Graduate Students Publish Shared Book with Faculty

AUP’s graduate programs take advantage of small class sizes and an intimate learning environment to facilitate student–faculty collaboration on a variety of projects. In the MSc in International Management (MSIM), this takes the form of a yearly publishing project: an optional activity over the Summer semester in which graduate students work closely with faculty on a book of essays exploring a specific management topic in depth.

This year, the chosen topic was the management of complexity, looking at organizations subject to complex forces beyond human control. Professors Albert Cath and Robert Earhart of the Department of Economics and Management coordinated the project, mentored students and wrote the book’s introduction. “I’ve learned more about the content I teach than I ever expected,” said Earhart, speaking at the book’s official launch party in the Quai d’Orsay Learning Commons on Wednesday, September 28, 2022. “I am deeply proud of this work.”

Student authors explored how to manage complexity through a range of contemporary case studies, from toxic millennial workplace environments to arts education. Several contributors – many of which graduated this May – commented during the book launch that the research they conducted as part of the book project was already proving relevant in their post-AUP careers. Linh Do, for example, wrote about sex work in the context of Covid-19. “For me, the experience was intensive and empowering,” she said. The writing process helped Linh find her voice. “Having creative freedom was nerve-wracking, but ultimately allowed me to create something that felt truly mine.”

For the first time, this year’s publication also included a work of short fiction as research, submitted by student Adam Cohen. “Adam managed to work very nuanced theory into his story,” explained Professor Earhart. Also new for this edition: a comic book artist was hired to produce posters illustrating the concepts tackled by the five student contributors, broadening the reach of the research.

The other students involved were Madelein Vanderlinde, Rachel Mitchell and Safia Benyahia. The book’s conclusion was provided by Veronica Millan, Global CIO of the MullenLowe Group, who discussed how some of the concepts explored by students could be implemented in practice. Hypermanagement: Experiencing Complexity is available to purchase on Amazon. All proceeds go to running the project again next year.

The book is the second publication by MSIM Publishing, following last year’s project, A Dress Rehearsal: Strategizing Sustainability in a Post-Covid-19 World. The topic of the 2022–23 edition, which is already in production with this year’s class of MSIM students, is Stratégie à la mode, and will explore fashion and fashionability in the context of management theory and practice.