GRA 8512 Consultancy Project (2020/2021)

GRA 8512 Consultancy Project (2020/2021)

Course code: 
GRA 8512
Department: 
Leadership and Organizational Behaviour
Credits: 
30
Course coordinator: 
Jon Lereim
Course name in Norwegian: 
Consultancy Project (2020/2021)
Product category: 
Executive
Portfolio: 
EMME - EMM specialisation in Energy
Semester: 
2021 Autumn
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
One semester
Introduction

This course is part of the Executive Master of Management in Energy in cooperation with BI Norwegian Business School and IFP School.

The consultancy project is an integral part of the Executive Master of Management in Energy (EMME) curriculum intended to allow participants to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during the program in a real-life business, organizational or political situation. The Consultancy Project is commissioned by a company, an organization, or a public authority to address a challenge or problem which it faces.
The subject should in most cases be provided by a company, an organization or a public authority and approved by the faculty coordinators in the EMME Program. The project is usually supervised by a company, organizational or institutional representative who ensures that the project is relevant to their practices, as well as by a professor (supervisor) from one of the institutions (BI or IFP) whose role is to validate the theoretical and methodological quality.

Learning outcomes - Knowledge
  • The candidates will acquire the knowledge of writing a scientifically and research based consultancy report utilizing theories and methodologies presented during the EMME programme.
  • The students are developing the knowledge on how to provide concrete advice and recommendations on problemsolving of  real-life substantial economic or political managerial problem/challenge relevant to an organization in the energy sector.
  • The graduates will acquire knowledge on utilising the impact of digitalisation on project and business performance and mastering the demand for sustainability and doing energy business in an international environment.
  • The students will acquire knowledge necessary for being qualified to enter key management positions in the energy industry for shaping the future in the respective energy segments.

 

Learning outcomes - Skills
  • The candidates shall develop skills on how to address the challenges/ or solve problems at the desired professional level in the energy industrry .
  • The candidates shall estasblish recommended practices on how to produce an evidence based consultancy report, and demonstrate skills on utilising the impact of digitalisaation  
  • The candidates shall being able of analysing complex management issues in the energy sector 
  • The candidates shall develop skills of making critical management decisions in the respective industry segments within the energy sector 
General Competence
  • The candidates shall being able to critically and independently review the necessary actions to be taken for achievement of the green energy transition 
  • The candidates shall being able to contribute to develop the energy industry in the future
  • The candidates shall being capable to be an ackowledged contributor in the public debate of the future in the energy business with volatility, uncertainty, comlexity and ambiguity. 
Course content

Year I 

Module 1 – March (Oslo)

  • Introductory lecture and workshop on consultancy projcets  

Module 2 – September (Paris)

  • First presentation of ideas for consultancy projects, and workshop to develop them towards clear proposals
  • Contact with consultancy project supervisors 

Module 3 – November (Oslo/)

  • Refinement of consultancy propposals, workshop to consolidate method and analytical framing.
  • Approval of consultancy project theme and supervisor 

Supervision by assigned supervisors (November-March) 

Module 4 – March (Paris)

  • Project Coaching 

Supervision by assigned supervisors (March-May) 

Year II 

Module 5 – May (Oslo)

  • Early stage consultancy project issues: concepts, methodos, relevance etc. Workshop and presenations to refine analysis  

Supervision by assigned supervisors (May – September)

Teaching and learning activities

Attendance of all sessions in the course is compulsory. Students who must miss part(s) of the course have to ask for leave of absence in advance. More than 25% absence in a course will require retaking the entire course. It's the student's own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on the course homepage/ It's learning or other course materials.

The team of maximum 6 students shall submit a report equivalent to a professional consultancy report, with recommendations that provides grounds for strategic or managerial decisions. The report shall explicitly present and justify the theoretical/conceptual basis for the work as well as the methodological approach taken. It shall have a clear problem formulation, a stringent structure and a well written argument.

The length of the project is one year (September to September). The logistic and financial terms related to the project are to be negotiated between the company / organization / institution and the participants.  

The report should be of approximately. 40-50 pages in length, including a 1-3 pages executive summary and excluding appendixes.  

The work with the consultancy project will be supported by lectures, workshops and discussions in four of the course modules as outlined below. This comes in addition to guidance from the individual supervisor. 

The consultancy project should include the assessment of the impact of digitalisation on business performance, how the work may contribute to sustainability and the consequences of an international environment for business and projects in the energy sector 

The consultancy project should be handed in via It's learning and will then be distributed to the faculty advisor (internal examiner) and an external examiner. The project should also be delivered to the company/organization in the form of a final consultancy report and a presentation.

Each consultancy project group will be evaluated by an assessment of the quality of the consultancy project report and an oral presentation in front of a jury composing of the company/organization representative (voluntary), the advisor and an external examiner.

Each group will have a total time of 45 minutes to present their project.
- Presentation: approximately 20 minutes
- Questions: approximately 25 minutes

Attendance:
- All group members
- The company / organization / authority representative (voluntary), the BI and/or IFP supervisor + a co-grader from the other school.

The group decide themselves who will be presenting the report, however, it is strongly recommended that all members of group take some part in their presentation. All group members must be prepared to answer questions from the examiners. Slides should be with the logo/mask of the IFP & BI.

In special cases the report may be confidential with only the supervisor and the co-grader having access.

This is a course with continuous assessment (several exam elements) and one final exam code. Each exam element will be graded using points on a scale (e.g. 0-100). The elements will be weighted together according to the information in the course description in order to calculate the final letter grade for the course.

Specific information regarding student evaluation beyond the information given in the course description will be provided in class. This information may be relevant for requirements for term papers or other hand-ins, and/or where class participation can be one of several elements of the overall evaluation

The course is a part of a full Executive Master of Management in Energy (EMME) and examination in all courses must be passed in order to obtain a certificate.

Software tools
No specified computer-based tools are required.
Qualifications

Granted admission to the Executive Master of Management in Energy programme.

Exam categoryWeightInvigilationDurationGroupingComment exam
Exam category:
Submission
Form of assessment:
Written submission
Exam code:
GRA 85121
Grading scale:
Point scale
Grading rules:
Internal and external examiner
Resit:
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
70No2 Semester(s)Group (1 - 6)Consultancy report, counting 70% of the final grade.
Exam category:
Activity
Form of assessment:
Oral examination
Exam code:
GRA 85121
Grading scale:
Point scale
Grading rules:
Internal and external examiner
Resit:
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
30No -Group (1 - 6)Oral presentation, counting 30% of the final grade.
Exams:
Exam category:Submission
Form of assessment:Written submission
Weight:70
Invigilation:No
Grouping (size):Group (1-6)
Duration:2 Semester(s)
Comment:Consultancy report, counting 70% of the final grade.
Exam code:GRA 85121
Grading scale:Point scale
Resit:All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam category:Activity
Form of assessment:Oral examination
Weight:30
Invigilation:No
Grouping (size):Group (1-6)
Duration: -
Comment:Oral presentation, counting 30% of the final grade.
Exam code:GRA 85121
Grading scale:Point scale
Resit:All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Type of Assessment: 
Continuous assessment
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Total weight: 
100
Student workload
ActivityDurationComment
Teaching
6 Hour(s)
Feedback activities and counselling
2 Hour(s)
Tutorials
Group work / Assignments
792 Hour(s)
Preparation of Consultancy Project
Sum workload: 
800

A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 30 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of at least 800 hours.