Corporate finance

In description

November 25th, 2021

Do CEOs Matter for CSR Initiatives?

A new large-scale study links CEO influence to a 30% difference in firms’ performances in the areas of social responsibility. Interview with Georg Wernicke, Assistant Professor of Strategy and Business Policy at HEC Paris, and member of the school’s Society & Organizations Institute.

By Georg Wernicke

woman leader - vignette

November 17th, 2021

Inflation Rears its Ugly Head: Why? And What Could be the Consequences?

The upswing in inflation figures on both sides of the Atlantic, called “reflation”, continues to worry governments and the public. But what is behind these inflationary pressures? What are the consequences of this 13-year-high in the euro zone (4.1% in October); and 30-year record surge in prices in the United States? To find out what caused these increases and to analyze what could happen in the future, we’ve turn to two HEC academics whose research is linked to the inflation question. Associate Professor Eric Mengus specializes in monetary and macro-economics. His colleague, Associate Professor Gaetano Gaballo, is a researcher in the same domains, and he’s also worked for seven years as a senior economist at the Banque de France. In mid-October, they reflected on a wide range of issues linked to reflation.

Associate Professor

Economics and Decision Sciences

November 04th, 2021

Renault’s Project ‘Mobilize’ Case Study

Mobilize, Renault’s affordable car project case, written by HEC Paris Professor Olivier Chatain, has just been released on the Case Centre platform. This case study explores how an automobile manufacturer creates an ecosystem to provide affordable mobility solutions for those in the suburban areas in France.

Strategy and Business Policy

October 19th, 2021

Schneider Electric’s Pay-As-You-Go Solar Home Systems Fund in Kenya

Schneider Electric’s pay-as-you-go solar home systems fund in Kenya case, written by HEC Paris Professor Luc Paugam and Sookyoung Lee of HEC Paris S&O Institute has just been released on the Case Centre platform. This case study explores the concept of hybrid organization, which blurs traditional boundaries between nonprofit and for-profit organizations, reconciling profit motives with community needs.

Associate Professor

Accounting and Management Control

October 15th, 2021

In Quest for Career Advancement: To Diversify or to Specialize?

Should I take this job? Will this new experience help me to get a promotion in future, or will I waste my time trying to master something that I am not good at? Those are questions that one would ask if proposed a job in another functional unit. Cross-functional transitions (moves between different functional units within an organization) may seem useful to boost one’s career, but what is better for long-term career advancement: to specialize or to diversify?

Management & Human Resources

HEC Paris Trains Future Professors

Our PhD Students Got Talent

This special issue aims to show the excellence and diversity of the research conducted by HEC Paris PhD candidates and alumni. You will find a selection of cutting-edge findings, answering crucial questions such as: Is AI a threat to human creativity? Should we listen to the Wall Street gurus? How to better manage one’s promotion? How much do we value our private data? What are ambiguity and risk attitudes? How bad is the mere presence of a phone? HEC Paris PhD Program, headed by finance professor Johan Hombert, supports its students throughout their thesis writing and job placement in the best universities and business schools, such as the MIT, Wharton and Harvard Business School. Most PhD alumni continue to collaborate with professors at HEC, thanks to the strong relationships they have developed during their journey.

October 13th, 2021

phd hec paris - knowledge

October 13th, 2021

The Smartphone: Not the Behemoth Feared by Business and Researchers

“How bad is the mere presence of a phone?” That's the title of the research paper co-authored by Claire Linares and Anne Laure Sellier and published by the review PLoS ONE. This is the product of two years of research, involving the replication of a paper that was written eight years ago by two British psychologists Andrew K. Przybylski and Netta Weinstein. In 2013, they presented data suggesting the physical presence of a cellphone in a meeting was harmful in terms of social interaction between strangers. A conclusion now disputed by the two HEC research academics.

By Claire Linares , Anne Laure Sellier

October 11th, 2021

5 minutes

Increased Use of AI in Private Equity Will Cause an Industry Shakeout

A new study developed by Thomas Åstebro, Professor of Entrepreneurship at HEC Paris, finds that the number of private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC) firms using artificial intelligence has increased dramatically in the past decade. The study claims that while increasing efficiency overall, AI will also change deal-making processes and destroy junior-level jobs. This article summarizes the article, ‘An Inside Peek at AI Use in Private Equity’, published in the Journal of Financial Data Science (Summer 2021, jfds.2021.1.067) with Portfolio Management Research (PMR).

Economics and Decision Sciences

October 08th, 2021

Economic Perspectives for Germany after September’s Federal Vote

The September 26 federal elections in Germany have been earmarked as one of its most important in the past two decades. For a start, it signals the end of Angela Merkel’s tenure as Chancellor, after 16 years at the helm of Europe’s largest economy. To comment on this landmark vote, its uncertain outcome, and economic outlook, we turn to Armin Steinbach, HEC professor in law and economics. Steinbach is ideally placed to comment: prior to his September arrival at our business school, he spent over a decade as a government official and adviser in the Ministries of Finance and of Economic Affairs and Germany’s Parliament.

October 01st, 2021

Why Student Debt Relief May Fall Short of Its Good Intentions

As the U.S. staggers beneath the weight of its education debt – a crushing $1.6 trillion in 2020 – there are increasing calls for loan forgiveness. But debt forgiveness plans need to be crafted carefully or they might actually disproportionately favor high-income individuals or specific ethnic groups. A duo of Finance researchers, Sylvain Catherine of Wharton School and Constantine Yannelis of Chicago Booth School of Business, explains how to tailor such policies to better redistribute their benefits. Sylvain Catherine is a HEC Paris PhD alumnus.

By Sylvain Catherine