Research is organized into 10 departments. The School has several laboratories and applied research institutes, genuine centers of expertise available to companies and the public.
Research Areas
Research focus
Research at HEC Lausanne falls principally into two categories:
Understanding the business environment
One stream aims at understanding the macro-forces that shape the current business environment, e.g., the financial system, macro policies, globalization, technological changes, international conflicts, the role of the media, the societal push for CSR, and many others. The researchers of the Faculty analyze how the global environment is changing and how organizations can adapt.
Understanding individuals’ decision-making
The other stream is targeted toward better understanding micro-behaviors that determine individuals’ decision-making — beyond rational decision-making — notably through experimental approaches. Fairness and reciprocity, fast and frugal heuristics, learning and incentive effects are among the various phenomena we analyze. The applications are numerous and relate to various fields: economics, finance, marketing, organizational behavior, and business ethics.
