KEDGE Business School and AFNOR Compétences, partners in the digital transformation of companies

PRESS RELEASE - 16.01.17

AFNOR Compétences, the training/consultancy subsidiary of the AFNOR Group, has asked KEDGE and its professors-researchers to conduct a study on the role of the Quality, Safety, and Environment (QSE) function in the digital transformation of companies. This study has been led within the ‘Parcours Croisés’ Clubs which call in decision makers to discuss the themes of quality and sustainable development.

"The idea of these clubs is to offer convivial moments of discussion and knowledge-sharing between peers wishing to develop their network", explains Pascal Prevost, Director General of AFNOR Compétences. "The digital transformation of companies is a key issue for senior management: we want to bring a forward-looking vision which underlines the importance of the QSE function in this essential development. It was important to lead this think-tank with the help of KEDGE Business School".

Workshops were organised over a six-month period in nine French cities and involving a hundred or so senior managers. Additionally, an online survey will be conducted on parcourscroises.com, the first digital community of QSE players. This project was led by three professor-researchers from KEDGE :

Grégory Bressolles, Professor of marketing, who holds the Business in a Connected World chair,
Stéphane Kleinhans, Professor and Head of the Master’s Degree specialising in Management Through
Quality (ISMQ),
and Frédéric Ponsignon, Professor of Management Through Quality.

"By bringing in the recognised expertise of KEDGE, both in management through quality with the ISMQ programme and in digital marketing with the ‘Business in a Connected World’ chair, the goal is to come up with recommendations for good practices adapted to companies’ expectations ", explains José Milano, Director General of KEDGE Business School.

The KEDGE study, which will draw up an inventory of the digitalisation of the QSE function and of the its role in a company’s digital transformation, will be published in early 2018 by Editions AFNOR in the ‘Parcours Croisés’ series.

More about the Master’s Degree specialising in ISMQ at KEDGE

ISMQ is a specialised programme, organised as a sandwich course, which leads to two diplomas: the title level 1 of “QSE System Manager” registered at the RNCP and the Specialised Master’s Degree in “Management Through Quality” labelled by the CGE (Conférence des Grandes Ecoles). It proposes three sector-based courses: Quality in industry and services; Quality in the Sanitary, Social and Medico-social sectors, and Quality in the Aeronautics, Space and Defence sectors. This programme, launched in 1995, has trained 41 groups of students and counts over 1300 degree-holders who have gone on to become professionals in the QSE function. ISQM is the number one Master’s degree in this specialisation. It has created a solid network of degree-holders and is recognised by the business world. Thanks to its organisation as a sandwich course (1 week per month of theory training, the rest in-company) ISQM actively prepares its students to join the professional world.

It develops and transmits knowledge and cutting-edge expertise on how consumers and companies can adopt and use digital technologies. Additionally, it observes the change in forms of distribution as well as the development and integration of customer relations in an omnichannel strategy. This research chair is focused on fundamental and applied research and studies how the phenomena of consumption and distribution are influenced, curbed, or altered by digital technologies.

About ‘Parcours Croisés’ at AFNOR Compétences

AFNOR Parcours Croisés is aimed at decision makers in Quality/QSE, and key players responsible for management and performance systems in large companies, their business units or mid-size companies. Once the AFNOR Parcours Croisés clubs are formed, new members are invited by existing members. Membership lasts for 12 months during which time 8 meetings of 3h30 are organised (+ cocktails & buffet) and 2 annual conventions. This service is eligible for the training budget (28h of training). The fee is €2350 exclusive of tax + applicable VAT. 10% discount for members of the AFNOR association.
parcourscroises.com - parcours-croises@afnor.org

Contact presse du groupe AFNOR : Olivier GIBERT Tel. +33 (0) 141 628 417 / presse@afnor.org