The ESSEC Research Center (CERESSEC)

Research is one of the core missions of ESSEC’s faculty. Created in 1969, the CERESSEC’s main mission is to implement the school’s research strategy, and to provide financial and logistical resources to our researchers in Cergy and Singapore. Through its intense research activity, comprising more than 900 articles, chapters and books published over the past five years, ESSEC produces knowledge, concepts, and management tools to meet the challenges of organizations in the 21st century.

The importance of research

We see the creation of knowledge as the first step in a virtuous process. Research contributes to a rich and up-to-date learning environment for students, and a stimulating work environment for our faculty. Over time, research leads to an increase in our expertise and our reputation, attracting the best students who will go on to make their mark in organizations and in society. The development of this community helps the school trigger another cycle of development and creation of expertise.

ESSEC strives for an institutional culture that favors the creation of high-quality research. We recruit in the international job-market young and seasoned researchers hailing from some of the most prestigious academic institutions worldwide. We provide incentives and support for publications, workshop organization, faculty exchanges, and academic conference presentations. We encourage diversity and experimentation, having a diverse set of disciplines, ranging from sociology and psychology to applied mathematics and medicine, being represented in our faculty.

Our achievements

In the last five years, our scholars have published in many prestigious academic journals, including the Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Accounting Organizations and Society, Administrative Science Quarterly, American Economic Review, American Journal of Sociology, Annals of Statistics, Information Systems Research, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Journal of Financial Economics, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Marketing, Journal of the American Statistical Association, Management Science, MIS Quarterly, Operations Research, Organization Science, RAND Journal of Economics, Review of Financial Studies, and Strategic Management Journal.

Over the same period, ESSEC professors were awarded 57 prizes and distinctions, and presented their work in more than 980 academic conferences. In its 2019 evaluation, the French national agency for research evaluation (HCERES) hailed ESSEC’s “remarkable scientific production”, stating that ESSEC is "one of the top three French leaders in terms of research visibility and recognition".

Research strategy 2020-2025

In 2019, the school has elaborated a new research strategic plan meant to reinforce ESSEC’s attractiveness, productivity, and impact. The framework consists of five major transdisciplinary themes, all centered around a common denominator:

How the current unprecedented rate of environmental, societal, and technological (E.S.T.) change affects all the actors, functions, and stakeholders within and around organizations.

E.S.T. trends interact and potentially reinforce each other. Their systemic nature means that businesses cannot act in isolation and must coordinate through industry-wide and economy wide coalitions. E.S.T. challenges also provide some of the most promising business opportunities of the next decades. Technologies such as biodegradable plastics, smart fertilizers, and electricity storage solutions are key to address environmental challenges. Nanomaterials and biotechnologies can help address aging and healthcare issues. Financial inclusion represents a massive untapped opportunity. Developing the management tools to assess and implement these opportunities should be a major goal of the organizations of the 21st century.

Research partners

THEMA
Since 2009, ESSEC is a partner member of the THEMA (UMR 8184), a research lab of CY Cergy Paris University and the CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research). Its research activity is mainly focused in theoretical microeconomics (decision, game theory, social choice), applied microeconomics (development and labor economics), as well as international trade, finance, and marketing. Eleven faculty members of ESSEC are currently affiliated to THEMA.

Institutional partners

CY Cergy Paris University and the CY Alliance
Since 2013, ESSEC is member of CY Alliance, a partnership led by CY Cergy Paris University and grouping nine other higher education institutions. At the core of this project is the CY Initiative, which was awarded an I-SITE (Initiative Science-Innovation-Territory-Economy) grant by the French government in 2017. Its aim is to contribute to the emergence of a world-class, research intensive, international higher education cluster and campus in the Cergy territory.

CY Alliance is a member of EUTOPIA, one of the 17 winning projects throughout Europe in the “European Universities Initiative” launched by the European Commission to build a European Education Area. The founding members of EUTOPIA are Vrije Universiteit Brussel, CY Cergy Paris Université, University of Gothenburg, University of Ljubljana, Pompeu Fabra University, and the University of Warwick.

The CY Initiative is a partner of Fulbright through an annual exchange program which hosts American students, scholars, and researchers in one of the CY Initiative partner establishments, and supports PhD students during their stays in American universities and research institutes.

CY Advanced Studies
CY Advanced Studies was created to develop scientific collaborations between its researchers and the international scientific community, in the fields of modeling sciences, experimental sciences, and human and social sciences. The institute supports the development of ambitious, innovative, and high-level scientific projects through the organization of international scientific events and through its program of invitations to foreign researchers.

Contact

Tricia Todd, Administrative Manager of the Research Center

Useful links

ESSEC Journal Ranking in Management
Read more about ESSEC Knowledge