Title: Before you get started: Case Study
Course: MSc level academic and professional (information) skills > Section: Part 1. Information skills, Plagiarism and Referencing

Every section contains a thorough explanation and exercises. Where applicable, you can choose a personal subject, or you can use the case study that is used to illustrate the explanations in different sections. The case study concerns the construction of an airport at sea.
Please read the description of the case study below.

The construction of an airport on an artificial island in the North Sea

For years, a debate has been raging in the Netherlands on the construction of a second national airport. A possibility is constructing an airport on an artificial island in the North Sea.  Concerning a possible construction of  an airport on an artificial island in the North Sea, many aspects have to  be  considered.

 For example:

- The impact of an artificial island on ocean currents and the concomitant erosion and sedimentation , in particular between the island and the coast; a technological  issue.
- The accessibility of the airport and special provisions to the airport; an important traffic engineering problem.
- The construction and the presence of an artificial island effect coastal development and the presence of birds and marine animals; an environmental issue.
- From an economic perspective, a new airport is important, both from an enhanced transport perspective, and for gaining  experience  and boosting  employment possibilities by designing and  realizing the end product.
- Political and social factors play a role in the construction of an airport in the sea and involve many conflicting interests.
- Decision making, both at different stages and levels, and the diversity of political and social interests make this project a complex  management matter.