In early 2017, 51 students in the Corporate Strategy course at the School of Business, Economics and Law at University of Gothenburg were challenged to propose solutions to advance sustainability among electric utilities.
This case study differed compared to regular case studies in that it was based on a real business challenge experienced by Jämtkraft, a medium-sized energy company in the North of Sweden. The case was compiled by ImpactEd, acting as an intermediary, taking care of transforming the students‘ solutions into a concrete actionable proposal for the company. The problem that the students should address in groups of 4-5 was to give advice as to transforming Jämtkrafts business model so to fit the digital age.
The students received a project description, giving an overview of the energy sector’s challenge to transform into a problem-solver regarding climate change and other energy-related sustainability challenges. To address this, Jämtkraft has set out to create a digital platform that should change the way consumers interact with electricity suppliers. The platform should aim at modernizing the interaction between utility companies and consumers throughout the entire supply and usage lifecycle, which in turn potentially transforms the entire business model of the company.
Students were asked to solve three interlinked tasks:
1: Assess how the digitization strategy might be able to expand upon the company’s current sustainability practices;
2: Explore the value propositions of the digitization strategy for the firm; and
3: Conceptualize the platform and suggest three potential features that the platform should offer to best create strategic value, based on the earlier assessment.
Students‘ suggestions were compiled and forwarded to Jämtkraft. A short summary is presented below:
| Topics | Suggestion |
|---|---|
| Energy Tracker | Users are encouraged to set sustainability goals for their energy consumption |
| Smart Home Control Board | A sensor attached to all energy sources in a household will allow customers to better control and measure energy consumption. |
| Community Center | Social community platform where customers can share their experiences of saving energy. |
| Energy Marketplace | A hub featuring collaborations with different companies that provide product and services, making it easier for Jämtkraft’s customers to adopt energy efficient products. |
| Customer Support | Customers can ask questions to be answered by Jämtkraft professionals and customers in the community. |
| Customer Energy Account | Customers having a surplus of energy produced by their solar cells can share it with other participants within the network who are in need of energy. |
After the course, this new approach to case studies was evaluated and students were polled as to their experience with the real-life case. Results showed that this feature was highly appreciated.
