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Top 10 International Business Negotiation Case Studies
International business negotiation case studies offer insights to business negotiators who face challenges in the realm of cross-cultural business negotiation..
By PON Staff — on September 10th, 2019 / International Negotiation

If you engage in international negotiation , you can improve your odds of success by learning from these 10 well-known international business negotiation case studies:

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- Apple’s Apology in China
When Apple CEO Timothy D. Cook apologized to Apple customers in China for problems arising from Apple’s warranty policy, he promised to rectify the issue. In a negotiation research study, Professor William W. Maddux of INSEAD and his colleagues compared reactions to apologies in the United States and in Japan. They discovered that in “collectivist cultures” such as China and Japan, apologies can be particularly effective in repairing broken trust, regardless of whether the person apologizing is to blame. This may be especially true in a cross-cultural business negotiation such as this one.
- Bangladesh Factory-Safety Agreements
In this negotiation case study, an eight-story factory collapsed in Bangladesh, killing an estimated 1,129 people, most of whom were low-wage garment workers manufacturing goods for foreign retailers. Following the tragedy, companies that outsourced their garment production faced public pressure to improve conditions for foreign workers. Labor unions focused their efforts on persuading Swedish “cheap chic” giant H&M to take the lead on safety improvements. This negotiation case study highlights the pros and cons of all-inclusive, diffuse agreements versus targeted, specific agreements.
- The Microsoft-Nokia Deal
Microsoft made the surprising announcement that it was purchasing Finnish mobile handset maker Nokia for $7.2 billion, a merger aimed at building Microsoft’s mobile and smartphone offerings. The merger faced even more complexity after the ink dried on the contract—namely, the challenges of integrating employees from different cultures. International business negotiation case studies such as this one underscore the difficulties that companies face when attempting to negotiate two different identities.
- The Cyprus Crisis
With the economy of the tiny Mediterranean island nation Cyprus near collapse, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), European Central Bank (ECB), and the European Commission teamed up to offer a 10-billion-euro bailout package contingent on Cyprus provisioning a substantial amount of the money through a one-time tax on ordinary Cypriot bank depositors. The move proved extremely unpopular in Cyprus and protests resulted. The nation’s president was left scrambling for a backup plan. The lesson from international business negotiation case studies such as this? Sometimes the best deal you can get may be better than no deal at all.
- Dissent in the European Union
The European Union (EU) held a summit to address the coordination of economic activities and policies among EU member states. German resistance to such a global deal was strong, and pessimism about a unified EU banking system ran high as a result of the EU financial crisis. The conflict reflects the difficulty of forging multiparty agreements during times of stress and crisis.
- North and South Korea Talks Collapse
Negotiations between North Korea and South Korea were supposed to begin in Seoul aimed at lessening tensions between the divided nations. It would have been the highest government dialogue between the two nations in years. Just before negotiations were due to start, however, North Korea complained that it was insulted that the lead negotiator from the South wasn’t higher in status. The conflict escalated, and North Korea ultimately withdrew from the talks. The case highlights the importance of pride and power perceptions in international negotiations.
- Canceled Talks for the U.S. and Russia
Then-U.S. president Barack Obama canceled a scheduled summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, citing a lack of progress on a variety of negotiations. The announcement came on the heels of Russia’s decision to grant temporary asylum to former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, who made confidential data on American surveillance programs public. From international business negotiation case studies such as this, we can learn strategic reasons for breaking off ties , if only temporarily, with a counterpart.
- The East China Sea Dispute
In recent years, several nations, including China and Japan, have laid claim to a chain of islands in the East China Sea. China’s creation of an “air defense” zone over the islands led to an international dispute with Japan. International negotiators seeking to resolve complex disputes may gain valuable advice from this negotiation case study, which involves issues of international law as well as perceptions of relative strength or weakness in negotiations.
- An International Deal with Syria
When then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, announced a deal to prevent the United States from entering the Syrian War, it was contingent on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s promise to dismantle his nation’s chemical weapons. Like other real-life negotiation case studies, this one highlights the value of expanding our focus in negotiation.
- A Nuclear Deal with Iran
When the United States and five other world powers announced an interim agreement to temporarily freeze Iran’s nuclear program, the six-month accord, which eventually led to a full-scale agreement in 2015, was designed to give international negotiators time to negotiate a more comprehensive pact that would remove the threat of Iran producing nuclear weapons. As Iranian President Hassan Rouhani insisted that Iran had a sovereign right to enrich uranium, the United States rejected Iran’s claim to having a “right to enrich” but agreed to allow Iran to continue to enrich at a low level, a concession that allowed a deal to emerge.
What international business negotiation case studies in the news have you learned from in recent years?
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Publicly available cases in this collection are distributed by Harvard Business Publishing and The Case Centre .
Stanford case studies with diverse protagonists, along with case studies that build “equity fluency” by focusing on DEI-related issues and opportunities are listed in the Case Compendium developed by the Center for Equity, Gender and Leadership at the Berkeley Haas School of Business.
In January 2023, Carolyn Lukaso, CO2 strategist at Heidelberg Materials (HM), formerly HeidelbergCement, considered the challenge of delivering on the emissions target set by the management board: the reduction of CO2 emissions to 400 kg CO2/ton of…
This case follows Sam Byker, the Founder and CEO of Atticus, as he creates, scales, and fundraises for the company. Atticus is a platform that serves individuals in need by connecting them with law firms that can help. The case covers the company’s…
Kiah Williams started SIRUM as a Stanford undergraduate alongside her classmates Adam Kircher and George Wang. Nearly two decades later, the medication donation nonprofit was now operating in five states across the country and had helped facilitate…
Monifa Porter was in the process of building a product that could work her and her team out of a job. As head of 2401, a subdivision of the corporate innovation and growth company Mach49, Porter was building a technology product that would assist…
This case describes the founding and evolution of Oak Street Health, a primary care provider operating in the “value-based” health care space, focused on Medicare patients in the United States. This case introduces students to value-based health care in…
On April 12, 2018, Zuora listed on NYSE under the ticker symbol ZUO, becoming a publicly traded company at a valuation of $1.4 billion. The software company had achieved fast growth in the rapidly expanding subscription economy—and was poised to…
In April 2019, just two months shy of his graduation from Stanford Graduate School of Business (“Stanford”), Cody Evans was looking forward to converting his professional and academic experiences to real-world impact. Having worked at both the largest…
In 2022, Hyundai Motor Group had become the world’s third-largest automaker by sales volume. Under Executive Chair Eui-sun Chung’s leadership, HMG was shaping its vision as a “game changer” in the global automotive industry. The company no longer viewed…
On November 2, 2021, Enrique Lores, CEO of HP, Inc., ended the first online huddle of the week with his executive leadership team. The day was an historic one for the Palo Alto-based global company: six years earlier, HP Inc. came into being after the…
Tesh Mbaabu started MarketForce to help bring technology to the thousands of Kenyan merchants who ran corner shops that were often a centerpiece of their communities. MarketForce began as an inventory ordering platform for merchants, but has quickly…
Building on Nobel Prize-winning research, nearly a decade of experience investing in impact funds, and a lifetime of social and economic justice advocacy, Daryn Dodson’s Illumen Capital, an impact investment fund-of-funds, was at a critical juncture…
By 2022, Meta was the world’s largest social media company, with around 3 billion users sharing 140 billion messages and a billion stories a day. Over 200 million businesses used Meta apps like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Meta’s primary source of…
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Advertisement: register for newsletter, advertisement: cpd small top, international business case studies.

Breaking Into International Markets
From the outset of Bondi Chai, Martin Buggy knew that he eventually wanted to expand his business into the international market.

Attracting Attention In The US Market
Thinking big has always been a motto for Mellissah Smith, Marketing Director and founder of Marketing Eye. After establishing her company (a marketing services provider) in Australia, she saw a gap in the US market and seized the opportunity to expand. “The US was a space that had no global player,” she says.

Conquering Customer Skepticism
Vertaccount is an online bookkeeping, payroll and accounting company. Established only two years ago, it has experienced outstanding growth thanks to outsourcing its back-end administration to Manila. However, they had to deal with initial doubt regarding their offshoring business model.

Doing Business Across Multiple Borders
Manufacturing costs in China are cheap and turnaround time is fast, however, the process can be fraught with problems. Read on to see how Matt Cave of VAVAVOOM overcame obstacles and fostered a successful business that works across multiple borders.
Increasing Dollar Makes Exporters Holler
Discover how one business is managing the rapid and severe changes in business competitiveness because of the high Australian dollar (AUD).
Nightmare In China
An Australian designer learnt some tough lessons about doing business in China when she found her designs being onsold to manufacturers in other countries.
Deep Water Harvest
Founding a diving services business at the start of a massive boom in WA caused plenty of headaches for one entrepreneur. But surviving the boom has brought great results.
Now Hear This ...
Running a radio network with an audience of 150 different cultures and a staff that is almost as equally diverse has taught valuable lessons to an Australian expatriate.
Bouncing Baby
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Box Of Treats
Transforming a suburban Melbourne TAFE into an international education brand is a thrilling challenge for its CEO.
Sitting Pretty
When Moran Furniture began losing market share to low-cost Asian imports, it was time to change its manufacturing strategy. So it went to China.
Green China
A firm of Australian engineers has won its first big project in China, which is providing plenty of challenges and opportunities.
Cheap And Cheerless
Cheap imports can end up costing money and reputations. The key is to find good suppliers – and that takes research, effort and money.
The Personal Touch
A mid-life crisis got two Melbourne entrepreneurs into the book trade. Following their instincts and relying on a personal style of doing business have got them exciting new markets.
Business Projection
An Australian events company has hurdled the obstacles to opening its first overseas office - and managed to retain its unique culture.

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Top 40 Most Popular Case Studies of 2017
We generated a list of the 40 most popular Yale School of Management case studies in 2017 by combining data from our publishers, Google analytics, and other measures of interest and adoption. In compiling the list, we gave additional weight to usage outside Yale
We generated a list of the 40 most popular Yale School of Management case studies in 2017 by combining data from our publishers, Google analytics, and other measures of interest and adoption. In compiling the list, we gave additional weight to usage outside Yale.
Case topics represented on the list vary widely, but a number are drawn from the case team’s focus on healthcare, asset management, and sustainability. The cases also draw on Yale’s continued emphasis on corporate governance, ethics, and the role of business in state and society. Of note, nearly half of the most popular cases feature a woman as either the main protagonist or, in the case of raw cases where multiple characters take the place of a single protagonist, a major leader within the focal organization. While nearly a fourth of the cases were written in the past year, some of the most popular, including Cadbury and Design at Mayo, date from the early years of our program over a decade ago. Nearly two-thirds of the most popular cases were “raw” cases - Yale’s novel, web-based template which allows for a combination of text, documents, spreadsheets, and videos in a single case website.
Read on to learn more about the top 10 most popular cases followed by a complete list of the top 40 cases of 2017. A selection of the top 40 cases are available for purchase through our online store .
#1 - Coffee 2016
Faculty Supervision: Todd Cort
Coffee 2016 asks students to consider the coffee supply chain and generate ideas for what can be done to equalize returns across various stakeholders. The case draws a parallel between coffee and wine. Both beverages encourage connoisseurship, but only wine growers reap a premium for their efforts to ensure quality. The case describes the history of coffee production across the world, the rise of the “third wave” of coffee consumption in the developed world, the efforts of the Illy Company to help coffee growers, and the differences between “fair” trade and direct trade. Faculty have found the case provides a wide canvas to discuss supply chain issues, examine marketing practices, and encourage creative solutions to business problems.
#2 - AXA: Creating New Corporate Responsibility Metrics
Faculty Supervision: Todd Cort and David Bach
The case describes AXA’s corporate responsibility (CR) function. The company, a global leader in insurance and asset management, had distinguished itself in CR since formally establishing a CR unit in 2008. As the case opens, AXA’s CR unit is being moved from the marketing function to the strategy group occasioning a thorough review as to how CR should fit into AXA’s operations and strategy. Students are asked to identify CR issues of particular concern to the company, examine how addressing these issues would add value to the company, and then create metrics that would capture a business unit’s success or failure in addressing the concerns.
#3 - IBM Corporate Service Corps
Faculty Supervision: David Bach in cooperation with University of Ghana Business School and EGADE
The case considers IBM’s Corporate Service Corps (CSC), a program that had become the largest pro bono consulting program in the world. The case describes the program’s triple-benefit: leadership training to the brightest young IBMers, brand recognition for IBM in emerging markets, and community improvement in the areas served by IBM’s host organizations. As the program entered its second decade in 2016, students are asked to consider how the program can be improved. The case allows faculty to lead a discussion about training, marketing in emerging economies, and various ways of providing social benefit. The case highlights the synergies as well as trade-offs between pursuing these triple benefits.
#4 - Cadbury: An Ethical Company Struggles to Insure the Integrity of Its Supply Chain
Faculty Supervision: Ira Millstein
The case describes revelations that the production of cocoa in the Côte d’Ivoire involved child slave labor. These stories hit Cadbury especially hard. Cadbury's culture had been deeply rooted in the religious traditions of the company's founders, and the organization had paid close attention to the welfare of its workers and its sourcing practices. The US Congress was considering legislation that would allow chocolate grown on certified plantations to be labeled “slave labor free,” painting the rest of the industry in a bad light. Chocolate producers had asked for time to rectify the situation, but the extension they negotiated was running out. Students are asked whether Cadbury should join with the industry to lobby for more time? What else could Cadbury do to ensure its supply chain was ethically managed?
#5 - 360 State Real Options
Faculty Supervision: Matthew Spiegel
In 2010 developer Bruce Becker (SOM ‘85) completed 360 State Street, a major new construction project in downtown New Haven. Just west of the apartment building, a 6,000-square-foot pocket of land from the original parcel remained undeveloped. Becker had a number of alternatives to consider in regards to the site. He also had no obligation to build. He could bide his time. But Becker worried about losing out on rents should he wait too long. Students are asked under what set of circumstances and at what time would it be most advantageous to proceed?
#6 - Design at Mayo
Faculty Supervision: Rodrigo Canales and William Drentell
The case describes how the Mayo Clinic, one of the most prominent hospitals in the world, engaged designers and built a research institute, the Center for Innovation (CFI), to study the processes of healthcare provision. The case documents the many incremental innovations the designers were able to implement and the way designers learned to interact with physicians and vice-versa.
In 2010 there were questions about how the CFI would achieve its stated aspiration of “transformational change” in the healthcare field. Students are asked what would a major change in health care delivery look like? How should the CFI's impact be measured? Were the center's structure and processes appropriate for transformational change? Faculty have found this a great case to discuss institutional obstacles to innovation, the importance of culture in organizational change efforts, and the differences in types of innovation.
This case is freely available to the public.
#7 - Ant Financial
Faculty Supervision: K. Sudhir in cooperation with Renmin University of China School of Business
In 2015, Ant Financial’s MYbank (an offshoot of Jack Ma’s Alibaba company) was looking to extend services to rural areas in China by providing small loans to farmers. Microloans have always been costly for financial institutions to offer to the unbanked (though important in development) but MYbank believed that fintech innovations such as using the internet to communicate with loan applicants and judge their credit worthiness would make the program sustainable. Students are asked whether MYbank could operate the program at scale? Would its big data and technical analysis provide an accurate measure of credit risk for loans to small customers? Could MYbank rely on its new credit-scoring system to reduce operating costs to make the program sustainable?
#8 - Business Leadership in South Africa’s 1994 Reforms
Faculty Supervision: Ian Shapiro
This case examines the role of business in South Africa's historic transition away from apartheid to popular sovereignty. The case provides a previously untold oral history of this key moment in world history, presenting extensive video interviews with business leaders who spearheaded behind-the-scenes negotiations between the African National Congress and the government. Faculty teaching the case have used the material to push students to consider business’s role in a divided society and ask: What factors led business leaders to act to push the country's future away from isolation toward a "high road" of participating in an increasingly globalized economy? What techniques and narratives did they use to keep the two sides talking and resolve the political impasse? And, if business leadership played an important role in the events in South Africa, could they take a similar role elsewhere?
#9 - Shake Shack IPO
Faculty Supervision: Jake Thomas and Geert Rouwenhorst
From an art project in a New York City park, Shake Shack developed a devoted fan base that greeted new Shake Shack locations with cheers and long lines. When Shake Shack went public on January 30, 2015, investors displayed a similar enthusiasm. Opening day investors bid up the $21 per share offering price by 118% to reach $45.90 at closing bell. By the end of May, investors were paying $92.86 per share. Students are asked if this price represented a realistic valuation of the enterprise and if not, what was Shake Shack truly worth? The case provides extensive information on Shake Shack’s marketing, competitors, operations and financials, allowing instructors to weave a wide variety of factors into a valuation of the company.
#10 - Searching for a Search Fund Structure
Faculty Supervision: AJ Wasserstein
This case considers how young entrepreneurs structure search funds to find businesses to take over. The case describes an MBA student who meets with a number of successful search fund entrepreneurs who have taken alternative routes to raising funds. The case considers the issues of partnering, soliciting funds vs. self-funding a search, and joining an incubator. The case provides a platform from which to discuss the pros and cons of various search fund structures.
40 Most Popular Case Studies of 2017
Click on the case title to learn more about the dilemma. A selection of our most popular cases are available for purchase via our online store .
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IKEA - A case Study for International Business


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Space and Culture
Ursula Lindqvist

kelvin mulenga
Veronika Tarnovskaya
Anthony Olabode Ayodele (Bode Ayodele)
This Briefing Paper has been designed to critically evaluate the application of Total Quality Management (TQM) in the world’s leading furniture company, IKEA. The paper will further critique and outline how IKEA holistically approaches the concept of TQM, applying it numerous principles across the various aspects of the business, and in general as a whole. A 10 minute accompanying video linked via a picture at the end of the report is also included.
Reynaldo Quintella
Magnus Boström , Michael Gilek
This report focuses on IKEA’s management and communication surrounding sustainability in general and chemical risks specifically. IKEA’s work is analysed in relation to theoretical concepts around responsibility, supply chain, and governance . The report focuses on IKEA’s visions and organizational structures, its policy instruments to deal with chemical risks, supplier-relations and communication and learning. The study is based on previous scholarly literature, analyses of relevant documents, a field visit at a few of IKEA’s suppliers in southern India, as well as interviews with staff working at IKEA in Sweden. The report focuses on IKEA’s systems and processes for dealing with chemical risks, and not on the implementation of such measures in quantitative terms.
International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management
SSRN Electronic Journal
Jakob Lauring
International Marketing Review
Pervez Ghauri
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Business Case Studies
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Business case studies are important as they help us understand how real-life business scenarios are different from classroom teaching. Businesses are dynamic, meaning they are susceptible to external forces. A business case study tells us how a particular business responded to a unique situation. Other businesses can learn from them and be prepared for what can happen, how-to, or how not to respond to a similar situation.
What is a business case study?
A case study is a research tool that is also implemented as a research methodology. It is preferred by many students while writing their bachelor's or master's thesis. A case study gives students a chance to apply theory to a real-life situation, analyse, and draw insights. The business case study can be a fictitious account of a business situation provided by the instructor to check the critical thinking and problem-solving skills of students. We have developed 44 case studies that provide students with detailed problem statements and analyses to understand real-life business scenarios. Students can use these case studies as examples with the corresponding theory to stand out in exams. For example in Figure 1 below, what strategy would a salesman implement to increase his sales? We need to study his business case to find out!
A business case study summarises a real-life business issue faced by a company and explains how it may affect society within a business context.
Business Case Studies Format
In this study set, we have divided case studies into groups as per the business situation. The groups include case studies regarding mergers and takeovers, strategy overviews, SWOT analyses, business leader characteristics, corporate social responsibility, franchise models, Porter's five forces, change management and ethical issues.
Business Case Studies: Mergers and takeover case study
In Layman’s terms, When two equal-sized companies join forces to capture more market share, it is called a merger. While if a big company buys out a smaller company, it is called a takeover. Virgin Media O2 merger happened in June 2021 through a 50:50 joint venture between Liberty Global and Telefónica, the owners of Virgin Media and O2.
Another example of a merger is analysed in the Disney Pixar Merger Case Study. The former CEO of Pixar, Steve Jobs, has said that this merger will allow companies to focus on what they do best. But did you know that Kraft Food Ltd. tried to acquire Cadbury in a hostile takeover? Kraft Cadbury Takeover is a case study that explains how hostile takeovers may occur.
Case studies about strategies of businesses
A strategy is not the same as a plan. Strategy is the first step in business that determines why, considers all known and unknown factors, multiple different paths, and multiple outcomes. Without a strategy, businesses cannot reach their goal and their plans will wander. Businesses create different strategies to reach different goals. We have presented marketing strategies and global and internationalization strategies for some successful companies like Apple, Starbucks, Nike, Ikea, Netflix, and Coca-cola.
You might have observed that Coca-cola has similar branding all over the world. Their marketing strategy is to be a common household name that can be recognized anywhere globally. Starbucks and Mcdonald’s also use the same branding even if their products differ from country to country.

Business Case Studies: SWOT analysis
SWOT analysis is a tool all businesses use before making decisions. The tool helps put Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunity, and Threats concisely so that one can easily analyze them before making any decision. Studying cases of companies like Apple, Tesco, and Cadbury gives us more insight into the company than we see. Hershey has acquired the rights to produce Cadbury products in the U.S. in 1988. Cadbury was facing issues expanding its market reach. This is a weakness Cadbury has.
What do you think will be the threats to tech giant Apple? Read the Swot Analysis of Apple case to find out.
Business Case Studies: Business leaders
Who is your role model in business? Whose leadership style do you admire? Is it Bill Gates, Richard Branson, or Jeff Bezos? Perhaps you wish to know more about Warren Buffet or Reed Hastings of Netflix.
Mary Barra, the first female CEO of General Motors, practices an inclusive and transformational leadership style. Have you heard about the innovative leadership style employed by Susan Wojcicki, who is the CEO of Youtube? Or you can read all to know how these business leaders differ in their leadership styles.
Business Case Studies: Corporate social responsibility (CSR)
Corporations often undertake practices and policies for the betterment of society along with profit maximization. Common examples of CSR include green initiatives, donating to charities, or organizing fundraisers. In our case studies regarding CSR, you can read about Ben and Jerry’s CSR strategies. Ben and Jerry’s has, over the years, supported protestors against income inequality, protested drilling in Arctic regions and has launched several climate action campaigns.
Are you aware of Walt Disney CSR Programs? Disney's CSR programs include CSR programs for children, investment in youth programs, social influence and workforce programs and supply chain investment programs. Disney not only has children as their main audience but also takes responsibility for helping children in need, showing exemplary CSR practices.
Business Case Studies: Franchise model
The first company that might come to mind when asked about an example of a franchise model could be McDonald’s. McDonald’s model has ensured the ability of the franchise to run sustainably for 10 years.

Another brand that grew using the franchise model is the well-known clothing brand, Zara. Zara took 13 years to make its presence via franchising as they moved forward cautiously. Zara gives the opportunity to franchisees to repurchase their stocks.
Oyo, a unicorn hospitality start-up from India, is growing internationally via a franchise model. Oyo implemented an aggregator model in which it leases some rooms from partner hotels, refurbishes them to match quality standards, and rents them out on their platform. From 2018, Oyo switched to a franchise model in which partner hotels make a contract with Oyo to provide quality service for brand name and posting hotel rooms on Oyo platforms.
Business Case Studies: Porter five forces
Porter's Five Forces is a method for analyzing a company's competitive environment. It identifies and analyzes five competitive forces that shape the industry:
Competitive rivalry,
New entrants,
Power of buyers,
Power of suppliers,
Threat of substitutes.
There are many coffee shops that could match Starbucks’ quality of service. Starbucks is always under the threat of new entrants, competition, and substitutes. To survive, Starbucks has to keep innovating new flavours, drinks, and coffee substitutes.
Walmart is another case study that we analyzed for Porter’s five forces. We realized that the strongest force of Porter’s Five Forces for Walmart is the competitive rivalry from other retailers like Costco, Amazon, and eBay.
What is your opinion about these forces on Apple? Is it the customer bargaining power or threat from substitute products that have the most influence? Read Porter’s five forces Apple to learn more!
Business Case Studies: Change management
Change management is the process of managing responses to changes in the internal and external environment of a business. Businesses that do not change in time, perish. When Apple launched touchscreen phones, Nokia stuck with QWERTY keypads. When Google launched Android, Nokia stuck with the development of the Symbian operating system. What happened to Nokia and why were they resistant to change? On the other hand, you can also read about Apple's change management. The decision-making and acceptance to change are what differentiates Apple from Nokia.

Business Case Studies: Organizational structure
Organizational structure decides how flexible the company is towards the process of change. Modern organizations like Google keep innovation at the centre of their strategy. Google has a flat, function-based, and product-based organizational structure.
McDonald’s has separate departments for each country/region. They have a centralized decision-making body and a decentralized structure for each country they operate in. Tesco, one of the big five grocery retailers in the UK, has a decentralised, hierarchical, and product-based structure. These businesses are active in different sectors and their organisational structure depends on it. The other factors that influence organizational structure are company work culture, management , and business model.
Business ethics case studies
Keeping a check on businesses ethically is not just the government’s job but also consumers'. Unfortunately, there seemed to be several ethical issues with Apple such as poor working conditions, health and safety risks, child labour , poor environmental reporting, contributing to e-waste and tax avoidance. Starbucks is not an exception for it either. They have an aggressive marketing strategy, poor employee conditions, and a weak position on fair trade ratings. Companies like Apple, Starbucks can improve their ethical issues but some companies have faced sandals.
Nike's Sweatshop Scandal and the Enron Scandal are two such examples. Nike Sweatshop Scandal began in 1991 when Jeff Ballinger published a report detailing the appalling working conditions of garment workers at Nike's factory in Indonesia. Since then Nike has taken positive steps to reinforce CSR. The Enron Scandal was financial fraud. Enron did not show large debt on its balance sheet . But why did it happen? You can read about it in our case study called Enron Scandal!
Business case study examples
In this section, we have mentioned case studies that do not fall into any of the categories mentioned above but still hold importance in business studies. These case studies are unique and one may find that these companies have created new markets via their business model.
Business Case Studies: Ryanair Strategic Position
Ryanair is a cost-friendly budget airline that operates in 40 countries. How can they sell tickets so cheap? Well, they travel to less busy airports, usually far from the city, outside business hours when there is a high rush at airports, and they charge you for almost every small addition. Ryanair operates only one type of aircraft to speed out ground crew processes. Ryanair tries to keep their planes for small times on airfields to save on rent. Budget flyers across Europe prefer Ryanair for its cheap tickets. More insights at Explanation: Ryanair Strategic Position .
Business Case Studies: Unilever outsourcing
You might have heard that many major companies outsource their IT operations. Unilever Outsourcing is different as they have outsourced their HR operations to Accenture. Outsourcing has helped Unilever save fixed costs and share risks.
Business Case Studies: Nivea Market Segmentation
Nivea is a well-known name in Asian countries. Nivea effectively targets the young adult market in the tropical equatorial region. Nivea’s market segmentation thus concluded to be geographical and demographic. But how did we reach this conclusion? Read more about our Explanation: Nivea Market Segmentation .
Here are the links to each case study.
Table 1 - Summary of StudySmarter Case Studies
Find out more about how businesses function in the 'real world' by reading our case studies mentioned above!
Business Case Studies - Key takeaways
- A case study is a research tool that is implemented as a research methodology.
- A business case study summarises a real-life business issue faced by a company and how it may affect society within a business context.
- StudySmarter has provided 44 case studies that provide students with detailed problem statements and analyses to understand real-life business scenarios.
- In Layman’s terms, When two equal-sized companies join forces to capture more market share, it is called a merger while if a big company buys out a smaller company, it is called a takeover.
- Strategy is the first step in business that determines why, considers all known and unknown factors, multiple paths, and multiple outcomes.
- SWOT analysis is a tool all businesses use before taking any decision.
- Corporations undertake practices and policies for the betterment of society, this is known as CSR.
- Porter's Five Forces is a method for analyzing a company's competitive environment .
- Change management is the process of managing responses to changes in the internal and external environment of a business.
- Companies are always in the moral dilemma of doing things the 'right' way or the profitable way!
Final Business Case Studies Quiz
Business case studies quiz - teste dein wissen.
what year was Nike founded?
Show answer
Show question
What was the nike sweatshop scandal about?
Nike has been criticized for using sweatshops in Asia as a source of labour. The company was accused of engaging in abusive and verbal behaviour toward its workers.
Does nike sweatshop scandal involve human rights violations?
Yes. A report by the Washington Post in 2020 stated that Nike doesn't have evidence of a living wage for its workers. The same year, it was revealed that the company uses forced labor in factories.
What is the main reason Nike is considered unethical?
Nike has been criticized for using sweatshops in Asia as a source of labor. The company was accused of abusing its employees. In addition, some of the factories reportedly imposed conditions that severely affected their workers' restroom and water usage.
Was Nike involved in child labour?
In what year did Nike created the Fair Labour Association, which was created to oversee the company's 600 factories?
In what year did the company started improving the conditions of its factories?
Where was the first Nike store to be open?
First Niketown store to launch open in Portland, Oregon.
When was Nike first founded?
Life magazine in America did a report on child labour in 1996, which included a shocking photo of a 12-year-old boy sewing a Nike football. What country was he from?
Where and when was Tesco founded?
Tesco was founded in London, the United Kingdom in 1919.
Who is the founder of Tesco?
Tesco’s founder is Jack Cohen.
What type of market does Tesco belong in?
Tesco belongs to the grocery and merchandise retailer market.
Is it true that Tesco only sells its own brand products?
No, as well as selling its own brand products Tesco also supplies and sells other popular grocery item brands.
Why do businesses use SWOT analysis?
Business uses SWOT analysis to analyse their strategic positioning in terms of strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, it assists companies in decision making with consideration of external factors and the environment, in terms of opportunities and threats.
What are the key elements that are included in SWOT analysis?
There are four key elements that are included in the SWOT analysis. They are strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
Regarding SWOT analysis, what elements are used for internal analysis and which ones are used for external analysis?
For internal analysis: Strengths and weaknesses
For external analysis: Opportunities and threats
What is meant by threats?
Threats are external factors that can potentially be harmful to the organisation.
What are the key Tesco’s strengths?
The key Tesco’s strengths are:
- Having the largest market share in the UK
- The ability to increase its growth even during events such as the Coronavirus pandemic,
- High adaptability to the constantly changing environment,
- Innovation especially in regards to new technology,
- Holding the largest employer’s title in Europe.
What are the key Tesco’s weaknesses?
The key Tesco’s weaknesses are:
- Failure to adapt to markets outside of Europe,
- Being involved in scandals regarding food safety and quality.
What are the key Tesco’s opportunities?
The key Tesco’s opportunities include:
- Investing in optimising consumers’ experience of online shopping,
- Increasing youth employment rates,
- Investing in expanding the range of plant-based products.
What are the main Tesco’s threats?
The main Tesco’s threats include:
- Post-Brexit rules
- Competition
- Government’s regulations
- Price inflation of necessities
Why SWOT analysis is an important part of Tesco’s strategic analysis and decision-making process?
SWOT analysis is an important part of Tesco’s strategic analysis as it assists in identifying the business’s strategic positioning and making decisions with consideration of external factors and the environment.
What is meant by market analysis?
Market analyses are used by businesses to get a sophisticated understanding of the market that they are operating in and identify the competition in the market.
Why is it important for Tesco to conduct market analysis?
It is important for Tesco to conduct market analysis as it will allow Tesco to fully understand its market and see the company’s positioning among the competitors.
What are the key elements that market analysis is made of?
The market analysis is made upon the following elements:
- Market size
- PESTLE analysis
- Competitors
- Consumer loyalty in the market
- Market segmentation
- Consumer decision making within the market
What is the full name of the IKEA Foundation?
Stichting IKEA Foundation
Who founded the IKEA Foundation?
Ingvar Kamprad
Is the IKEA Foundation independent from the IKEA company?
When was the IKEA Foundation founded?
According to its founder, why was the IKEA Foundation founded?
It was founded to make sure that IKEA continues to be an independent company using some of its profits to help people in need long after he is not there.
According to Ingvar Kamprad, what are the basic needs we all share?
a secure home, good health, a regular income, and a desire to keep our children safe and to see them get a good education and succeed in life
What are the objectives of the IKEA Foundation?
- To help families in poverty across developing countries to fulfil their basic needs such as a secure home, good health, a regular income, and a desire to keep their children safe and to see them get a good education and succeed in life
- To help young people, women and refugees who often struggle to find a job and earn a sustainable income
What are the six programs funded by the IKEA Foundation?
- climate action
- renewable energy
- agricultural livelihoods
- employment and entrepreneurship
- refugee livelihoods
- special initiatives and emergency response
What is the main goal of the IKEA Foundation’s climate action?
to reduce carbon emissions
How does the IKEA Foundation work on supporting agricultural livelihoods?
Partnering with Enviu they support social entrepreneurs in Africa and India in creating local markets by building local supply chains.
What is an initiative launched by the IKEA Foundation to enable underprivileged people to earn income and lift their families out of poverty?
Green Entrepreneurship Initiative
What institution was a research on refugees carried out by?
by the Refugee Studies Centre at the University of Oxford
What did the IKEA Foundation do to help during the COVID-19 pandemic?
It donated €3 million to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), an international humanitarian medical non-governmental organisation. The donation is expected to support ongoing life-saving medical activities caused by the spread of COVID-19 in India.
What is IKEA's international strategy?
Its concept is to combine high-quality design and functionality with low prices. Ikea's goal is to keep the prices low enough to allow the customer to buy the product directly.
Is IKEA a transnational company?
Does IKEA use standardization or adaptation?
standardization
What type of global business is IKEA?
IKEA is a global home furnishing brand that was started in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad. It started as a mail order catalog business.
Who is the founder of IKEA?
In what year was IKEA founded?
What does IKEA mainly sell?
it is mainly focused on selling ready-to-assemble furniture
True or False?
The company started by developing innovative modular designs and sourcing components from eastern Europe.
Ikea strategy allowed it to offer quality furniture at very low prices.
What is Ikea hybrid strategy?
Ikea hybrid strategy is aimed to achieve competitive advantage by producing at the lowest cost. It allows the company to charge lower prices and increase the profitability.
To achieve its goals, IKEA constantly bring costs up and is always looking for the most costly suppliers.
- Operational Management
- Organizational Communication
- Business Operations
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Case Study Hub | Samples, Examples and Writing Tips
Case study on international business, international business case study:.
International business is characterized with economic relations between the companies, corporations and organizations of the world. The global economics depends on international business and very often these terms are used as synonyms, because it is obvious that without international business global trade will be impossible. International business includes a range of phenomena and activities, like the financial interactions, production, employment and other aspects.
Modern world is so dynamic and open that every businessman who starts business should be ready to go on international level, if he wants to succeed, because most of the companies and every corporation functions on the international level and its goods and services are used all over the world.
We can write a Custom Case Study on International Business for you!
Then, very often an individual has problems with getting a good job in his own country, so due to the international business he can find the proper workplace in the international company if his professional skills suit to working there. International business has got a number of advantages and disadvantages. First of all, it is a positive phenomenon, because when companies from different countries start cooperating, a number of workplaces appear and people can find job easier. On the other hand this factor deprives people of workplaces, because international companies are big and powerful enough to cause bankrupting of the local small firms and companies which can not complete with the greater ones.
International business makes the world go round, because without it we would not have the resources, goods and wares which are not typical for our country, for example fruits and vegetables, various substances and chemicals, etc. A student who researches the problem of international business will be required to study the topic well in order to be able to analyze the types, methods and factors which influence the development and proper functioning of business.
One should concentrate on the case study and read reliable literary sources to collect information which will be useful for the research of the suggested question. Every case study is based on the problem or case which is connected with international business and a student is supposed to analyze the cause and effect of the problem and if possible find some effective solutions to the problem.
In order to prepare a good case study one will have to take advantage of a good example of the paper prepared by the professional. The Internet and free sample case studies on international business management will be useful for students to organize their writing process and gather their thoughts logically. Due to a good free example case study on international business strategy and environment topics, one will manage to construct a good paper which will meet all the technical requirements of a teacher.
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5 International Business Examples to Learn From

- 29 Jun 2021
The term international business refers to any business that operates across international borders. At its most basic, it includes the sale of goods and services between countries.
Yet, other forms of international business do exist. For example, a business that produces components or products overseas but sells them domestically can be considered an international business, as can an organization that outsources services, such as customer service, to locations where labor expenses are cheaper.
For most organizations, decisions around building, producing, and selling products or services are informed by many factors. Cost is an important one because businesses that primarily operate in developed markets, like the United States and Europe, can often source cheaper labor abroad.
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Other factors play a role in decision-making, too. For example, an organization that makes a conscious effort to become more sustainable may produce its product as close as possible to the end user to reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to transportation, even if it might result in higher labor costs. Likewise, a business may take pride in sourcing local labor to create jobs and support the economy.
Although international business can benefit the global economy, it also carries inherent risks. The fact that each country has its own government, regulations, inflation rates, and currency can complicate business models and must be weighed against the perceived benefits of operating internationally. Some of the most common challenges of international businesses include language and cultural barriers, currency exchange rates, and foreign politics and policies.
What Is a Successful International Business?
International businesses must have resilient, adaptable, communicative, and resourceful employees who know when to seize expansion opportunities. They need to have a deep understanding of international economics to anticipate how global markets will affect their bottom line and international marketing to effectively communicate their organization’s value to diverse audiences.
Are you interested in working with an international organization? Do you have plans and aspirations to take your business international? Here’s a look at five well-known international businesses that have successfully—and not so successfully—navigated the global market.
Examples of International Businesses
Apple Inc., founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in the 1970s, is now considered one of the most influential international companies. Headquartered in the United States, Apple designs, develops, and sells electronics, software, streaming, and online services worldwide.
Apple opened its first international location in Tokyo, Japan, in 2003 after saturating the American market. Under Jobs, Apple touted ease-of-use, innovative design, and customer loyalty with the marketing slogan, “ Think Different ,” and it continues to use visionary strategic marketing and a tight ecosystem to overcome competition and attract creative audiences around the globe.
Apple not only sells products internationally but has supply chains from 43 countries that ship supplies to China for final production and assembly. By keeping a tight-knit and strong relationship with suppliers, strategic inventory, and a focus on sustainability, Apple stands as one of the world’s most successful companies.
2. Financial Times
The Financial Times is a formerly British daily newspaper that’s now owned by the Japanese holding company Nikkei. The Financial Times’ mission is to deliver unbiased, informed investment and economic information to empower individuals and companies to make secure investment decisions.
The Financial Times had a rocky start trying to break into the international market. Andrew Gilchrist, former managing director of the Financial Times , describes his experience at the publication in the online course Global Business .
During his tenure, the Financial Times prioritized entering the international market in India. Despite a large English-speaking population and strong government support, domestic journalism was considered culturally and legally suspect. In fact, the Financial Times was eventually tied up in legal knots because the local newspaper barons were able to challenge every move through the courts.
Eventually, the Financial Times’ attempt to go international in India led to an economic slowdown and sluggish company growth.

3. McDonald’s
Two brothers, Maurice and Richard McDonald, converted their drive-through barbecue restaurant in San Bernardino, California, into a burger and milkshake restaurant—now known as McDonald’s—in 1948.
The McDonald brothers focused on creating a better business system geared toward self-service and efficient and repeatable processes that relied on heating lamps instead of waiters. This model, known as “ Speedee ,” led to lower costs, cheaper products, and faster growth. It became the epitome of “fast food.”
Soon after, Ray Croc took McDonald’s a step further by bringing in franchisees and suppliers, leading to the creation of restaurants across the United States. McDonald’s model continued to expand, and, in 1967, the company opened locations in Canada and Puerto Rico .
McDonald’s has been internationally successful, thanks in large part to the consistency its business model allows. The fact that a Big Mac tastes the same regardless of which country you order it in is a testament to the company’s long history. Today, there are 38,000 restaurants in more than 120 countries.
4. Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola was created by pharmacist John Pemberton in 1886 at a soda fountain in Atlanta, Georgia. It was used as a tonic for common ailments due, in part, to the addition of cocaine and caffeine derived from the kola nut, which was a major ingredient at the time. (This was later removed from the recipe in 1903.)
Although popular at its inception, Coca-Cola became the company it is today because of the marketing and business leadership of Asa Griggs Candler and future investors, who dramatically increased sales and expanded syrup factory production into Canada.
Eventually, an independent bottle company licensed the rights to Coca-Cola’s syrup production and distribution, streamlining production and generating massive profits. Coca-Cola later remarketed for Germany, China, and India, and it’s now sold everywhere except Cuba and North Korea .
Coca-Cola currently has over 900 bottling and manufacturing facilities worldwide , many of which are in North America, Asia, and Africa.
H-E-B is a popular American grocery company with more than 340 stores in Texas and northeast Mexico. It was founded by Florence Butt in 1905 and expanded into Mexico in 1997.
The primary driver of international expansion wasn’t a desire to capture greater market share, but rather, a desire to gain access to foreign produce markets in warmer climates, from which the company could source produce during its domestic suppliers’ off-season in the northeastern United States.
Craig Boyan, president of H-E-B, explains in Global Business that, upon becoming an international business, H-E-B bought blueberries from Chile and Peru to sell year-round. Despite it being expensive to ship blueberry crates to Texas, this enabled the company to continue meeting its customers’ needs. Since then, production has increased with demand, especially in Mexico, which has an ideal climate to produce blueberries year-round. H-E-B now sources blueberries mostly from Mexico, making them more available and affordable for customers.

What Do You Study in International Business?
Many businesses succeed by expanding their markets, production operations, and supply chains internationally. But doing so requires savvy business leadership bolstered by economic knowledge, an understanding of markets, and the ability to learn political and cultural trends.
Business professionals who have a successful career in international business need various skills and expertise . Acquiring these combined skills employers are looking for, along with international business experience, can lead to long-term career success. Some of these important skills include:
- Strong communication skills
- Emotional intelligence
- Cultural awareness
- Knowledge of finance and accounting
- Entrepreneurship skills
- Understanding of global economics

Why Study International Business?
Regardless of the role, professionals must stay current on all business practices. A global business education provides a wide range of opportunities to create and capture value for organizations. To bring this value to the workplace, individuals need to understand the economic, political, and social factors that drive change and how decisions affect global markets .
Strategists and entrepreneurs should learn about the broader macroeconomic and political landscape of their organizations to grow their business internationally and manage global teams. Professionals in heavily regulated industries can also use this knowledge to develop approaches and frameworks to navigate their complex industries.
If you’re considering joining a global business or thinking about ways to expand your organization internationally, completing an online Global Business course is an excellent way to quickly gain those skills.
Are you interested in breaking into a global market? Sharpen your knowledge of the international business world with our four-week online course Global Business , and explore our other business in society courses.
This article was updated on July 19, 2022. It was originally published on June 29, 2021.

About the Author

International Business
(5 reviews)

Mason A Carpenter, University of Wisconsin at Madison
Sanjyot P Dunung, Atma Global
Copyright Year: 2011
ISBN 13: 9781453312995
Publisher: Saylor Foundation
Language: English
Formats Available
Conditions of use.

Learn more about reviews.
Reviewed by Ashley Beleny, Instructor, Virginia Tech on 4/11/22
The textbook covers a range of issues; however, it goes into areas that are beyond the scope of international business and increases the large about of information to be covered in one semester. read more
Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less
The textbook covers a range of issues; however, it goes into areas that are beyond the scope of international business and increases the large about of information to be covered in one semester.
Content Accuracy rating: 2
The book is overall accurate, but it needs to be updated. Case studies, information about the current status of China, the WTO and international trade agreements all are out of date.
Relevance/Longevity rating: 5
Trade agreements have changed, such a the RCEP being negotiated, and those changes have affected a number of geopolitical elements that should be acknowledged.
Clarity rating: 4
The book is written in a very conversational tone which is easy to read.
Consistency rating: 5
It is very consistent throughout in its organization.
Modularity rating: 5
The book is divided into sections that can be moved around and organized as is desired for the course.
Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4
The structure is a little awkward in the order I would put things and the emphasis I would put on different areas. It skips from one area to another, but overall that makes it more modular if the course is organized in a way that just necessitates readings or sections that can be inserted into the course.
Interface rating: 5
The book is laid out clearly.
Grammatical Errors rating: 5
There are not a significant number of grammatical errors to skew the understanding or flow of the textbook.
Cultural Relevance rating: 4
Culture is a key issue for international business. The cultural section of the book doesn't continue to go into how culture affects how businesses operate to the point appropriate for this course.
The highlighted words that are emphasized in the book are not the keywords in the situation.
Reviewed by Samira Hussein, Professor, Business Administration, Johnson County Community College on 5/30/21
I currently use a textbook from a major publisher which is an introductory text in international business, much like this one. I find that the topics in both texts are comparable. I would not need another text to supplement the material. However,... read more
Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less
I currently use a textbook from a major publisher which is an introductory text in international business, much like this one. I find that the topics in both texts are comparable. I would not need another text to supplement the material. However, as others have mentioned in their review, the examples seem dated. As long as I emphasized the theoretical part, I would be fine with adopting the textbook. Also, each sub heading is organized with "key takeaways", discussion questions, and a summary. All of this provides reader friendly pedagogy.
Content Accuracy rating: 5
No inaccuracies were noted. The examples provided throughout the textbook provide multiple perspectives, due to which this textbook will enjoy broad appeal to many instructors.
As long as instructors use the book to provide a framework of international business, the textbook will provide the foundation in a comprehensive manner. In the digital world where newsletters to supplement the textbook also become dated, instructors can always add currency to this textbook by providing examples that are current. The book is very relevant to a foundational course since it covers all aspects of international business.
Clarity rating: 5
The prose is written in a manner that creates interest in the topics. I found myself drawn to the several topics and sub topics because of the interesting examples given from not just one part of the globe, but all over. The points made in these headings and sub-headings are summarized, and also practical tips are given quite often. All this provides clarity for the reader.
Consistency is the biggest appeal of this textbook. By the second or the third chapter the reader knows what to expect, and how terminology will be understood through examples, and practical applications.
Modularity rating: 4
Although, I am used to chunking the chapters into sections, I believe that instructors can easily divide the various chapters into broader themes. The author provides each sub-heading as a comprehensive reading assignment. Bibliography is provided at the end of each section which can be assigned as further reading and research for the students.
I would rearrange the topics differently since there are some chapters that would logically flow better next to each other. Sub themes can be created by re-arranging the chapters differently.
Interface rating: 3
I found the blue text within the chapter distracting since they are not hyperlinked. Also, many of the hyperlinks at the end of the section are not functional. The text does not offer many images that may enhance the explanation provided. This creates lack of interest for the reader. However, the images that are provided are relevant within the context of the discussion.
There are no grammatical errors.
Cultural Relevance rating: 5
The very fact that the book provides examples from all over the world rather than certain economies demonstrates cultural sensitivity to me. Furthermore, the examples are interesting and create curiosity for the different regions of the world.
I found the textbook to be relevant, user friendly, and fairly comprehensive. However, with all the bells and whistles provided by textbook publishers, the accuracy of working links, and superior supplements provided for the textbooks a strong draw towards sticking with the publishers. This by no means implies that this text cannot be used as is. If power points, testbanks and other supplements can be added, some of the negatives of this textbook can be easily overlooked. The price is just right ($0)!!
Reviewed by Trunnis Goggins, Adjunct Instructor of Business, Trine University on 4/16/21
This textbook does a great job at providing the basics and foundation of international business. However based on the ever dynamic and changing world of international business, some information is a little dated. read more
This textbook does a great job at providing the basics and foundation of international business. However based on the ever dynamic and changing world of international business, some information is a little dated.
The author does a great job at presenting well-founded and peer reviewed facts. Again due to the rapidly changing laws and trade agreements, it is rather difficult to maintain accuracy in a book like this even from one semester to the next.
This book does a great job at presenting the fundamentals. There are only some aspects of this textbook that may deem to be obsolete. However, the foundational approach of this textbook does give the student a clear and concise description of the inner workings of international business.
The book is well written and does provide real-world scenarios. These scenarios can be extremely helpful in understanding the technical and academic aspects of international business.
The author does a fantastic job of providing a consistent message.
This textbook is written in a way that builds from one chapter to the next. It is easy to follow and its sequence allows the student to continually build on prior learning from prior chapters.
Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5
This textbook is very organized and very well planned.
Extremely manageable interface.
I found no grammatical errors
This book was written in a fashion that was sensitive to all cultures. It also gave very valuable insight to the ethical values and cultures of many other economic systems throughout the world.
Reviewed by Ruby Lee, Professor, Florida State University on 11/5/18
The text covers a wide range of topics that are important and timely to international business. Instructors who teach international marketing should also find the text helpful. Nonetheless, the text does not provide index or glossary. read more
The text covers a wide range of topics that are important and timely to international business. Instructors who teach international marketing should also find the text helpful. Nonetheless, the text does not provide index or glossary.
The content is absolutely unbiased and accurate at the time of writing. Many examples and cases discussed in the text are real companies and their issues are continuing.
The text is highly relevant and up-to-date. Examples are well used. The theory and most concepts will not be obsolete within a short period of time. However, the challenge of teaching international business is that companies are consistently changing, revising their strategies, and making various adaptations to stay afloat, and therefore some of the examples (e.g., Google in China) might need to get updates more frequently than others. But it should be relatively easy and straightforward to implement.
The text is easy to understand and follow. Examples are abundant to adequately illustrate various concepts or terminology used in the text. But it would be better if a glossary was included.
The text is highly consistent. Examples (opening cases), contents, and exercises to reinforce students' learning are in order.
The book's modularity follows most mainstream IB textbooks. So, it should not be a problem for instructors to switch from their current text to this one. Each chapter is well organized with smaller reading sections. This definitely allows instructors to pick and choose the topics that fit into their curriculum.
The topics in the text are well organized and presented. Examples (opening cases), contents, and exercises to reinforce students' learning are in order. It would be very helpful if the beginning of each chapter has a table of content.
Interface rating: 4
The text does not have many images and charts. So, I don't see any interface issues.
The text is written in plain English. I do not spot any grammatical errors.
The text is very culturally sensitive indeed. It uses examples from different parts of the world. It further includes real company examples from various countries across the globe to demonstrate the challenge of conducting international business. It's really a nice text.
The text is wonderful overall. Please include a table of content of the text, a table of content for each chapter, a chapter summary, a glossary. More tables and figures to illustrate some of the contents would be helpful too.

Reviewed by Barry Hawkey, Adjunct Faculty, Portland Community College on 6/19/18
This is a massive text, and seems to cover everything I’d need in my International Marketing course. Without a table of contents or an index, however, it is difficult to understand the complete flow of this 730-page text! Any instructor using... read more
Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less
This is a massive text, and seems to cover everything I’d need in my International Marketing course. Without a table of contents or an index, however, it is difficult to understand the complete flow of this 730-page text! Any instructor using this text would need to begin by constructing their own.
This text seems to be very professionally written, and I have found no errors or evidence of bias. I would recommend it to college-level instructors
Relevance/Longevity rating: 4
International Marketing is a rapidly changing topic, so it is difficult to write a text with examples that will not seem out of date in a few years. Examples in this text include Coca-Cola, DeBeers, and Google, which seem unlikely to be rendered obsolete any time soon.
The text is well-organized by section and subsection, but the lack of a table of contents or index makes it very difficult to find every reference to a particular topic. Without those, future updates will be very hard to integrate.
The text is very professionally written. Sentence structures and explanations are easy to follow, and should be easily accessible to college-level students.
Consistency rating: 4
The text is professionally written, and appears well laid-out. I do not see much evidence of language or concepts building on themselves, or of early topics being referenced in later chapters, however. There is also no glossary, and key words do not seem to be given highlighted definitions in the text. Still, the overall voice of the text is very consisent.
The case studies and matching exercises given in every chapter are a huge help, and make the massive text much more approachable to readers.
While the case studies, “amusing anecdotes” and exercises are very helpful, in some areas they seem to overwhelm the actual text. For example, Section 5.3, on The United Nations and the Impact of Trade, begins on page 252 and continues for 9 pages. If you remove all of the ‘asides,’ however, you are left with only 4 pages! More than half of the section is spent on asides.
The lack of any pictures or illustrations hinders reader understanding in some places. For example, the ‘6 Steps of Scenario Planning’ on page 397 would greatly benefit from a flowchart or diagram.
Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 2
The text does not have a table of contents or index! This makes it very hard to use as a reference, and they should definitely be added. At 730 pages, the lack of a table of contents even makes it hard for an instructor to get a handle on what the book offers.
Interface rating: 2
Blue, underlined text of chapter and section headings are not working hyperlinks, although they seemed designed to look like them.
The lack of pictures and illustrations make these text tiring to read. It always makes the text ‘feel’ unprofessional, although the content itself is great.
This text is very professionally written. I have not found any grammatical errors.
This text appears to be very professionally written. I have not found any evidence of cultural insensitivity, and the examples appear to come from many different countries. It is a large text, however, and I have not read all 730 pages.
While I understand that intellectual property rights somehow must require this book be published with the phrase “Author’s Name retracted as requested by the work’s original creator or licensee,” it is disconcerting to see that phrase appear again and again. That phrase is given 15 times in total, and I expect it will cause readers to question the quality of the content, unfortunately.
Table of Contents
- Chapter 1: Introduction
- Chapter 2: International Trade and Foreign Direct Investment
- Chapter 3: Culture and Business
- Chapter 4: World Economies
- Chapter 5: Global and Regional Economic Cooperation and Integration
- Chapter 6: International Monetary System
- Chapter 7: Foreign Exchange and the Global Capital Markets
- Chapter 8: International Expansion and Global Market Opportunity Assessment
- Chapter 9: Exporting, Importing, and Global Sourcing
- Chapter 10: Strategy and International Business
- Chapter 11: Global Entrepreneurship and Intrapreneurship
- Chapter 12: Winning through Effective, Global Talent Management
- Chapter 13: Harnessing the Engine of Global Innovation
- Chapter 14: Competing Effectively through Global Marketing, Distribution, and Supply-Chain Management
- Chapter 15: Understanding the Roles of Finance and Accounting in Global Competitive Advantage
Ancillary Material
- Submit ancillary resource
About the Book
International Business is one of the most challenging and exciting courses to teach in the Business School. To teach a current, dynamic and complete course you need a textbook by authors as passionate and informed about International Business as you are.
Carpenter and Dunung's International Business: The Opportunities and Challenges of a Flat World provides exploration into building, leading, and thriving in global organizations in an increasingly flat world. The authors define ”Flat world“ as one where service industries that dwarf manufacturing industries in terms of scale and scope, an Internet that pervades life and work, and networks define modern businesses, whether service or manufacturing. Carpenter and Dunung's text is designed to speak to technologically-savvy students who see national borders as bridges and not barriers.
The authors use the lexicon of international business, and additionally, develop students' knowledge of international contexts with the aim that they may launch, run, and work in any organization that is global in scope (or is wrestling with global competition or other global threats).
The textbook is organized in 5 Sections:
- Section 1 introduces the global business course and concludes with a chapter on seizing global opportunities.
- Section 2 develops student knowledge about key facets of the global business environment, while
- Section 3 develops knowledge about how a student or organization can exploit opportunities in that global environment.
- Section 4 is devoted to entrepreneurship in a flat world — this section will explore why the entrepreneurial context is changing, provide lenses for identifying and capitalizing on entrepreneurial opportunities, and
- Section 5 shows how key organizational activities can be managed for global effectiveness. Every chapter has five enumerated learning objectives, each of these five sections concludes with a short summary (”Key Takeaways“) and five review questions.
In addition, each chapter concludes with a mini case on a unique global business that encompasses the topics shown in the chapter. The authors even provide a set of end-of-chapter questions that are mapped to AACSB learning standards, so that you will be able to measure how well students are grasping course content that aligns with the AACSB guidelines. Request a desk copy of Carpenter and Dunung's International Business: The Opportunities and Challenges of a Flat World to experience its current and progressive look at International Business for yourself.
About the Contributors
Mason A. Carpenter (PhD, 1997, University of Texas at Austin) is the M. Keith Weikel professor of leadership at the Univeristy of Wisconsin Madison’s Wisconsin School of Business. His research in strategic management concerns corporate governance, top management teams, social networks, and the strategic management of global startups and is published widely in leading management and strategy journals. He is also author of numerous books used in leading undergraduate, MBA, and educutive education courses around the world, including Principles of Management published by Flat World Knowledge. He is associate editor of the Academy of Management Review and serves on the editorial board of the Strategic Management Journal. At the University of Wisconsin, he is responsible for the undergraduate, MBA, and ExecMBA courses in business, corporate, and global strategy. With others, he has also advised the top management teams and business unit leaders of Fiskars, SABMiller, GE, Harley Davidson, Rockwell International, Vivendi, Kerry Ingredients, Covance, Danisco, Badger Meter, and Banta in the areas of strategy formulation, strategy implementation, and strategic change. His teaching accomplishments include MBA Professor of the Year, notoriety as one of the two most popular professors in several BusinessWeek MBA program polls, the Larson Excellence in Teaching award from the Wisconsin School of Business, and, most recently, a Distinguished Teaching award from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also works to integrate experiential and behavioral perspectives of strategic management into the classroom through positions on the BPS and SMS Executive Committees, Doctoral and New Faculty BPS consortia, and the widely-used BPS Strategy Teaching Toolkit.
Sanjyot P. Dunung is president of Atma Global (www.atmaglobal.com), a publisher of innovative learning products and solutions for the corporate, higher education, and K-12 markets. The company’s mission is to create engaging, best-of-class, global learning products and solutions focusing on countries, cultures, and global business issues. Sanjyot is a recognized leader in the field of cross-cultural learning and has more than fifteen years of extensive experience in developing leading-edge, multimedia learning solutions. Notably, she is the author of Doing Business in Asia: The Complete Guide, focusing on the cultural issues of conducting business in twenty Asian countries (1995 and 1998 by Simon & Schuster). Sanjyot periodically authors articles on doing business internationally. Further, she has appeared on CNBC-TV, CNN International, Bloomberg TV, and various radio programs and is often a guest speaker at conferences and seminars addressing international business and entrepreneurship. Her book, Straight Talk About Starting and Growing Your Own Business, was released in November 2005 by McGraw Hill; she has two entrepreneurship books, Starting Your Business and Growing Your Business with Business Expert Press. Sanjyot also worked as a banker in New York with American and Japanese banks. Sanjyot was selected as a protégé member of the Committee of 200. She’s cofounder and president of the Dunung-Singh Foundation, committed to providing educational opportunities and hope to underprivileged children. She also served as a member of the board of directors of the US Committee for UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund). Sanjyot mentors Afghan women entrepreneurs through Project Artemis. Sanjyot’s academic history includes a BA from Northwestern University and an MBA, with an emphasis in international finance, from Thunderbird, School of Global Management. She is the school’s 1997 recipient of the Distinguished Alumni award. Sanjyot was born in India; was raised in Liverpool, England and Chicago, and now lives in New York with her three sons.
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International Business Case Study Examples
Type of paper: Case Study
Topic: Corporation , Commerce , Company , Marketing , Sony , Disney , Business , Entrepreneurship
Words: 1300
Published: 02/23/2020
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Walt Disney Corporation
The Walt Disney Corporation was established in the year 1923, in Los Angeles, California by two brothers Roy Disney and Walt Disney. It is in their small office that they first produced their first series of short action animated films called the Alice Comedies. The rent to their small office was approximately $10 a month, but within four, months, the brothers together with their growing staff members moved to a larger office next door. In 1925, the brothers made a deposit for a Hyperion Avenue lot located in the Silver Lake District. Construction on their new studio began shortly afterwards. Many changes took place in the studio, in the next 14 years. The Mickey Mouse character was born in the year 1928 followed by Pluto, Goofy, and the Donald Duck. The studio produced its first innovative full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in the year 1937. The film received worldwide success, and in order to meet the expectations of the audience, Walt decided to expand. He bought 51 acres of land in Burbank from the profits they had made from the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. A modern studio was designed with the main purpose of making animated films.
Sony Corporation
The Sony Corporation sometimes referred to as Soni Kabushiki-Gaisha in Japan is a worldwide company known for its products in the music, electronics, computers, telephones and the audiovisual fields. The company together with all of its products is known as Sony. The Sony corporate is made up of over a hundred companies located worldwide: The Sony Corporation of America, Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Online Entertainment, Sony Pictures entertainment and Inc. The Sony Company was founded in the year 1946 by Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita. Ibuka was an engineer while Morita was a physicist. With about twenty employees, the two decided to start making their own products. It was not until the year 1954 that the company began to grow significantly.
Cultural, legal, and ethical Issues affecting Walt Disney and Sony Corporation.
When any company is looking to expand and explore the global market, it is quite often proven to be a difficult task because of the cultural differences found in the different countries. This is because these cultural differences define the tastes and preferences of the people. However, this is not always the case. The people may speak different languages, and have different cultural beliefs, but this will not make them not enjoy Sony’s music and its products or the Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse or Cinderella. When it comes to political issues, most international businesses like Walt Disney and Sony Corporation are sometimes affected as some governments may be unstable. There may be dramatic and frequent changes or political unrest that may lead to the company’s property being destroyed or seized, and the company’s normal business operations are interrupted. When this occurs, the companies may incur huge losses. Even when the government is stable, changes may occur regarding the business regulations when a different administration comes into power after elections. The companies must also familiarize themselves with the laws and regulations of every country as well as the international laws and obey them. Different countries, for example, may have different rules regarding the employees, insurances, overtime payments, and minimum wages and so on. There also may be different laws regarding product’s safety and testing. Other business practices such as bribing that are common in one’s country might also be illegal and may not be considered ethical, in another country. The Walt Disney Company is committed to promoting and maintaining responsible International labor performances, when it comes to licensing and sourcing operations thorough the whole world. A wide range of international labor standards based on the code of conduct for the manufacturers have been implemented. The standards are reinforced through monitoring activities and key programs that are meant to provide and maintain education and cooperation. In order to penetrate the international market; the Sony Corporation had to pass a global policy regarding health and safety in the year 1998. This shows that Sony cares about the health and safety of its employees and customers all over the world.
Market entry strategies, labor issues, Site selection and Market Research
Deciding how to enter a foreign market is very crucial to any organization as the decision made will have a significant impact on the company’s success. For a company like Sony that introduced different products into the market every now and then, having a good marketing strategy in place is mandatory. This will help it stay ahead and remain competitive in the electronics business, as well as to be aware of the consumer’s future needs and be able to fulfill them. Providing high quality products that add value to the customer is the main objective. The company realized that coming up with a unified and consistent global marketing strategy that incorporates all the marketing teams from Sony pictures, Games, Sony’s music and all the other businesses was the key to conquer the global market. After a new management had been appointed in April 2012, the company focused on implementing marketing strategies that will transform the company rapidly. The strategies include: - Reinforcing the electronic business. This includes accelerating the execution of the updated strategies in the three main businesses (Game, imaging and mobile), make the TV business profitable again, introduce new businesses such as security and medical to ensure growth and improve the company’s business portfolio. - Continue strengthening the profitability in the financial and entertainment businesses. In order to reach the global market, the Walt Disney Company incorporated the following marketing strategy: Licensing, Foreign outsourcing and direct investment. Since labor and infrastructure expenses are higher in the United States as compared to other countries, the company decided to adopt the foreign outsourcing strategy so as to reduce the cost of production. The company’s main factories are located in the Asian countries especially China, where the products are made and then distributed to the other stores worldwide. The stores located globally have licenses that allow them to sell the products. The direct investment strategy allowed the company to purchase investments such as resorts and amusement parks. The past few years have seen the company focus more on establishing foundations for growth in the Latin America, India, China and Russian markets. The company is also focusing on Europe and Japan with an intention to serve the customers better while including more local values in their entertainment. Figure 1: Sony corporation Income statement evolutionFigure2: Walt Disney Income State evolution The figures above show the companies’ income statement evolution. The income statement evolution shows the company’s earnings from a particular time. For the Sony Corporation, the period is between the year 2008 and year 2016 while that of the Walt Disney Corporation is between year 2008 and 2018.
Chris. W. (2009). A History of the Sony Corporation. Retrieved 28th Nov 2013, from Yahoo!: http://voices.yahoo.com/a-history-sony-corporation-2456670.html Shabbir. A. (2008). Analysis of Case: Walt Disney. Retrieved 28th Nov 2013, from Scribd: http://www.scribd.com/doc/24658023/Walt-Disney-Case-Study-Analysis Tian. G. (2009). Cross-cultural issues in the 21st century marketing. Retrieved 28th Nov 2013, from http://www.infosciencetoday.org/type/research-type/cross-cultural-issues-in-the-21st-century-marketing.html UK Essays. (2013). Environmental Factors That Influence Sony Corporation. Retrieved 28th Nov 2013, Walt Disney Studios. (2013). The Walt Disney Studios history. Retrieved 28th Nov 2013, from Studio Services: http://studioservices.go.com/disneystudios/history.html
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How to write a business case study: your complete guide

If you think testimonials are powerful – and they are, wait until you present a great case study to current and prospective customers.
They’re the proof in the pudding: engaging stories describing exactly how a client used your product, service, or process to beat a challenge or gain success. In fact, according to a B2B Marketing survey of 112 marketers, 66% said case studies were “very effective” for securing leads and sales while 32% called them “quite effective” .
So in this article, we’ll guide you through the essentials of how to write a business case study – with best practices, case study templates, real-world examples, and all.
What is a business case study?
Oxford Languages defines a case study as “a particular instance of something used or analyzed in order to illustrate a thesis or principle”.
Meanwhile, Macmillan Dictionary defines it as both “a set of events that is a good example of a particular idea or situation” and “a piece of research that records details of how a situation develops over a period of time” .
In more simple terms, a business case study is a real-life business scenario describing how your customers have used your products or services to achieve certain goals.
They’re based on interviews with actual customers to highlight the effectiveness of a specific feature, explain a certain use case, or emphasize benefits or results of note.
You might also hear case studies referred to as customer success stories or success stories .
You can talk about your benefits and features until the sun goes down, but remember: stories sell .
So transform your features and benefits into the kind of real-world examples that will immerse your readers into what you’ve been trying to tell them all along.
They’re memorable, personal, effective, and real. Getting actual people to sing your praises for you… could there be a more compelling way to make the sale?
“Stories create community, enable us to see through the eyes of other people, and open us to the claims of others.” Peter Forbes, photographer and author
9 reasons why case studies are great for business
For potential customers:
- Attract new business
- Provide powerful tools for your sales team’s arsenal
- Introduce new products or services
- Provide proof of results
- Increase brand awareness
- Highlight your expertise
For current customers:
- Retain business/thwart the competition
- Create upsell opportunities
Case studies also come with a unique set of benefits for your marketing strategy:
- As long as the featured products/services are still relevant, they can be marketed for months (evergreen case studies, though less common, can be marketed for years).
- They’re inexpensive to produce compared to other forms of marketing, such as white papers.
- They remind happy customers how much they’ve benefited from your products or services .
- Featured customer challenges can help other prospects and customers find solutions to the same or similar problems.
- They prove the effectiveness of your products or services.
- They represent your products and services through customers’ eyes.
- They can inspire new ways to use your products or services, presenting more opportunities to improve relationships with your existing customer base and attract new customers.
- They validate your credibility.
- They’re like supercharged testimonials but with in-depth stories, richer details, and an emphasis on results.
Planning and prep
First, develop your team. Business case studies will usually fall under the domain of your marketers, but now it’s time to get specific.
- Who will be the stakeholders and decision makers?
- Who will review and approve the study?
- Who will be responsible for project management?
- Who will do the actual writing? Will it be you, someone else on your team or an experienced freelance writer?
- If a freelancer will write your study, who will be their point of contact?
Next, start scheduling your timeline. Work backwards from the date you’d like to publish, then build in dates for reviews and edits. Also create a flexible internal deadline for securing a client interview.
Since you’ll need to align your schedule with that of your interviewee, pinpointing an actual interview date can take some time.
Next, consider your goals:
- Why are you writing this case study?
- Is there a specific win or customer feedback you’d like to highlight?
- Do you have any great yet lesser-known products, features or services?
- Do you have any new products, services or updates you’d like to share with the world?
- Do you have a new positioning strategy?
Common objectives include increasing revenue, generating more leads, growing business with existing customers, entering a new market, increasing market share, and improving customer lifetime value (CLV).
After you’ve defined your objectives, it’s time to start considering who you might want to interview. Make your list specific. Include the company name , any relevant notes and the name of the intended stakeholder to be interviewed (one interviewee per case study is ideal).
No matter who you decide to interview, make sure they understand your offerings well and that they’ve experienced substantial or notable results. If they were disappointed by one of your competitors then came to you…that’s even better. And, when possible, the biggest and most impressive names work best.
The interview process
It’s a privilege to secure case study interviews. Sure, it might give your customers more exposure for their own businesses, but they’re probably very busy with other aspects of marketing and sales.
So make the interview process as easy, streamlined, and stress-free as possible – and always thank them for their time.
The first time you get in touch about the interview, mention the details below:
- The purpose of the case study – and the benefits they stand to gain
- A brief overview of the interview process
- A general idea of the kinds of questions they may be asked
- Explain scenarios for how and where the case study may be used (you’ll need their permission to share it with your audiences)
- Thank them for their time
How case studies help your clients
Always ask yourself, WIIFM, or “What’s In It For Me?” whenever you communicate with clients. Why should your clients take time out of their busy schedules to record their experiences and chat for your case study?
Here are some common ways clients win:
- Increased exposure
- Increased traffic online
- Demonstrated expertise/thought leadership
- Free publicity promoting their success
- Special incentives – such as a discount
For more tips on reaching out to interviewees, check out our case study proposal template .
Brainstorming questions
Have they accepted? Great! Send the interviewee a questionnaire before the interview. It will help you get insights into anything requiring research, like key metrics and tangible ROI. It will also serve as a guide for brainstorming your interview questions.
Sample questionnaire :
- How many team members use our product/service? Which departments?
- What were your challenges before using our product/service/process?
- What made you leave our competitor to come to us?
- How do you use our product/service/process? Please share a high-level overview in your own words.
- What features or tools have been the most helpful for your business?
- If you asked us for help, how did we provide you with what you need? We’d like to understand this from your perspective.
- How have you benefited from our offering–and what have been your greatest results to date? Please provide specific metrics, if possible.
- What surprised you most about using our product/service/process?
- How have your customers or clients benefited from your use of our products or services?
- Is there anything else you would like us to know?
And here are a few tips to shape the actual interview:
- Review your client’s questionnaire responses, your objectives and your pre-planning strategy to come up with questions that might help you meet your goals.
- Ask open-ended questions that set the stage for sharing notable experiences.
- The better your questions are, the easier the case study writing process will be.
But don’t stick to the script during the actual interview. You’ll need to listen actively and engage in some real-time decision-making to ask additional questions based on the answers you receive. That’s another reason why it’s important to interview a key decision maker from your customer’s company.
“Stories constitute the single most powerful weapon in a leader’s arsenal.” Dr. Howard Gardner, Harvard University professor and author
For example, let’s say you have a software-as-a-service (SaaS) product. You ask your interviewee how many people use the solution and discover some surprising departments have been putting it to use.
It would be a perfect opportunity to dig deeper to find out how and why they use it and the extent of their results.
Writing your business case study
Like most forms of writing, the best solution is to use an outline to save time and keep goals clear .
Of course the best business case study format depends on your strategy, but here’s an example of a common format.
Sample case study outline
- Introduction: Brief description of the case study’s contents (bullet point key metrics and successes).
- Overview of the subject’s company: Brief description of the featured company (what they do, who their customers are, where they’re based (if relevant)). Include brief background/context as to how they use your product, service or process.
- Problem/challenge/opportunity: Describe their business problem or opportunity/explain why they started using your product, service, or process. Include a strong quote or two.
- Solution: Explain how they used your product to solve their problem, share benefits and features, include a strong quote or two.
- Results: This is the conclusion – summarize how the subject’s company used your product, service, or process to solve their problem. Briefly recap their wins, alluding to benefits and features. Include a strong quote here, if available and appropriate.
- Boiler and CTA: Share a brief boiler (About your company, Who you serve and how, Summary of products/services/expertise, Contact information: phone number and email address).
- Include a call-to-action (CTA) .
When it’s time to start writing, gather your list of goals, your case study strategy, the customer’s interview and questionnaire responses, and every relevant link, white paper, and one-pager to make sure you have access to the full scope of information related to the products and services mentioned in your case study.
You won’t be bombarding readers by including it all– but they can help you fill in the blanks while explaining how your customer got things done.
Since your clients know you understand your product or service, they’re likely to answer your questions in broader terms. This is a possible solution to provide your readers with the crucial details they need.
Also remember who your audience is to write in a way that makes the most sense for those individuals. So if your business has buyer personas or ideal customer profiles (ICP), it’s a great idea to keep those on hand.
It’s also important to reserve enough writing time to get creative. Thoughtfully work your way through your materials to come up with the type of angle that will make your case study worthwhile.
Best practices
- Start with an attention-grabbing yet relevant headline .
- Opt for shorter, more succinct sections. And, while it can be tempting, avoid launching with a lengthy intro unless you’re working on a more complex case study. If you’re writing a business case study that’s complicated because of the subject matter or necessary background information, kick off the content with an executive summary. A well-written executive summary also makes it more likely that someone will read your entire case study, despite the complexity, because it offers a subject matter overview while serving as a guide of sorts.
- Only include a table of contents for lengthier case studies.
- Write in the third person.
- Avoid alienating your readers by assuming they’ll understand. Skip the jargon and explain every acronym to hold their attention the entire way.
- A good business case study is a story. Make sure it reads like one. And a conversational tone often works best .
- Keep it focused. Don’t highlight a million wins for a single case study. Pick one or two combinations of challenges and solutions instead. If you include more, you might dilute your message or bore your readers.
- A case study is a story. Make sure it has a beginning, a middle,and an end .
- And always include direct quotes for an added dose of personality, energy, and human connection.
- Include stats or metrics whenever possible, such as increased revenue, the number of new customers gained, or a measurable boost in traffic.
- Graphics and pull quotes can make it easier to digest the content of your case study. But if you’re in a very visual industry like graphic design, advertising, fashion, or interior design, it’s a great idea to include on-brand, relevant images. For example, you might feature your customer’s brand images or visuals from a relevant campaign.
- There’s no rule re: length, but business case studies are often 2-3 pages long .
And make sure your client is the star.
In this piece of content, it’s all about them. Write about your client’s company, challenges, and results .
A case study can’t be as effective if it’s all about you because it’s designed to help clients and prospects relate to the people featured in your story. It can also feel a lot more compelling – and credible – when you let customer experiences do the talking.
Give it a final review
- Double-check that all facts and figures are correct.
- Try to read it with a fresh set of eyes or pass it to your colleagues. It should be interesting and exciting to read while inspiring trust.
- Make sure all claims are backed up with supporting evidence.
- Provide enough details for readers to be able to emulate the actions of your clients on their own if equipped with the same products and services.
Ask your client for the OK
Send a copy of the case study draft to your client. They should know exactly what you plan to share and have enough time to share it with key stakeholders from their marketing and/or legal department.
Make any necessary changes, then share the revised version for one more round of approval. Finally, ask them to sign a publishing release.
Marketing your case study
When you have the finished product, it’s time to start marketing!
Think about using these channels:
- A dedicated landing page
- The resources section of your website
- Your company blog
- One or a series of marketing emails
- Social media
- Custom infographic
Salespeople love case studies.
Your sales team will get a lot of use out of your case studies. They can feature them as links in their email signatures and include them in sales emails and proposals for new clients and potential customers. To get started, you can use our case study presentation template .
Good case study examples (and why they work)
Start reading well-executed case studies to learn more about what makes them work. Here’s a selection of three very different yet successful case studies.
The first is one of our case studies; it highlights the success of one of our HR clients, TPD. The second case study is from Trello – it tells the story of UNICEF’s disaster-relief success.
The third example describes how SimplePractice won big with Stripe’s automatic payments offering.
PandaDoc case study
Intro: Before diving into the body of the case study, we briefly introduced the company, TPD, and highlighted three major metrics for a promising start.
The problem: We quickly engaged readers with our conversational tone. We also invited them to walk in TPD’s shoes through empathetic language and relatable context (such as the line: “anyone who’s ever been hired, or has hired others, knows that there are multiple forms and contracts to fill out” ).
Challenges, solutions, and results: We took readers on a storytelling journey to help our case study flow. We gave them enough information to understand the “why” , but never bogged them down with unnecessary details. We were also sure to include supporting quotes and specific, measurable results in these critical sections.
Pull quote: We reserved the very best quote as the only pull quote, ensuring it would receive the attention it deserves.
Format: Finally, every time we mentioned a new company, we gave it a hyperlink to help readers save time.
Trello case study
“unicef + trello: helping others when they need it most”.
Facts and figures: Trello opens the case study with great at-a-glance information, sharing insights into UNICEF as an organization and their relationship with Trello products.
Challenges, solutions, and results: This case study takes readers through a detailed narrative, providing statistics and metrics whenever possible. Readers are immersed into the story of exactly how UNICEF used Trello to help thousands of people during a natural disaster – offering enough detail to spark use case inspiration for other Trello users.
Photos: Trello included photos of actual UNICEF employees working remotely around the globe. The pictures gave the case study a personal feel, which could help readers better identify with the story.
Readers are reminded of the unique challenges of working together-apart to start considering how Trello might be able to help them find the solutions they need. Remember, the best case studies are relatable to all of your prospects!
Format: Its structure makes this longer case study easy to read. Sections of text are kept short while bullet points and pull quotes provide visual breaks.
Finally, hyperlinks to organizations’ websites open in separate tabs to help prevent losing case study readers along the way.
Stripe case study
“simplepractice launches automatic payments offering for clinicians with stripe”.
Intro: In just two sentences, Stripe successfully manages to explain what SimplePractice is, what they offer, who they serve, how they serve them, and the benefits those clients gain.
And while it’s not necessary to be this brief, readers will be more likely to read your entire intro if it’s on the shorter side.
Sidebar: The sidebar draws eyes to keep reading with two impressive metrics and a brightly-hued CTA button to “contact sales” .
Challenge and solution: These sections read like a story, with each sentence enticing the reader to continue to the next. It’s also great that a quote from SimplePractice’s COO is used to add context, emphasizing the gravity of their challenge.
Results: Stripe gives a lot of detail here for a strong close to the case study. After explaining how their offering brought ease to SimplePractice’s business, they went on to share detailed specifics on what made things easier and in what ways.
They also explained how their offering improved the businesses of SimplePractice’s clients. It’s highly persuasive for readers to understand they have the opportunity to not only benefit their own companies but also those of their clients.
Pull quote: The case study ends with a strong pull quote in a can’t-miss-it color.
Format: Stripe has a great case study format.
Consider using it as a guide to create a case study template of your own:
- Brief intro
- Sidebar with CTA and bullet points of key metrics and wins
Wrapping up
Most clients and prospects would rather hear from the people who use your products over a salesperson, any day. So use the power of trust to help you close the sale with a great business case study highlighting your results.
You and your customers already have the stories – now it’s time to share them with the world.
Wondering if you should reference buyer personas or if ideal customer profiles would work better? Get answers on the PandaDoc blog!
Frequently asked questions
What is the best business case study format.
The best business case study format depends on the nature of the results and whatever it is you’re trying to achieve. You can figure that out by carefully reviewing your customer success stories and interviews.
- What stands out the most?
- What are you trying to achieve?
- How can you use your layout to guide readers through your story?
- What is your industry or what is the industry of your featured client?
Pro tip: Some interviews are more quotable than others. If you have too many great quotes to include them in your featured sections, consider adding a few pull quotes to your layout.
How do I create a business case study outline?
To create a business case study outline, list all of your featured sections and use bullet points to note subsections and what should be covered. Most case studies feature the following sections: Introduction, Brief Description of Customer’s Business, Problem/Challenge/Opportunity, Solution, Results/Conclusion, Boiler, and Call-to-Action (CTA). But outlines aren’t just for traditional case studies. Use outlines to guide your infographic and video versions too.
What are some case study best practices?
Case study best practices include planning objectives and goals before selecting your featured client, sending pre-interview questionnaires, and finding an angle that will make the piece compelling to all of your readers. Also be sure to get the approval of your client and their marketing team after you’ve had time to review your first draft and fact-check all information.
Best practices for writing case studies include crafting short, easy-to-digest sections, weaving in a narrative for engaging storytelling, and getting attention from the start with an engaging headline. It’s also a great idea to write in layman’s terms, explain any necessary acronyms, include any supporting metrics or statistics, and use direct quotes to bring your customer’s story to life. Check out the featured case study examples in this article for inspiration.
Where can I find a good case study design template?
You can find a good case study design template on PandaDoc. Our company’s expertise is spot-on and the case study templates are free. Also, don’t be afraid to branch out. Let’s say you have a big following on YouTube or Spotify. You might want to create a video or podcast version of your case study for readers who prefer audiovisual information. Or, you may want to add multimedia content to your case study, such as a video insert or or audio clip.
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A case study is a story. Make sure it has a beginning, a middle,and an end. And always include direct quotes for an added dose of personality, energy, and human connection. Include stats or metrics whenever possible, such as increased revenue, the number of new customers gained, or a measurable boost in traffic.