in-person by Professor Ghez during the Summer School at HEC Paris.

“Business & Geopolitics: A Global View” offers a flexible alternative for students and young professionals leading busy lifestyles around the globe and who want to continue their learning during the academic year.

Overview

The past two decades have served as a reminder that companies do not make decisions in isolation. Various external factors, such as geopolitics, global warming, and evolving societies, have a significant influence on their successes and failures. Assumptions that were once considered solid about how the world operates and its stability are now constantly being tested by both expected and unexpected events that can unfold rapidly, as the health crisis showed. Furthermore, geopolitics not only presents global risks but also serves as a conduit for contagion, potentially turning an incident into a systemic failure of the international system. Some observers even question whether globalization as a whole may face challenges.

This program empowers participants to draw operational implications from geopolitical analysis. In business today, we can become easily obsessed with inboxes, and be tempted to micromanage, isolate issues and be excessively backward-looking in our analyses as a result. In this program, we seek to go beyond the headlines and rethink what deserves our attention and resources.

METHOD

This interactive online program will run for 5 weeks. It will blend weekly synchronous live sessions on a Monday afternoon with interactive online modules and reading via Blackboard, so that you can organise your learning around your personal schedule.

There will be a total of 27 hours of content and contact, with 17 hours of interactive online modules and 10 hours of live webinar sessions. You should also plan for an estimated 3-4 hours per week of personal study time in addition to the content and contact hours, averaging 8 - 10 hours per week for the duration of the program.

· Applications, including lectures, case study discussions and simulations, will allow participants to step into real-life situations in the shoes of decision-makers. These applications are designed to help participants understand the key dilemmas decision-makers face and how they make their decisions.

· Class lectures and discussions will introduce participants to key concepts and tools and help them understand the basic foundations of geopolitical analysis and how it can be applied in the business realm.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the program, participants will be able to:

Understand the strategic landscape in which decisions are taken
Assess business risks and opportunities entailed by geopolitical dynamics
Monitor changes in the international landscape, including the likelihood of low probability and high-impact events (black swans)
Integrate geopolitical analysis in the firm’s broader international and risk-mitigation strategies
Develop a long-term, consistent strategy and vision, beyond mere day-to-day tactics

Assessment

All participants are expected to do the following:

Attend all synchronous webinars each week during the program
Participate in group questions and regular online polling
Complete weekly individual assignments

A grade will be awarded to all participants who attend the program and complete the above requirements. Presence and participation will count for 30% of the final grade. Individual assignments throughout the program will count for 70% of the grade.

Participants who successfully complete the program will earn 2 ECTS credits. All students who are seeking credit are encouraged to consult their home academic institution to validate credit transfer.

Participants who successfully validate the program will also earn a Certificate of Attendance. This can be shared with schools or potential employers in a secured, digital format.