2023 Fox International Business Case Writing Competition: Diverse Protagonists

Case authors from all disciplines are invited to submit to this year’s Fox International Business Case Writing Competition.

The 2023 theme is “Diverse Protagonists,” with lead sponsorship by the Fox School’s Center for Ethics, Diversity and Workplace Culture (CEDWC). Teaching cases should feature protagonists from marginalized backgrounds. 

Better Representation for Better Learning

Undergraduate and graduate students from a variety of backgrounds study in business schools around the world. Despite this diversity in the student population, the teaching cases from which they learn often include executive protagonists from a small sliver of the population. This lack of representation impacts student learning, students’ ability to relate to the content and the effectiveness of the material. 

The 2023 Fox Business Case Writing Competition seeks to close this learning gap by helping authors create teaching case material focused on business cases that involve diverse protagonists from marginalized backgrounds (including but not limited to race, gender, ethnicity, religion and ability). The competition invites case authors from different fields to create business cases with primary protagonists from these underrepresented groups. It encourages high-quality teaching case material and promotes case-writing capabilities in both developed and developing nations. 

Dates to Remember

Jun. 21

Kick-off event

Jul. 12

Fundamentals in Case Writing Part 1 

Jul. 19

Fundamentals in Case Writing Part 2 

Jul. 31

Portal for submissions opens 

Oct. 2

All Submissions Due

Workshops for Authors 

The Fox School of Business will host a free, virtual kick-off event for this year’s case competition. This will be followed by two virtual workshops on case writing strategies in conjunction with Ivey Publishing and CEDWC for interested authors. Paid registration for these two workshops will be required. The workshops will focus on case writing strategies and will cover following topics:  

  • Key dimensions and key questions of effective cases  

  • Case plan and writing process  

  • Data collection and field research  

  • Opening paragraph assessment Impactful teaching note  

  • Considerations for cases for virtual class  

  • Case publication process with Ivey Teaching cases, consulting cases, and research cases 

  • Challenges and opportunities of case writing 

Dates

  • JULY 12: Fundamentals in Case Writing Part 1 @ 10AM - 12PM 
  • JULY 19: Fundamentals in Case Writing Part 2 @ 10AM - 12PM 

Cost: $295 per person for both workshops 

Early Bird (until June 28): $195 per person for both workshops; Use code: CASEWORKSHOP 

Temple University Faculty, PhD and DBA students: $0; Use code: TEMPLEFACULTY. Please use your temple.edu address to avail yourself of the discount. 

Registration for workshops will close on July 10, 2023. 

Facilitator: Both workshops will be facilitated by Gal Raz, associate professor and associate dean of research at Ivey Business School. Raz teaches operations management and sustainability with expertise in sustainability, supply chain management outsourcing, supply chain contracting, environmental regulation and pricing. Raz has a PhD in business and a master's degree focusing on public policy from Stanford University.  

Timeline

Monday, July 31: Case Submission Portal opens 

Monday, October 2: Submissions due 

Wednesday, November 15: Finalists announced  

Monday, Dec. 4: Awards ceremony  

Winners

The first-place case will receive $2,500. The second-place case will receive $1,500. The third-place case will receive $1,000. 

Winning case submissions will be reviewed for possible publication by Ivey Publishing. 

Eligibility & Guidelines

Eligibility

The competition is open to academicians and practitioners, and joint submissions are encouraged. We require at least one faculty member or PhD candidate at a business school actively teaching.

Submission Guidelines

The Fox Business Case Writing Competition has a strong preference for field-based cases (cases based on direct contact and/or fieldwork with a company, including interviews, internal company data, etc.). Field-based submissions require a Consent to Use (release) form.

Cases based on published sources should list all sources clearly. Citations should reflect CMOS17 – Chicago Manual of Style.

All cases must have an accompanying teaching note.

Case length not to exceed 8 pages (body).

Authors should hold copyright at submission. The cases should have never been published in part or in whole in any other venue.

Ivey Publishing will review cases by competition winners for possible publication under the Ivey/Temple co-brand (where copyright will be held by Ivey Publishing and royalties paid by Ivey Publishing to individual).

View Ivey's Ready to Publish guide for additional details.

View the full submission guidelines.

Evaluation Criteria

Case submissions will be evaluated on:

  1. Quality and appropriateness of format, content, structure and style. The competition seeks submissions that demonstrate good practice in case writing and teaching guidance. Each submissions must be related to international business and meet the guidelines.
  2. Value to the teaching and learning exercise. Cases that are likely to invite lively engagement in fundamental issues and contribute to the learning of important DEI concepts and skills are especially welcome.
  3. Timeliness and timelessness. Both new cases that fill important and emerging curriculum gaps and those that remain resilient in long and widespread use will receive special consideration.
  4. Classroom utility. Successful classroom use as relayed in teaching and usage notes that provide thorough analysis and detailed teaching suggestions will be particularly valued.
Review and Acceptance

All submitted cases will be subject to review by plagiarism detection software under license to Ivey Business School Foundation. The submitted case and teaching note will be peer-reviewed by one or more judges, who are full-time faculty members at Ivey Business School and Fox School of Business. Revisions may be requested to the case and teaching note before being accepted for publication.

If accepted for publication, winning cases will be added to the Ivey/Temple library of business cases. Prizes will be awarded to authors once published. If needed, cases may be further developed in partnership with Fox faculty co-authors. Author royalties will be managed through Ivey.

Past Competition Winners

2023 Case Writing Competition Winners

  • First Place: "Anheuser-Busch and the Anti-Transgender Boycott of Bud Light"
    • David Wesley, Northeastern University, Boston, MA
  • Second Place: "Care for Wild: Social, Ecological and Government Interdependence within Rhino Conservation"
    • AMY MOORE AND THERESA ONAJI-BENSON, Gordon Institute of Business Science at the University of Pretoria in Sandton, South Africa
  • Third Place: "Allens Lane Art Center: Timeless Mission, Dated Model - When Diversity isn't Enough"
    • MELISSA GLENN, NEHA MITTAL, AND SUSAN MATYAS, Fox School of Business, Temple University

 

2022 Case Writing Competition Winners

  • First Place: "Sasol's Just Transition: Balancing Stakeholder Perspectives to Leave No One Behind"
    • Marianne Matthee, Amy Moore, and Anthony Wilson-Prangley from the Gordon Institute of Business Science at the University of Pretoria in Sandton, South Africa
  • Second Place (tie): "Mattera Motors: How a South African Necessity Entrepreneur Handles Poverty and Marginalization"
    • Joel Bothello, John Molson School of Business at Concordia University and Andrew Charman and Leif Petersen of Sustainable Livelihoods Foundation
  • Second Place (tie): "Stitchwheel: How Can a Unique Start-Up Move to a Sustainable Business?"
    • Sheri Lambert and Neha Mittal of the Fox School of Business and Temple University and Ashley Vestergren of Stichwheel.

 

2021 Case Writing Competition Winners

  • First Place: "Shakti Plastics Industries: Enabling a Circular Plastics Value Chain"
    • Ahaana Mahanti, Indian School of Business, and Sanjana Gorti, Indian School of Business,
  • Second Place: "Vaccine on Wheels: Service Excellence for Covid Vaccination"
    • Rajeev Kumra, IIM Lucknow, and Surajit Ghosh Dastidar, IMT Hyderabad,
  • Third Place: "Corporate Governance at Toshiba Corporation
    • Ram Subramanian, Stetson University, Florida