Aimee Schulhauser, a serial entrepreneur in Regina, Saskatchewan, was contemplating how best to regrow her original trio of culinary businesses to their pre-COVID profitability levels. Her early successful entrepreneurial business decisions were led by a combination of gut instinct, watching trends, and seizing opportunities, but her more recent start-ups in 2018 and 2020 were more calculated business decisions that ultimately failed. In June 2023, the original trio of “sister businesses,” as she referred to them, were improving in both sales and profitability, but it had not been easy. Customers’ buying behaviours had changed significantly, and with six months before the federal government’s Canada Emergency Business Account loan was due to be paid, Schulhauser’s focus had shifted from growing through new businesses to how best to regrow the core businesses.

This article initiates a discussion with the guardians of the case method to make teaching cases more "DEI-friendly." It outlines how instructors, case writers, and other case stakeholders can consider the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion in the cases they select, write, review and publish. For instructors, a DEI case teaching toolkit along with other useful resources are provided. For case writers, DEI guidance for writing cases and instructor manuals and suggested exemplar cases are offered. The article concludes with a compiled list of contemporary resources about DEI teaching considerations in business schools.

This article is a transcript of the plenary discussion at the North American Case Research Association conference in October 2020. In a (virtual) fire-side style conversation, author and protagonist involved in the case, KidZania: Spreading Fun Around the World, share their experiences in building a relationship based on trust, negotiating access and approval, disguising data, revising their work, and publishing the case in Case Research Journal (2018, Volume 38 Issue 2).

It was April 2014 and Reverend Canon Dr. Judy Rois (Rois), CEO and Executive Director of the Anglican Foundation of Canada (AFC), was preparing for the upcoming Board meeting in May. At that meeting Rois intended to present a strategic measurement framework to align with AFC's strategic priorities. AFC's Strategic Roadmap for 2012-2017 was approved on May 31, 2012 and it outlined five priorities including, branding, marketing, funding for impact, operational adjustments and fundraising. While much had been accomplished in the last two years, Rois felt they needed to be more intentional in assessing the implementation of the plan and determining how best to allocate people, money and time resources to achieve the strategic priorities. She wanted to develop a measurement framework that would provide direction in determining how to allocate resources among the five priorities and permit a systematic evaluation of AFC's success moving forward for the last three years of the Roadmap.

The Executive Director (ED) of a not-for-profit that provided family-centered services to children with disabilities was concerned about the organization's sustainability. The organization was heavily dependent upon financial support from government, however, this funding was insufficient to cover all operating expenses and address the growing demand for services. The ED was interested in developing long-term strategic partnerships to build awareness and generate greater financial support for the organization while remaining true to the organization's mission. She needed to assess current partnerships and determine where to best direct her efforts regarding new partnerships. She also wanted plan that was realistic given the organization's limited people resources.

Board members of a youth camp affiliated with the United Church of Canada were contemplating how to improve the competitive positioning of the camp. The organization recently received a relatively large donation and the Board Chair viewed it as an opportunity to revisit the organization's direction and positioning relative to other camps in the area. The organization faced competition from a number of faith based and non-faith based camps, most of which offered more diverse programming or were positioned with a stronger Christian message. The Board needed to determine how to improve the organization's competitive position without jeopardizing its Christian roots and core mission. It also had to decide how the donated money could support this, whether through a new building or other means.

The director of Planning and Development Services for the City of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, is evaluating various models of regional economic development. He needs to recommend to the Economic Development Committee whether an in-house, arm's-length or blended model would be best for the City of Prince Albert and its surrounding region. He also needs to provide direction on the strategic planning process that should follow the formation of a new regional body. Although the director is optimistic about the possibilities, he knows that some stakeholders perceive the City of Prince Albert as fostering an attitude counter to inclusiveness. Gaining buy-in from these stakeholders is critical to success, regardless of the model he proposes.

The director of Planning and Development Services for the City of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, is evaluating various models of regional economic development. He needs to recommend to the Economic Development Committee whether an in-house, arm’s-length or blended model would be best for the City of Prince Albert and its surrounding region. He also needs to provide direction on the strategic planning process that should follow the formation of a new regional body. Although the director is optimistic about the possibilities, he knows that some stakeholders perceive the City of Prince Albert as fostering an attitude counter to inclusiveness. Gaining buy-in from these stakeholders is critical to success, regardless of the model he proposes.

Susan Thibodeau, Executive Director of Bridge Adult Service Centre, contemplated how Bridge Adult could provide additional services and improved programming to current and new clients. Bridge Adult was a not-for-profit organization that aimed to enhance the lives and promote inclusion of intellectually challenged individuals in communities. There were 27 other service centres similar to Bridge Adult located throughout Nova Scotia, Canada. Funding from government sources remained relatively stagnant over the years but demand and programming needs had changed significantly in most of these centres. In order for Bridge Adult to continue to improve their current client offerings, programs that generated revenue while simultaneously provided meaningful experiences for clients were essential. Thibodeau, in collaboration with the Board, needed to determine strategic priorities for the next three years, her role in that process and who would be responsible for the various aspects of the implementation. This case was formulated for university undergraduate students in their fourth year of study or graduate students in a MBA program. It is intended to challenge students to consider the similarities and differences in strategy formulation and implementation and governance between for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. It should therefore be taught as a corporate governance or strategic planning case and ideally after students have been exposed to financial analysis, competitive analysis, value chain analysis, governance, SWOT analysis, and growth strategies.

This case depicts the current and future challenges faced by The Tantramarsh Club, more commonly referred to as The Pub, Mount Allison University's (MTA) non-profit club. The case is set in April 2008 as the winter semester was finishing up in the small town of Sackville, New Brunswick, located on the southeast coast of Canada. The Pub had experienced several years of financial difficulties, however, the 2007 / 08 year was expected to be a financially sound year. The primary protagonist, Manager, Jonathan "Scooter" Clark, was worried about the organization's ability to sustain financial stability once The Pub moved to its new location, planned for August 2008. Members of the board, who were involved in discussions around the future of The Pub, were secondary protagonists in the case. The board and Scooter had to determine the most appropriate business model for The Pub as it moved to its new location. The case draws attention to a changing external environment and the impact this had upon The Pub. Competition in Sackville was friendly, but relatively fierce. The most significant consumer group for The Pub, students, were price sensitive, fickle and quick to move onto a different bar if a competitor offered something more appealing. National trends indicated less spending on alcoholic beverages and increased spending on food. Moreover, campus pubs across the country were changing their business models, moving from a focus on alcohol to food and diversified entertainment options.