Tailor-made Business Challenges


Tailor-made Business Challenges

28 februari 2015

Several moments a year the FEB Careers Company of the University of Groningen facilitates Business Challenges, tailored to the wishes and demands of the organisations we work with. During these 6-week Challenges, students come up with business solutions to real life managerial issues. "It
concerns successful events for all parties concerned", according to Careers Company Director Wijnand Aalderink. "Last year we organised it together with Shell. Without exception, the students were positive about this extra experience for their cv. And many organisations already expressed an
interest in a business case".

Business Challenge
Business Challenge

"By organising this challenge we, Shell and NAM, were able to present ourselves as future employers," says Kees Nieuwkamp, Finance Manager at NAM in Assen. "In addition, it provided us with an opportunity to create a solid basis for our collaboration with the University". Students drafted
their own valuation model for projects in the oil and gas industry. In doing this, non-technical risks, such as for instance, political and commercial risks had to be included also. This resulted for Shell in a project portfolio as optimal as possible and with a scientific basis.

Realistic assignment
The business challenge is an initiative of the FEB Careers Company. Together with an organisation we develop a realistic business assignment, on which 25 selected Economics and Business students work in teams. They are coached by professionals from the organisation and by lecturers of the
Faculty Economics and Business . "The finals are always exciting", says Wijnand Aalderink. "In a business battle the students present their results to the audience and a jury of professionals decide who presented the best recommendations.

"Impressed by the quality"
Kees Nieuwenkamp of NAM: "I was very impressed by the quality of the students and by the ideas and concepts they had developed. It was inspiring to see with how much energy and ambition they worked together and that they were thus able to achieve exceptional results." Student Natasja Massink
is very pleased with the event. "I think this is a good initiative, especially because projects such as these build a bridge between the `academic world' and the corporate world. An experience like this one is useful because it give you a better picture of a company and the industry within
which the company operates."

Natasja looks upon her motived and diverse team also as an advantage: "The diversity led to quite a number of interesting and lively discussions and besides that it ensured that the issue was approached from difference perspectives. In addition, this Challenge has given me in particular,
through meeting and working with various Shell employees, a good picture of Shell as a potential employer."

Interested in your own Business Challenge?
Please feel free to contact Wijnand Aalderink, directeur Corporate Relations & Career Services
>> E: careerscompany.feb@rug.nl
>> T: 050 363 3741

We always look forward to exchange experiences so that we're able to service you in a way that best suits you!