Press Release

HEC 2005 BEST IN FRANCE PRIZE WINNERS

July, 7th 2005

HEC School of Management, Paris announces the 5 winning teams of the 2005 Best in France Prize. This prize, sponsored by Ernst & Young, Invest in France Agency, and SAS France rewards the students participating in the Best in France Case Study Project for the 2004-2005 academic year.

The winning teams are:

  • Philippe Carastamatis, Gérald Maradan, Kerstin Seeber, Peter Snowdon (MBA)

Atmel Corporation

  • Caroline Limet, Myriam Rouis, Gillian Stevenson (Grande Ecole) Camper Shoes
  • Gabriel Garcia, Christophe Piron, Elizabeth Raisig, Karmvir Rajpurohit (MBA) Carrier UTC
  • Laurent Brighel, Julien Cosse, Bruno Dubreuil, François-René Grosset, Damien Houlle (MGP) Microsoft
  • Philip Tabbah, Ryan Connor, Hyun-Sang Choo (MBA) Telelogic

The jury members congratulate these winning teams and each of the other 60 teams that participated in this year’s Best in France Case Study Prize.

Mr. Thierry Jacquillat, Chairman, Paris - Ile-de-France Capitale Economique will preside over the award ceremony during the group’s annual meeting of at the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry on 7 July, 2005.

The Best in France Case Study Project is an initiative lead by HEC School of Management and Ernst & Young. It is designed to identify what adaptations firms make in France.

France has many "world-class" benefits to offer foreign investors including, its excellent infrastructure, highly skilled technical and scientific workforce, its concentration of high tech research centers, and its widely renowned quality of life. The winning "Best in France" case illustrates how companies successfully take advantage of France's unique benefits by defining and implementing their business objectives, organizational strategy, and human resource management policies.

The Best in France Case Study Project follows the established case study framework pioneered by Harvard Business School. Interviews with appropriate managers are favored over other sources of information. Teams of HEC students from the Masters, MBA, and the HEC Grande Ecole select companies to study.

Three types of firms are encouraged to participate in this study.

  • The first and primary targets are foreign companies operating in France
  • The second group French or non-French companies that have or are leaving France
  • The third are French companies with international operations allowing them to compare differences in their business practices from country to country.

The goal of the Best in France Case Study is to educate students, companies, and government ministries by identifying and benchmarking managerial strategies that add value to the French economy and to firms operating in France. Over 130 teams of students participated in this project since 2002. They are generating an enormous database of valuable information. These case studies offer valuable insights concerning the problems and adaptation mechanisms of companies operating in France.

For more information concerning the Best in France please contact Professor Michael Segalla, Ph.D., Department of Management and Human Resources, HEC School of Management, 78351 Jouy-en-Josas, France. ( or +33 1 39 67 73 18)

Press Contact, HEC School of Management

Catherine Rousseau

+33 1 39 67 94 23

 +33 1 39 67 94 46

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