Operations Management

April 26th, 2024

Impact Investing: How HEC Alumni Karen Degouve Engages in the Transition

In this interview, Karen Degouve (H.94) explains her pivotal role in coordinating sustainable finance efforts within French banking groups, which face challenges in developing profitable yet planet-conscious businesses. Degouve offers valuable guidance for graduates entering the business world and investors seeking to align their financial decisions with sustainability goals. She also took the time to share her opinion on research findings on ESG and impact investment conducted by the HEC Paris faculty.

April 23rd, 2024

5 minutes

Aligning Business with Planetary Boundaries: Editorial Letter

At HEC Paris, the integration of research, teaching, and action is a fundamental philosophy that we embody. In today's dynamic landscape, where environmental and social challenges are increasingly prominent, HEC serves as a beacon of innovation and responsibility. As Europe's leading business school, we acknowledge our responsibility to guide future leaders in navigating the complexities of a world in flux.

Professor, Dean

Economics and Decision Science

Operations Management

April 23rd, 2024

5 minutes

How Can Management Research Address Environmental and Societal Challenges?

For a long time, addressing sustainability problems has been regarded as a technological challenge. Today, supporting the transition to a more sustainable world has transcended this technological status and emerged as a quintessential management, economic, and behavioral challenge. Within this realm, research in social sciences and management assumes a pivotal role, offering insights across various crucial dimensions of the transition.

Associate Professor

Information Systems and Operations Management

Operations Management

April 23rd, 2024

Bridging Sustainable Supply Chains with AI

When it comes to the renewable energy transition, all actors in the supply chain have different stakes, incentives and barriers. HEC Paris Professor Sam Aflaki aims to help organizations contribute to this renewable energy transition in the fields of supply chain management, sustainability and energy efficiency. In this interview, he discusses his ongoing research, exploring the dynamics of stakeholders' incentives, technological advancements, and the challenges shaping sustainable practices in today's world.

By Sam Aflaki

Operations Management

August 31st, 2023

Snacking to Extinction: Paving the Way for Sustainable Food Systems

Today, our bite into a snack, a seemingly innocent act, holds far-reaching consequences. With over 40% of the global food industry's revenue stemming from ultra-processed foods (UPFs), our love for convenience is propelling an industry that contributes to a third of global emissions, strains our planetary resources and has questionable impacts on population health. However, the billion-dollar question remains: can this ultra-processed food industry, so entwined with our daily lives, transition towards sustainable development?

Graduate of the SASI MSc

Sustainability and Social Innovation

Artificial Intelligence for Business & Society

Make AI Your Ally

Artificial Intelligence has a potentially disruptive impact on organizations, firms, and society at large. The latest mind-boggling illustration came with the discovery of chatGPT’s mesmerizing results in November 2022. This followed a fall of investments in AI last year in Silicon Valley. From analyzing data in one’s business to increasing customer engagement and replacing humans in routine tasks across industries, AI is becoming more relevant to our lives and economy every day. Everyone talks about it, but do we really understand its opportunities and threats? And how can we make the best out of it, whilst ensuring that ethical requirements are met?

July 15th, 2023

Operations Management

July 06th, 2023

Can ESG Save Life on Earth? Key Lessons

ESG, a tool used to quantify sustainability, is exposed to criticism and allegations of greenwashing. In this RESKILL Masterclass session, Hélène Löning, HEC Paris Associate Professor of Accounting , argues that, despite its struggles and flaws, ESG can help make companies more accountable towards all stakeholders and society, not just investors. She shares with viewers detailed insights into ESG metrics. The Masterclass was recorded on June 29, 2023, and is available on YouTube here. You can also find all the questions and comments in the LinkedIn live.

Associate Professor and Academic Director

Accounting and Management Control

Operations Management

June 20th, 2023

Seaweed and the Livestock Sector: A Miracle Solution or a Complex Reality?

Livestock contributes to nearly 15% of GHG emissions, which 60% are due to enteric fermentation, a natural digestive process that releases methane through burps. Methane has a warming potential 28 times greater than CO2 over a 100-year period. To limit global warming to 1.5°C, the IPCC shows that deep cuts in methane emissions are needed. Recently, a miracle solution has been claimed: feeding cows with a seaweed can cut their methane emissions significantly. But let’s not forget holistic implications of such production for the environment and its feasibility on a large scale. In this article, Clarisse Pierre cautions about the of use of seaweed, based on her MSc "Sustainability and Social Innovation" thesis supervised by Professor Sam Aflaki.

MSc Sustainability & Innovation at HEC Paris, incoming Social Innovation Consultant

Operations Management

February 10th, 2023

How Can Communication Boost the Adoption of Renewable Energy?

Wide-scale adoption of renewable energy is essential to ensure Europe decarbonizes its energy systems and meets its ambitious net-zero targets. But what motivates interested individuals to make the decision to invest? A recent study by Operations Management Professors Andrea Masini and Sam Aflaki (HEC Paris), Shadi Goodarzi (California State University and the University of Texas), and Behnam Fahimnia (University of Sydney Business School), sheds light on the influence of different communication sources on this process, with implications for policymakers, technology providers, and other sustainability stakeholders.

By Andrea Masini , Sam Aflaki

photovoltaic panels on house roofs-thumbnail

Operations Management

February 01st, 2023

Why are Family Businesses More Sustainable?

In a world that is currently confronting a climatic crisis caused in part by overconsumption and garment manufacture, it is critical to determine which industry actors can effectively be drivers of the move to a more sustainable lifestyle. Based on a field study in the Portuguese textile and clothing industry, Monica Santos Silva, a SASI Master student supervised by Operations Management Professor Sam Aflaki, explains the mechanisms that make family businesses more competitive and sustainable.

Sustainability Projects Coordinator

Jewelry