HEC Paris in Qatar Launches Nation’s First Business Research Laboratory

HEC Paris in Qatar, the regional campus of HEC Paris, which was recently ranked number 1 by the Financial Times 2022 in Executive Education, has launched Qatar´s first Business Research Laboratory to develop local and regional teaching materials for its world-class Executive MBA, Specialized Master’s degree, and customized corporate programs. The goal of the laboratory is to become the best in the GCC / MENA region by 2024.

Its activities will include writing business case studies for custom and executive programs, the publishing and dissemination of business case studies for wider audiences as well as carrying out seminal and industry specific research.  The laboratory also aims to develop simulations for exceptional learning experience and to collaborate with various government, semi-government entities and key private businesses in Qatar to write relevant and thought-provoking pedagogical material for the world, based on Qatar and GCC companies at situations.

“The Business Research Laboratory at HEC Paris in Qatar aims to create world-class teaching material for its offerings in Qatar and the rest of the world, including Europe and the U.S. where there is strong interest in management issues in the Gulf. This material includes business case studies, research and simulations to enhance the learning experience,” confirms Dr. Pablo Martin de Holan, Dean, HEC Paris in Qatar.

Joshua Kobb, Executive Director for Partnerships and Growth at HEC Paris in Qatar, affirms that “Developing learning material from the region and for the region helps ensure the relevance of our teaching for learners based here. At the same time, we are able to advance our teaching mission to help the global business community understand the context and dynamics of Qatar and the region. We thank Qatar Foundation for their support of the Business Research Laboratory, which is the first internationally based hub for HEC Paris.”

The Laboratory  is headed up by Senior Case Writer Deval Kartik Ph.D. who holds an MBA in Marketing from the Institute of Management Development and Research, Pune, India, and a Ph.D. in Marketing from Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK.

“Dr. Deval brings a wealth of expertise to the new lab including two decades of post-graduate teaching, extensive experience in writing, editing, and publishing and teaching case studies, conducting workshops, and mentoring new case writers. As Senior Case Writer, she takes up the challenge of building a top-quality repository of original case studies with a focus on Qatar and the GCC but destined for the world,” explains Dr. Martin de Holan.

The case study learning method first adopted in management education by the Harvard Business School in the 1920s, and has since that time become one of the most widely accepted and successful teaching methods at business schools worldwide.  The method has been described as “the art of managing uncertainty"—where the instructor serves as planner, host, moderator, devil's advocate, fellow-student, and judge in search of solutions to real-world problems and challenges. The methodology has proven very popular and successful in providing a hands-on, practical approach to real business challenges. With the case study method, participants learn from the professors and each other, through highly interactive analysis and discussion. HEC Paris became an early advocate of the case study teaching method in the 1930s and in Qatar since its first day 12 years ago.