Europe

Paris

HBS opened the Europe Research Center (ERC) in Paris in 2003, to help HBS develop and strengthen relationships with European business and academic leaders. The ERC enables HBS faculty to study more effectively one of the world’s most important economic regions during a time of significant transformation. The ERC has contributed to much of the European-focused faculty publications and research projects across the School. Research topics have ranged from the challenges of European economic and financial integration, corporate social responsibility, international capital flows, investor relations, consumer marketing, to policy-making issues and the impact of new technologies on business.

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Location

Europe Research Center
62 rue Francois 1er
Paris, 75008, France
Tel: +33 1 4225 7373
Fax: +33 1 4225 1545

News & Highlights

February 2023
Working Knowledge

Is Sweden Still 'Sweden'? A Liberal Utopia Grapples with an Identity Crisis

In this article, Professor Debora Spar discusses the subject of a new Harvard Business School case study, “The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Sweden's Utopia at a Crossroads,” supported by Emer Moloney and Vincent Dessain of the Europe Research Center. In this case, Professor Spar examines recent shifts in Sweden’s political views and economic forces and what they mean for the country's future. Is it the end of the Scandinavian business-welfare model as we know it?

January 2023
IFC

Immersive Field Courses in the UK and Italy

As part of the elective curriculum, students can enroll in an Immersive Field Course (IFC). These courses are driven by faculty research and industry connections and provide students with an opportunity to get out of the classroom and put the skills they’ve learned into practice. The immersion locations vary each year based on the IFC portfolio. In “Entrepreneurship in the UK and Europe,” with Professors Greg Marsh and Jeffrey Rayport, students got a surprise visit from UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. He discussed the state of entrepreneurship and startups in the UK. In “Italy; Capitalism: Past, Present, and Future,” with Professors Arthur Segel, Sophus Reinert, and Dante Roscini, students traveled to Italy, visiting Milan, the country’s economic capital, and Florence, the “cradle of the Renaissance” and home to many famous luxury brands.

November 2022
MBA Admissions

Lilium Webinar: Behind the Scenes of Writing a Case Study

In November 2022, the ERC and MBA Admissions co-hosted a 45-minute webinar about the Lilium case study, a German company developing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft that can be used to offer air taxi services. The event centered on what goes on behind the scenes when writing a case study, including what Professor Navid Mojir intends to achieve with the case and what students should hopefully take away from it. The idea behind this event was to target new MBA prospects in Europe by offering business-related content that would appeal to the target audience while also showcasing the HBS case method.

New Research on the Region

May 2023
Teaching Material

Sian Flowers: Fresher by Sea - Video Supplement

By: Willy C. Shih

The setting for this case is the Sian Flowers, a company headquartered in Kitengela, Kenya that exports roses to predominantly Europe. Because cut flowers have a limited shelf life and consumers want them to retain their appearance for as long as possible, Sian or its distributors used international air cargo to transport them to Amsterdam, where they were sold at auction or trucked to markets across Europe. The Covid-19 pandemic caused huge increases in the cost of shipping, so Sian launched experiments to ship roses by ocean using refrigerated containers. Chris Kulei, the Executive Director, was interested in not only the potential costs savings, but whether he could also market the reduced carbon footprint.