Six INSEAD Professors feature in The Case Centre's Top 50 Best-Selling Case Authors of 2022-2023

Six INSEAD faculty have achieved recognition in The Case Centre's prestigious ranking of the top 50 best-selling case authors for the academic year 2022/2023, published today. The ranking is based on the volume of sales from the preceding academic year, showcasing the enduring impact and strength of INSEAD faculty case work.

Professors W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, renowned Co-Directors of the INSEAD Blue Ocean Strategy Institute and authors of ground-breaking books such as this year’s “Beyond Disruption” and the multi-million selling "Blue Ocean Strategy", secured an impressive #3 ranking. Their cases revolve around the concept of creating "blue oceans" of untapped market space instead of going head-to-head with rivals to compete in the "red ocean." Their iconic thinking was recognised earlier this year when they were among four faculty honoured for their paradigm-breaking research by Harvard Business Review at their 100th anniversary celebrations.

Their top best-selling case, "The Marvel Way: Restoring a Blue Ocean," explores Marvel Comics' remarkable turnaround from bankruptcy to a US $4.2 billion sale to Disney. Another top case, "Salesforce.com: Creating a Blue Ocean in the B2B Space," showcases blue ocean strategic moves in the CRM application market.

Professors Kim and Mauborgne expressed a warm thanks to The Case Centre for this prestigious recognition and for the outstanding work of Fellows at the INSEAD Blue Ocean Strategy Institute: “A big shout out to Institute Executive Fellows Dr. Mi Ji, Oh Young Koo, Michael Olenick and Melanie Pipino. They have worked with us hand in hand to produce the rich roster of cases on Blue Ocean Strategy and shift, the theory of nondisruptive creation, first-hand videos, hackathons and the Case Centre webinars that have allowed us to join this prestigious list of best-selling case authors. Thank you, team! And thank you INSEAD for your support.”

Wolfgang Ulaga, Professor of Management Practice in Marketing and Senior and Co-Director of INSEAD's Marketing & Sales Excellence Initiative (MSEI), rose one place to #5 on the list this year. His cases emphasize business model innovation and B2B Customer Solution Sales. Noteworthy among them is "Michelin Fleet Solutions: From Selling Tires to Selling Kilometers", which ranked #34 in The Case Centre’s top 50 most popular cases over the past 50 years. Another notable case is "Procter & Gamble's Tide Dry Cleaners (A): Leveraging the Brand to Provide a 'Wow' Experience."

Professor Ulaga has been honoured with numerous awards for his case writing. In 2016, He earned the prestigious title of "Outstanding Case Writer" for his work on the case trilogy, "GE Healthcare India (A), (B), and (C)". Adding to these accolades, in 2023, he, along with co-authors Ziv Carmon and Laura Heely, won Marketing category award for their case, "Lemonade: Delighting Insurance Customers with AI and Behavioral Economics."

“I find cases to be one of the most efficient and effective ways of deeply engaging with an audience, leading a rich discussion and facilitating meaningful learning about concepts and frameworks,” said Professor Ulaga, When writing cases, I not only focus on developing an engaging case, but also go the extra mile for crafting a very detailed teaching note and accompanying background material and video interviews that make instructors feel comfortable teaching the case and help participants maximise their learning experience.”

Pierre Chandon, The L'Oréal Chaired Professor of Marketing - Innovation and Creativity at INSEAD, secured the #23 spot in The Case Centre's 2022/2023 ranking. His cases illustrate how innovative marketing strategies create value for companies. Notable cases include “Can 3G Capital Make Burger King Cool Again? Brand Building under Zero-based Budgeting” and "The Carrot Rewards Wellness App: Innovating in the Behaviour Change Market."

Professor Chandon's cases have earned him a number of accolades, including the Outstanding Contribution to the Case Method Award. “Case writing is how you can reach and impact the highest number of people through your job,” Chandon stated, when asked why he loves writing cases so much.

Gianpiero Petriglieri, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD, rose to #33 in the rankings. His best-selling case, "Tony Hsieh at Zappos: Structure, Culture and Change," co-authored with Noah Askin and Joanna Lockard, explores the promise and perils of leading in a strong, distinctive culture. His recent case “Marinella Soldi at Discovery Inc. (A&B),” co-authored with Jennifer Petriglieri, focuses on the interplay of inclusion and innovation in the leadership of corporate transformation. His latest case, “Rio Tinto and Juukan Gorge (A&B)”, co-authored with Jordan Lockhart, puts students into the shoes of the mining company’s Board Chair as he considers how to restore the company’s social and environmental commitments after a crisis has brought both into question. Professor Petriglieri emphasized the power of storytelling through cases to help promote understanding, empathy, and collaboration.

Guoli Chen, Professor of Strategy at INSEAD, made a significant debut in the ranking, securing the #50 position. His best-selling case, "Transsion Mobile: Deep Blue Ocean in Africa," traces the rise of Transsion as the "mobile phone king of Africa”, and explores how a Chinese company created a Blue Ocean in the bottom-of the-pyramid market. Another compelling case, "Uber vs. Didi: The Race for China's Ride-hailing Market," delves into the competition between Uber and Didi in China's dynamic market. The case addresses the questions of disruptive innovation, platform development and competition, global entry and adaption.

Professor Chen expressed his gratitude and pride in the acceptance of his insights about Chinese companies, their competitive strategy, value innovation and global market entry. He summarised his research in a recent book - “Seeing the Unseen: Behind Chinese Tech Giants’ Global Venturing”.

The recognition of INSEAD professors in The Case Centre's Top 50 Best-Selling Case Authors reaffirms the school's commitment to research excellence and the case method. Their contributions continue to shape the landscape of business education and inspire students and professionals worldwide.

To find out more about the top 50 best-selling case authors of 2022-2023, read this announcement by The Case Centre.