Description Antoine Boitez, SKEMA Publika moderator and web editor for SKEMA Business School, welcomes Diane de Saint-Affrique, Professor of Law, and Dhafer Saïdane, Professor and Director of the International Observatory on Sustainable Finance at SKEMA Business School, to discuss the ecological transition and the competitiveness of businesses in Europe. Key points of the interview European […]
Foreword International tensions, the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on budgets and Donald Trump’s return to the White House have disrupted Europe’s standard- and regulation-based strategy for transitioning to an economy with a social and environmental conscience. The European Union (EU) has spent several years working to put in place two directives: the Corporate Sustainability […]
On May 24th, after a long and turbulent journey, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive was finally adopted. This text has to be transposed into French law no later than 26 July 2026. Its purpose is to foster sustainable, responsible corporate behaviour, and firmly establish human rights and environmental considerations in corporate governance throughout the […]
When a company or an organisation designs or uses artificial intelligence (AI), it has a duty to question how it can develop this technology in a responsible manner, without raising any ethical issues. It falls to both AI designers and the leaders who will use this technology for their company’s activities to establish conscientious practices that follow a series of fundamental guidelines. So, what are those guidelines? An opinion by Diane de Saint-Affrique.
SKEMA Publika’s EYES report on the thoughts of international youths highlighted a distrust of the corporate world and a series of concerns shared around the world. In light of this, we wanted to go further in our exploration of young people’s relationship to work. This multi-faceted analysis stems from the reflections of a working group, combined with expert interviews and a literature review. The study highlights the fundamental aspirations shared by youths around the world. Its results suggest that young people’s demands are the expression of latent social dissatisfactions shared with the rest of the population, which public and private decision-makers have failed to address. In short, the “social contract of work” is widely perceived as deteriorated. Thankfully, solutions seem to be within reach: greater participation in decision-making processes, decent working conditions, exemplarity, etc. In spite of the ongoing radical societal changes, the main risk for young people aged 15-29 remains job insecurity. Far from reducing the degree of uncertainty faced by younger generations, the emergence of the green economy and the digitalisation and automation of employments may be fostering greater insecurity. What can we do? Anticipate and think long-term.
by Diane de Saint-Affrique Would it be possible for NGOs and companies that are genuinely convinced, and have adopted a continuous improvement approach to achieve the goals of the 2017 French Dury of Vigilance Act, to get together to work for the common good? Wouldn't this pragmatic approach be more effective than waiting for new standards to be imposed that will not necessarily be appropriate for the issues addressed or the scope under consideration, and will thereby maintain an ambiguity that can only be dispelled by a court decision?
by Diane de Saint-Affrique | NGOs have made the following observation: companies often see their due diligence plan as a communication plan rather than a strategic development tool designed to map and prevent risks and to implement a strategy tailored to CSR issues. NGOs want companies to change their attitude and genuinely comply with the obligation of monitoring the entire value chain, which implies mobilising all the stakeholders, disseminating information transparently, introducing precise indicators and significantly changing the corporate culture.
by Diane de Saint-Affrique | At a time when the European Commission is addressing the issue of due diligence, and given the crucial impact of this reform on European companies and the continuation of various international commercial exchanges, the think tank SKEMA PUBLIKA considered it vital to carry out an in-depth study with the main stakeholders – non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and companies affected by the regulation – to get their feedback on the application of France’s 2017 Duty of Vigilance Act and its impact in economic and commercial terms, and find out their views on this new EU draft directive.
In this video, Jean-Philippe Courtois, Executive Vice President and President of National Transformation Partnerships at Microsoft and President of SKEMA Business School and Claude Revel, Director of the think tank SKEMA Publika discuss corporate sustainability in light of the new EU non-financial reporting directive. They also discuss how innovative digital tools, using AI and Cloud technologies can help companies measure their ESG impact, and best meet the demands of legislators.
by Diane de Saint-Affrique | At a time when the European Commission is addressing the issue of due diligence, and given the crucial impact of this reform on European companies and the continuation of various international commercial exchanges, the think tank SKEMA PUBLIKA considered it vital to carry out an in-depth study with the main stakeholders – non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and companies affected by the regulation – to get their feedback on the application of France’s 2017 Duty of Vigilance Act and its impact in economic and commercial terms, and find out their views on this new EU draft directive.
