MSc students brought their case studies to a wind farm

– This was really fun. It's nice to experience what we read and learn about for real, says students Ingrid Flood, Ragnhild Leidland and Maren Lovise Jåsund.

They are all first-year students in the MSc program in Business Administration at UiS Business School. This semester they have, with the other students in the program, visited the wind power plant in Bjerkreim. This was a part of the course Business Decisions.

Professor Gorm Kipperberg made a case in the interface of business management, business decisions, social economics and environmental economics. The question was: Should you apply for a concession to invest in a wind farm on land?

Taking the students seriously

The students got scientific articles and reports and then worked with the case for ten days, delivered a written report, and had case discussions, Kipperberg explains.

– We thought that we would have a guest lecturer for our final day, but uniquely - so we chose to visit the wind farm.

– Business Decisions are one of our most ambitious courses. It is mandatory, and the students get randomly seated together - just like in real work life. The lectures are demanding and are the same kind they use at Harvard Business School. But we take them seriously and think they are up to these challenges and situations.

A cool way to learn

The visit to the wind farm was complementary to a talk from John Amund Lund from Norsk Vind Energi. The students commented that this talk was very interesting and relevant.

It was especially interesting for many international students who'd never seen windmills at such close range.

Kipperberg thought this study of the wind farm was fascinating because it's a basic investment case.

– Renewable energy is built because we need to reduce the carbon footprint, but it comes at the expense of nature. It is interesting to discuss from a business perspective and in a more public view, so it was perfect that we could see it upfront at the wind farm.

It was also a great social day, and next year's students will have a similar excursion, Kipperberg says.

– We see that an excursion like this as an ending to the casework is something we want more of. A tour is a cool way to learn.