Newsletter S&O

LEADING WITH PURPOSE

Explore how to bring "purpose" to life to drive real performance. The recent Reskill Masterclass highlighted the importance of truth, clarity, and consistency in defining goals to boost company performance.

THE IMPACT COMPANY LAB

We're pushing boundaries with our dedicated impact laboratory. By combining scientific research and experimentation, we're creating a new generation of best practices for evidence-based impact solutions.

MOBILIZING THE SOCIAL ECONOMY FOR GLOBAL IMPACT

Our recent discussion in Paris explored the crucial role of the social economy in tackling contemporary challenges for sustainable change.

REFUGEE INCLUSION

Discover how companies can play a positive role in the global refugee crisis, with inspiring examples from Ben & Jerry's and the Adecco Group.

HEC PARIS & THE RED CROSS

Together for social impact. Our partnership aims to combine academic and humanitarian expertise to support the most vulnerable.

MAKING PARIS 2024 OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES MORE SUSTAINABLE

Explore our students' innovative ideas to make the 2024 Games more sustainable, in partnership with CMA CGM.

See more in the S&O February 2024 Newsletter

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[REPORT] Duty of vigilance, CSRD...focus on the new european regulations: The S&O Institute has teamed up with De Gaulle Fleurance to release the 4th edition of the Observatory of Societal Transitions, devoted to new regulations and litigation trends in relation to sustainability issues.

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[CASE STUDY] Carbon Accounting for Decarbonization Strategy: the Colas Case: A new business case by HEC Prof. Hélène Löning and Floriane Desbordes, with Jean-Pierre Francisco from Colas, focuses on digitalizing carbon accounting. 

[COP 28] COP28 & François Gemenne: the Private Sector Needs to Be More Involved: HEC professor François Gemenne was in the UAE capital Dubai to witness firsthand the sessions and debates at COP28. The lead author for IPPC returned to our HEC studios to share his own conclusions from the two-week summit in a Special Masterclass. He was questioned by two HEC students, Alix Le Corre and Lilly Wehrhahn from the Master of Science in Sustainability & Social Innovation, SASI, which Professor Gemenne also co-directs.

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[CONFERENCE] An Optimistic Voyage to 2030 with Transition Pioneer Rob Hopkins: Environmental activist Rob Hopkins, co-founder of Transition Network, revisited HEC Paris this fall, envisioning the world in 2030—six years after his initial visit. 

See more in the S&O news

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Innovating for Added Value in the Global Economy: Snapshots from Four Moroccan Industries: A policy paper by Abdelmonim Amachraa and Bertrand Quélin explores how Morocco can adapt to the significantly changed world and seize economic opportunities by integrating with global markets.

New Mazars HEC Chair on Purposeful Governance: The "Purposeful Governance" Chair, led by Luc Paugam at HEC Paris, delves into ESG, extra-financial performance, and responsible leadership with support from the Purpose Center.

Award: "Financial Materiality and Corporate Responses to Social Issues" by Marieke Huysentruyt and Leandro Nardi received an award at the Strategic Management Society Conference in Toronto.

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SASI Program: The Master in Sustainability and Social Innovation (SASI) 2023-2024 cohort's return to school is an opportunity to address global challenges and design impactful careers with a focus on environmental and social issues.
Watch the video.

Engagement Track: François Gemenne now heads HEC Paris' Sustainability and Social Innovation master's program, which includes the foundational "Planetary Boundaries" course integrating environmental, social, and political aspects into business education. 
Watch the video.

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Purpose & Sustainability Conferences, Back-to-School Highlights: HEC students kicked off the academic year with insights from notable speakers like Christopher Guerin, Emma Haziza, and Rob Hopkins. 
Replay of the all the conferences on Youtube.

See more in the S&O News.

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Inclusive Economy Day:  On April 13, HEC's first-ever Inclusive Economy Day, held in France, brought together academics from prestigious institutions to explore how experimental research can assist real-world organizations in addressing concrete social challenges.

• See the Wrap-Up of the S&O Inclusive Economy Day

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Engagement  Track: Starting in September, approximately 400 first-year students will participate in the engagement track, aiming to develop future leaders' commitment to environmental and social causes, ethics in work, and organizational responsibility. This program encompasses elements like 30 hours of volunteer work and a 3-week internship in a company.

• See the presentation video 

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Climate Day: The second HEC Climate Day featured discussions on phasing out fossil fuels, policy challenges, and the impact on vulnerable populations during the transition to renewables, along with successful case studies.

SASI Master: Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Master in Sustainability and Social Innovation (SASI) on May 14, over 300 alumni shared inspiring stories of their impactful professional journeys.

• Watch the event summary video

See more in the S&O News

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PURPOSE DAY: Mirroring HEC's Research - At the Philanthro-Lab (Paris), the S&O Purpose Center team welcomed more than 100 people on March 14th, to discuss about all the research made since five years.

• See the replay of the 1st edition of the Purpose Day

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BECOME A CHANGEMAKER: Build a career with purpose and impact. A webinar presented by Ticket for Change and HEC Paris, on April 18th.

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FAHMI QUADIR: Behind the Anti-fraud Takedowns. Interview of the famous short seller, entrepreneure & Netflix star.

• Watch the full conference that take place at Station F (Paris)

See more in the S&O News

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REPORT: "What actually gets measured under the 'S' dimension in corporate ESG frameworks?" - A new landmark report on the social factors in ESG frameworks.

• See the Interview of Marieke Huysentruyt, one of the three academics who worked on that report

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HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE: We need you to welcome our students. A new work placement for the 400 students newly admitted to the Grande Ecole program for the next academic year.

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PODCAST: Together For Implementation: Let’s Take Up The Challenge! How do you engage all the stakeholders of a school for the ecological transition? An interview of François Collin, Chief Sustainability Officer at HEC Paris.

See more in the S&O News

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New booklet series on Purpose: Our S&O Purpose Center publishes a series of concise and practical research booklets on Purposeful Leadership for managers and decision-makers.

• Approaches to Purposeful Leadership
• Purpose in the workplace
• The dual effect of purpose on teams

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The "Purpose & Sustainability" track at Chamonix: From August 21 to 24, all the new students from the Master in Management were in Chamonix for the "Purpose and Sustainability" seminar.

• Read the article & Watch the videos

"The planetary bounderies" Conferences [Fr]: Back on the HEC campus and as part of the "Purpose and Sustainability" track, three conferences were held prior to the course "The planetary bounderies".

• Biodiversité by Gilles Boeuf
• Ressources & Technologies by Philippe Bihouix
• Climat & Sociétés Humaines by François Gemmene

From Talk to Action: What's getting in our way? SASI ideas Festival: The Msc in Sustainability and Social Innovation (SASI) has doubled this year with 98 students and 27 nationalities represented.

• SASI Ideas Festival Program

Alumni and HEC students: Pairing up on the road to purpose: For the second consecutive year, the S&O Purpose Center is renewing and expanding its program for HEC Paris majors and MSc students.

• Read more

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Faber’s Clarion Call to Students: “Don’t Quit ! Redefine the Economies of Tomorrow”: ISSB Chairperson Emmanuel Faber kickstarted the 2022-2023 HEC Talks season with an impassioned plea to students to “reinvent the future” through resilience and a regenerative culture.

• Read more and Watch the video

HEC Climate Days: Discussing tools and mechanisms for climate action: The need to tackle climate change has created massive challenges for businesses and policymakers.

• Read more & Watch the replay of the conferences

Read the S&O News

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EVENT: HEC Climate Days: Experts, academics, representatives of NGOs and companies, and students gathered on May 30-31 to cross their views, debate and show how creative solutions can emerge to turn climate change into opportunities for action.

HEC Alumni White Paper on Biodiversity: L'Association des Alumni HEC publie un Livre Blanc sur la biodiversité. Produit à partir d’une série d’entretiens menés avec un grand nombre de dirigeants d'entreprises et d'ONG, d'investisseurs et d'experts; il sera remis aux négociateurs en amont de la COP15. Inscription via ce lien pour participer à l'événement autour de la publication.

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The New Climate & Business Certificate: Last May 2, the Climate & Earth Center of  S&O launched the very first Climate & Business Certificate led by two academic co-directors,  Daniel Halbheer, HEC Associate Professor and Igor Shishlov, HEC Lecturer. More about the program here. 

We are pleased to announce the 2022 Online Summer Program on Business and Climate Change. This exciting two-week online program is designed for young professionals, Masters and advanced Bachelor students. Additional information here

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ARTICLE: Energy Transition impacts more than just the energy sector. The future of energy has never looked more expansive and is now extending far beyond the bounds of the traditional energy sector. Energy, and its role in mitigating climate change, has become everyone’s business. Link to the article

See also...

AWARDS: Daniel Halbheer, Associate Professor of Marketing and Holder of the FII Institute Chair on “Business Models for the Circular Economy” at HEC Paris, has his research on Carbon Footprinting and Pricing Under Climate Concerns awarded the 2021 Rigor & Relevance Research Award by the Swiss Academy of Marketing Science. Full article here

EVENTS: June 12-17: Medici Summer School. We are pleased to announce the organization of the 14th edition of the Medici Summer School in Management Studies for doctoral students and young researchers which will be held at HEC Campus. The school is organized and sponsored by Bologna Business School (University of Bologna), HEC Paris (S&O Institute), and MIT Sloan School of Management (Economic Sociology PhD Program). Find the program here.

Read the S&O News 

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NEW BOOK: "En quête de sens". A choral work in which 12 great leaders and 11 young talents give their personal accounts.

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ARTICLE: Inbuilt purpose as a game-changer: What companies are and how big of a revolution the merger between business and purpose could be. 

CASE STUDY: Alenvi: How managerial innovation enables a business model to be reinvented in a mature and non-digitized sector.

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HEC Talks with Alan Jope, CEO of Unilever: How to drive large organizations, despite constraints, with purpose and for impact? Watch the replay.

See also...

AWARDS: Best Buy case study wins CCA 2022. This case study aims to better understand the characteristics of “Purposeful Leadership” and to identify the conditions of success to impact positively the performance of a company.

EVENTS: Life Project Festival (April 4-6), S&O Monthly Research Seminar (April 5th) and the 7th edition of S&O Research Day (May 12-13).

Read the S&O News

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ARTICLE: What’s the Best Way for Governments to Support Renewable Energy?

TEACH

INTERVIEW: Accelerating the transition of business through an innovative new Executive program.

NEWS: SDGs: Kick off your company’s impact - a new light on companies and initiatives working in favor of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

ACT

HEC Talks with Hubert Joly: "All of us are on a journey to become better leaders". Read the news and watch the replay.

Read the S&O News

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Smart Cities: The sustainable program of six leading cities in transition - HEC Professor Bertrand Quélin's interview and exhaustive report.

ÉTUDE: "Entreprise et post-croissance" - le futur des modèles économiques, comptables et de gouvernance de l’entreprise en transition.

New White Paper: “Economic Decoupling: Our New Reality?”

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Retour en image sur les grands moments du parcours « Purpose & Sustainability » - Voir la vidéo

CASE STUDY: Schneider Electric’s Pay-As-You-Go Solar Home Systems Fund in Kenya.

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NEWS: The Creative Destruction Lab program welcome a new cohort from the startup world.

HEC S&O at COP 26: 7 European business schools to address the climate crisis and support business leaders by providing them with the tools to tackle the climate emergency.

Read the S&O News

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Knowledge@HEC : The role of citizens in managing a crisis by including migrants

Interview: Why organizations should open their minds to inclusive business, with professor Marieke Huysentruyt

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HEC students experience purpose and sustainability in the Alps - article and podcast

Veolia’s Eau du Grand Lyon: Orchestrating a Social Ecosystem in a Community Around Water Distribution
Read the case study
 

ACT

"We are part of the solution" Jean-Dominique Sénard, Président of Renault Group
Watch the video 3'29"
 

BOOK: Nouvel essai: "L'entreprise de demain, pour un nouveau récit"
Lire l'interview de Rodolphe Durand (en français)

L'ENTRETIEN HEC avec Antoine Frérot sur BFM TV
 

Read the S&O News
 

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Knowledge@HEC IN-DEPTH: Why Diversity Matters

S&O Research Day, #6 edition: Keynote Speakers Serafeim and Aguilera illuminate HEC’s Latest Research
 

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HEC Paris launches the Global Executive Master in Management in Paris and Abidjan
Know more about the GEMM
 

ACT

"Tomorrow is our Business" Podcast Series, with Rodolphe Durand
Listen to the podcast

Hilary Matson, Let's Pack for Sustainable Tourism
Read the news
 

Read the S&O News

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Knowledge@HEC : How to Manage Innovators for the Public Good

Knowledge@HEC : Do Activist Hedge Funds Target Socially Responsible Firms and, if so, why?

THINK TEACH ACT

Interview with François Collin, Director for Climate and Environmental Sustainability - article and video

TEACH

Teaching "Sustainable Development Goals" game at HEC Paris to train our leaders 

The New Circular Economy Academy: from Theory to Practice!

ACT

Margault Phélip, Perfect Alignment between Values and Purpose

Read the S&O News

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Inclusive Economy: The Antidote to “a World on Fire”? 

In 2020, the Society & Organizations Institute (S&O) marks 12 years of research on the notion of an inclusive global economy with the report “Inclusive Business: What it is and Why it Matters”. This third S&O report studies the roles of the private and public sphere, as well as civil society, in addressing the fundamentals of an inclusive economy and business. It is part of a platform framework led by 40 CEOs in a coalition called Business for Inclusive Growth (B4IG).

Download the report 

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Lead Campus: Training the current and future African leaders of tomorrow

Discover the program

Watch the video

 

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HEC Paris and Saïd Business School join Dialogue on Race to Zero
Student-driven Earth Week enjoys virtual success

Collection of Conférence on Youtube (FR)

• Pierre Larrouturou
• Cyril Dion
• Aurélien Barrau
• Gaël Giraud

Read the S&O News

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• Knowledge@HEC : Are Carbon Markets the Solution Against Climate Change?
• Executive Factsheets : What you need to know about CSR and Sustainability

TEACH

It's time to choose your certificate!

• Inclusive and Social Business
• Energy and Finance

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• New S&O Chair: New “Smart City and the Common Good” Chair
• The HEC Earth Week begins tomorrow: Interview of Louis Fidel, President of ESP'R

Read the S&O News

Press Review on Hedge Fund Activism Research

Activist hedge funds can smell greenwashing

Press Review

A one-minute animation on hedge fund activism's impact on a firm's financial and non-financial performance

Read the S&O News

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Knowledge@HEC: Telework and Social Crisis: How Telework Contributes to the Exacerbation of Geographical Disparities

Knowledge@HEC: Social Distancing: What Will the Economic Fallout Be

MORE RESEARCH

What AI and Robots Can Change at Work During and After a Crisis
The Taboos and Ambiguities of the Prevailing Narrative on CSR

BUSINESS NOT AS USUAL

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Yunus to HEC Students Certificate: Social Business must Transform Post-Covid-19 World

ACT

Hubert Joly Adresses to HEC: Reinventing Capitalism

Résultats du Grand Baromètre sur la Transition Ecologique

Read the S&O News

Special Edition on Purposeful Leadership

A Shift of Mindset for all the HEC Students

Freshmen Students meet Inspirational Business Leaders

Purposeful leadership: Awarding students for their Work on Purpose

Interview : la genèse du programme Purposeful Leadership 

HBR Article by Hubert Joly : A Time to Lead with Purpose and Humanity 

Read the S&O News

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• Knowledge@HEC : Optimizing Feed-In Tariffs to Boost Renewable Energy Production

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S&O Lecture Series on the Ecological and Social Transition

• Valérie Charolle: Making the distinction between liberalism and capitalism in the 21st century 
• Guillaume Pitron: Les défis de la transition verte avec l'utilisation des matériaux rares
• Economist Alain Grandjean throws down the climate gauntlet

ACT

• Energy Day with Société Générale Finance and Energy Chair
• First Edition of the Earth Week, organized by HEC Assiociation, ESP'R
• Conference : Jean-Marc Jancovici
• HEC Impact Career Day
• HEC Alumni Conference : Quest of Meaning with Rodolphe Durand and Vineet Nayar

Read S&O News 

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• Knowledge@HEC : Labor Market Polarization and the New Geography of Jobs (Prof Mengus et Michalsky)
• ARCS workshop : Accelerating Researcher-Practitioner Collaborations in Sustainability

Teach

• Lead Campus : Sustainable Leadership Program in Africa

Act

• The Energy and Finance Chair joining S&O
• Award: Rodolphe Durand, Doctor Honoris Causa
• Book: Master change to become a great leader by Jeremy Guez
   

Read the full December 2019 Newsletter

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• Knowledge@HEC : Walking the talk: why companies should be politically transparent (Durand and Delmas)

Teach

• A new environmentally and socially engaged learning path

• Purposeful Leadership program takes off with a Bang

• What is the Inclusive and Social Business Certificate? watch the video

Read S&O News

Think

• Knowledge@HEC: Sustainability indices: do investors actually care?
• S&O Research Day: Frank debates over cutting-edge research at S&0

Teach

• Inclusive and Social Business Certificate to help low-income communities with market-based solutions
• SASI Students on study trip in Rwanda

Act

• HEC Paris joins global leading universities to form U7 Alliance
• Diversity and Inclusion : HEC students committed to make a difference
• The 11th edition of the Medici Summer on HEC campus it marks interaction between science and culture 

Read S&O News

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• Knowledge@HEC : Workers could feel safer with robots thanks to virtual reality

TEACH

Knowledge@HEC special Education : Making a change Teaching sustainable and inclusive business

• Interview with Bénédicte Faivre-Tavignot : Teaching sustainable and inclusive business
• Interview with Jean-Michel Gauthier: from Total to Energy Transition
• Posing dilemmas: an MBA ethics course incites students to question themselves and their beliefs

ACT

• HEC's Proteen team eyes $1 Million Hult Award

EVENTS

• The Perils and promises of AI and Robotics
• Stéphane de Freitas 

Read S&O News 

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• Social impact Assessment Strategy Report : Are your social initiatives making the right impact?

TEACH

• EXED White Paper : Why sustainability is key to business performance 

ACT

• S&O Annual Event : What is the promise of AI and Robotics for organizations and society?

• Launch of S&O new website

Read S&O news