In 2017, Tim Kleinebenne, managing director of Unilever Ethiopia, and Buks Akinseye, senior global sustainability manager in Unilever’s Rotterdam headquarters, had collaborated to develop and launch a Shakti initiative, creating…
In October 2021, the fictional vice president of supply chain sustainability at Tesla is working on finding the best way to achieve Tesla’s goal of 100% recycling for the batteries…
This case study focuses on how Ruth Bader Ginsburg (“RBG”)—when she was a professor and attorney early in her career, before becoming an appellate judge and Supreme Court Justice—used influence…
This case is about the transformation of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan (AAUM), one of the major organizations in its field. It begins with the CEO, Steve…
This case explores the debate over which sustainability philosophy should drive a corporation’s strategy: circular economy, green growth, or degrowth. The case uses IKEA and its enormously successful “fast furniture”…
In a little over a year, more than 6,500 workers at over 250 corporate-owned Starbucks stores had voted to unionize with Workers United. The former CEO, Kevin Johnson, retired unexpectedly…
This case about Economic Value to the Customer (EVC) enables students to deeply analyze the positive and negative differentiation value of a product or service, and how distinct demographic segments…
This case leads to a vibrant discussion and comparative analysis of Amazon’s strategies across three major emerging markets. Amazon is known to virtually every student, making an illustration of internationalization…
This case takes students through the evolution of LEGO’s business model from a traditional product-centric “make and sell” model to a more customer-centric “anticipate and lead” model in which products…
Economic game theory can be a tedious and difficult concept, but it doesn’t have to be. This exercise allows students to learn about game theory via an entertaining medium –…
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Thomas C. Kinnear Professor; University of Michigan's Ross School of Business
Chris Rider is the Thomas C. Kinnear Professor and Associate Professor of Strategy at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. He is a social scientist who studies how strategic corporate behavior shapes entrepreneurial activity and societal inequality.
News and Events
Energy-Focused Business Education: WDI Launches a New Case Study Contest
12/06/2022
A global energy transition is underway. WDI's latest case writing competition aims to increase the pool of higher education case studies on this topic.
How Gender Lens Investing Works for Both Business and Society
09/12/2022
WDI participated in the consortium of impact investment firms and studied the effects of a relatively new type of gender lens investing strategy: gender smart technical assistance (TA) activities.
2022 DEI Global Case Writing Competition Winners Announced
07/28/2022
The second-annual DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) Global Case Writing Competition again focused on understanding and improving DEI in the global workplace. Jointly sponsored by U-M's Ross School of Business and WDI, the contest attracted nearly double the number of case submissions compared with its first year.
Without Stronger Regulation, Firms’ Charitable Giving Ripe for Exploitation, Michigan Ross Experts Find
06/01/2022
Some companies are specific and transparent when it comes to their charity, others vague and opaque. That leaves room for companies to exaggerate or even lie about how much they give to worthy causes.