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Case Study

British Petroleum (A): Defining a strategic vision

By Paul Strebel and Brian Rogers

8 pages

May 2011

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Reference: IMD-3-2180

The A-case begins with Tony Hayward’s appointment as CEO of BP. Hayward was immediately faced with the challenge of convincing the board that he could streamline BP’s cost structure, while at the same time addressing the other main issue facing the company, its safety record. One of the board’s subcommittees, the safety, ethics and environment assurance committee (SEEAC), had the mandate to identify and mitigate significant non-financial risks and ensure the company achieved its goal of “no accidents, no harm to people, and no damage to the environment.”

Learning Objective

Strategic positioning in terms of risk and costs; setting strategic priorities; comparison competitors; managing the expectations of the board.

Keywords

Strategy, Leadership, General Management

Settings

BP, Materials, Oil and Gas, Energy
2007-2010

Type

Published Sources

Available Languages

English

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Teaching note

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This case study is part of a series

British Petroleum (A): Defining a strategic vision
British Petroleum (B): The Deepwater Horizon explosion
British Petroleum (C): Economic and environmental sustainability?

This case study is part of a series

British Petroleum (A): Defining a strategic vision
British Petroleum (B): The Deepwater Horizon explosion
British Petroleum (C): Economic and environmental sustainability?

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