The Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation identifies, researches and writes a series of in-depth, analytical case studies on major corporations and reputational activities. These case studies are available for free download, with teaching notes supplied on application.
Currently available:
Governance
British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL)
In September 1999, the management team at British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL) were stunned to learn that the Independent newspaper was about to publish a leaked story. According to the newspaper, employees had falsified data concerning BNFL’s mixed oxide (MOX) fuel pellets, a serious breach of quality protocols that may have compromised the integrity of the nuclear fuel. Even worse, a shipment of these pellets was at that moment headed for BNFL’s customers in Japan.
A new group CEO, Norman Askew, was appointed to deal with the crisis. How will he reassure the company’s international customers, the media, regulators, employees, and the company’s sole shareholder – the British government – that management can contain the crisis? And how will the crisis affect the government’s long-term goal of privatising BNFL?
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Sustainability
Eni in the Republic of Congo
The integrated energy company, Eni, is Italy’s largest industrial firm and one of the largest oil companies in the World. It has substantial operations in a number of developing countries around the world and has the largest International Oil Company presence in Africa, including in the Republic of Congo. Eni’s strong internal culture, based on the values and philosophy of its first president, Enrico Mattei, has long guided its approach to developing countries. As Mattei emphatically stated to the leaders of producer countries during the 1950s and 1960s: “It’s your oil; we are guests.”
This case examines how Eni’s corporate values shaped its sustainability programs in the Republic of Congo and elsewhere. The case also considers the reputational opportunities and threats inherent in these activities, both for Eni and for companies in the oil and gas industry generally.
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QMM/Rio Tinto in Madagascar - Case A: Protecting the Island's Biodiversity
QMM, a subsidiary of mining giant Rio Tinto, began construction of an ilmenite mine in Madagascar in 2006. From a reputational perspective, the location of the mine made it one of the most sensitive projects that Rio Tinto had ever attempted. Madagascar is one of the world's biodiversity hotspots, with a very rich collection of species that exist nowhere else in the world. In recent times, the country has lost some 75 percent of its native flora species due to human activities. The area where the ore deposits were identified happened to be in one of the island nation's most ecologically diverse regions. Not surprisingly, NGOs and the international media raised objections to the project.
The case outlines how QMM's environmental and conservation team demonstrated to sceptical outside observers that the company's actions would contribute economic benefits while leaving no lasting environmental and social harm.
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Restructuring
Arcandor 2004-2009
At the end of 2004, the German retail conglomerate Arcandor, then known as KarstadtQuelle, was on the verge of bankruptcy. Thomas Middelhoff, the charismatic and controversial ex-CEO of the media firm Bertelsmann, was brought in to turn the company around. By 2007, Arcandor’s share price had climbed out of the hole and the company appeared on the way to a successful recovery. But in the summer of 2009, Arcandor filed for bankruptcy. What went wrong? What, if anything, could have saved the company?
This case considers the cultural, economic, managerial, strategic, and reputational factors that affected Arcandor’s performance.
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