Virtual Reality To Startups: How ESSEC Business School Teaches Sustainability
An induction day where ESSEC Business School Global MBA students use virtual reality for the first time
From new technology like VR to learning about entrepreneurial business models, here’s how ESSEC Business School is training MBA students to be the sustainable business leaders of the future
How do you make sure the business of tomorrow is sustainable? By teaching today’s business school students everything there is to know about sustainability. That’s the core of ESSEC Business School’s Global MBA program.
At ESSEC, sustainability underpins the entire 12-month student experience, and the course also incorporates cutting edge digital technology in its sustainability teaching.
“Digital transformation by itself is not a goal but a means to achieve business objectives,” explains Jan Ondrus (pictured), associate dean of faculty at ESSEC's Asia-Pacific campus in Singapore. “Digital technology can be exploited to create sustainable solutions.”
Why is it necessary for students to have expertise across sustainability and digitalisation? “Because ESSEC is committed to preparing students to create and run companies that can have a positive and sustainable impact on the world,” he says.
Using virtual reality to reduce your carbon footprint
Digital transformation is a core principle of the ESSEC Global MBA. Students can choose to specialize in a strategy and digital leadership track, as well as take modules in digital disruption.
The school’s focus on all things digital has also become a key part of sustainability teaching during the program. Central to this has been the use of virtual reality (VR) headsets, which create a virtual world for users to interact in.
ESSEC GMBA participants use VR to attend summits, conferences, and company networking events without leaving the classroom, reducing their carbon footprint and expanding their networking opportunities.
This creates a smoother process than attending a virtual event via video conference, thinks Patti Brown (pictured), director of the Global MBA.
“People don’t know how to network online, so you have to create something that helps them and ensures contact is almost as good as if you are meeting in a bar or restaurant,” she says.
As a commitment to sustainability, the school has also decided to permanently stop all long haul travel for course trips. Now, international trips occur via train, to neighboring countries like Holland and Belgium, rather than New York and China.
Establishing VR as a workable replacement for in-person meetings during the pandemic has made committing to stopping all long haul travel easier, says Patti.
“The next step is to have real virtual trips. Meaning, through VR, students visit the city, they visit the company offices, and all that happens in VR in real time,” she says.
A sustainability-led curriculum
Every module on ESSEC’s Global MBA contains an element of sustainability. That extends to practical work—students are given the opportunity to complete sustainability projects working for companies like BNP Paribas during the course’s final capstone module.
“We aim for sustainability to be more than just a subject you cover in school, but rather a topic that is discussed in every class you take because it is applicable to every area,” says Carina Hopper, a guest lecturer in sustainability at ESSEC.
Carinadelivers the sustainability leadership seminar, one of the very first lectures students have after arriving on campus which teaches them how to think sustainably for the rest of the MBA.
Carina (pictured) graduated from the program in 2018 and has since launched a number of ventures dedicated to promoting sustainability in higher education, starting with business schools. She believes integrating sustainability throughout business education is key to fostering change in the business world.
“We start by making sure they understand sustainability is about more than just the environment, but also about social issues. They have to understand all the pillars of sustainability,” she says.
Working with startups
Carina has also introduced partnerships with startups during the course. Companies within Station F, the world’s largest startup incubator based in Paris, now partner with the program on students’ final projects.
In 2020, Lablaco, a sustainable fashion startup incubated at Station F, invited all students to their circular fashion summit—a conference focused on zero waste practices—which was delivered through VR. That leads to different learning outcomes than when students work solely with established companies.
“You feel a different energy in startups in terms of what they are working towards,” Carina says, “they have more agility, so they are often better able to implement new sustainable business models.”
All of these combined practices are designed to produce graduates capable of entering companies and directing them towards best sustainability practices. The added benefit for students is that sustainability is one of the largest growing areas in business.
“Participants have an interesting advantage as their knowledge in this area can often surpass that of their superiors,” Carina says, “when they move into companies, they can immediately be the ones who are turned to on these topics.”
As the world adopts more and more digital technology, having a high level of digital expertise will also benefit students when they come to search for jobs after graduation.
"Our students learn to tackle problems via a strategic approach to improve organizational performance and effectively manage the changes brought by the digital transformation," Jan says.
"This is a skillset that is highly sought after by employers."
There are more than 50 nationality in the grade, so there are opportunities to interact with people from all around the world. In terms of academics, the BBA course offers diverse courses for the 1st
Student
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6/04/2022
On Campus
Creativity, adaptability and entrepreneurship
The Master in Management program at the ESSEC Business School allows the students to choose their courses accordingly to their preferences and their professional targets. We can also go through international exchange and take part in internships with companies that are also partners with the school. The school is also next to the city of Paris.
Prithwiraj
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17/11/2021
On Campus
Top business school in France
Doing PhD in essec took some time, to be precise about five years. But the experience was very good and cost effective too. There are opportunities for the student for teaching assistantship and that helps both financially and in career. In the final year I could manage to teach marketing to M1 students and this helped shape my career
Student
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30/10/2021
On Campus
Great college
The program is well suited for early professionals with an engineering degree preferably or a degree in economics. I would suggest taking the ceasure irrespective of the experience level as it helps you take your time to adjust to the job market.
Student
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30/10/2021
Blended
Good school in France
I am currently enrolled in M2 in Essec business school. I am specialising in marketing management. The Grande Ecole programme is valued in France and my school ranks very high up. There are a lot of opportunities for internships and CDD.
Student
Verified
9/02/2020
The program curriculum
BBA program. The program is really practical and useful, provide us many international opportunities. Like internship and humanitarian experience, and the flexibility is also really cool, we can choose different campus and tracks as we want.
Véronique
Verified
11/12/2019
International Course
This school is very international and business oriented. Highly recognized by the companies The campus has been renovated and is very functional and modern from now on. Excellent atmosphere. Reputation of essec is a plus
kevin
Verified
11/11/2019
Friends, Career opportunities.
The program I did gave me the opportunity to start in Singapore. I got the chance to know all the students that started there and we bonded and made some friends for life. The career opportunities that ESSEC also gave me were unbelievable.
Student
Verified
25/09/2019
Practical and useful
I think the best thing about Essec is that it's not focusing on academics rather it emphasizes on future job mindset and professional experiences..
The classes are interesting and we have plenty of workshops attributing to different sectors..
The campus is very nice with a good cafe and wonderful library.
The only problem is the location of the campus. It's quite far from Paris.
Kartik
Verified
14/02/2024
On Campus
Amazing experience! Must try
I think its a very amazing school with great and experienced faculty. Also the alumni network is very solid and useful. The school has a great balance of studies and work experience which is really essential for a student.
Ali
Verified
28/05/2024
On Campus
GBBA: Diverse, Enriching, and Career-Boosting
My experience at ESSEC Business School has been outstanding. The Global BBA program offers a rich academic curriculum and diverse learning opportunities. I appreciated the chance to study on different campuses, including an international exchange, which broadened my perspective. The social environment is culturally diverse and vibrant, enhancing both my personal and professional growth. The administration is attentive, constantly offering new academic and student life opportunities. The campus facilities and classrooms are excellent. I highly recommend ESSEC for its excellence, global exposure, and career opportunities.
Maximilien
Verified
5/06/2024
On Campus
ESSEC BS BBA REVIEW
The English track BBA program at ESSEC is simply exceptional. Courses are taught by internationally renowned professors who are experts in their field. The subjects taught cover a wide range of disciplines from marketing to finance, strategy and entrepreneurship. The English track is a major asset because it allows you to develop perfect mastery of professional English, essential in today's globalized business world. Some students love student life at Essec, which is one of the best in France, but it all depends on taste.
Clément
Verified
14/06/2024
On Campus
Great program, incredible school
I love almost everything about this school, from the student life to the academic program and the opportunities it provides.
I'm currently at the Paris campus, in Cergy, and I'm really enjoying it.
The BBA program is very rich and diversified, you can start with geopolitics and then finance, what I mean is that there's a great balance between the subjects in this program.
I was also lucky enough to spend a semester at the Singapore campus, and I loved that experience on the other side of the world.
ESSEC is also known for its dynamic and rich student life, with access to several parties a week and the various associations within the school.
If I could recommend just one school, it would be this one - I'm 100% satisfied.
Rayane
Verified
21/10/2024
On Campus
Great experience
First of all, what I appreciate the most is the academic environment. The courses are extremely stimulating and are taught by high-level professors, often experts in their field. The diversity of subjects offered, ranging from marketing to finance, including entrepreneurship, allows you to acquire a complete and versatile education. The group projects, although sometimes stressful, are also an opportunity to learn to work in a team, which is essential in the professional world. One area that I feel could be improved is the management of student events. Although many activities are organized, I have noticed that some events can lack organization or communication, which can frustrate those who want to get involved. Better coordination between the different student associations and the administration could really improve the overall experience.
