BUSS4 Research - a Corus of Disapproval

One more suggestion for colleagues looking to encourage students to pick a relevant case study for their BUSS4 research on the recent recession in the UK.  Take a look at the Corus story over the last 18-24 months.

Corus fits the bill nicely for all the BUSS4 research bullets:

- A global dimension (the BUSS4 examiner is keen on foreign multinationals that operate in the UK)
- Strategy closely tied to the global business cycle - a market leader in a hugely cyclical industry
- Was top of the business news agenda in the first 6-9 months of 2009 (when its likely the BUSS4 paper for June 2010 was set)
- A lovely long-term / short-term angle.  Strategic planning in the steel industry has to take a very long-term view in terms of decisions about capacity management.  But keeping the blast furnaces going requires a steady short-term flow of orders.  Demand = order book
- Lots of stakeholder angles - steel towns like Redcar, Scunthorpe, Rotherham etc have been devasted by strategic decisions taken by Corus’ foreign owners during 2008, 2009 and now 2010
- Government financial support - should the “hard hats” be saved in the same way that the government saved the “bowler hats”?

Corus dominates steel production in the UK.  Here is a tutor2u chart which shows what has happened to UK steel production (measured in volume) during the recession:

UK_Production_of_Steel.pdf

Here are a selection of BBC videos and radio interviews which you might find helpful if your students want to take this further:

Last post sounded for Corus plant (Feb 2010)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8525458.stm
Lump in the throat time for anyone with a heart for UK steel manufacturing?
The Corus plant in Teeside is being mothballed, not closed down - but will it ever be fired up again?

Sun sets on Teesside steel-making (Jan 2010)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8519769.stm
This short piece focuses on the job prospects of the Corus steelworkers post closure. Steel has been made there for 150 years - for many
Corus employees, they have only had one employers the whole of their working lives

Steel job loss area to get £60m (Dec 2009)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8402632.stm
The government pledges £60m in financial aid to parts of Teesside rocked by job losses at the Corus steelworks plant

Corus statement on 1,700 Teesside job losses
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8395506.stm
The steel maker Corus confirms it is to close large sections of its Teesside plant, with the loss of 1,700 jobs.

‘It’s time to help the hard hats’
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8157453.stm
Unions argue for government financial support for the steel industry during the recession

Stay of execution for steel jobs (June 2009)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8089655.stm
The Redcar Corus plant gets a short-term stay-of-execution - but still needed to find new orders for steel

Corus workers await news of jobs (May 2009)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_7850000/7850556.stm
Robert Peston with a more detailed analysis of the reasons for the significant retrenchment by Corus

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