Skip to main content
About HEC About HEC Faculty & Research Faculty & Research Master’s programs Master’s programs MBA Programs MBA Programs PhD Program PhD Program Executive Education Executive Education Summer School Summer School HEC Online HEC Online About HEC Overview Overview Who
We Are Who
We Are
Egalité des chances Egalité des chances HEC Talents HEC Talents International International Campus
Life Campus
Life
Sustainability Sustainability Diversity
& Inclusion Diversity
& Inclusion
Stories Stories The HEC
Foundation The HEC
Foundation
Coronavirus Coronavirus
Faculty & Research Overview Overview Faculty Directory Faculty Directory Departments Departments Centers Centers Chairs Chairs Knowledge@HEC Knowledge@HEC Master’s programs Master in
Management Master in
Management
Master's
Programs Master's
Programs
Double Degree
Programs Double Degree
Programs
Summer
Programs Summer
Programs
Exchange
students Exchange
students
Student
Life Student
Life
MBA Programs MBA MBA Executive MBA Executive MBA TRIUM EMBA TRIUM EMBA PhD Program Overview Overview HEC Difference HEC Difference Program details Program details Research areas Research areas HEC Community HEC Community Placement Placement Job Market Job Market Admissions Admissions Financing Financing Executive Education Executive Masters Executive Masters Executive Certificates Executive Certificates Executive short programs Executive short programs Online Online Companies Companies Executive MBA Executive MBA Infinity Pass Infinity Pass Summer School Youth Programs Youth Programs Summer programs Summer programs HEC Online Overview Overview Degree Program Degree Program Executive certificates Executive certificates MOOCs MOOCs Summer Programs Summer Programs Youth programs Youth programs

Instant

Camif Case: Leveraging Company Purpose for an Impactful Transformation

Case Study
Published on:

The case on Camif by Margot Bréard, HEC Paris graduate, in collaboration with Bénédicte Faivre-Tavignot and Laurence Lehmann-Ortega, Education Track Professors of Strategy and Business Policy at HEC Paris, has been published by the Case Centre platform. It investigates the process of defining a company’s overarching ‘purpose’, it emphasizes the link between purpose and corporate culture and shows the transformative power a strong purpose statement has for the organization and how its strategy is deployed.

camif team - cover

Camif, a French consumer goods online retailer of home furnishings, became one of the first ‘purpose-driven’ companies in 2017. Currently, the notion of purpose is a hot topic in leadership, yet the definition remains elusive. The Society & Organizations (S&O) Institute proposes to define purpose as “a statement that expresses the reason for being of an organization and its maintenance in the long run. It may or may not be prosocial. Purpose may be stated by an organization’s members but needs not to coincide with organizational leadership practices per se.”

The Camif story is of inspiration to non-profit as well as for-profit companies worldwide of how to reconcile the seemingly contradictory needs between profit motives, stakeholder and environmental sustainability concerns. 

Why this case?

As a first French company to explore purposeful organizations, key learnings are poignant. It enables students to reflect on how to define a clear purpose for an organization and the link between strategy and purpose. Indeed, the company’s purpose serves as a guide to make strategic choices and tradeoffs.

 

 

By Margot Bréard, HEC Paris graduate in collaboration with Bénédicte Faivre-Tavignot and Laurence Lehmann-Ortega, Professors of Strategy and Business Policy at HEC Paris.

Related content on Case Study

Subscribe button for Knowledhe@HEC newsletter

Newsletter knowledge

A monthly brief in your email box and 3 issues of the book per year.

follow us

Insights @HECParis School of #Management

Follow Us

Support Research

Our articles are produced thanks to our reader's support