MAILING LIST ABUSE CONTINUE, STUDENTS DEMAND SANCTIONS , CALL FOR MORE CONTROL

SUBVENTIONS: 40 000€ À DISTRIBUER!

No. 2, 2013-14 Le journal étudiant d’HEC Paris 14 Oct 2013

The ability to send emails to the entire school is a privilege that is often abused and an increasing number of students feel that there should be more oversight and accountability.

Recent examples of abuse include ‘lost item’ emails, and external businesses such as GoforEat sending unsolicited advertising. WePopp and SuitUpTailor are other businesses that are guilty of harassing students with junk mail. Some students have also complained that associations send repetitive and unnecessary reminders for their events.

In a particularly shocking instance that occurred over the past summer, an HEC student sent a photo of an African male’s erect penis to the entire school. Not only did the HEC administration not take any disciplinary action; nor did they issue an either an apology or a statement to condemn such actions.

Problems with junk email often escalate quickly as the temptation for frustrated recipients or aspiring humorists to hit the “reply-all” button and share their two-cents with the whole school is simply too great.

The primary purpose of mailing lists is to facilitate communication between Associations, the administration and the student body. Strict rules exist to regulate their usage. Using mailing lists for personal or commercial purposes is strictly forbidden. Moreover, events may only be advertised on the day of the event, and on the BDE’s weekly agenda. Sanctions start with a temporary ban from the POW. However, more serious violations and repeated abuse may incur “immediate closure of the offender’s IT account for a period of two weeks” and “permanent” closure respectively, as stated in the school’s IT Charter. The question is: when will such rules be enforced properly?

En cette rentrée 2013, bon nombre d’associations se retrouvent bloquées par la non-attribution des subventions financières de l’an dernier (exercice 2012-2013). Pire encore, nombreuses sont les associations qui ignorent même l’existence de ces demandes de subventions, dû au fait que les membres statutaires qui en étaient responsables ne soient plus en poste. Enquête sur la situation.

L’origine du problème remonte au second semestre de l’an dernier. Comme chaque année, Monsieur Ségard, responsable des aides financières, avait reçu une cinquantaine de dossiers de demande de subventions, dont environ 80% étaient incomplets ou présentaient des erreurs majeures. Au même moment, les bureaux étaient engagés dans leur processus de passation. Difficile, donc, d’instaurer un dialogue clair. La décision a alors été prise de repousser l’attribution des subventions aux associations à la rentrée 2013.

En conséquence, les associations d’HEC seront invitées à fournir un nouveau dossier de demande de subventions dans ARTHUR OMONTMARIE CRAPPE

les prochains jours ; elles disposeront   de 2 semaines pour le constituer. Chaque bureau passera ensuite un entretien d’une dizaine de minutes avec Monsieur Ségard, a priori entre le 11 et le 22 Novembre. Enfin, ce dernier dirigera une commission réunissant Monsieur Manteau, 1 ou 2 représentants de la Résidence, ainsi que les « respos assos » du BDE afin de décider la somme à attribuer à chaque association.

D’ici Décembre, ce seront ainsi 40 000€ (25 000€ venant de l’école HEC et 15 000€ venant de la Résidence) qui seront distribués au profit de l’animation intellectuelle, artistique, sportive et festive du campus. Cependant, pour obtenir cet argent, chaque Président devra désormais suivre un cours de management des associations, et chaque Trésorier un cours de comptabilité des associations. Une nouveauté qui vise à améliorer la gestion de la vie associative à HEC et donc à assurer la bonne utilisation des fonds ainsi distribués.

Associations, tenez-vous prêtes !

MANY HEC STUDENTS FIND INAPPROPRIATE EMAILS A GROWING

SOURCE OF IRRITATION.

2 E d i t o r i a l

MATTHEW GOSSETT

If you’re reading this article, I’m guessing that either you have a genuine interest in journalism –

improbable, you want to catch up on any news you might have missed on Facebook– doubtful, you’re mildly curious about what’s going on at HEC – maybe, or you’re simply wondering what kind of publication Le Zèbre is going to be this year – almost certainly, which is why I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself, the team and our intentions for what you can come to expect from HEC’s premier student publication.

Essentially, Le Zèbre wants to be your go-to source for the kind of stories and information that cannot be found from a Google Search. We don’t intend to waste your time and are humble enough to realize that if we published the same stories as The New York Times, The Washington Post, or BBC, there would be no reason for you to pick up our journal other than to enjoy a good laugh before complaining about our lack of insight on what was otherwise an interesting topic. Which is why we prefer to avoid commercialized content and embrace the kind of stories that you simply can’t find anywhere else. By writing articles that are tailored for the HEC community,

we embrace the opportunity to speak with you, our audience in a way that’s far more intimate than you’re probably used to.

One question I’ve been asked since assuming the Editor’s role is “Where/when can I find Le Zèbre?” Although anyone who has lived in France long enough knows that we must remain flexible when told in advance of a scheduled time and place, Le Zèbre plans to publish on a “normally bi-weekly basis, and issues will be distributed throughout campus in any and all “strategically visible locations” for the time being. I hope this answers your question. For those of you who require or would rather prefer a more guaranteed method of ensuring immediate access to Le Zèbre, we are initiating a new delivery service that might tempt you. If the idea of becoming a VIP subscriber to Le Zèbre appeals to you, there will be a MyBeeSpace sign-up form so that for a 10 Euro/semester cotisation, Le Zèbre will deliver a copy of the latest issue directly to your dorm room. I can already sense the sighs of relief in those of you who are

Le Zébre

A WORD FROM YOUR AMERICAN EDITOR...

intrigued by this ridiculously cost-effective alternative to actually leaving the comfort of your own room in search of a paper that you may or may not find. If nothing else, the nostalgia of those pleasant mornings you spent waking up in your Marriot hotel room and opening the door to be greeted by a fresh copy of the morning paper might be worth what most would consider a small price to pay.

I want to conclude by letting it be known that Le Zèbre doesn’t want the interaction with our readers to be one of the passive nature. For instance: upon reading the first few lines of an article, instead of privately criticizing the integrity of our ludicrous, unsophisticated, jargon that has no relevance to anything that you’re even remotely interested in, we much prefer that you engage us by letting us know what you like, what you don’t like, what stories you think we should cover, and what stories you think are better kept off-print. Moreover, we want to extend our hand in partnership to anyone who experiences the sudden urge to write an inspired piece. Le Zèbre is fully aware that it offers the ultimate opportunity to communicate with the HEC community,

and we are fully willing to share it with you. I cannot promise that everything you write will be approved for publish, but what I can confirm is that when none of your friends care to hear about your weekend adventures, none of your classmates

want to discuss matters unrelated to your group project, and none of the French people laugh at your undeniably clever British humor, WE DO!

To sign up for a VIP Subscriptions to Le Zèbre, you can do so on mybeespace.fr. For more information on how to write for Le Zèbre or to submit an article, please contact lezebre.hec@gmail.com

Essentially, Le Zébre wants to be your go-to source

for the kind of stories and information that cannot be

found from a Google search.

PresidentMarie Crappe

marie.crappe@hec.edu

Vice-PresidentImad Barake

TreasurerOliver Reynolds

General SecretariesAdya Kumar

Mélodie Bénédek

Associated secretaryPauline Luciani

Editor-in-chief (English)Matthew Gossett

Editor-in-chief (French)Bénédicte Mangin

Editors (French)Arthur Omont

Romain Keppenne

Editors (English) Ruben Slot

Jiya Chadha Charlotte Ward

PhotographerPranav Goyal

CartoonistClément Sineux

DesignerKaty Zhou

3

CE MARDI 1ER OCTOBRE 2013, M. BAROIN ÉTAIT CONVIÉ PAR HEC DÉBATS À S’EXPRIMER DEVANT UN AMPHITHÉÂTRE COMBLE SUR LE THÈME DÉLICAT: “CRISE MONDIALE, VERS UN NOUVEL ORDRE ÉCONOMIQUE”.

You surely noticed by now that

HEC Paris is not, in fact, close to Paris, and that

to get to campus, one has

to face various challenges that sometimes make the trip

awfully long. That is why Stop Option was created. Stop Option (www.stopoption.fr) is a webapp that was recently launched on our dear campus by three HEC students. Last year, these three founders did lots of research to find out exactly what

the students on campus wanted before launching the project. Then, they worked on a webapp with their partner Planetic to come up with the most efficient way to help drivers leaving campus with extra seats in their car to coordinate with passengers who wanted to go to Paris, Massy, Versailles and so on.

The way it works is that the driver first posts a ride on the website, and then the passengers reserve seats on the rides they need. After the ride, the passengers pay fixed sums to the driver using an e-wallet service in order to compensate for fuel and insurance expenses (3€ to go to Paris, 1,5€ to Massy, etc.). Now, more

STOP-OPTION: HEC CARPOOLING MADE EASY

CONFÉRENCE DE FRANÇOIS BAROIN

than 600 students have joined Stop Option, with around 10 rides offered per day. The site is continuously adapting to better accommodate the demands of drivers and passengers. So whether you are a driver who would like to meet and help people leave HEC while being compensated, or a passenger who’s sick of public transport in Jouy en Josas, join Stop Option ! If you have any questions, problem or if you want more information, you can contact us at : alexandre.malarewicz@hec.edu or vincent.wagner@hec.edu

Si l’on devait retenir une chose de la présentation de la carrière politique de François Baroin,

ce serait très certainement la précocité de son accession à de hautes fonctions publiques. Député à seulement 28 ans, il devient rapidement maire de Troyes, puis Porte-Parole du Gouvernement, Ministre de l’Outre-Mer, brièvement Ministre de l’intérieur, Ministre du Budget et enfin Ministre de l’Economie.

Le débat a bien sûr été éminemment économique, et, sauf rares exceptions, M. Baroin a su se cantonner à ce registre et ne s’est égaré que très rarement hors du champ des questions qui lui ont été posées. Trois pistes lui furent proposées: d’abord expérience et analyse de la crise économique, ensuite réflexion sur les sorties possibles de cette situation et enfin ressenti personnel vis-à-vis de celle-ci.

Questionné sur son état d’esprit lors de sa prise de fonction au Ministère du Budget sous la présidence de Nicolas Sarkozy en 2010, il a expliqué avec force détails les

politique similaire, notamment dans leur opposition à l’Union Européenne et dans leurs propositions nationalistes. Il a exclu fermement toute alliance possible entre l’UMP et le Front National.

Nous avons ainsi eu la chance d’assister à un débat de grand intérêt, tant de par la qualité des questions posées par les membres d’HEC Débats que par la pertinence des réponses de M. Baroin, ou encore par l’engagement des étudiants lors de la séance de questions.

raisons de la crise économique qui sévissait alors. Son rôle fut « non de soigner la crise mais d’éviter le pire  ».   Sur le bilan qu’il tirera de son mandat, on retiendra cette phrase pleine de sous-entendus: « Quand je me vois je me désole, quand je me compare je me console ».

Sur la question de la réduction du déficit, M. Baroin s’est clairement placé en opposition totale avec les méthodes employées par le gouvernement actuel, dont il a qualifié la politique fiscale d’”insoutenable”.

Est alors venue alors la question tant attendue de son analyse

(politique cette fois) du début de mandat du gouvernement en place. La réponse a été sans appel, critiquant la passivité de François Hollande et l’absence de mise en perspective d’un programme politique concret.

M. Baroin nous a ensuite exprimé ses peurs vis-à-vis de la montée des extrémismes. Selon lui, l’extrême gauche et l’extrême droite ont un programme

O n c a m p u s

ALEXANDRE MALAREWICZ & VINCENT WAGNER

Selon lui, l’extrême gauche et l’extrême droite ont

un programme politique similaire, notamment dans

leur opposition à l’Union Européenne et dans leurs

propositions nationalistes.

BRICE LE COLLEN

4

In what has been described as “a senseless provocation”, “not cool, girlfriend”, and “a big no-no”; the

normally profoundly quiet HEC campus was shocked last week by test drives of the electric vehicle Nissan Leaf. A student representative characterised the event as a moral atrocity, before confirming to Le Zèbre that, as a display of their discontent, some students were even considering abstaining from the use of the T-building’s Nespresso machine.

At last night’s investor event, renowned faculty member Michele “pay-your-fees-now” Biguet, sporting a black suit enriched with a golden sand dollar necklace, astounded reporters by declaring that electric cars are the reincarnation of the axis of evil and the greatest manifestation of social repression ever since Nazism, Stalinism and broccoli-ism.

“Biggest turnoff ever”, she added. Powering through the subsequent

awkward silence, one of the guests loudly expressed agreement with Ms Biguet’s remarks, adding that had he wanted to sink into mediocrity, he would have bought an electric vehicle, invested in ESCP and written a book about the intrinsic benefits of being a 43-year-old Caucasian virgin. Said male, a Japanese investor weighing 63kg, featuring black hair, a long characteristic moustache, and national identification number 872938, has unfortunately requested to remain anonymous.

Confirming the terror spanning the whole affair, the Jouy-en-Josas police informed reporters earlier today that, in the past 24 hours, they have had more calls about incidents related to the innovative light blue vehicles than calls related to RU food poisoning. One such incident, according to eye witnesses, involved student favourite Jimmy Mirande, who slammed the breaks in desperation half-way of his test run, before taking a taxi

[HUMOUR]

HEC CAMPUS SHAKEN TO THE CORE BY NISSAN

LEAF TEST DRIVES

MICHAEL EMMANUEL

MATTHEW GOSSETT

back to campus and indignantly raising his middle finger at his former co-driver.

“I suddenly felt an inexplicable void in the deepest parts of my soul. Electric is the smashing of our individuality; the most revolting, absolute, and merciless oppression.” When questioned about the environmental benefits of the zero-emission vehicles, Jimmy screamed in outrage: “Our freedom is being subjugated by hopeless environmentalists! We gave these people their non-smoking bars and restaurants. What more do they want?!”

Meanwhile, the HEC caretaker commonly referred to by HEC students as “the rasta guy on the tractor”, expressed to management his deep concern regarding the fact that students were getting to drive “pimpin’ fresh” vehicles that he considered to be far superior to his own. Said individual

later confirmed to Le Zèbre that following his remarks he was forced to quit his job, in what the HEC management assured him was “a mutual termination of his contract”, before advising him not to let the door hit his ass on the way out.

Long term effects of the test runs will need to be further investigated, according to Academic Director of MSc in Sustainable Development, Pascal Chaigneau, reporting that the reduced CO2 emissions stemming from the drives are threatening the collapse of the area’s ecosystem and are “likely to be extremely detrimental to the health of our students.” Le Zèbre will keep a close eye on the situation, shedding light on the progression of this mini-crisis that has left a dark shadow over the terror-stricken HEC campus.

The evening begins with a wave of praise and recognition for all the marvelous works of Robert Stone.

Critically acclaimed as producer, director, and writer, HEC students were able to watch Stone’s 2013 documentary film, Pandora’s Promise. The film takes the perspective of ardent environmentalists and traces their journey to become passionate advocates of nuclear power.

As the title hints, the movie addresses the “promise” and hope the can be found at the core of something once thought to be so evil and disastrous. More broadly, it mentions the current geographical distribution of nuclear power throughout the world, giving examples of different stances internationally on the core issues. France is used as a great example of a country that has made the jump into cleaner, cheaper and more innovative nuclear energy. The documentary also sheds light on previously overlooked elements of the tragedies at Chernobyl and Fukushima, seeking to dismantle misunderstandings and exaggerations that continue to loom. While some facts may seem obvious, other statistics and scenes shown are simply staggering. The comparison between the energy production using coal compared to nuclear is perhaps the most astounding,

The director’s strong sense of curiosity

and tendency to question assumptions allows the film to address the practicality of promoting the long-term usage of nuclear science in a pragmatic way. The storyline of the documentary goes into as much detail as can be covered over a 90-minute span, covering the industry’s most relevant history of public opposition, facts, discoveries and research. But as Stone himself claims at the end of the film, neither he nor perhaps any of us have the necessary depth of

knowledge to make objective conclusions on the sustainability and safety of nuclear energy. However, we should ask questions and remain open to different perspectives.

The film effectively inspires the viewer to question previously-held assumptions, and to consider the deeper realities that lie beneath the current debates around sustainable energy.

behind nuclear power through a factual representation of both historical and

present-day conditions. The movie sets the tone for future discussions but, most importantly, it eradicates the myths and misconceptions that tend to surround the industry. As properly suggested by Stone, we must continue to grow and develop as a society in order to be able to sustain the subsequent progress of the entire world.

PANDORA’S PROMISE

A MODERN PERSPECTIVE ON NUCLEAR POWER

O n C a m p u s

5

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

B u s i n e s s

Nous sommes bien prompts en Occident à critiquer la Chine, tant cette puissance à l’ambition

féroce et où les valeurs dominantes sont le capitalisme et le nationalisme nous effraie. Cette peur est également mâtinée d’une bonne dose de jalousie face à une prospérité économique qui nous renvoie à nos propres difficultés depuis la fin des Trente Glorieuses. Environnement, respect du droit du travail, nationalisme belliqueux, … : tant de domaines où nous nous posons en donneurs de leçons.

Pourtant, la Chine est parfois meilleure élève que nous: aussi surprenant que cela puisse paraître, elle se place en tête des douze premières puissances économiques mondiales pour le pourcentage de femmes dans les équipes dirigeantes, selon une enquête menée par The Official Board auprès des 40 000 plus grandes entreprises mondiales. Avec 19% de représentantes du sexe féminin dans les conseils d’administration et aux postes à responsabilités, elle relègue la France au second rang (17%) et fait paraître les résultats de l’Italie et de l’Allemagne bien médiocres (11%). Les chiffres sont encore plus flagrants quand on s’intéresse au pourcentage de femmes PDG : il est de 17% en Chine, contre 6% en France et aux Etats-Unis et 3% en Italie et au Japon !

Comment expliquer ce phénomène ? On pourrait être tenté de le mettre sur le compte du niveau d’études élevé que les jeunes chinoises atteignent aujourd’hui, et qui viendrait bouleverser les rôles traditionnels. Pourtant, quand on compare avec le Japon, bon dernier pour le pourcentage de femmes PDG, cette hypothèse ne tient plus  : aujourd’hui, environ 50% des lycéennes japonaises entrent à l’université, pourcentage similaire à celui des garçons, et pourtant les femmes représentent seulement 3% des cadres dirigeants. Cet écart est sans doute dû à la vision très stéréotypée des rôles qui caractérise encore la société japonaise  : si dans les textes la parité est louée, dans les faits c’est aux femmes que sont dévolus le ménage et l’éducation des enfants, qu’elles travaillent ou pas. D’où l’existence de deux voies professionnelles possibles dans le monde de l’entreprise  : l’ippan-shoku, dans lequel les perspectives d’accéder à des postes à responsabilités sont inexistantes, et le sogo-shoku, le système normal. Officiellement, ces deux branches n’ont rien à voir avec le sexe de l’individu, mais dans les faits ce système opère une séparation entre les hommes et les femmes,

ces dernières étant souvent embauchées sous la forme de l’ippan-shoku. L’université au Japon est donc davantage un moyen de rencontrer un bon parti…

Pourquoi, donc, la Chine se démarque-t-elle  ? Cette prouesse est sans doute à mettre au compte du communisme qui, s’il a été une idéologie au service de la folie meurtrière d’un régime, a également promu l’égalité de manière forcenée. Mao affirmait bien, dans une formule célèbre, que les femmes devaient « porter la moitié du ciel ». On n’ignore pas que la condition de la femme en Chine avant le XXème siècle était peu enviable ; le communisme s’est efforcé de liquider les pratiques archaïques. Le régime de Mao a d’ailleurs noirci le tableau concernant la place de la femme dans la société pré-communiste pour renforcer l’idée d’une nécessaire révolution. Mais la femme a troqué un maître pour un autre : désormais, il fallait que ce soit non plus la femme qui soit soumise à son mari, mais que l’individu, homme ou femme, s’en remette complètement à l’Etat. Pour ceux qui ne redoutent pas de se plonger dans un pavé, Les Cygnes sauvages retrace l’évolution stupéfiante qu’a connu la condition féminine pendant les années communistes. Ce témoignage poignant

d’une chinoise qui a vécu le règne de Mao juxtapose de manière très intéressante la vie de trois femmes  : la sienne, celle de sa mère et celle de sa grand-mère, pour faire apparaître de manière flagrante la fin d’une soumission dont l’emblème est la pratique des pieds bandés.

Dans l’absolu, cependant, les 19% de femmes dans les conseils d’administration restent un chiffre bien peu élevé  : moins d’un cadre dirigeant chinois sur 5 est une femme. D’autant que si on quitte le domaine de l’économie, la situation du deuxième sexe n’est pas aussi enviable. Dans la sphère politique, les femmes n’ont pas leur place : le Comité central du PCC comprend uniquement 6% de femmes, et aucune n’a jamais siégé au Comité permanent qui domine la pyramide du pouvoir en Chine.

Il est dès lors inquiétant d’observer que l’ouverture de la Chine tend à menacer cette parité. La résurgence de mœurs traditionnelles et l’augmentation du niveau de vie (qui pousse le mari à préférer que sa femme reste à la maison, puisqu’un deuxième salaire est moins nécessaire) remettent en cause ces acquis. Une place de la femme qui reste donc dans l’ensemble bien fragile.

BÉNÉDICTE MANGIN

QUAND LA CHINE NOUS DONNE DES LEÇONS

Amazon! I am sure most of us have at least heard of, if not used the services of this e-commerce

tech giant. After being started by 5 people in a garage in 1994, what made this company stand out from the hundreds of start-ups that sprang up all over the Silicon Valley during the same time period? What is that one thing which made Amazon the behemoth that it is today, serving over 200 million customers worldwide? 

On Monday, the 30th of September, HEC students had the privilege of listening to the enthralling Amazon story. Giving a speech titled “@Amazon, it is still Day 1”, the dynamic Marc Onetto, recently retired Senior Vice President of Operations (worldwide) made an appearance on the HEC campus for the occasion. Given that this man was one of the main innovators responsible for the astounding success of the company, this was one session in which the audience sat up and took notice. 

Known for its extremely high customer satisfaction levels, it was perhaps of no surprise when Marc summed up the entire success of Amazon in two words “Customer Centricity”. Marc stressed the importance of the end consumer to the business and explained in detail how Jeff Bezos and team went about capturing the nation and indeed the whole world’s imagination by staying true to that one mantra - “Customer, customer, customer”. 

Marc also laid open Amazon’s motto, “Best price, Best selection, Best Delivery”, which has enabled the company to increase

AMAZON EXECUTIVE COMES TO HEC

6

JAMEEL ZAKKOUT

SANTOSH PRASAD

sales from around 7 billion in 2005-06 to 70 billion currently, with him at the helm. The “Best Selection” was made possible, according to Marc, by launching a powerful marketplace, diversifying from the ownership-only model and throwing open its doors to other sellers. Some would have said that Amazon shot itself in the foot by doing so, but not according to Jeff and Marc. For them, the customer was always the king or queen.  Furthermore, Marc discussed Amazon’s effective use of the Japanese shop floor techniques made famous by the Toyota Production System

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

A CLOSER LOOK AT WHAT DEFINES AN MBA DEGREE

Let me put you in context first: I’m standing in the oh-so-very posh digs of one of Canada’s leading law firms, on the 26th floor of Montreal’s tallest building, taking in the view and waiting for my interviewer. The questions come fast and hard: “Why an MBA?”, “Why HEC?”, “Why now?”, and finally, the most challenging of all questions: “Why you?” An impartial observer would assume that I’m applying for a job, not for acceptance into a program that will cost me no less than 100k Euros in tuition and forgone income.

As I worked through MBA applications for school after school, two things dawned on me. First, that the MBA is far more than a degree; it’s a brand. The acronym has entered into the business lexicon like so many others: PMP, CFA, FRM, CPA. Broadly speaking, sticking the letters MBA at the end of your name implies one thing: excellence in business. “Associate your name with the MBA brand and with another highly-prestige brand (HEC for instance), and you become a premium product on the job market.” Jameel Zakkout, MBA at HEC Paris. This is why the public perception of the MBA is of someone who wears bespoke Italian suits, travels business class, and works crazy hours for a white-shoe firm.

Second, it occurred to me that for an MBA admissions team, the applicant is both customer and product as far as the school is concerned. He or she is the customer when applying for admission, and the product at graduation. In this article, I am primarily interested in the MBA candidate as a product.

From the point of view of prospective

warehouses, which greatly reduced the time of delivery to customers. This offered a giant step towards achieving “Best Delivery”. 

Another important observation made with regards to the excessive use of automation on shop floors. Most people would believe that by automating a manual task, a company achieve greater value due to time and resource savings but not according to Marc. To quote him, “Machines and robots only help lean operations to the extent that they are employed to support and complement humans but they should NEVER completely replace humans”.

Being programmed and inflexible, the fact that machines cannot replace human thinking was the point he emphasised.

To sum it all up, Marc said that the sky is the limit for Amazon, as there are still many markets that it has yet to enter. Food, for example. There also remains countless countries where Amazon is still not present. To sum up where the company stands today, Marc made a statement to conclude the session - “Amazon today has anything and everything. So much so that people do not Google anything anymore, they just Amazon it”!

employers, the salaries that MBA graduates demand (roughly 95k Euros per year for HEC’s class of 2012) are justified by the fact that the program is designed to select high-potential individuals and mold them into versatile, socially astute, and polished business professionals who are well-connected to an extensive network of professionals. Put simply, the value proposition for employers revolves around quality, knowledge, soft skills, and network.

Let’s start by looking at quality and take HEC as our example. HEC, like other Elite MBA programs, achieves quality through selectivity. According to BusinessWeek’s MBA rankings, HEC turns away more than 4 out of every 5 applicants. The average GMAT score (a standardized test used for MBA admissions) is 689, which puts the average admitted student in the top 15% of a self-selected high-potential pool. The average MBA candidate has roughly 6 years of work experience, often in several countries, and typically speaks at least two languages. If you are average, forget about getting into even a mediocre MBA program.

As for knowledge, many MBA programs cram the entire core business curriculum into an 8-month window. Marketing, Finance, Accounting and all the other business disciplines are arranged through the case-study method. It is certainly an interesting way of learning – and it is particularly powerful because of the emphasis it puts on the way that different managerial disciplines (departments) interact. At HEC, once this core phase is complete, you can begin to specialize for work in the field.

The third selling point for the MBA revolves around soft skills. Every class is about teamwork, and at least at HEC, the workload is unmanageable if you work alone. You need to work with and learn from your classmates. Collaboration is an inevitable fact of life for an MBA, and it is just as inescapable in the business world. I would imagine that when 16 months of day-in, day-out teamwork comes to an end, most rough edges have been smoothed out.

Finally, MBA students are buying into a fraternity (your cohort) and a network (the school alumni). This fraternity is not only important from a student’s career perspective but it is also a part of the value proposition from the point of view of his or her eventual employers.

In short, for the employers that can afford to do so, hiring an MBA is a reasonable alternative to performing a high volume of in-house work with respect to selection, rotation, promotion, training, education and mentoring. A good MBA graduate is a plug-and-play for 70% of managerial positions.

A financially inclined reader might argue that MBA recruiters off-load the risk of investing in personnel by hiring MBAs who are paid a premium salary to assume this risk. An economically inclined reader would argue that the firm is externalizing the cost of training successful managers. They would both be right. And someone who’s doing an MBA should be able to understand this from both perspectives.

In the next article, we will explore the value proposition of pursuing an MBA from the MBA candidate’s point of view.

IN THIS SERIES, I WANT TO EXAMINE THE VALUE PROPOSITION OF AN MBA, TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS, AND TO EXPLORE THE REASONS WHY PEOPLE PURSUE AN MBA.

AMAZON EXECUTIVE COMES TO HEC

B u s i n e s s

7l’économie est proche de l’histoire,

le droit est directement humain, et le marketing façonne habilement de nouveaux besoins en empruntant les détours d’une certaine psychologie. Mais cette tendance au psychologisme qu’a le marketing ne revient-il pas à limiter les implications plus directement philosophiques sur lesquelles reposent de nombreux aspects des stratégies commerciales  ? Cette nouvelle «  rubrique philo »  du Zèbre a pour objectif d’envisager cette autre ouverture, en proposant à chaque numéro l’une ou l’autre lecture possible dans cette perspective, ou plus largement, pour les intéressés, la critique d’une récente publication à caractère philosophique.

L’œuvre de René Girard, à la frontière entre philosophie et philologie, et dont on peut trouver la quintessence dans «  Mensonge romantique et vérité romanesque  », montre indirectement les ressorts de la vente, des stratégies du luxe, ainsi que de la publicité en général, et ce derrière une poignée de concepts métaphysiques hérités de Denis de Rougemont. Girard part d’un postulat presque heideggérien  : l’homme est cet être se posant la question de son propre être  ; cette conscience, étant toute entière cette question, est selon la tradition philosophique inévitablement frappée de ce que Girard qualifie de «  manque ontologique  »  ; le sujet humain est tout entier poursuite de son propre être, qui est absence, néant, complète indétermination. Cette idée sartrienne du «  projet néantisant  » est développée par Girard  : c’est en observant l’Autre que le moi est capable de déterminer ses propres désirs ; le sujet se choisit un « médiateur », distant et auquel il attribue la plénitude de l’être, afin que celui-ci lui désigne

quel est l’objet à désirer. Ce mécanisme «  mimétique  » du «  désir triangulaire  », clé du théâtre de boulevard, est aussi la clé de toute analyse publicitaire, misant sur l’inexistence d’une véritable autonomie du sujet désirant. L’objet n’est jamais désiré en soi, c’est la médiation qui est visée en tant qu’elle détermine faussement l’être du sujet désirant.

Ce mécanisme concentre inévitablement, de proche en proche, tous les désirs vers un même objet  : c’est le paradoxe de tout phénomène de mode qu’à travers le conformisme les sujets

C u l t u r e

ON ÉVOQUE SOUVENT À HEC LA PERMÉABILITÉ QUI EXISTE ENTRE LES ÉTUDES COMMERCIALES ET LES SCIENCES HUMAINES :

PHILOMANIE

soient en fait à la recherche d’une originalité profonde  ;   et tel est le nœud du renouvellement sans fin de toute consommation. Chacun tente de nier son médiateur, jusqu’à ce que la pression soit trop forte  : cette tension, qui normalement devrait éclater en rivalité violente, est subtilement déviée vers un nouvel acte de consommation. «  La société n’est plus qu’une imitation négative et l’effort pour sortir des chemins battus fait invinciblement retomber tout le monde dans l’ornière », écrit ainsi Girard. Le sujet désirant «  veut devenir l’autre sans cesser d’être lui-même.  »   Les différences entre les consommateurs s’abolissent alors, avant de générer un nouveau cycle, fermé et stérile. «  Source de bénéfices matériels considérables, cette concurrence est une source de souffrances spirituelles plus considérables encore, car rien de matériel ne peut l’assouvir.  ». En ce sens, « le libéralisme romantique est le père du nihilisme destructeur ».

Quelle conclusion tirer, de là où nous sommes, de ces observations presque banales  formulées en vocabulaire girardien ? Comment ne jamais cesser de les penser tout en parvenant à les combiner avec les

exigences de rentabilité ? C’est le grand défi du marketing à l’heure actuelle. «  L’ascèse pour le désir est une conséquence inéluctable du désir triangulaire  », mais pouvons-nous nous contenter de cette pensée au niveau collectif  ? Ce travail d’ascèse doit se traduire par un marketing conscient de la réalité humaine sur laquelle se basent les phénomènes de mode  ; la publicité responsable doit mettre l’accent sur le produit pouvant être valorisé sur le long terme, et non sur la furie de l’achat sans recul.

RENÉ GIRARD

ROMAIN KEPPENNE

TAKUYA TAKIZUME

I am often asked this question; “What is the main religion in Japan?” And people often think that it is

Shintoism. This was somewhat true before and during the WWII. However, this is not quite true in the present. In fact, Japanese people like to mix everything up!

Japanese people celebrate Christmas. At the end of the year, people will gather

to ring a temple bell: it is tolled 108 times, which is thought to be the number of humanity’s earthly desires, which each ring of the bell eliminates. At the dawn of a new year, people pay homage at a shrine to wish for their families’ health, wellbeing and to ask for their personal wishe to be granted.

While Christmas is derived from Christianity, the second tradition (gathering at a temple) is related to Buddhism, and the third (bells) is related to Shintoism. Another example of “religious mixture” is how people might have their wedding in a church but at the same time when they die, most people will have their

funeral following Buddhist traditions.

People from countries with relatively homogeneous religious traditions may think that it is weird or even insane. But if you were to consider the history of Japan, this would be so strange: we were always mixing up religious beliefs and cultures that were brought to Japan from other countries, and then nurtured inside Japan. We always mix everything and we just interpret foreign elements in ways that we want to! If you don’t understand how this seemingly chaotic situation works, you need to visit Japan!

Q: WHAT IS THE MAIN RELIGION IN JAPAN?

8 A s s o c i a t i o n s

The cleverly named trekking association is a recent creation, headed up by student Térence

Delahaye. After dining together in the Kfet and getting to know each other a little, the students donned backpacks (of vastly different sizes!) and anoraks before heading off to the Jouy train station. Spirits were high as all students eagerly anticipated a weekend of fresh mountain air and a welcome break from computers, mobile phones and work for a couple of days!

Arriving in Paris, the first stage of the adventure was the sleeper train. Staying in triple bunkbeds, there was just enough room for six people and their rucksacks in each compartment, and everyone managed at least a little sleep before arriving in Parlognan just before 7am Saturday morning. From there, a bus took the group of explorers up through twisting and turning paths to the starting point of their trek. The first day of hiking was spent ascending and traversing the Valoise National Park. This beautiful region was rife with breathtaking scenery and fresh mountain lakes; the few foreign students amongst the group looked on in awe (or perhaps shock!) as the French natives boldly dived in for a quick swim in the freezing water to fully immerse themselves in nature!

At around 4 30pm, the group arrived at La refuge de la femma, “home” for the evening at an altitude of 2324m. This simple wooden cabin was complete with a wood burner and kitchen in which the lovely TR’HEC committee prepared a

delicious chili for all. The cabin also housed two giant bunk beds, each one sleeping six people on top and bottom – it certainly wasn’t too cold with twenty-four sleepy hikers and their sleeping bags crammed into one room!

The ascent picked back up the following day with another climb of around 500m, on which the trekkers faced the challenge of travelling across snow and ice. The second day, however, provided even more perfect photo-taking opportunities, offering everyone the chance to take a new Facebook profile picture and cover photo!

The trek concluded with a descent into the popular ski resort, Val d’Isere, as many claimed that walking downhill was even more difficult than the strenuous uphill hike given the weight of the backpacks pressing them down on the slippery terrain. It was bizarre to observe a ski resort out of season: with all the shops closed, it appeared like a ghost town! After hot chocolate (or something stronger...) in the only cafe open on a Sunday in Val d’Isere,

HANNAH SMITH

FROM JOUY TO THE ALPS AND BACK AGAIN!

the group headed back to the train station ready to board their second overnight train in the past three days.

At around 8am on Monday morning, all 24 trekkers safely arrived back to HEC with slightly lighter backpacks, heavier limbs, a few minor aches and pains, and a wealth of brilliant memories. As if all that hiking wasn’t enough, some students sprinted off from the station, sans shower, in order to make it in town for a full day of classes. Jesús Rodeles, a Spanish MiM student who spent the weekend with TR’HEC in the Alps, described “crossing all of France during the night [in order to make it back] for a Financial Economics quiz Monday morning [as] a priceless experience.”

In the end, everyone had a wonderful time, and given that this was only the first of TR’HECs events, one can scarcely imagine the kind of future adventures that the club has in store!

THE EVENING OF FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 WITNESSED TWENTY-FOUR ADVENTUROUS HEC STUDENTS LEAVE BEHIND ANY THOUGHTS OF PARIS AND JOUY TO EMBARK ON THE FIRST EVER TR’HEC EVENT: A 37KM WEEKEND HIKE IN THE ALPS.