EDHEC Research Day: when EDHEC showcases its research to the public and businesses

EDHEC presented the work conducted by its research centres to the general public, businesses and students for the first time on the Nice campus on 16 October. The programme comprised 26 conferences covering numerous subjects (Corporate Competitiveness, Is Finance the Enemy of the Economy?, The Pros and Cons of the Euro Zone, The Shops of Tomorrow, etc.). As a backdrop, all speakers and participants tried to answer a provocative question much in the news at the moment: “Does France Still Have a Future?” 

The day was split into two parts. The first grouped together all the sessions questioning France’s economic future. The second focused on EDHEC’s financial, marketing, legal, managerial and strategic expertise geared to ensuring the future well-being of businesses.
Arnaud Chéron, Director of EDHEC Business School’s Economics Research Centre, intervened as an expert on the theme of employment: “The job market needs to be made more fluid. A single employment contract would provide more flexibility regarding the causes of redundancy, and would enable companies to conduct human resource policies more in synch with their strategic objectives. Over time, it would stimulate recruitment.”

Speaking on the theme “Does the Law Hinder Corporate Competitiveness?”, Christophe Roquilly, Dean of Faculty and Research and Director of EDHEC Business School’s Legal Research Centre, employed numerous examples to demonstrate that the law can be perceived as an opportunity rather than being reduced to the level of a constraint. “Legal departments increasingly occupy a strategic position within companies. Not only do they protect the business from various risks (fines, compliance with rules and standards, etc.), but they are also capable of supporting the business by becoming profit centres, as is the case at Michelin.”

The EDHEC Research Day culminated with a round table led by Nice-Matin newspaper Editor in Chief Olivier Biscaye on the theme “Do Our Children Have a Future in France and Does France Have a Future without its Children?”. The round table took place in the presence of Noël Amenc, Professer of Finance and Director of the EDHEC-Risk Institute, Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice and President of the Nice-Côte d’Azur Metropolitan Council, Patrick Allemand, 1st Vice-President of the Provences-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Regional Council and Nice City Councillor, Manuelle Malot, Careers and Prospects Director at EDHEC, and Stéphane Grégoir, Professor of Economics and Head of Methodology and Statistical and International Coordination, INSEE. 
EDHEC Business School’s research policy is summarised by the Research for Business motto. As a leading academic institution, EDHEC seeks to apply its research findings to business and to contribute to public debate on various themes including the economy, employment and education.