university case competition - fuels institute · proposal your future plan should address the...

2018 University Case Competition

SPONSORED BYFuel Retailing in 2040

About the Fuels Institute Located just outside of Washington, D.C., the Fuels Institute is a nonprofit tax-exempt social welfare organization under section 501 (c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. We are dedicated to evaluating issues affecting the vehicles and fuels markets. We commission comprehensive, fact-based research projects that are designed to answer questions, not advocate a specific outcome.

By bringing together diverse stakeholders, we facilitate industry collaboration and identify oppor-tunities and challenges associated with new technologies.

The Fuels Institute 2018 University Case Competition is made possible with additional support from these and other fine partners:

John Eichberger | Executive [email protected]

Amanda Appelbaum | Director, [email protected]

Donovan Woods | Director, [email protected]

For more information, visit fuelsinstitute.org.

1 | 2018 Fuels Institute University Case Competition

Table of Contents

Section 1: Overview 3 The Case 4

Components of the Case Analysis 5

Section 2: Eligibility and Terms 7

Section 3: Competition Format 7

Section 3.1: Round One 8

Section 3.2: Round Two 8

Section 3.3: Round Three 9

Section 4: Coaching 10

Section 5: Case Evaluation 11

Section 5.1: Abstract Submission Scoring 11

Section 5.2: Case Submission Scoring 11 Section 6: Awards 12

Legal and Intellectual Property 13

Legal Disclaimer 13

Fuel Retailing in 2040 | 2


Section 1 Overview

The Fuels Institute is hosting its 4th annual University Case Competition this spring. It is expected that each competing team will famil-iarize themselves with these rules and guide-lines and that they will abide by them in the spirit of the competition. Students submitting abstracts must include the resume for each team member to be eligible to proceed to the next stage. Students selected to continue in the competition may have an opportunity to interview for internships at leading transporta-tion and energy firms. In addition, finalists will be flown to Chicago, IL for FUELS 2018, to present to industry executives for final judging. There, they will compete for cash prizes and enjoy networking with more than 100 industry professionals.


Fuel Retailing in 2040

THE CASEThrough the lens of a fuel retailer, establish a timeline of the evolution of the light-duty vehicle fueling infrastructure in the United States through 2040.

CASE DETAILSThere are more than 124,000 convenience stores that sell motor fuel in the U.S. In fact, U.S. conve-nience stores sell 80% of the gasoline purchased by approximately 39 million Americans who fuel up their vehicles four to five times each month.

While alternative fuels grab headlines, projections show that by the year 2025, 96% of light-duty vehicles will still be powered by liq-uid fuel. The impact of electric vehicles is not projected to be felt by 2025; however, change in the market is coming.

You and your team are the owners of 75 of these retail outlets that sell motor fuel throughout the U.S. Your team is tasked with building a future business plan to maintain profitability through 2040, at a time when personal vehicles are trav-eling farther on less energy; alternative fuels and vehicles have gained significant market share; shared services (ride hailing) are becoming the norm and younger generations don’t view car ownership the same as prior generations.

Your team will project the energy mix required to power the light-duty vehicle fleet and assess the relationship between consumers, personal transportation and retail outlets. In addition, you will assess the energy supply chain, taking into account all elements of the market, includ-ing production, distribution, infrastructure, labor, community relations, etc.

2015 FIRST PLACE TEAM | UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN


Components of the Case Analysis

KEY ASSUMPTIONS• CAFE Program – In effect as of August 2017

and remains the same through 2040.

• Energy types to incorporate into your planmight include petroleum, electricity, hydro-gen, biofuels and natural gas.

• In selecting your fuel options analyzed forthis case, it is recommended that studentsfamiliarize themselves with current forecastsconcerning market penetration of alternative fuels and vehicle technologies. As a founda-tion of understanding, students are recom-mended to review the U.S. Energy Informa-tion Administration’s “Annual Energy Outlook 2017” and the Fuels Institute’s report, “Tomor-row’s Vehicles.”

• Forecasts are by nature contingent uponassumptions made at the time of theirpublication and are subject to adjustmentand changing market dynamics. However,if student’s projections deviate significantlyfrom those of reputable organizations, theyare expected to demonstrate compellingrationale to support such deviation.

PROPOSALYour future plan should address the following:

• Describe the markets in which your storeswill operate between 2018 and 2040. Whatwill change in terms of the vehicle marketand energy demand? What will be the pivot-al differences between fuel retailing in 2018and in 2040? Describe your vision for yourbusiness in 2040 and compare it with yourbusiness in 2018.

• Detail your business plan’s evolution as itseeks to accommodate your anticipatedchanges in the market. What is your timelinefor introducing your new strategies? Do themarkets affecting each of your locationsexhibit the same characteristics on the sametime line (i.e., rural vs. urban, neighborhoodvs. highway exit ramp location)? Describeyour implementation plan—when will youbegin to introduce your changes and onwhat schedule will you roll them out to yourlocations?

• Explain why and how you will design your fuel offer. Will you incorporate a variety of ener-gy options at each store or will you diversifyyour product availability by location? If youintend to offer multiple options at a singlesite, how will you accommodate each onein terms of infrastructure (i.e., undergroundtanks for multiple liquid fuel options), refuel-ing position (i.e., parking spaces for electricvehicle charging or additional dispensers fornatural gas or hydrogen), etc.? What mightbe the associated costs with these new prod-ucts and how would you calculate the returnon investment?


• Considering your expected timeline for mar-ket evolution, how will your business planprovide flexibility to remain relevant to con-sumer demands over time? How will youcapitalize on emerging market opportunitiesand protect against threats, especially thosethat might not be anticipated in your long-term plan?

• As you contemplate new market opportu-nities, who will be your competition? Howdoes this competitive landscape differ fromtraditional fuel retailing? What advantag-es or disadvantages will you have over newformat competitors? How will you secure orstrengthen an advantage in the market?

• As you consider introducing new fuelingoptions, what influence will governmentprograms have on your decisions? Whatexisting programs would support your prod-uct introduction decisions? What futureprograms might be necessary to enable thedevelopment of a new market?

• Describe your marketing strategy to enticeconsumers to purchase new products orservices from your store. How will yourrelationship with your customer evolve?How will you measure the success of yourstrategy? How will you leverage new tech-nologies to sustain customer engagement?

2016 FIRST PLACE TEAM | UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY

2015 FIRST PLACE TEAM | UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN

2017 FIRST PLACE TEAM | GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY


Section 3 Competition Format

All participants must meet the following criteria:

1. Be enrolled in a collegiate undergraduate,graduate or postgraduate program.

2. Each team must consist of at least three stu-dents (no maximum).

3. Each team must select a “team captain” to bethe main point of contact between the FuelsInstitute and the team.

4. The team captain must be a student and amember of the competing team.

5. Once teams are selected, no other team member substitutions will be permitted (with the exception of emergencies).

6. Only three students per team will be invited to travel to Chicago, IL to FUELS2018, and present your findings—teams will need to determine among themselves who will attend if invited.

7. Multiple teams from one university may compete (no maximum).

8. Teams are strongly encouraged to be multi- disciplinary.

Section 2 Eligibility and Terms

The competition shall consist of three stages:

1. Round One (Abstract submission)

2. Round Two (Case submission)

3. Round Three (On-site presentation)


SECTION 3.1 ROUND ONEThe abstract submission is a detailed outline of your theme and how you plan to prove your theory in a full submission.

1. Abstracts will be a minimum of one page and a maximum of two pages.

2. Abstracts should have a cover page (thispage does not count against your two-pagemaximum) that lists the title, universityname, team member names and emailssorted alphabetically by last name.

3. The abstract title should be concise andclearly convey the subject of the abstract.

4. Abstracts should NOT include any artwork,charts or graphs.

5. Each team is allowed to submit a maximumof three abstracts.

6. One abstract per team will have an oppor-tunity to be selected to move to Round Two.

7. All abstracts are due to Donovan Woods([email protected]), by Friday,October 13, 2017, at 11:59 pm EST.

8. Judges will select 25 submissions from apool of abstracts to be invited to RoundTwo. Team captains will be notified by e-mailwhether their team has or has not beeninvited to round two of the competition onFriday, October 20, 2017, after 3:00 pm EST.

9. Format all abstracts with the following pagelayout:

• 1” margins

• 12-point font, Arial

• Double-spaced

• Single-sided print

SECTION 3.2 ROUND TWOThe case submission is your opportunity to fully explore all points you outlined in your abstract.

1. Case submissions will be a minimum of 12pages and a maximum of 15.

2. Case submissions should have a cover page(this does not count against your page count) that (at a minimum) lists the title, universityname, team member names and emails sort-ed alphabetically by last name.

3. Case submission titles should match theassociated abstract.

4. Case submissions may contain appropriateartwork, charts and graphs.


5. Case submissions are due to Donovan Woods ([email protected]), by Friday,December 15, 2017, by 11:59 pm EST.

6. Judges will select three teams from a pool of25 case submissions to be invited to RoundThree. Team captains will be notified bye-mail whether their team has or has notbeen invited to Round Three of the competi-tion on Monday, January 15, 2018, after 3:00pm EST. In addition, up to three teams will be notified of their selection as Honorable Men-tions, which will result in their submissionbeing printed in the official Fuels Institutepublication.

7. Format all case submissions with the follow-ing page layout:

• 1” margins

• 12-point font, Arial

• Double-spaced

• Single-sided print

SECTION 3.3 ROUND THREEAt the expense of the Fuels Institute, three teams will be flown to the FUELS2018 annual meeting in Chicago, IL. During this meeting, the teams will present their findings to a group of approximately 100 of the most influential individuals in the trans-portation industry. The specific criteria used in Round Three scoring will be shared with the final three teams at the time of their selection.

1. Only three students per team will be brought to FUELS2018.

2. The team captains of each team must be oneof the students presenting at the meeting.

3. Students must be dressed in business attire.

4. Name tags will be provided and should beworn throughout the competition.

5. All team members must speak during thepresentation.

6. Note cards are allowed to be used during the presentation.

7. The time limit for the presentation is 20 min-utes followed by 10 minutes of Q&A by theaudience.a. Time limits will be enforced.b. Teams may show new slides during the

Q&A should they be relevant to the ques-tion asked.

c. It is not necessary for all team members to participate in the Q&A.

8. Handouts are allowed; however, pleaseconfirm the number you will need to bringwith you by contacting Donovan Woods([email protected]).

9. All presentations must be saved in MicrosoftPowerPoint and sent to Donovan Woods([email protected]) by Tuesday, May 2, 2018. There will be no additional changesallowed beyond Tuesday, May 16, 2018.


10. After May 2, 2018, all presentations arefinal and no alterations to the slides will beallowed so that no team receives extra timeto work on their presentation.

11. A wireless presentation remote (clicker) willbe provided to each team.

12. There are no guidelines for the presentation format in terms of specific presentationmaterial, number of slides, what areasshould be covered in the presentation, etc.

13. Students are encouraged to bring a backupcopy of their presentations on a USB drive.

14. Graphics and sound effects are allowed inthe presentation.

15. Presentations will be in alphabetical orderby university name. In the event of twoteams from the same school, presentationswill be in alphabetical order of the last name of the team captains.

15. All teams will be permitted to watch eachpresentation.

Any points of clarification or suggestions should be discussed directly with Donovan Woods ([email protected]). Team captains must submit their questions and Donovan Woods will follow up directly with the team captain. All responses will be shared with all participating teams in each round while not indicating where the question originated. This will keep a level playing field between all teams.

The three teams that reach the presentation stage will be given an opportunity to set up two conference calls with John Eichberger, execu-tive director of the Fuels Institute. The purpose of each call will be for each team to be privately coached on public speaking, gain more insight into the audience they will be facing at the conference and receive guidance pertaining to specific areas of their submission that might benefit from additional evaluation.

Section 4 Coaching

The competition shall be judged in a fair and open manner so that all teams know how they are being evaluated. The specific criteria used in Round Three scoring will be shared with the fi-nal three teams at the time of the selection.

SECTION 5.1 ABSTRACT SUBMISSION SCORINGAll abstracts will be read and scored by a panel of judges from various sectors of the transporta-tion industry.

Abstracts will be judged on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the highest rating a segment can receive) on the following weighted scale:

1. Originality – 25%

2. Plausibility – 35%

3. Thought Provoking – 30%

4. Overall Presentation – 10%

SECTION 5.2 CASE SUBMISSION SCORINGCase submissions will be read and judged based on the following weighted scale:

1. Skill in analyzing the case – 40%

• Responds to all pertinent questions

• Clearly identifies the problem beingaddressed

• Uses key assumptions appropriately

2. Ability to defend strategy – 40%

• Presents strategies that are both logical and appropriate for all key stakeholders

• Demonstrates reasonableness of positionand situational considerations

• Uses logic and demonstrates a firm under-standing of the topic

• Uses current best practices and research on the fuel of choice and infrastructure limita-tions

• Displays clear answers to the (financial)return on investment

3. Overall quality of the submission – 20%

• Communicates position in a clear,organized manner

Section 5 Case Evaluation



1. 1st Place winner - $5,000

2. 2nd Place winner - $2,500

3. 3rd Place winner - $1,000

4. 4th – 6th Place winners - $500 each

5. The three finalist teams will each receiveapproximately $1,200 each for their stu-dent-run energy/transportation clubs.

6. The three finalist and three runner-up teamswill have their final submissions published by the Fuels Institute.

7. All participants who submit abstracts willhave their resumes presented to oursponsors for an opportunity to interview forsummer internships.

Section 6 Awards

Three finalist teams will be flown to Chicago, IL for FUELS2018, and present their submission to approximately 100 industry executives from a diverse group of fuels and vehicles stakeholders (flight, transfers to and from airport and a two night stay at the event hotel will be paid for by the Fuels Insti-tute).

In addition, the following will apply:

It is worth noting that even though we are of-fering cash prizes, we are not creating a compe-tition specifically for “pitching your company.” Rather, we are challenging you to take on the future of transportation at a contextual and conceptual level, in accordance with the specif-ic case questions and deliverable requirements that we have constructed, in order to generate new strategic ideas.

If concrete new businesses are hatched out of your explorations, we would be happy about that, but any negotiations related to possible new enterprises would be outside the scope of

our contest and not something that we will be liable for, in case of misunderstanding.

We have structured the legalities so that you own any intellectual property contained in your submission, but we retain the royalty-free, non-exclusive, perpetual right to publish it. In addition, we have included language limiting our liability. The formalities are below.

We are asking you to check the box underneath the text, to signify that all members of your team have read the disclaimer and agree to the stated terms and conditions.

The Fuels Institute acknowledges that you and your team members will own the intellectu-al property associated with your research and the content submitted in connection with this competition, including the Statement of Intent, proposals, case question responses and presen-tations (collectively the “Submissions”). By enter-ing a Submission in this competition, you agree that the Fuels Institute shall have a non-exclu-sive, royalty-free and perpetual license to pub-lish and reproduce any or all of your Submissions in Fuels Institute publications in any medium.

In addition, by entering any Submission as part of this competition, you agree that the Fuels Institute will not be liable to you or to your teammates, or to any person, firm, corporation, organization, or business association for or on account of any injury, loss, or damage of any kind or nature sustained by, or damages assessed, or asserted against, or other liability, costs, or expenses whatsoever incurred by or imposed upon the other party or any other person, firm,

corporation, organization, or business associa-tion arising out of, or in connection with, or resulting from participation in the competition or intellectual property violations by a third party.

By entering any Submission as part of this com-petition, you also agree that the Fuels Institute and its employees, directors and board mem-bers will not be liable to you, your teammates or to any person, firm, corporation, organization or other business association claiming by, through or under you or your teammates under any the-ory of tort, contract, strict liability, or other legal or equitable theory for lost profits, exemplary, punitive, special, incidental, indirect or conse-quential damages, each of which is hereby excluded by the agreement of you and the Fuels Institute regardless of whether or not any party or entity has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Check the box to signify your team’s agreement:

❏

Legal and Intellectual Property

Legal Disclaimer: Check the Box Below


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