Geopolitics, globalization and Business Strategy

On-Campus: June 30 - July 11 Summer 2025.

Applications will open towards the end of the year for Summer 2025.

We invite you to pre-register your interest for 2025 to be alerted when the application portal opens.

We also offer an abridged online version of this program.

The next session will run from 28th February to 7th April 2025.

For more details on content and delivery, click below.

Business & Geopolitics: A Global View

• Earn an HEC Paris Certificate following successful completion of the program.
• Created and taught by leading HEC Paris Professor
• Real life cases based on current geopolitical and geostrategic issues
• Accessible to students of all backgrounds who wish to integrate global political and macroeconomic issues into their thinking
• Unparalleled opportunity to collaborate with diverse peers as part of student work groups
• Real life experience: final presentation to jury of renowned professionals.

This summer program is taught via blended learning. Pre-recorded sessions introduce participants to key concepts and principles to study at your own pace. This allows greater flexibility to maximize the experience on and off campus and respond to your personal study rhythm. In-person sessions take your learning to the next level through interactions with the professor and peers from around the world.

In recent years, instability in the Middle East, the rise of populism and protectionism in the United States and in Europe and growing tensions in the South China Sea, among other crises, have reminded us of how relevant political and geopolitical risks remain for decision-makers, including those of the private sector. What seemed to be solid assumptions about how the world worked and how stable it was are now continuously challenged by events – predictable and unpredictable –that can unfold very quickly. Perhaps even more crucially, geopolitics is not only a dimension of global risk but also a channel of contagion that can transform a sovereign or a liquidity crisis for instance into a worldwide, systemic failure of the international system. Some observers even wonder whether globalization, as a whole, may not come under challenge.

The real issue lies in drawing operational implications from geopolitical analysis for businesses and decision-makers. Business executives can become easily obsessed with their inboxes, and be tempted to micromanage, isolate issues and be excessively backward-looking in their analyses as a result. In the Geopolitics, Globalization and Business Strategy Summer School Program, participants will explore how geopolitics can help decision-makers broaden horizons and enrich their strategies by integrating in their thinking global political and macroeconomic issues.

A blended learning experience with pre-recorded sessions, face-to-face sessions, and group work for a comprehensive experience. Upon successful completion of the summer program, participants will be able to:

• Understand the strategic landscape in which decisions are made;
• 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.

Participants will be assessed based on the following:

• presence and participation
• group presentations

Participants who successfully complete the program will earn 5 ECTS credits.  Full attendance is required to obtain the Program Certificate.

All students who are seeking credit are encouraged to consult their home academic institution to validate credit transfer.