(Newsletter #12) Discover the brand-new version of the EDHEC Vox magazine

It’s time to reintroduce our magazine to you with even more conviction, unbridled ambition and the same boundless enthusiasm! We have taken the time to work on a new format while reaffirming its tagline: “Powerful Thinking for Promising Tomorrows.”

Our capability to drive business transformation, right now, is critical for future generations. We want to give you a new framework for navigating today’s complex world.

In this 15th issue of our magazine, our researchers offer insights and tangible ideas for developing and spreading net positive business models, fully aligned with the major challenges of our time.

This editorial refresh reflects our EDHEC Generations 2050 strategic plan, which places impact, social responsibility and commitment to the common good at the heart of our mission. This issue echoes this ambition.

Enjoy your reading!

Claire Bergery-Noël, Director of Corporate Communications and Dean’s office

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For this December newsletter, we are highlighting a selection of articles and interviews focusing on the issue of positive net thinking, models and businesses.

But of course, we invite you to discover the whole issue, available in pdf, in English & in French, and in print on all our campuses. You can also access all previous issues of our magazine here.

In the Calaméo tool, you can download the pdf of this issue and/or browse the table of contents via the top menu.

“As a leading business school, our responsibility is immense”

An interview with Emmanuel Métais - Dean of EDHEC Business School

Given the climate emergency, what is your personal view on the need to be a “good ancestor”?

Forty years ago, as Dean of EDHEC, I would likely have echoed Milton Friedman’s words, claiming that the ultimate purpose of business is to make a profit, and everything else would follow naturally. It’s true that for several decades, companies didn’t question why they were making profits. It wasn’t until the 2010s that major business schools around the world began to shift, choosing to reconcile business and society… Read this interview (page 8)

Going beyond CSR: a necessity

An article with insights from Ludovic Cailluet - Professor, Associate Dean, EDHEC Centre for Responsible Entrepreneurship and René Rohrbeck - Professor, Director of the EDHEC Centre for Net Positive Business

Some concepts have reshaped the business world, and one of them is the recent — and decisive — corporate social responsibility (CSR), a true driver of modern business transformation. But how does this framework fit into the broader history of economic thought, and why is it urgent to move beyond it today?... Read this article (page 22)

Large companies at the forefront of the sustainability challenge

An article with insights from Thomas B. Long – Associate Professor

Because they have considerable resources and account for a significant share of global CO2 emissions, large companies are at the crossroads of today’s issues, especially the sustainability challenge. Although the mission-driven business model is a step in the right direction, it is now time for these giants to acknowledge their responsibilities … and take advantage of their new role… Read this article (page 30)

“I am a rational optimist”

An interview with René Rohrbeck - Professor, Director of the EDHEC Centre for Net Positive Business

Through its research, the Centre for Net Positive Business intends to nurture new business models that will be catalysts for positive change. Is this a realistic goal?
We are ambitious, so we want to contribute to making business a force for positive change. Today, many companies feel their investors pressuring them to continually deliver the highest possible returns, preventing them from making big leaps forward. At the same time, we need businesses that are capable of creating new economic models capable of solving our global challenges… Read this interview (page 34)

Accounting goes green

An article with insights from Madlen Sobkowiak - Associate Professor, Director of the MSc Global & Sustainable Business

[PAST] Accounting was originally developed to provide a snapshot of a company’s financial health through regulated documents intended for shareholders and investors. Let’s review the basics: the balance sheet shows assets, liabilities and equity; the income statement presents revenues and expenses over the past twelve months; and the cash flow statement indicates available liquidity… Read this article (page 38)

Responsible entrepreneurship, european style

An article with insights from Yasmine Machwate – Head of EDHEC incubators and Justine Soudier - Deputy Director of the EDHEC Centre for Responsible Entrepreneurship, East Coast Director of EDHEC America

At age 27, Adrien Pagès is no stranger to entrepreneurship. As a recent graduate, this alumnus had already launched Fairbird, an alternative to plastic packaging, with the support of the EDHEC Entrepreneurs incubator at Station F. Three years later, after selling the startup, he developed Morfo, a large-scale solution for restoring forest ecosystems in tropical regions. Morfo is a prime example of what’s called the “regenerative economy”… Read this article (page 40)

From a company’s purpose to the personal

An article with insights from Geert Demuijnck - Professor

In recent years, there has been an upsurge in powerful statements among graduates from leading institutions. A new term, “bifurcators,” has even been coined to describe those who are pushing their schools to adapt their curricula to address the ecological transition. Successive studies confirm these new priorities expressed by the younger generation. How are these underlying trends reflected in the professional world?... Read this article (page 46)

“EDHEC is convinced of the positive impact of younger generations on world transformation”

An article with insights from Genevieve Houriet Segard and Manuelle Malot – respectively Adjunct Director and Director of the EDHEC NewGen Talent Centre

‘As a school, we must always anticipate the skills that will be needed to meet tomorrow’s global challenges,’ says Manuelle Malot. As head of the NewGen Talent Centre, she is at the forefront of observing shifts within younger generations — and must also stay ahead of them. ‘To anticipate the future, it is essential to keep a breast of developments in the field, at the intersection of business, young talent and sociological evolution: this is one of our unique centre’s key missions.’… Read this article (page 56)

EDHEC Vox dialogues: the fast track to the future

Based on the interventions of Ludovic Cailluet - Professor, Associate Dean, EDHEC Centre for Responsible Entrepreneurship, Sophie Chassat - Senior VP of Sustainability at Accuracy, Emery Jacquillat - President of CAMIF, Co-founder of the French Communauté des Entreprises à Mission, Gaspard Koenig - Philosopher, Essayist, Author of Humus (Éditions de l’Observatoire, 2023) and Olga Kokshagina - Associate Professor, Member of the Foresight, Innovation and Transformation Chair & Management in Innovative Health Chair (Ninti Co-founder)

On this early July evening in Paris, the atmosphere hasn’t fully shifted to the Olympic Games or summer relaxation yet. At 18 Rue du Quatre Septembre, the mood is rather studious, at least for the hundred people gathered there. Their mission? To share a “founding moment” to rethink business and its impact on our planet. This is precisely the theme of the evening’s discussions… Read this article (page 62)