Geopolitics, Globalization and Business Strategy
Summer Program
In today’s volatile global landscape, business strategy cannot be separated from geopolitics. This program provides tools to analyze risk and unlock opportunity in a turbulent world.
WHEN?
About the program
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 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.
Understand how political, geopolitical, economic, technological, societal and climate forces (among others!) shape the global business environment - as well as how coming turbulences, like AI or climate change, may be shifting the rules of the game for business and beyond.
This program will help you bridge the news headlines with what you'll need to do in the workplace to successfully shape your business strategy.
- 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.
- Leave the program with tools to analyze and mitigate change through effective business strategy.
- 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.
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.
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.
The program will be based on a combination of class lectures and discussions, applications to real life examples, pre-recorded sessions and testimonies of key academics and practitioners:
• Class lectures and discussions will introduce participants to key concepts and tools and help them understand the basic foundations of geopolitical analysis and how it can be applied in the business realm.
• Applications, including case study discussions, simulations and war games, will aim at placing participants in real-life situations and place them in the shoes of decisionmakers. These applications are designed to help participants understand the key dilemmas decision-makers face and how they make their decisions.
• Testimonials from academic experts in the field as well as practitioners facing these issues on a day-to-day basis, will be a useful complement to class discussions and shed light on tomorrow’s challenges as well as potential career paths for participants.
All core concepts will be explained during the class. There is no prerequisite for attendance. A background in economics or finance is however welcome.
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.
The Summer Experience
