Case Study Shell

This course is a practical course offered in the Master of International Business and Sustainability together with Shell.

As part of the course, students work on a case study in collaboration with Shell on the topic of “Retail Strategy” and present it to representatives of Shell management. In the case study, the students develop a strategy for the future orientation of Shell's petrol station stores. Shell currently generates around 2/3 of its profits from the sale of fuels and 1/3 from the store area. The approximately 2,000 petrol station stores in Germany therefore make a significant contribution to the company's overall profitability. In order to gain more independence from the intense competition for fuel margins, income from the store area is to be further increased over the coming years. The case study sensitizes students to consumer trends and practical challenges in the development of a competitive strategy.

Against this background, the following learning objectives should be achieved:

• Application of theoretical concepts and instruments of strategic corporate management in the practical case of "The Retail Challenge".
• Developing an awareness of practical challenges in the field of international strategic corporate management.
• Developing the competence to transform a complex task into a project and to work on and manage it in a team.

The course is bilingual (German/English), i.e. presentations and discussions can be held in German or English, but the written elaboration of the case study will be in English.

The event is divided into two blocks: After the kick-off event and group division on Thursday, October 20, 2016, 09:00 - 13:00, the phase in which the students develop a presentation on the case study and prepare a written elaboration in the group begins. After an interim meeting with Shell and the professorship, there will be a presentation day at Shell on Friday, December 16, 2016, 09:00 - 17:00, on which the students will present the results of the case study and discuss them with the Shell management team. The students will then have until Monday, January 30, 2017 to complete the written elaboration.

In the kick-off meeting on October 20, 2016 from 09:00 - 13:00, the company Royal Dutch Shell, the topic of retail stores and the specific case study will be presented by representatives of Shell. The students will then be divided into three to four groups. During the kick-off event, students will also receive general information on the expectations regarding the content of the group work, the case study and the written assignment.

The following requirements apply for passing the course:

• All students in a group must work on the case study and prepare a (PowerPoint) presentation. The groups must give this presentation during the presentation day at Shell (as a group). Not all students in the group have to be present during the presentation, although they can do so.
• The oral presentation can be given in English or German and should last approximately 40 minutes in total (per group).
• You must contribute to the written group work and pass it with a grade of at least 4.0.
• The written version of the group work must be 20-30 pages long (up to 60,000 characters) and must be written in English.
• Papers that are not handed in on time are considered failed and cannot be submitted later!

The grade for the course is made up as follows:

Proportion of the overall grade: Term Paper 50%; Presentation 50%.