Case Study Shell

This course is offered in the context of the program “Master of International Business and Sustainability” in cooperation with the energy company Royal Dutch Shell to offer students insight into the practical aspects of strategic management.

In the course, students will work on a case study in cooperation with Shell that they will then present to Shell management representatives. In the case study, students will develop future strategies for Shell and implications for their business model.

Some background on this year’s case study:

Global society is facing a dual challenge: How to make a transition to a low-carbon energy future and tackle climate change, while at the same time extending the economic and social benefits of energy to everyone on the planet? Royal Dutch Shell is deeply engaged in mastering this dual challenge. In the future years, it will be crucial for Shell as an oil and gas company to become a fully integrated energy provider. While Shell has been investing in renewable energies for the past decades, their current endeavors and investments in new and cleaner energy solutions have only marginally been communicated to the general public. The company is currently working on a new positioning strategy. The goal is to reposition the brand Shell as a pro-active and trustworthy partner to the energy transition and create an authentic image that highlights Shell’s existing clean energy solutions and the long-term ambition to reduce the net carbon footprint of its energy products in step with society’s drive to reduce greenhouse gas emission. Given the controversial history of Shell, the company faces a particularly high risk of being accused of greenwashing. In order to handle this risk, they ask for recommendations to actually “walk the talk” and reach their goal to become a trust-worthy partner to the energy transition.

Students are asked to understand and illustrate the dual challenge and give recommendations for Shell’s positioning strategy and brand image. The case study shall help increase students’ sensitivity to industry development trends and to the practical challenges in developing a positioning strategy. Further details and information on the case will be provided by Shell.

Against this background, the following educational objectives shall be reached among others:

• Applying theoretical concepts and instruments of strategic management to the case study
• Developing an increased awareness of the practical challenges in the context of strategic management
• Developing the ability to implement a complex task into a project and to work on and manage the same as a team 

The course is taught in English. It is divided into two units: The kick-off meeting and formation of groups on 16 October 2018, 9:00 – 13:00, will be followed by a phase where students will prepare both an oral presentation of the case study and a paper jointly as a group. Following talks between Shell and the students, there will be a meeting at Shell on 14 December 2018, 9:00 – 17:00, where students will present the results of the case study and discuss these with representatives of Shell management. Students will then have to hand in their paper by 31 January 2019 at the latest.

During the kick-off meeting on 16 October 2018, 9:00 – 13:00, Shell representatives will present the company Royal Dutch Shell and the topic of the case study. Students will then be divided into three to four groups. Furthermore, students will obtain general information as to the expected content of group work, the case study, and the paper.

Students must fulfill the following requirements in order to successfully complete the course:

All students of the same group must work on the case study and prepare a (PowerPoint) presentation. Each group will then give an oral presentation at the meeting held at Shell (group presentation). Not all students of one group must participate in the presentation, but of course may do so.     

• Students must contribute to written group work and attain at least grade 4.0.
• The paper resulting from the group work shall comprise 20 to 30 pages.
• Papers that are not handed in before the expiry of the deadline are considered as failed and may not be completed by a later date.   

The final grade is composed as follows: paper 50 %; presentation 50 %.