 Risk Management – TOTALENERGIES: Trois options, un dilemme (Décider en contexte géopolitique instable)Philippe Jean-Baptiste ()
Post-Print from HAL Abstract: In August 2021, the swift fall of Kabul confronted TotalEnergies with an unprecedented strategic dilemma: should the company confirm, defer, or abandon a promising gas-and-mining project in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan? The case study takes learners behind the scenes at the Paris headquarters, where the Head of International Affairs commissions a consultancy to deliver, within thirteen days, a robust recommendation for the Executive Committee. Through scripted dialogues, USGS data and diplomatic cables, the narrative exposes the tension between the economic lure of a resource-rich subsurface (lithium, copper, gas) and an environment saturated with international sanctions, legal uncertainty and humanitarian risk. The accompanying teaching note clarifies the didactic intent: across eleven modular steps, students move from a PESTEL scan to quantitative risk ranking and visualisation via a Kiviat diagram, before defending a "Go / Wait / Exit" recommendation in front of their peers. Designed for Master's-to-MBA audiences, the sequence alternates individual work, collective intelligence and digital tools (ChatGPT, Mentimeter) to develop systems thinking, ethical awareness and mastery of cognitive biases. Learners produce several deliverables—a risk register, an executive memo, a mitigation plan and a five-minute advocacy video—assessed against a twelve-criterion rubric focused on strategic relevance and social responsibility. Taken together, "TotalEnergies – Three Options, One Dilemma" offers an immersive experience that blends geopolitical analysis, risk management and ESG responsibility, while familiarising students with contemporary AI-enhanced decision-support practices. Keywords: Afghanistan; TotalEnergies; risk management; Go/Wait/Exit; PESTEL; impact-probability matrix; Kiviat diagram; Taliban; international sanctions; ESG; human rights; cognitive biases; humanitarian crisis; generative AI; stakeholders; operational security; investment strategy; energy transition; corporate governance; teaching case; gestion des risques; matrice impact-probabilité; diagramme de Kiviat; talibans; sanctions internationales; droits humains; biais cognitifs; crise humanitaire; IA générative; parties prenantes; sécurité des opérations; stratégie d’investissement; transition énergétique; gouvernance d’entreprise; étude de cas pédagogique (search for similar items in EconPapers) Published in 2025 There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it. Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05113174 Access Statistics for this paper More papers in Post-Print from HAL |
Is your work missing from RePEc? Here is how to contribute.
Questions or problems? Check the EconPapers FAQ or send mail to .
EconPapers is hosted by the
School of Business at Örebro University.