Master in Strategy and Digital Transformation Program

At the end of the course, the student should be able to:

Understand the main strategy theories, and apply them to organizations that operate in increasingly global markets;

Answer the question: ‘What determines the success or failure of firms around the globe?;

Gain insight into the decision-making process underpinning international business strategic management;

Implement the “strategy tripod” to analyze strategy from an industry-, institution-, and resource-based view;

Identify and discuss challenges and opportunities that the globalization of markets poses to companies;

Understand the activities, goals, and responsibilities of organizations active in a global environment;

Have greater awareness about ESRS topics such as: the relevance of CSR for companies that operate in international markets, triple bottom line, stakeholder theory.

The course is designed to immerse students into the principles of descriptive and inferential statistical analyzes. Through lectures, in-class exercises, and a tailored online environment, this course addresses the collection, description, analysis and summary of data, including the concepts of frequency distribution, parameter estimation, hypothesis testing, and regression analyzes. At the end of the course, the student should be able to:

Produce and interpret graphical summaries of data;

Describe basic characteristics of the data distribution;

Produce and interpret numerical summary statistics;

Understand properties of the normal curve;

Graphically and numerically describe the relations between two quantitative variables;

Interpret a correlation coefficient, r, and the coefficient of determination;

Formulate and interpret null and alternative hypotheses;

Fit simple linear regression models;

Use simple and multiple linear regression models to predict the value of one variable based on the value of (an) associated variable(s);

Fit and interpret interactions between independent variables.

This course addresses the following topics:

Overview of the Consulting Sector

Consulting Firm Structure

Business Practices and Designing the Analysis

Needs Assessment

Optimal Resource Allocation

Consulting career and evaluation processes

This course is based on a business management simulation game that integrates the functional areas of production, marketing, logistics, finance and strategy. It increases the participants’ awareness of operating a company from a general management perspective. At the end of the course, the student should be able to:

Understand how to design and implement a strategy for different kinds of markets;

Interpret and forecast market situations and financial results and translate them into goal-oriented decisions;

Analyze problems, find solutions and take decisions in a context characterised by changes;

Recognize the interactions among the various companies and external stakeholders in a complex and interrelated environment.

In this business game, teams will develop and execute strategies for their simulated company operating in different markets with specific customer behavior, cost structures, and currency fluctuations. They will be required, in several rounds of the game, to make operational decisions and overcome various business challenges

“Always-on business transformation is essential for surviving disruption. To stay ahead, companies must transform even when they’re already dominating their markets. But 75% of business transformation programs fail, largely because most companies lack a disciplined approach” (BCG). This course is a continuation of the Managing Consultancy course and focuses more specifically on transformation consulting to provide the students with the necessary tools and techniques.

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

Identify and explain economic concepts and theories related to the behavior of economic agents, markets, industry and firm structures, legal institutions, social norms, and government policies;

Analyze the determinants and consequences of the international integration of markets as well as the challenges and risks of international trade and investments;

Appreciate the impact of globalization on goods, labor, and financial markets.

Understanding change: students will gain awareness in order to accept that change is a big challenge, at both personal and organizational level, but that it can be managed. Diagnosing the change context: students will work together using models that allow them to detect the biggest difficulties that managers and teams face during change programs, but also lead them to understand what is the best way to act on these challenges. Planning the change intervention: students will focus on practical actions, to help them understand that, although change is a constant challenge affecting various levels (personal, cultural, organizational), it is important to respond to it in a practical way. Communication and change – managing resistance: In the final part of the class, students will discuss the capabilities that managers and organizations need to develop in order to become more agile and better ready to face change. Leading and managing continuous change: what are the competences that managers need to have to lead successful change programs?

The course objective is to cover the supply chain strategy and concepts and to give students a solid understanding of the analytical tools necessary to solve supply chain problems. As a result, the goals and objectives are as follows:

Describe how a company achieves strategic fit between its supply chain strategy and its competitive strategy;

Identify the major drivers of supply chain performance, understand how they are related;

Understand the trade-offs between different SC networks;

Apply concepts to improve supply chain performance;

Analyze a supply chain network, identify problems and suggest improvement solutions focusing on the key drivers of the supply chain;

Analyze global supply chain network design decisions in an uncertain environment.

This course presents an introduction to global marketing. The topics covered in class include the international marketing context, the selection process of potential international markets and alternative market entry strategies, the development of the international marketing strategy, and the standardization vs. adaptation debate when designing the international marketing mix. In addition to lectures, the course consists of (video) case studies, in which students will have to critically apply the concepts discussed in class and propose their own solutions to the various real-life problems and/or situations. Last but not least, students will be asked to work on a group project applying the concepts learned in class to a global company of their choice. An active, interactive, and critical approach is fundamental for this course. At the end of the course, the student should be able to:

Effectively search for, identify, and analyze information related to global market opportunities;

Conduct a market attractiveness analysis;

Determine appropriate market entry strategies;

Develop a global marketing strategy;

Design appropriate marketing programs for foreign markets.

The goal of this course is to give students the tools to create/maintain fruitful international business relationships through negotiation processes aiming to reach mutually satisfying outcomes. The content of the course will be centered on the following topics: distributive and integrative negotiation settings and strategies, the influence of culture in negotiation strategy and a glimpse into complexity in international negotiations. Overall, the objective is to provide key concepts and analysis grids, to be useful in various professional settings, in particular in intercultural settings. This course will consist of a mix of theory delivered to the students and application exercises and realistic role plays. Class discussion will be based on the students’ performance in the exercises and the concepts will be illustrated by the group’s experience in negotiation. Active class discussion will enable appropriation of the concepts and to create links with the participants’ past experience

It is often stated “accounting is the language of business”. This course provides an introduction to this global language. One must understand accounting to function effectively in today’s international world. Further, one must develop an understanding of the ethical and regulatory environment of accounting to respond to diverse business decisions and situations. Although some students do specialize in accounting and other quantitative diciplines, even those that do not will find their skills strengthened by being able to work with and explain the meaning and limitations of accounting information. Objectives of the course:

Evaluate the use of accounting information for both external and internal decision making;

Understand financial statements to assess overall business performance, financial solidity and profitability;

Construct and interpret management accounting information for decision making, planning and control.

The objective of the course is to introduce advanced methods of project management.

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

Understand the major approaches and related methodologies of project/group organizational design;

Understand the principles and the objectives of project management;

Master tools for managing time and resources in order to lead projects effectively in different business contexts;

Understand how to organize project teams, considering the individual and social implications of team-work.

This course will give a global view on human resources management with a chosen focus on how to build engaging organizations and foster engaged people and teams, rather than describing process-only policies. The course will use a combination of lecture, discussion, individual work and team workshops.

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

Outline the interactions between human capital management and organizational performance in a multicultural environment;

Understand the key differences between satisfaction, motivation and employee engagement;

Demonstrate basic knowledge on what is driving team performance and behaviour, and what characterizes an engaging leader;

Discuss how HR and CSR can monitor organizational engagement and improve the employee experience at work.

This course provides a variety of opportunities for students to learn current IS-led business and strategic issues. The course covers the following topics: Networked Enterprise, Business analytics, IS implementations, and IS strategies.
At the end of the course, the student should be able to:

analyse latest trends of IS-led phenomena and its organizational, global, and societal impacts.

critically evaluate the strategic impacts of IS implementations.

identify critical issues in IS challenges and propose potential solutions.

contribute to strategic conversations about the roles of information systems in organizations.

The goal of this course is to develop the analytical skills for making corporate investments with regards to financial decisions and risk analysis. This course will examine various theories and employ the concept of present value, the opportunity cost of capital, discounted cash flow analysis, capital budgeting, corporate capital structure and financing decisions, and issues of corporate governance and control.
At the end of the course, the student should be able to:

understand the concepts of financial statements;

calculate and employ financial ratios;

understand the concept of time value of money and risk;

select value creating investment projects;

evaluate the cost of financing for a project/firm;

assess the value of taxes in financing decisions.

Digital technologies are playing a transformative role in the modern world. The changes associated with digital innovations such as social media, block-chain technology and smart embedded devices are rapidly disrupting a variety of industries across the globe and challenging institutions, organizational structures, and most importantly, the skillset needed for a successful workforce. This course focuses on bleeding-edge technologies and digital business transformation. It enables students to understand the challenges and opportunities of the dynamic complex and disruptive technological business environment of the digital age.

The course focuses on several legal tools for protecting intangibles, in particular intellectual property rights. More precisely, it aims at explaining which different forms of protection may apply on an intangible, what are the related advantages and costs, so that the owner can think strategically.

How to protect your brand?

How to protect your innovation?

How to protect your creativity and related initiatives?

Using big data for decision-making is becoming critical for business success in several domains. Using big data analytics for organisational decision-making requires interdisciplinary knowledge: technical knowledge for data storage and manipulation, analytic knowledge on how to transform, analyse, and present data, and organisational knowledge on how managerial decision-making processes work. The course introduces students to big data analytics from such interdisciplinary perspective. Students will learn how to breakdown a big data problem into a data collection, analysis and presentation problem adopting adequate methodologies. Students will learn what is, and what is not, big data. They will understand which are the main sources from which big data are produced and will explore the opportunities and challenges of using big data for helping organisations generate knowledge from information and making decision-making more effective. Mixing theory and practical applications the course will engage students actively to address how to frame big data problems, how to design a big data strategy, and eventually how to master the design of an interactive dashboard for visualising and presenting data to interested stakeholders. At the end of this course, the students should be able to approach large-scale data science problems with creativity and initiative.

Understand the implications and opportunities of Artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality for business strategy, as well as the economic, ethical and societal issues they raise.

While technology innovation, product/service innovation and even process innovation are often taught, it is business model innovation that is driving the growth of many enterprises. Whether it is breaking down business models into their fundamental components, analyzing the current models used in certain industries or synthesizing new models from models existing in various industries, this course aims to place business model innovation at the center of the value creation.

Real life experience in a hackathon format where students will consult on organizations’ digital innovation and transformation issues.

The course provides an overview of digital marketing and its tools. It notably discusses Digital analytics: Analysis & Reporting (SEO, SEA) and Optimization / Automation (SEM).

HR digital transformation is about “HR teams taking up the dual challenge of transforming HR operations on the one hand, and transforming the workforce and the way work is done on the other” (Deloitte’s 2017 Human Capital Trends report). This course discusses how digital tools can support the HR function as well as the role of the HR function in the context of a wider digital strategy. It aims at contributing to driving HR digital transformation.

From the first industrial revolution signaled by the invention of steam power to the mass production in the second, the current manufacturing industry is moving from the third industrial revolution of the computers and automation to the fourth where the automation becomes even smarter fueled by data analytics and artificial intelligence. In this course, students will get familiar with the enabling technologies in this new manufacturing paradigm where everything is connected in a data-rich environment (e.g., Industrial Internet of Things, Cloud Manufacturing, Digital Twin, Cybersecurity, Virtual/Augmented Reality, Autonomous Robots). The objective is to be able to lead change in manufacturing and operations.

This course is designed to provide an overview of machine learning and artificial intelligence approaches and to demonstrate how those techniques are applied in decision-making. The course will conclude with some open discussions regarding the future of ML/AI in industry and society in general.
Course contents:

Overview of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in day-to-day life.

Fundamental Supervised Learning algorithms with case studies

Fundamental Unsupervised Learning algorithms with case studies

Some words on Artificial Neural Network and Deep Learning

Best practice in Data Science

Intercultural management is a multidisciplinary approach to the communicating and understanding problems encountered in interactions between individuals and society/organizations as well as individuals/ organizations interacting with global communities. The ability to understand and communicate appropriately is a crucial competence in all intercultural interactions. In this course, an examination is made of theories and research advanced by behavioral sciences in relation to the understanding of cross-cultural communication. The main aim is to fully explore cultural factors and their impacts on global managerial practice. Furthermore, this course aims to provide students with strategy, awareness and observation skills needed to succeed in any cross-cultural interaction and negotiation worldwide. This course complements other management and marketing disciplines in developing cross-cultural management skills and knowledge essential for graduates entering managerial careers in increasingly globalised economies around the world.

The purpose of the course is to introduce the core concepts and methodologies of the field of study of business ethics, and discuss its practical application for decision-makers within organizations (e.g. managers, entrepreneurs, public officials). During the course the main normative ethical theories (deontology, utilitarianism, virtue ethics) will be discussed, exploring their usefulness to analyze today’s decision-making within organizations, and their relevance towards all organizational stakeholders. Future managers, project managers, team members, on the other hand, need to embody ethical values and practices in their day-to-day (managerial) behavior in order for them, and their organization, to attain an ethical and sustainable competitive advantage. This course helps the students to recognize and respond to the ethical dilemmas and social responsibility issues of the business life. This course exposes students to rigorous theoretical analysis, while at the same time striving for practical relevance for real-world business practices. The module will be based on a balance between theory (mini-lectures on the assigned readings) and practice (team-work, class discussions and case-studies). Participants are expected to contribute to the overall learning through their active participation in class discussions.

The aim of this class is to develop leadership potential. Through a series of lectures and exercises this class develops leadership knowledge, skills, and attitudes in four important leadership domains: task-oriented, relation-oriented, change-oriented, and ethics-oriented leadership. At the end of the course, the student should be able to list the major theoretical approaches to leadership classified under the following headings: task-, relationship-, change-, and ethics-oriented leadership. The students should also be able to apply the leadership skills and competencies under these topics in a leadership setting. Finally, the students should embody the core values, attitudes and identities associated with authentic leadership. The student should be able to present their own plan as a leader, acknowledging their strengths and weaknesses to do so and present this plan in front of class.

The course is designed to immerse students into the daily life of business consultants working for an ERP implementation company. Through interactive lectures, group assignments, and the intervention of four expert professionals, this course confronts students with the diverse expectations, tasks, and challenges functional consultants need to tackle. Combining theoretical concepts with hands-on exercises on a hypothetical business case, participants are expected to acquire knowledge on and experience with ERP deliverables and domains (i.e., Microsoft Dynamics 365), workflow design for top-level business processes (i.e.., Procure-to-Pay, Order-to-Cash), project management activities, and functional consulting analysis tools (e.g., XMind, Bizagi).Description to come.

*(2 courses to be chosen among “Business Consultancy in a Digital Environment”, “Leading for Creativity and Design Thinking” or “Strategic People Management”)

Creativity is one of the critical components of an organization’s ability to survive and thrive in today’s competitive and dynamic markets. This course will provide participants with a rich understanding of how creativity can be facilitated and managed in a work setting. They will acquire knowledge regarding various theoretical conceptualizations (i.e., how do you define creativity), antecedents (i.e., what makes you and others more creative) and outcomes (i.e., what is the impact) of creativity as well as knowledge on design thinking techniques and tools to lead teams in the creative journey.
How do creative ideas happen? How can we foster our creativity and the creativity of those around us? What are the paths of creative development of individuals who are successful in their creative endeavours? What are the implications for fostering and managing creativity in the workplace? What are the obstacles to creativity? What is the nature of creativity in teams and organizations? These are some of the questions we will address. During the course, a variety of teaching and learning techniques will be used to enable participants to think critically and imaginatively about various perspectives of creativity. To realize the goal of a shared learning experience between participants and the instructor, the course is aimed at integrating real challenges and practical experiences of creativity, projects, presentations, experiential exercises, and critical reflection on the various course materials.Description to come.

*(2 courses to be chosen among “Business Consultancy in a Digital Environment”, “Leading for Creativity and Design Thinking” or “Strategic People Management”)

Description to come.Description to come.

*(2 courses to be chosen among “Business Consultancy in a Digital Environment”, “Leading for Creativity and Design Thinking” or “Strategic People Management”)

Our Career Program helps participants to establish their professional career plan by working on their skills, personal strengths, and using networking tools to be prepared to meet recruiters’ expectations internationally.

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

Build a professional career plan;

Identify personal skills and accumulated experiences (e.g., Master experience);

Adapt professional tools (e.g., CV, LinkedIn) to the local market;

Develop an accurate representation of their professional profile;

Use personal networking to better identify professional opportunities;

Gain insight into techniques and tools to find a job or an internship in France or abroad;

Build self-awareness of personal vocations and interests.

Learn more about the Career Program

This course provides participants with a profound understanding on entrepreneurship, new business development, and business plan writing. Through lectures, testimonials, field-work, and group assignments, participants are confronted with the how, where, when, whom, and why of starting and developing new business activities. As part of an international and multicultural team, participants are invited to work on an operational business plan aimed at either the creation of a new venture (NVC-track) or the acceleration of new business for an already established SME (NBD-track). This course’s ambitions thus go beyond providing theoretical insights. Hands-on experience is gained through out-of-class field work covering all steps of the entrepreneurial decision-making process (e.g., idea generation, feasibility analysis, industry study, market analysis, marketing plan, production plan, product development, and financial statements). In doing so, participants accumulate entrepreneurial knowledge and behaviours that support innovative solutions and new value development.

French language lessons for all levels are included in the program for international students. French is the mandatory choice for all non-French speaking students.
For French speaking students, other languages will be offered, and credited as well (Chinese, Spanish, German – list subject to change).

Capstone Project: 4-to 6-month internship or work experience anywhere in the world. Alternatively, students can opt for a consulting project or a thesis.