A month has passed since you submitted the report requested by William Seaton, Director of Finance on the Board's proposals.
You have received the following email:
From: William Seaton, Director of Finance
To: Finance Manager
Subject: Shale oil
Hi,
One of the geologists made a presentation to the Board, proposing that we investigate the extraction of shale oil deposits. I have attached the slides that were used as the basis for this presentation.
I need you to work on a response to this document:
* Firstly, what risks do you envisage in our entry to the shale oil business?
* Secondly, what do you regard as the key factors that we should consider when deciding on proceeding with this proposal? Please justify your selection.
* Thirdly, what factors should we take into account when deciding on which country or countries to commence this side of the business?
* Finally, what are the challenges in creating a team of technical staff to lead our efforts in this area?
William
The presentation slides can be found by clicking on the Reference Materials button.

Six months have passed since you first heard of the possibility that Slide might relocate its Head Office to the Middle East.
You have been called into William Seaton, the Director of Finance's office:
"After lots of deliberation, the Board has reached a final decision on the Head Office move. It has been decided that we will relocate to the Middle East.
I need you to draft a report on the following matters:
* First of all, we need a strategy for the choice of country to which we are going to relocate. I need you to think about the strategic decisions that will have to be taken so that we obtain the best possible value from the relocation.
* Secondly, we have to think about the change management issues with respect to Slide's senior managers. We have a good team of senior managers and Board members and we wish to see them relocate with the company. I need your thoughts on this.
* Thirdly, there will be significant change issues for the other staff members. We cannot justify moving all of them to the Middle East, but we will be relying on them to ensure an orderly transition from the current Head Office to the new one. They will be busy for several months, then most will be made redundant. The rest will be offered new jobs with Slide because we will need a scaled down administrative presence in Kayland. Again, I need your suggestions for this.
* Finally, we need to put together a transition team to deal with the many administrative issues that the move will create. I need you to suggest a clear job description for the transition team that explains the main operational tasks required, so that the directors can be left free to focus on the strategic management."

The following email has been forwarded to you by William Seaton, Director of Finance:
From: William Seaton, Director of Finance
To: Finance Manager
Subject: Email from CFO of Fouce Oil
Hi
This email arrived last night. I need you to help me to think through the various implications of doing what it suggests before I present it to the Board. I need you to focus on the following issues:
* Would this proposal make sense from a strategic point of view?
* If we did decide to go ahead, what would be the issues that we would have to consider with respect to informing the stock market?
Could you please email me your thoughts within the next hour? I have to brief the Board later today.
Thanks
William
The email referred to can be found by clicking on the Reference Materials button.

You have received the following email from Marcus Svenson, Finance Director:
From: Marcus Svenson, Finance Director
To: Senior Finance Manager
Subject: Investment opportunity
Hi,
The Board is considering an investment opportunity to buy a forest in Bravador, a country in South Americ a. This will be a major expansion and will also enable us to diversify into new lines. For example, the forest contains lots of hardwood varieties that we could sell to companies in the double glazing industry or to furniture manufacturers. I downloaded the attached extract from an online encyclopaedia for your information.
The forest that we are planning to buy has not been used for commercial purposes until now. The land belonged to the Government for many years and it has been left to grow naturally. The Government is now keen to sell the land and has agreed that it may be used for commercial forestry purposes.
This investment will enable us to increase our output of softwoods by up to 20% per year, in addition to enabling us to enter the hardwood market.
I need two things from you. I need you to recommend a suitable approach to managing our relationship with the Bravadorian Government. I also need you to identify and explain the political risks that will remain even if we succeed in creating a sound relationship with the Government.
Marcus
Reference Material: