News/Events

Winning case writers will be published and could receive up to $10,000 in prize money

In recognition of recent events across the world, it is an extremely important time to support and strengthen diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) skills and knowledge for today’s students, who will become tomorrow’s global business leaders. That’s why WDI Publishing and the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, and its Sanger Leadership Center are joining together to address this important movement by launching the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Global Case Writing Competition. 

Open to university students and educators from around the world, this competition is seeking academic case studies about a DEI-related business dilemma within one, or across multiple, business disciplines. It is designed as a catalyst to generate new teaching materials that increase student understanding and inspire critical thinking for implementing effective DEI within businesses and organizations – across the globe.

“With this global case writing competition, we aim to support and augment the DEI commitments of Michigan Ross as well as the University of Michigan,” said David Wooten, Michigan Ross associate dean and co-chair of the Michigan Ross DEI Curriculum Task Force. “The competition is an exciting strategy to generate new, relevant cases about DEI that can then be adopted into courses at not only Michigan, but universities around the world.”  

The contest is divided into two tracks, each of which will award prize money of $10,000 for first place, $5,000 for second place and $2,500 for third place, and an honorable mention, as deemed by the competition judges. The top three winners for each track also will be honored with the publication of their cases by WDI Publishing or the Sanger Leadership Center.

“It is very gratifying for WDI Publishing to help support and manage this global DEI case writing competition,” said Sandra Draheim, WDI Publishing manager. “For nearly three decades, the William Davidson Institute has worked to provide students in the U.S. and globally with the educational tools for commercial success. A strong understanding of how to build and sustain DEI in a business or organization is critical to that success.” 

The competition’s first track involves the creation of a traditional business case study and an accompanying teaching note. The second track requires a submission for the Sanger Leadership Center’s flagship Leadership Crisis Challenge (LCC). An LCC case is based on a traditional case study, however, is written and designed as a real-time, role-playing event that offers students a rigorous opportunity for action-based learning.

Initial “intent to enter” forms are due Dec. 31, 2020. Final submissions are due March 24, 2021. 

“Sanger is very excited to support the DEI case competition,” said Lindy Greer, faculty director of the Sanger Leadership Center and associate professor of management at Michigan Ross. “Our center is committed to teaching and advancing inclusive leadership. Publishing the winning cases in a future LCC will help all students who take part think critically about the ways their actions can contribute to a more just, tolerant and diverse society.”

 

Competition Tracks and Global Eligibility

Key details on eligibility: 

• Individual students or student teams (graduate or undergraduate) may enter but must enter in collaboration with a faculty member or instructor from an accredited university/college, in the U.S. or internationally.
• Individual faculty/instructors or teams from an accredited university/college (in the U.S. or internationally) may enter.
• Others may enter, but must do so in collaboration with a faculty member or instructor from an accredited university/college, in the U.S. or internationally.

Key deadlines and dates: 

• Dec. 31, 2020: Entry forms due. (Entry form only, NOT final submissions.)
• March 24, 2021: Final submission documents due.
• June 2, 2021: Public announcement of winners.

 

For more information, please contact: 

Case Publishing Manager Sandra Draheim: 734-615-7319; draheims@umich.edu

About Michigan Ross

The Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan is a vibrant and distinctive learning community grounded in the principle that business can be an extraordinary vehicle for positive change in today’s dynamic global economy. The Ross School of Business mission is to build a better world through business. Through thought and action, members of the Ross community drive change and innovation that improves business and society.

Ross is consistently ranked among the world’s leading business schools. Academic degree programs include the BBA, MBA, Part-Time MBA (Evening, Online, and Weekend formats), Executive MBA, Global MBA, Master of Accounting, Master of Supply Chain Management, Master of Management, and PhD. In addition, the school delivers open-enrollment and custom executive education programs targeting general management, leadership development, and strategic human resource management.

 

About the Sanger Leadership Center

At the Sanger Leadership Center, we believe that leadership is a skill, like reading or math, that everyone can learn. We seek to democratize the leadership development process by providing students, alumni, and external affiliates with the bold ideas, transformative experiences, and inclusive communities needed to self-guide and accelerate leadership development. Empowering students across diverse backgrounds to develop the character and skills needed to become principled, inclusive leaders is now more important than ever in today’s unpredictable world.

 

About WDI and WDI Publishing 

Established at the University of Michigan in 1992, the William Davidson Institute is an independent, non-profit research and educational organization. Serving both profit-seeking and non-profit firms, WDI is guided by our founding principle that thriving businesses drive economic development and improve social welfare in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). With a unique blend of field-based experience and academic rigor, WDI works to build stronger economies and healthier societies.

Established in 2007, WDI Publishing is part of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan. We work with faculty to professionally edit, distribute, and market high quality, cutting edge, business case studies for adoption into courses at top-ranked universities globally. Through our e-commerce site, wdi-publishing.com, we offer a large, searchable catalog of over 400 cases within core business disciplines, as well as international business and social impact topic areas. WDI Publishing cases have been adopted by over 400 universities worldwide.