Oxford offers free access to case studies

Von am 13. Juni 2011

The Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation has launched three case studies that will be available to download from the Centre’s website free of charge. The case studies examine reputational events at British Nuclear Fuels, Eni and Arcandor

“We made the policy decision not to charge for our cases or teaching notes,” said Case Study Editor Rowena Olegario. “This makes it possible for instructors and students from all over the world to have access to our materials.” All three case studies aim to engage managers (and managers-in-training) on a range of topics that vitally affect how a company is perceived by its stakeholders.

The three cases are:
-‘British Nuclear Fuels Ltd – The Road to Privatisation,’ follows the challenges faced by the government-owned company in 1999-2003, as managers prepared it for a possible IPO. 
-‘Eni’s Sustainability Programme in the Republic of Congo’ examines how the Italian oil and gas giant grounds its sustainability programmes in a company culture that grew out of Eni’s distinctive origins.
– ‘Arcandor, 2005-2009’ traces the attempts of its CEO to turn around the troubled German conglomerate. 

In addition to research in publicly available sources, the authors conducted numerous interviews to balance the sometimes competing viewpoints of stakeholders. “A lot of case studies out there are pieced together from press cuttings,” said Olegario. “Ours are the product of in-depth interviews with the companies’ most senior managers, their CEOs or heads of divisions. We also interviewed informed observers and critics, including analysts and NGOs. That kind of first-hand engagement is the only way to get a real feel for what companies do, and achieve a better understanding of the reasons behind the actions that affect their reputations with stakeholders.”

Three additional case studies will be available in October 2011. 

Foto Bärbel Schwertfeger, MBA Journal

Über Bärbel Schwertfeger

Bärbel Schwertfeger ist Diplom-Psychologin und seit 1985 als freie Journalistin im Bereich Management, Weiterbildung und Personalentwicklung tätig.