Square Management - Square Research Center

WHO ARE WE?

The Square Research Center was created to promote the development of applied R&D work at Square Management. Its purpose is to design and test the most innovative approaches and tools, in order to provide a relevant response to major problems faced by organisations. The Square Research Center combines researchers (PhDs and doctoral students), consultants, academic partners, and public and private organisations with the production of new knowledge and solutions, geared towards action and designed for concrete implementation.

WHAT DO WE DO?

The Square Research Center encourages its teams to remove the scientific and technological barriers that prevent organisations from addressing in depth the ‘problems’ they face, whether new, emerging or already known. To this end, we develop models, solutions, and tools for our clients, partners, and consultants. We share our results at academic seminars, professional events, and in publications and use our discoveries in the context of the missions entrusted to us by our clients.

HEAD OF THE SQUARE RESEARCH CENTER

David Alcaud graduated from the Paris IEP, holds a Master of Arts from Kent University and a Master 2 in comparative literature from Paris III University. He has studied Sociology at Paris X University and holds a PhD in political sciences from the Paris IEP. Recipient of the « Bourse de l’Ecole française de Rome » award and grantee from the Lazard Foundation.

He held teaching positions at the Lille IEP and Paris IEP, as well as at several American Universities. He was an associate researcher at the CEVIPOF and the CURAPP and Vice-President of the Interdisciplinary Foundation for comparative research in social sciences. He has directed collections and books and has been a contributor to many conferences and academic publications. David has joined Square ten years ago to concurrently lead applied research work and consulting assignments. He is currently head of the Square Research Center and contribute to multiple projects.

The PROGRAMS

Portfolio alignment

Portfolio alignment

Portfolio alignment makes it possible to measure the climate performance of a portfolio of assets. A number of alignment methodologies have been developed in the wake of the Paris Agreement to meet the objective of making financial flows compatible with a low level of emissions. To date, existing methodologies do not take account of the risk dimension. As a result, a portfolio can be aligned with a 2°C trajectory and still be significantly exposed to climate risks.

Machine learning to resolve poor data ‘quality’

The use of machine learning comes up against ‘data scarcity’, i.e. poor data ‘quality’, which can only be exploited if it has been ‘labelled’ before and according to the analysis you want to carry out.

Design Network

Network design determines the structure of a business network and influences its costs and performance. This covers a range of strategic decisions, such as determining the number, size, and location of facilities in the Network, and can include tactical decisions (such as distribution, transport, and stock management policies) as well as operational decisions (such as meeting customer demand).

‘Diversity and inclusion’ policy to drive performance

Regulatory and ethical developments, linked to anti-discrimination law and the promotion of equality, are making it increasingly necessary to ensure that diversity and inclusion are respected and exemplified within an organisation. The same applies to talent management and employer branding.

Be clean or contribute to the transition? csr and the challenge of sustainability

Be clean or contribute to the transition? csr and the challenge of sustainability

In December 2019, the European Commission presented the European Green Deal, which aims to ‘transform the EU into a fair and prosperous society, with a modern, resource-efficient, and competitive economy where there are no net emissions of greenhouse gases in 2050 and where economic growth is decoupled from resource use.’

Explicability of ‘black box’ ai* models

Explicability of ‘black box’ ai* models

Artificial intelligence models are used in a number of fields (e.g. granting credit, fraud detection) and they deliver very good results. However, they lack transparency and explicability, which hinders their adoption by business teams and management, as well as their use in the eyes of regulators.

Causal inference: the uplift

‘Uplift modelling’ is the name given to a set of scoring methods used to assess individual sensitivity to sales prospecting.

Incorporating climate risks into the value of property assets

Real estate is vulnerable to a wide range of climate risks (physical, regulatory, and economic) that can significantly reduce its value. This depreciation may go so far as to generate ‘stranded assets’.

Digital twins of warehouses — intralogistics

Digital twins of warehouses — intralogistics

Digital twins are virtual replicas that enable an exact copy of an object, machine, or process to be viewed on a screen and its behaviour to be simulated according to different scenarios.

Insurance to meet the challenge of the climate transition

An R&D programme on the transformation of the insurance business faced with the risks arising from the transition.

AI* to help assess the impact of climate change on the activities in the financial sector

AI* to help assess the impact of climate change on the activities in the financial sector

AI makes it easier to assess and anticipate financial climate risks (e.g. risks for insurers, credit risks, and/or market risks).

AI* to help assess the impact of climate change on the activities in the financial sector

AI* for supply chain resilience and sustainability

In supply chain terms, resilience is the ability to anticipate sudden disruptions and resist their spread, whereas sustainability refers to the ability to maintain functions and performance over the long term while meeting environmental, economic, and social requirements.

AI* and NLP* in the service of CSR

The proliferation of data (news, social networking, company reports, and press releases) has become a major challenge for CSR experts and decision makers in terms of extracting and interpreting key data.

Be clean or contribute to the transition? csr and the challenge of sustainability

Modelling of the impact of physical and transition risk on insurance company solvency

In the face of climate disruption, insurers need to know exactly what weather-related disasters (e.g. drought, hurricanes) they will have to deal with in order to anticipate the costs and consequences for their business.

Modelling of the impact of physical and transition risk on banks’ solvency

Climate risk has now been clearly identified as a risk to be taken into account in banks’ capital requirements.

Explicability of ‘black box’ ai* models

Modelling of organisational culture

Faced with increasingly frequent changes, managing the cultural aspect of a company (e.g. values, shared symbols, history, individual, collective and managerial behaviour) is essential for optimising long-term transformation strategies.

New responsible marketing business models

New responsible marketing business models

In the age of sustainability, the influence of marketing on changes in consumer behaviour is becoming key, whether in terms of the transformation of business models, modes of governance, changes in consumption patterns, or the transformation of the marketing function, its practices, and marketing strategies (e.g. objectives, indicators, culture).

New working and management methods

The proliferation of ‘fads’ and proposed managerial innovations is driving the way in which many companies are trying to adopt new approaches, which are often wholly unsuitable for their managers and teams.

Responsible digital technology

Responsible digital technology

Digital technology is responsible for a growing proportion of greenhouse gas emissions and has also negative social and societal impacts.

Value-based strategy: driving performance through value

Today, a company’s performance can no longer be conceived and measured exclusively in terms of financial performance.

Managing the decarbonisation of property assets

Property assets account for almost 45% of energy consumption in France, making them a priority target for decarbonisation strategies. These are currently based on the Energy Performance Diagnosis (‘DPE’, or energy label), which does not reflect the actual consumption and emissions of buildings.

New responsible marketing business models

Platformisation and innovation strategies

Platformisation marks the transition from an economy centred on products to one centred on digital intermediaries, and many companies are using it as a lever for development and a new business model.

Bank sustainability

Bank sustainability

Since the 2008 financial crisis, the ability of banks to withstand negative shocks affecting the quality of their assets has been a key concern for the authorities, regulators, and executives.

Transition to responsible innovation

In the age of sustainability, the influence of marketing on changes in consumer behaviour is becoming key, whether in terms of the transformation of business models, modes of governance, changes in consumption patterns, or the transformation of the marketing function, its practices, and marketing strategies (e.g. objectives, indicators, culture).

NOUS CONTACTER

173, avenue Achille Peretti
92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine
+33 1 46 40 40 00

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