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S&O Research
To promote the creation of a European way of thinking about enterprise and society
A Center of Excellence for research
Founded in 2008 under the aegis of Rodolphe Durand, the S&O Center brings together forty professors and PhD students from HEC Paris. Our research approach combines a broad range of methods tailored to the studied phenomena. It also incorporates theoretical lenses from various disciplines including economics, sociology, psychology, philosophy, and history, which is then integrated with a management focus. The research is conducted in partnership with other leading academic institutions in Europe and North America.
Research that directly addresses the challenges of our time
The S&O Center offers new ways of understanding the world, helping organizations reconcile economic priorities with a new series of imperatives. The research conducted by the Center’s academics tackles concrete issues, yielding results that businesses can immediately put to use in these following areas: climatic constraints, responsible finance, impact investment, social inequality, ethical imperatives, implementation of CRS policies, renewable energy, circular economy, partnership between public and private sector, action of NGOs, incentives at work, diversity in the workplace, liberalization, regulation, and more.
Research of global significance
The S&O Center has become a vibrant center of reflection recognized throughout Europe. Over the past four years, the Center’s members have already produced more than 80 research papers, of which more than half have been published in leading academic journals. Through its publications, academic exchanges and partnerships, organization of international events (the Medici Summer School, the European Theory Development Workshop), and its doctoral scholarship scheme, the S&O Center is proudly contributing to the development of an international research community concerned with key contemporary challenges.
We engage in the study of what forms the basis of responsible capitalism

Social Impact Assessment Strategy Report
Make the best of social impact measurement
Download the reportCall for Papers
Submission deadline: April 10th, 2019
The 11th edition of the Medici Summer School in Management Studies for doctoral students and young researchers which will be held in Paris, France, June 16 – June 21, 2019 (HEC Campus). The school is organized and sponsored by Bologna Business School (University of Bologna), HEC Paris (Society and Organizations Research Center and the HEC Foundation), and MIT Sloan School of Management (Economic Sociology PhD Program).This year, the theme will be: Commercialization of Art and Science. Overall, the goal of the 2019 edition of the Medici Summer School is to shed light on the role of organizations and institutions as vehicles and settings for the commercialization of culture and science.
Submission deadline: January 14th, 2019
The 11th Annual ARCS Research Conference will be hosted by the Center for Sustainable Enterprise at the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise.
The Conference Chair is Dr. Olga Hawn, Assistant Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, Sustainability Distinguished Fellow, and Faculty Director of the Center for Sustainable Enterprise.
Please click here to view the Call for Papers.
Seminars & Workshops
Medici Summer School
The Medici Summer School in Management Studies is a unique opportunity for doctoral students and young researchers to interact with thought leaders in the management field. The Summer School combines lectures and research seminars that contribute to the development of enlightened practice in the management of business.
Research Partnerships
The S&O Center has cultivated various partnerships ranging from business schools to academic institutions in order to facilitate research on topics including, but not limited to, climactic constraints, social inequality, technological disruption, and corporate social responsibility.