Resumption of face-to-face lectures on the MBS campus
Last update – 29/01/2021
For students on a continuous programme
Following recent government announcements, and taking into account students’ individual wishes regarding resumption of classes, students in the Bachelor (BL1, BL2, BL3C), Grande Ecole (PGE1, PGE2C, PGE3C) and Masters of Science programs, as well as first-year students in apprenticeship in the Grande Ecole Program are able to resume classes in face-to-face sessions.
Depending on their group, the first years will be able to return to the campus to take their courses from February 1st, and from February 8th for the other promotions.
All courses will be offered in a comodal format, allowing students in the classroom and those who are not in the classroom to follow their sessions simultaneously and interactively live on the LINC (Live INteractive Classroom) platform.
The return to the campus will be done for certain years and programs with a rotation to follow the courses every other week, in order to respect the 50% of the present students’ capacity for the occupation of the rooms, and the 20% of the total capacity of the campus.
The program teams stay in contact with the students to indicate their respective groups and to take into account their individual preference between distance and face-to-face teaching.
For students in apprenticeship
For students in apprenticeship, with the exception of the first years of the Grande Ecole Program, the resumption of face-to-face classes will be considered at a later stage. “We remain attentive to government decisions, and we will be ready to welcome these students back to the campus as soon as we can. “said Dr. Osama Ammar, MBS Director of Programs.
MBS makes the delivery of diplomas paperless thanks to blockchain certification
A certified and secure digital diploma
MBS is now one of the first Business Schools in France to deliver to its students a secure digital diploma with blockchain certification. “Following the graduation ceremony, young graduates will receive a unique link, valid for life, and will then be able to prove the authenticity of their diploma digitally, without the need to request it” explains Oscar Castellana, Head of the MBS Student Administration Department. Thanks to BCdiploma, the school is now able to dematerialize and fully automate the issuing of diplomas, certificates and attestations with the “blockchain” security level.
What does “blockchain” mean?
The blockchain is a decentralized, perennial and forgery-proof database. Graduates will thus have certificates of graduation that can be freely shared and verified without any procedure, for life. Indeed, the storage on the blockchain prevents the modification of documents and data, which also helps to fight against fraud.
What are the benefits for students, the school and recruiters?
“The process of issuing a diploma or a duplicate is subject to strict regulations, making it more difficult for the graduate and the employer to obtain a diploma or a duplicate during a recruitment process, for example. The confinement has shown us the need to carry out this digitization project in order to make life easier for students and recruiters,” says Oscar Castellana. With a single click, the document can be viewed on all devices and shared across all media, recruitment websites and professional networks. The student also has the possibility to download it in PDF format, with a QRcode referring to the blockchain link that confirms the authenticity of the document. In addition, recruiters will be able to consult the document in either French or English. “Other languages can be added later. Indeed, the tool is agile. In addition, it allows the certificate to be automatically updated when logos or accreditations are changed.” concludes Oscar.
Start-up Week: 800 students work with Air France to imagine addressing the environmental transition in the air transport sector
A Business Game to develop the taste for entrepreneurship
The Montpellier Business School (MBS) Start-Up Week was launched on January the 5 th . The 7 th edition organized by the school’s Entrepreneurship Center was held virtually. This team-based Business Game immerses the 800 senior apprentices of the Grande Ecole Program in the challenges of business creation.
“ We formed the teams so as to mix specializations and skills. Students, who are already professionals in their host company, now have an opportunity to put in display their expertise. The goal here is to help them develop a taste for entrepreneurship in an intimidating economic context.” explains Dr. Annabelle Jaouen, Director of the Entrepreneurship Center.
Air France is the sponsor of the new edition
The apprentices this year have the challenge of creating a business model to accelerate the environmental transition of the air transport sector. They work under the supervision of Teacher-Researchers and expert coaches of the incubator.
It is therefore only logical that Air France, a Major Partner of MBS, has agreed to sponsor the new edition of the Business Game. “This project addresses both the need to innovate as a means to accelerate the ecological transition and the company’s desire to keep up the close interactions with the school and students at a time when distance is required for health reasons.” Testifies Vincent Etchebehere, Director of sustainable development and new mobility at Air France.
Dr. Paul Chiambaretto is a lecturer-researcher specializing in this field and holder of the Pégase Chair (FR). He recalls the educational challenge of the exercise: “At the end of this week, students will have to prove that their idea has a market, is feasible and viable in terms of environmental, societal and financial impact. Teams will have the opportunity to pitch in front of a jury made up of Air France management and MBS experts, including Anne Rigail, Chief Executive Officer of the company, and Anne-Sophie Le Lay, Secretary-General of Air France KLM.”
Environmental issues at the heart of the problem
As of today, MBS is one of the Grandes Ecoles which deploy the largest number of teaching hours on CSR-related issues. “It is important to seize the opportunity presented by the Start-up Week to fully call upon the skills and the appetite that students have developed to imagine ecological and sustainable solutions.” explains Dr. Annabelle Jaouen.
“In the case of air transport, we are facing a climate emergency. The roadmap’s forecast was to halve the sector’s CO2 emissions between 2005 and 2050. However, the emissions increased by 40 % at the end of 2019 in comparison with 2005. The initial 2050 objective is thus even more difficult to achieve. However, we have a duty to rethink models in order to limit the climate crisis, adopt a decarbonisation path, and allow the entire Air France community to contribute to this fight.” concludes Vincent Etchebehere.
Launch of the ORPI-MBS Institute to support and train a network of 1,300 real estate agencies and 7,000 employees
Montpellier Business School (MBS) and the ORPI France network, the leading French real estate group with more than 1,300 agencies and 7,000 employees, have signed a global partnership agreement to create an institute entirely dedicated to training, advice, and research: “the ORPI-MBS Institute”.
Training as a sustainable competitive advantage
” This is the first time that a top management school and a real estate group of this size have co-founded such a support and coaching service. In this sector, training becomes strategic and the institute meets this need in order to enable our partner to obtain and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage .” explains Professor-Researcher Dr. Marc Robert, head of the Institute.
” The ORPI-MBS institute will bring new knowledge to VSB and SMB managers in a hyper-competitive context where the obsolescence of knowledge is felt very quickly and appears to be a vital problem .” adds Dr. Benjamin Mira, 2012 MBS alumni, leading training and coaching needs within ORPI. This new partnership formalizes the link between MBS and the real estate sector, having already been the subject of professional training and research work leading to the publication of scientific articles in prestigious journals, book chapters, or theses.
The ORPI-MBS institute structures its services around 4 axes
The purpose of the ORPI-MBS Institute is to offer additional services to partners and employees of the ORPI network. Those will be divided into 4 axes:
- the training which will take the form of “Masterclass – Top Managers” with qualifying training sessions and diploma training (between three years after high school and Master’s degree)
- monitoring of partners’ entrepreneurial projects
- coaching and consulting services targeted at specific issues identified by ORPI
- scientific studies on ORPI’s request to address the substantive questions facing the agencies and that require the scientific processing of a large amount of data.
” The French economy is 90% dependent on small businesses, which are the same size as the ORPI agencies. We will need these companies to revive the French economy after the health crisis. The MBS initiative is part of this mission .” concludes Dr. Marc Robert.
Care About Us: MBS students mobilise against sexism, harassment and all forms of discrimination
A new association to allow students to get involved in the struggle and have access to an alternative listening unit
To offset risks related to sexism and discrimination, MBS gave its students and employees access to the Wethics platform acting as a listening and information unit. Thanks to this partnership, victims or witnesses of acts or behaviour that violate the integrity or rights of individuals will receive help provided by an independent expert within 12 hours of being exposed to the deed. They will also be referred to psychological support bodies.
Despite the platform being subject to strict ethics in terms of professional secrecy and victim protection, a student victim or witness of a discriminatory or violent act may prefer to exchange first with one of his peers.
“The creation of the Care About Us association is motivated by the desire to offer another open door to potential victims. Some students may feel more comfortable sharing their problems with someone whom they share the same status with, rather than speaking directly to a lawyer, psychologist, or member of the administration,” explains Shana Krief, President of the association.
Inform, raise awareness and support students on 4 main axes
Collaborating with several specialised associations in Montpellier, the goal of the new association of MBS, Care About Us, is to inform and educate students on 4 major key themes:
● The fight against sexism and sexual assault
● The fight against discrimination
● The fight against harassment and cyber stalking
● The fight against risky behaviour
“ To accomplish our mission, we are offering prevention campaigns, testimonials, training, sharing of literary and cinematographic content, and we will also put together support groups. At the same time, we plan to establish an around-the-clock counselling centre for students to confide in. The objective is to fight against the isolation of victims and to be able to help them find associations or professionals able to provide them with help in case they feel the need to ”. Shana concludes.
To follow them :
Private Sport Shop is the new Major Partner of MBS
On Monday 7th December, Yannick Léouffre, Managing Director of Private Sport Shop, and Bruno Ducasse, Managing Director of Montpellier Business School (MBS), signed a “Grand Partnership” agreement formalising the close collaboration between the famous sport private sales application and the business school.
The strengthening of an already well-established collaboration
The signing of the partnership agreement between Private Sport Shop and MBS formalizes the relationship between two players in the territory who have already been working together for several years.
“Private Sport Shop and MBS have enjoyed a lasting collaboration. 5 to 10 % of our staff comes from MBS and we like to work with students, especially on the topic of entrepreneurship, since we sponsored the last edition of Start-Up Week,” recalls Yannick Léouffre, Managing Director of Private Sport Shop.
“Our interactions have increased since 2018, notably by integrating another dimension of MBS, which is the ongoing vocational training and therefore the training of Private Sport Shop managers. Today, we are proud to structure these multiple commitments around the signing of this major partnership” adds Bruno Ducasse, Managing Director of MBS.
Recruitment, pedagogical interventions and innovation are at the heart of the partnership
As a 100% e-commerce partner, Private Sport Shop embodies the sports sector which is very popular among students. It also embodies an inspiring entrepreneurial success story for those considering joining the MBS incubator.
“To support the company’s growth, we will participate in the next MBS work-study and employment recruitment forums. But to go further than a simple commitment to recruiting MBS talent, we also plan to increase our educational interventions to share our experience with students during Career Center events and support the school’s incubator to encourage young entrepreneurs in the region” explains Yannick Léouffre.
Private Sport Shop joins Montpellier Business School’s 50 Great Partners Club.
A natural collaboration between two dynamic actors of the Montpellier area
Created in 2011 in Montpellier, PSS now operates in several European countries from Montpellier. “The international ambitions of Private Sport Shop are naturally aligned with the global reach of MBS, which attracts talents of 40 different nationalities to Montpellier and has 17,000 graduates in 70 countries” says André Deljarry, President of MBS.
The Pégase Chair publishes its new report: "Air transport: the impact of COVID-19 on the behaviour of the French"
France’s first chair in air transport and aerospace economics and management
When the Covid-19 health crisis hit France, the experts at Montpellier Business School mobilized to be useful to the greatest number and help companies get through this unprecedented situation. One of them was Dr. Paul Chiambaretto, holder of the Pégase Chair, who focused on one of the most affected sectors during this crisis: air transport.
” The objective of the Chair was to highlight the changes, but also the constant elements, in the behaviour of the French people following this epidemic. We built the analysis of behaviours on three components: firstly, a sketch of French air passengers in 2019 before the Covid-19 crisis, then a description of their behaviour in the five months following the first containment (May to October 2020). We then concluded with a characterization of the intentions of the French for the next 12 months (October 2020 – October 2021) ” explains Dr. Paul Chiambaretto.
Air transport in 2021 will be back to a demand almost equivalent to the Pre-Covid level
The new report by the Pégase Chair reveals that more than 60% of French people want to travel by air in the next 12 months, which is almost equivalent to the demand in the period preceding the COVID-19 crisis.
In their new report published on December 1 st , 2020, the researchers of the Pégase Chair studied the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the behaviour of the French in terms of air transport.
Based on the analysis of the responses of a nationally representative sample of 1010 respondents, the study reveals that the French still have a strong desire to travel by air. Thus, 61% of the French intend to fly at least once in the next 12 months, which is almost equivalent to the 2019 level (63%).
On the other hand, while the number of French people flying is expected to be relatively stable, the total number of trips will probably decline due to a reduction in the number of flights taken by frequent flyers.
The report also shows a certain form of wait-and-see attitude among future air passengers, as the majority of them (55%) want to wait six months or more before getting back on the plane. As for the destinations envisaged by the French in the next 12 months, Europe is back as the main destination (71%), followed by metropolitan France (61%). As opposed to the pre-crisis period, the Overseas Departments and Territories (DOM-TOM) are the 3 rd preferred destination, as they appear to be less risky both legally and from a health point of view. The study highlights several measures that may increase the intention to fly in the next 12 months, such as measures that reduce or cope with uncertainty (for example, the possibility of cancelling or exchanging tickets without justification).
Health measures taken by airports and airlines are also appreciated by passengers, especially when they are combined with guarantees that borders will remain open. On the other hand, quarantines, both at arrival and on return to France, are not very popular and are seen as a brake on future travel.
Contact: p.chiambaretto@montpellier-bs.com
Attached to Montpellier Business School, the Pégase Chair is developed in collaboration with several scientific institutions including the University of Montpellier. Headed by Paul Chiambaretto, the Pégase Chair brings together around twenty teacher-researchers who devote part of their work to air transport and aerospace issues.
Click here to read the report.
MBS secures its 13th national position in the Figaro 2021 rankings of the best business schools in France
12th position among the post-prep school Masters in Management
Published this Wednesday, November 25th, the “Rankings of the best business schools 2021” in the Figaro Etudiant newspaper ranks Montpellier Business School and its Grande Ecole Program in 12th position among the post-prep school Masters in management (13th all schools combined).
This ranking gives equal weight to academic quality, corporate relations and the school’s international reputation and already ranked MBS in 2020 as the 12th best post-prep school master in management.
With an overall score of 15.2, MBS intends to continue the implementation of its strategic plan 2020-2025, in order to invest in the development of academic excellence, the digital and ecological transition and the social openness.
A reassuring ranking in a context of a health crisis that is disrupting education
This ranking secures the attractiveness of MBS in a new environment for students. In accordance with the measures imposed by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MESRI) in response to the evolution of the health crisis, MBS is currently providing distance learning courses.
100 000€ solidarity fund for students in difficulty, deferred payment, and meetings with the General Director: MBS is multiplying initiatives towards students so that they are not the main victims of this crisis. “So that everyone can follow their courses in the best possible conditions, the campus will reopen on November 30 for students who have difficulty accessing the Internet or who suffer too much from isolation. “explains Bruno Ducasse, Dean of Montpellier Business School.
Covid-19 & Lockdown : MBS opens a new €100,000 solidarity fund to help its students impacted by the crisis
100,000€ in solidarity funds, deferred payment, and meetings with the Managing Director: since the second lockdown, Montpellier Business School has multiplied its initiatives towards students in difficulty and their families, in parallel with a significant investment to offer quality distance learning.
Setting up of a new solidarity fund of 100 000€
At a time when lockdown is causing a financial risk for students, this new Covid-19 solidarity fund reinforces the system of additional grants set up last April and the social policy of MBS, which has already invested more than 15 million euros in direct aid over 10 years.
“Lockdown has a direct impact on the income of some students and their families. Faced with these exceptional difficulties, MBS is showing solidarity and is releasing a new solidarity fund of €100,000 to help the most disadvantaged students. An extraordinary commission will be held every two weeks to study all emergency requests”, explains Bruno Ducasse, Dean of MBS.
If you would like to tell us about your situation and perhaps benefit from this solidarity fund, please contact us at the following email address: dossier.social@Montpellier-BS.com.
Tuition fees: deferral of the December monthly payment
In addition, MBS has decided to offer families in difficulty a deferment of the monthly payment of school fees for the month of December. This exceptional measure completes the assistance provided by the MBS social committee, which meets every two months (deferrals, loans, grants).
André Deljarry, president of MBS is adamant: “The economic crisis will not mortgage the future of our students”.
All the teams involved for quality distance learning
In accordance with the measures imposed by the French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MESRI) in response to the evolving health crisis, MBS is providing distance learning, with live interactive sessions on the LINC (Live INteractive Classroom) platform.
The school, which has invested heavily in new equipment and computer licenses and has set up training courses for its entire teaching staff, is mobilizing all of its teaching teams in order to maintain regular contact with students and is organizing meetings with them to identify any difficulties in accessing online teaching.
In addition to this monitoring, the Managing Director, Bruno Ducasse, will meet directly with the delegates of each class in the coming days to continue to adapt the systems to best suit the needs of students.
The student association Gaïa joins the REFEDD (Réseau Français Etudiant pour le Développement Durable – French Student Network for Sustainable Development) and shares its new ambitious and committed action plan
Bringing students together to reinforce the impact of their actions
With the RDD (Sustainable Development Debates), the sustainability lab, or the adaptation of the welcome packs: the start of the 2020 school year at MBS was already a concrete expression of the school’s ambition to work towards a responsible ecological transition. The students decided to take part in this commitment and saw their association Gaïa join the REFEDD (Réseau Français Etudiant pour le Développement Durable – French Student Network for Sustainable Development).
“This network is a real opportunity for us to place the actions of the association in a framework that goes beyond the MBS community. This organization will allow us to communicate more easily with other student associations involved in France, share best practices, have access to new documentation covering all the objectives of sustainable development, and gain visibility to mobilize more volunteers on our actions. “explains Louise Tastard, President of the Gaïa association. “Another positive point is that it is a network managed by students for students. It is empowering, unifying and facilitates dialogue with our peers. It is empowering, unifying and facilitates dialogue with our peers,” she adds.
An ambitious and committed action plan
In line with the values of MBS and in collaboration with the Diversity and CSR department, the Gaïa association is committed all year round to promoting eco-responsible and fun actions for students and raising their awareness of environmental issues and energy transition. “This week we are taking part in the Student Waste Reduction Week. This week we are participating in Student Waste Reduction Week, where we share daily tips on how to change everyday behaviors and engage students in new habits that are more beneficial to the environment, sometimes even with out-of-the-ordinary advice such as reusing rice cooking water to wash their hair. “Louise’s testimony. “In the coming weeks, we will continue this first digital awareness phase, with tips on how to organize the parties in an eco-responsible way, then as soon as the sanitary conditions allow it, we will organize collective plogging sessions (waste collection and running). »
Led by a group of 9 motivated students, the association will participate in forums dedicated to environmental issues and will contribute to the school’s strategic actions. “We wish to solicit their expertise and commitment to the development of the new MBS carbon footprint and invite them to take part in the 2020-2025 strategic plan by proposing new initiatives to improve the ecological management of the campus” concludes Amélie Dubreuil, Sustainable Development Assistant at MBS.
To contact Gaïa :
– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gaia.mbs/
– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gaiambs/
