P3 is the last study period on the Fontainebleau campus, before the cohort moves on to Abu Dhabi (optional) and Singapore. In the Core Courses, you will learn to apply your accounting knowledge to practical managerial uses, discover the exciting and perhaps surprising aspects of operations and logistics, and understand the intersection between business, government and public policy.
This period, the Practicals will give you a flavour of the world of start-ups and entrepreneurship, provide you with hands-on tools for improving your negotiation skills and open up insights into doing business in the Middle East.
"I felt truly honoured to have the opportunity to learn from world-class professors"
Loïc Schreurs
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
Dutch
"The learning experience in P3 was simply outstanding, thanks to our top-notch faculty and their amazing teaching skills, great sense of humour and the connections they were able to build with the class. I felt truly honoured to have the opportunity to learn from world-class professors
In terms of content, Managerial Accounting provided us with a wide range of analytical tools, such as Cost-Volume-Profit analysis and product costing capital budgeting to support value-based decision-making.
In Business & Society, we would usually start the class with a news article from the day, and then move on to discuss how this topic relates to business and society in general.
We got to learn about macroeconomic policy innovation and the nature of market competition, as well as the strategic implications for companies.
Process & Operations Management - my personal favourite - showed me that innovation is not only about designing new products but also about re-engineering business processes. I realised that some of the best performing companies do not gain competitive advantage because of their value proposition but because of their innovative business models.
The Business Model Practical was set up like a tournament: We teamed up in groups of four to five students to gather and select business ideas, moved through a series of exercises (i.e. using the Business Model Canvas), provided peer-to-peer feedback and improved and competed on each idea until there was a final winner.
If it wasn’t for the pandemic, at the end of P3 we would have had the option to spend some time in Abu Dhabi. However, INSEAD has been all about building resilience. This year, we all went straight away to Singapore and continued with our Practicals during quarantine. We explored the power of negotiation within the context of business and the impacts of rentier economies, economic diversification and culture on doing business in the Middle East."
"A personal highlight was “Mid-point Day” which marked the halfway point of the MIM programme."
Olivia Ozino Caligaris
BA in Economics and Business
French, Argentinian
"My favourite P3 class was Process & Operations Management too! We got to study lots of examples and cases to understand the pivotal role of processes, and the many opportunities for innovation in this field. Coming from a start-up background, I really enjoyed this opportunity to ideate.
Although I was initially apprehensive about yet another accounting course, Managerial Accounting turned out to be very business-oriented and surprisingly even included organisational behaviour aspects such as managing incentives and aligning value creation across the company.
The P3 Practical on Business Innovations was condensed into four very intense and stimulating days, where we went through the entire cycle of generating, evaluating and selecting business ideas to pitch, with guidance and frameworks for every step along the way.
Wrapping up in Fontainebleau, packing our things and flying over to Singapore at the end of P3 was another intense and moving experience, especially in this year’s challenging circumstances due to the pandemic. Coming from an idyllic small town in France we now get to experience big city life in Asia! In a way, we have also turned the tables amongst ourselves. While in Fontainebleau I would help out my non-French speaking friends with some practical things in everyday life, I am now myself a total stranger in a new city on an entirely different continent, and can rely on others who have more experience with the way things are done over here.
Lastly, a personal highlight in P3 was “Mid-point Day” which marked the halfway point of the MIM programme. We sent each other gratitude notes and also put together a time capsule where everyone contributed some items or letters to our future selves, which we vowed to open together at our 10-year reunion."
"The courses provided a strong anchor in a rigorously analytical and practical approach."
Stefano Pizzoli
Bachelor in Business Administration Management
Italian
"The combination of P3 courses was very interesting because again, like in all periods so far, they built on and complemented each other in various different ways. They also provided a strong anchor in a rigorously analytical and practical approach which is one of the main reasons why I chose the INSEAD MIM.
My personal interest lies in digital transformation and entrepreneurship, so the Business Model Innovation Practical was extremely useful - if not the best so far in the whole programme. Earlier this year I had already participated in the INSEAD Startup Bootcamp and I’m also part of a group that is preparing for the INSEAD Venture Competition, so this was a great opportunity to double check our business model and work on our pitch.
Another highlight was the webinar “A Future in Google” that I organised and moderated together with a friend. Our goal was to give our class an insider’s perspective to understand Google’s mission and the kind of roles that are available in the organisation, as well as the strategic challenges and opportunities the company is facing and how INSEAD MIM graduates can add value. It took us a couple of months to put together and it was very personally fulfilling to be able to offer this to our class.
Ultimately, this is what I aim to do in life: Bring added value to society, whether in the form of an entrepreneurial project or a job at a tech firm leading digital transformation – or even starting with small things, such as delivering this panel to add value to the class and the panellists."
"The many hands-on exercises were very useful."
Sonali Gobin
BA French and Francophone Studies; Bachelor of Business Administration, Finance
Mauritian
"Process & Operations Management was a lot more challenging than I initially thought, and exploring the complexities of today’s fast-moving supply chains was just mind-boggling!
In Business & Society, we once again profited from the diversity and richness of experiences in the INSEAD MIM class, with people coming together from so many different countries, cultures and backgrounds which made for extremely enriching discussions.
Personally, Managerial Accounting was the most rewarding class to me with extremely valuable insights gained in every session – also thanks to the amazing teaching skills and experience of our professor.
The Business Innovation Practical was delivered via Zoom. Having experienced a few business model competitions before, I thought it was very useful to actually get to experience this in an online format as well, as there are a few things to look out for that you wouldn’t have considered otherwise.
The Negotiations Practical and the many hands-on exercises were also very useful - I hadn’t realised before that negotiation not my forte! Usually in negotiations you never know what the other person is thinking, so it was great to get that direct feedback during the debriefs and have the opportunity to understand your gaps and improve. I now have a “cheat sheet” of extremely useful pointers that will help me prepare for my next negotiation. It was also a very timely topic as many of us are now in the middle of job interviews and gearing up for salary negotiations."
