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Top 50 Cases - 1973-2023
To celebrate our 50th anniversary, we've revealed our top 50 bestselling cases worldwide from 1973-2023. The Case Centre distributes over 73,300 cases so a place in the Top 50 is an incredible achievement.

Highlights
The International Institute for Management Development (IMD) lands in top spot with their case, easyJet: The Web’s Favourite Airline, written by Nirmalya Kumar and Brian Rogers. easyJet is one of three cases in the list by Nirmalya Kumar, and IMD's outstanding performance continues with a further seven cases in the Top 50.

Harvard Business School (HBS) secures its position as the most successful institution, with an impressive 22 cases in the Top 50. HBS also have the most successful author with Christopher A Bartlett who has an exceptional six cases in the list.

INSEAD's Pierre Chandon and Pedro Pacheco Guimaraes are second place in the Top 50 with their case, Unilever in Brazil (1997-2007): Marketing Strategies for Low-income Consumers. INSEAD has a total of 14 cases in the list, and represents a remarkable 60% of the top 10.

Other schools with cases in the Top 50 include HEC Paris; London Business School; McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University; Universidad de Sevilla; University of Bath School of Management; University of California at Los Angeles; University of Virginia Darden School of Business; and Warwick Business School.

Case themes
42% of cases in the Top 50 are in the area of Strategy and General Management. Marketing follows closely behind at 26%, while Production and Operations Management accounts for 14%. The categories of Case Method and Specialist Management Disciplines; Entrepreneurship; Finance, Accounting and Control; and Human Resource Management / Organisational Behaviour are also represented.

Among the industries featured in the list, food and beverages and the automotive industry lead the way with six cases on each, closely followed by the airline industry, and fashion apparel, both with five cases. Zara emerges as the most popular company, making an appearance in four of the Top 50 cases.

The majority of cases (74%) are based on field research, underlining the significance of case writing in bringing the real-world experience of companies and their key players into business education classrooms across the globe.

Contact us
If you have any queries about the Top 50 Cases, and for all press and media enquiries please contact:

Antoinette Mills
Antoinette Mills
Director of Communications
<PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_EMAIL_ADDRESS>
t+44 (0)1234 756416
What's trending?
Take a look at our infographic to discover all the trends. Click to view the full size image.

Top 50 Cases - 1973-2023 - infographic

Discover the Top 50 Cases...
Browse the full list of the Top 50 Cases, and hear from their authors and educators who have used the cases in class.

Thumbnail image of the cover of IMD-3-0873
1
easyJet: The Web's Favourite Airline
Nirmalya Kumar and Brian Rogers
International Institute for Management Development (IMD)
Thumbnail image of the cover of 504-009-1
2
Unilever in Brazil (1997-2007): Marketing Strategies for Low-income Consumers
Pierre Chandon and Pedro Pacheco Guimaraes
INSEAD
Thumbnail image of the cover of 9-498-045
3
Wolfgang Keller at Konigsbrau-TAK (A)
John J Gabarro
Harvard Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of 589-005-1
4
Swatch
Helen Chase Kimball and Christian Pinson
INSEAD
Thumbnail image of the cover of 595-023-1
5
Virgin Atlantic Airways: Ten Years After
Jean-Claude Larreche and Pantea Denoyelle
INSEAD
Thumbnail image of the cover of 592-045-1
6
Zantac (A)
Reinhard Angelmar and Christian Pinson
INSEAD
Thumbnail image of the cover of 9-384-049
7
Honda (A)
Evelyn T Christiansen and Richard Tanner Pascale
Harvard Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of 392-055-1
8
Andersen Consulting (Europe): Entering the Business of Business Integration
Sumantra Ghoshal and Mary Ackenhusen
INSEAD
Thumbnail image of the cover of 389-025-1
9
Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) in 1988
Sumantra Ghoshal
INSEAD
Thumbnail image of the cover of 9-673-057
10
Benihana of Tokyo
W Earl Sasser Jr and John R Klug
Harvard Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of 9-502-030
11
Aqualisa Quartz: Simply a Better Shower
Youngme Moon and Kerry Herman
Harvard Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of 603-002-1
12
Zara
Kasra Ferdows, McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University
Jose AD Machuca, Universidad de Sevilla
Michael Lewis, Warwick Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of 302-057-1
13
The Evolution of the Circus Industry (A)
W Chan Kim, Renée Mauborgne, Ben M Bensaou and Matt Williamson
INSEAD
Thumbnail image of the cover of 505-098-1
14
Red Bull: The Anti-Brand Brand
Sophie Coughlan, Nirmalya Kumar and Nader Tavassoli
London Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of 602-010-1
15
Marks & Spencer and Zara: Process Competition in the Textile Apparel Industry
Michael Pich, Ludo Van der Heyden and Nicolas Harlé
INSEAD
Thumbnail image of the cover of IMD-3-0423
16
Nestlé-Rowntree (A)
Jim Ellert, Dana Hyde and Peter Killing
International Institute for Management Development (IMD)
Thumbnail image of the cover of 599-038-1
17
Ford Ka (A): Breaking New Ground in the Small Car Market
Markus Christen, Gigi Cothier and David Soberman
INSEAD
Thumbnail image of the cover of 9-683-068
18
Shouldice Hospital Limited
James L Heskett
Harvard Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of 9-693-019
19
Toyota Motor Manufacturing, USA, Inc
Kazuhiro Mishina
Harvard Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of 9-384-050
20
Honda (B)
Evelyn T Christiansen and Richard Tanner Pascale
Harvard Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of IMD-3-0424
21
Nestlé-Rowntree (B)
Jim Ellert, Dana Hyde and Peter Killing
International Institute for Management Development (IMD)
Thumbnail image of the cover of 390-037-1
22
Electrolux: The Acquisition and Integration of Zanussi
Sumantra Ghoshal and Philippe Haspeslagh
INSEAD
Thumbnail image of the cover of 392-031-1
23
Canon: Competing on Capabilities
Sumantra Ghoshal and Mary Ackenhusen
INSEAD
Thumbnail image of the cover of 9-504-016
24
Starbucks: Delivering Customer Service
Youngme Moon and John A Quelch
Harvard Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of 9-792-081
25
Apple Computer - 1992
David B Yoffie, Jeffrey M Cohn and David L Levy
Harvard Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of 9-399-150
26
GE's Two-decade Transformation: Jack Welch's Leadership
Christopher A Bartlett
Harvard Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of 9-711-462
27
Cola Wars Continue: Coke and Pepsi in 2010
David B Yoffie and Renee Kim
Harvard Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of IMD-5-0537
28
Medi-Cult: Pricing a Radical Innovation
Nirmalya Kumar and Brian Rogers
International Institute for Management Development (IMD)
Thumbnail image of the cover of 9-198-048
29
Citibank: Performance Evaluation
Robert L Simons and Antonio Davila
Harvard Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of 9-495-031
30
Charlotte Beers at Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide (A)
Herminia Ibarra and Nicole Sackley
Harvard Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of 499-021-1
31
Lincoln Electric in China (A)
Ingmar Björkman and Charles Galunic
INSEAD
Thumbnail image of the cover of IMD-5-0604
32
Tetra Pak (A): The Challenge of Intimacy with a Key Customer
Kamran Kashani and Janet Shaner
International Institute for Management Development (IMD)
Thumbnail image of the cover of 9-385-277
33
Komatsu Ltd
Christopher A Bartlett and U Srinivasa Rangan
Harvard Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of 510-103-1
34
Michelin Fleet Solutions: From Selling Tires to Selling Kilometers
Chloé Renault, Frederic Dalsace and Wolfgang Ulaga
HEC Paris
Thumbnail image of the cover of IMD-5-0395
35
Mediquip SA ®
Kamran Kashani
International Institute for Management Development (IMD)
Thumbnail image of the cover of 612-006-1
36
Zara: Staying Fast and Fresh
Felipe Caro
University of California at Los Angeles
Thumbnail image of the cover of 9-385-276
37
Caterpillar Tractor Co.
Christopher A Bartlett and U Srinivasa Rangan
Harvard Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of 9-396-357
38
McKinsey & Company: Managing Knowledge and Learning
Christopher A Bartlett
Harvard Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of 495-014-1
39
Branson's Virgin: The Coming of Age of a Counter-cultural Enterprise
Robert Dick and Manfred FR Kets de Vries
INSEAD
Thumbnail image of the cover of 302-058-1
40
Even a Clown Can Do It (B): Cirque du Soleil Recreates Live Entertainment
W Chan Kim, Renée Mauborgne, Ben M Bensaou and Matt Williamson
INSEAD
Thumbnail image of the cover of 9-694-046
41
Barilla SpA (A)
Janice H Hammond
Harvard Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of UVA-F-1353
42
Nike, Inc: Cost of Capital
Bob Bruner, Jessica Chan and Sean Carr
University of Virginia Darden School of Business
Thumbnail image of the cover of 615-059-1
43
Zara: The World's Largest Fashion Retailer
Kasra Ferdows, McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University
Jose AD Machuca, Universidad de Sevilla
Michael Lewis, University of Bath
Thumbnail image of the cover of 9-483-103
44
People Express (A)
Leonard Schlesinger and Debra Whitestone
Harvard Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of IMD-6-0132
45
Sunwind AB (A)
Robert S Collins
International Institute for Management Development (IMD)
Thumbnail image of the cover of 9-701-035
46
The Walt Disney Company: The Entertainment King
Michael G Rukstad, David J Collis and Tyrrell Levine
Harvard Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of 9-392-032
47
Body Shop International
Christopher A Bartlett, Kenton W Elderkin and Kista McQuade
Harvard Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of 9-794-024
48
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc
Stephen P Bradley, Pankaj Ghemawat and Sharon Foley
Harvard Business School
Thumbnail image of the cover of IMD-5-0373
49
Colgate-Palmolive: Cleopatra
Sandra Vandermerwe and J. Carter Powis
International Institute for Management Development (IMD)
Thumbnail image of the cover of 9-384-139
50
Procter & Gamble Europe: Vizir Launch
Christopher A Bartlett
Harvard Business School

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