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
Our
Difference Our
Difference
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
PhD Program

PhD Thesis Defence, Strategy and Business Policy

Congratulations to Dr Romain Boulongne who successfully defended his thesis on June 28, 2019. Romain will join  IESE Business School (Spain) as Assistant Professor.

Thesis Topic: When is ambiguity favorable? An experimental and theoretical investigation of multiple categorization process in markets.

Supervisor: Professor Rodolphe Durand, HEC Paris
 
Abstract:
This dissertation studies the different categorization processes (prototype-based, goalbased and analogical-based categorization) and subsequent cognitive mechanisms (central tendency, conceptual combination and analogical processing, respectively) that audiences use in markets when they evaluate an ambiguous entity. Past research has shown that audiences discount product ambiguity because they are confused about what an ambiguous product offering does (cognitive ambiguity). Similarly, research has shown that audiences discount organizational ambiguity because they don’t know what these organizations with an ambiguous market positioning are (identity ambiguity) and how well they multi-task (competence ambiguity). This dissertation puts these results in perspective and studies how different categorization processes and cognitive mechanisms influence (i) the evaluation of ambiguous product offerings, (ii) the performance evaluation of organizations with an ambiguous market positioning, and (iii) firms’ differentiation strategies. More broadly, this work offers contributions to the literature in both organization theory and strategy. In the former, this work falls within the economic sociology, categorization processes and hybrid organizations topics. In the latter, my contributions are relevant to the topics of optimal distinctiveness, market agents’ cognitive ascription of value, and firms’ differentiation strategies.