Each year, the EFMD Case Writing Competition celebrates the power of storytelling in management education. The 2024 edition showcased an impressive collection of cases spanning industries, regions, and institutions, all reflecting remarkable innovation, depth, and impact.

We continue this special interview series by spotlighting the voices behind these outstanding cases and celebrating their meaningful contributions to management development.

In this interview, we are pleased to feature Vanessa C. Hasse and Louisa Li from Ivey Publishing, winners in the “Women in Business” category.

‘The Lego Group: A Yellow-Brick Road toward Sustainability?’

1. Could you briefly introduce yourself and share your academic and/or professional background?

Professor Vanessa Hasse is an Assistant Professor of International Business at the Ivey Business School, Western University (Canada). Her research focuses on organisational responses to performance signals and outlier events in international contexts. As a management educator, she has authored several case studies and been widely recognised for her innovations in designing transformative learning experiences. Louisa Li graduated from the HBA program at the Ivey Business School in 2024 and has since begun a career in financial services, where she continues to apply what she has learned while tackling real-world business challenges.

2. What personal or professional experiences inspired you to write this particular case?

The case was inspired by content covered in the course on International Collaborative Arrangements, taught by Dr. Hasse, involving the opportunities and complexities associated with strategic partnerships. After completion of the course, we started working on case ideas for Ivey’s Case Writing Course, coordinated by Professor David Wood. LEGO’s partnership with Shell stood out to us because it illustrates how a collaboration formed during the Wirtschaftswunder era, a period of rapid industrial growth, can become misaligned as public perceptions change. Many insights can be gleaned from the way the partnership ended, more than 50 years after its formation, following a viral campaign by Greenpeace. Writing this case allowed us to explore these dynamics in depth and reinforced the importance of strategic adaptability. It also challenges students to consider how legacy decisions can affect future brand value and the necessity of aligning business practices with evolving societal expectations, lessons we believe are essential for any aspiring business leader.

3. What story were you aiming to tell through your case, and why do you believe it resonates today?

While business strategies and market conditions are constantly evolving, consumer expectations, particularly around corporate values like sustainability, remain a powerful and enduring influence. The story of LEGO’s partnership with Shell illustrates how legacy decisions, once perceived as strategically sound, can become misaligned over time and ultimately impact a brand’s image – even if the partnership is not actually central to the companies’ core business. The case topics remain highly relevant today as companies face pressure to authentically integrate sustainability into their strategies, amid shifting corporate priorities and heightened public scrutiny. We also considered the steps that each company has taken toward sustainability since the dissolution of the partnership and found it particularly relevant to highlight the important steps LEGO has taken to that end, including appointing Annette Stube as Chief Sustainability Officer.

4. How did working on this case challenge or shift your perspective as an educator or researcher?

With every case writing project, there is much to learn about real decision situations, which brings a richness to the theoretical frameworks and concepts taught in class. Especially for Li, this case is her first published work and thus represents a key milestone. Being recognised as an EFMD Case Competition winner for her very first case makes this even more special! As a recent student, she was accustomed to engaging with cases from the learner’s perspective, which centers on reading, analysing the content, and identifying insights. Transitioning to the role of case writer gave her a new appreciation for the craft behind case-based learning. It revealed how much thought goes into shaping a case that is not only informative but also engaging and suitable for classroom discussion. Li also had the opportunity of teaching the case in a graduate-level class, which highlighted the importance of adopting multiple perspectives: the professor guiding the conversation, the student interpreting the material, and the author constructing a coherent and compelling story. It deepened her understanding that effective cases are not merely vehicles for information, but tools for provoking critical thinking, debate, and real-world application that encourages students to think beyond the text. As such, the experience brought together the skills and insights she developed during her time at university and marked a meaningful close to her final year.

5. If there’s one key insight or message you would like readers or students to take away from your case, what would it be?

The key insight we hope readers and students will take away is that adaptability and continued monitoring of strategic alignment is essential, including in those parts of a business that appear peripheral. Legacy decisions have lasting impacts, and businesses must remain vigilant to reassess them and, when necessary, pivot.

The Sponsor’s Commentary

The category “Women in Business” is kindly sponsored by Universidad Panamericana. EFMD deeply appreciates the invaluable sponsorship, the profound expertise, and the dedicated efforts of Universidad Panamericana in supporting the Case Writing Competition.

1. Could you share a brief overview of your institution?

Universidad Panamericana is a private nonprofit research university founded in 1967. It has three main campuses and 6 branch campuses in Aguascalientes, Guadalajara, and Mexico City. Universidad Panamericana currently offers 43 undergraduate programs and over 128 graduate programs, with 15,200 undergraduate and graduate students served by 2,657 faculty (38% with PhD) and more than 1,000 staff members.

2. What inspired your institution to sponsor (or keep sponsoring) this particular category in the EFMD Case Writing Competition?

At Universidad Panamericana we are committed to gender equality and justice. Our mission is educate individuals in a way that inspires them to seek the truth and commit to it, promoting Christian Humanism and thus contributing to building a better world.

3. What trends or challenges in the business world make this category especially relevant right now?

We believe that a more equitable world improves the quality of life and well-being of its citizens.

4. What stood out to you most about the winning case in your sponsored category this year?

The case stood out for its focus on the role of women, a relevant business, and sustainability.

About Sponsorship

EFMD Case Writing Competition is proud to have dedicated sponsors who drive management education towards impactful teaching and learning. Sponsoring a category allows you to showcase your institution’s expertise in the specific field of management education in the wide EFMD network. The choice of category, its exact definition and any specific conditions are the privileges of the sponsor. Sponsorships for the following categories are currently available: Bringing Technology to Market, Continuous Improvement: the Journey to Excellence, and Finance and Banking. If you are interested in sponsoring the mentioned categories or launching a new category relevant to case writing and teaching, please contact Petra Grestenbergerova at petra.grestenbergerova@efmdglobal.org.

More information about the 2024 EFMD Case Writing Competition can be found on the EFMD Case Writing Competition page. Please visit The Case Centre’s webpage to access the collection of the winning cases. Follow the upcoming interviews from this series.