The case method is one of the cornerstones of Lund University School of Economics and Management (LUSEM) present and future teaching and learning approaches. For our students, faculty and partner organisations, the case method provides an opportunity to meet the interdisciplinary demands of real business and organisational situations. Given its ability to bridge the gap between theory and practice, LUSEM's case teaching method plays a crucial role in our external engagement efforts.
It was such a great learning experience, says Annika Horstmann student in MSc Management
LUSEM Case Competition 2024
Early in the morning on 21 November nine teams met to solve cases in LUSEM Case Competition. The theme for this year’s competition was innovation & sustainability.
The first case was conducted as a traditional Harvard Case, where the participants did not have access to the internet. The case they had to work with was titled Fashion for the future, with a company that made fashion items entirely out of recycled materials, but had a hard time making a profit. Each team had 3 hours of preparation and then 15 minutes of presentation in front of the judges. A central core of the case was the question of whether it is possible to run a business with a profit and at the same time have high ambitions in terms of sustainability in its services and products.
Three teams were qualified for the finals and this case was presented by NanoLund, Center for Nanoscience at Lund University and their programme InsectNeuroNano. This case was about finding ways to involve bees and their astonishing ability to find their way home with an energy-efficient navigation system. This was a live case, and the participants had access to the internet during preparations.
We got some excellent insight into how we might be able to commercialize the ideas and conclusions from this research project”, says Gerda Rentschler, grant manager at InsectNeuroNano.
LUSEM Case Competition was arranged by LUSEM Case Academy (Mats Urde, Ulf Ramberg and Ola Mattisson) at the initiative of LUSEMs management team (with Ulrika Wennersten, Vice Dean Education)
Congratulations to the winners of this year’s competition:
1st place: Nexus Consulting: Erik Hollmann, Annika Horstmann, August Jörding, Fiona Kusche
2nd place: Trailblazers: Arnold Ackerlauer, Sofia Chavez, Mawj Mahmood, Zoia Shtompel
3rd place: PivotTable: Hannes Östlund, Viggo Kanljung, Ludvig Granath, Fred Rosenkvist
We had the opportunity to talk to Nexus Consulting and hear about their experience of the case competition. The team consist of August Jörding (MSc Accounting & Finance) Erik Hollmann (MSc International Marketing & Brand Management ) Fiona Kusche (MSc International Marketing & Brand Management) and Annika Horstmann (MSc Management)
What was your overall impression of the LUSEM Case Competition?
It was such a great learning experience. This was the first time we worked together as a team in a competition. The competition itself was just an enriching and exciting experience. Having students from both master’s and bachelor’s, with various backgrounds come together to solve cases and compete in their free time for one entire day is just an exceptional commitment. And that was reflected in the atmosphere.
Did you prepare in any specific way?
Since having been selected to be part of the LUSEM Team 2025 to John Molson MBA International Case Competition, we have had intense case training and also enjoyed some team building activities. During the case training, we usually get a case (just like in the competition), solve and prepare the case for 3 hours and then present, do a Q&A and have a discussion and feedback afterwards. We always try to implement the feedback we receive during the next training session. Besides, we did some individual readings and preparations leading up to the competition.
During the competition, you solved two different cases, which one did you find most challenging?
The live case was a challenge. We have never worked on a live case as a team before. Having a group of researchers come into the room, talking about very specific nanotechnology (which we had to grasp the general concept of within a very short amount of time), and asking us to jump on this real life project for 3 hours was not easy. But it was a lot of fun and very enriching since the “client” could hear our presentation which is usually not the case. This gave our work a bigger purpose.
You are going to the John Molson MBA International Case Competition – what are your expectations on this competition? We are, of course super, super excited to put our skills to the test and feel very honoured to have been given the opportunity to represent LUSEM, our fellow students and Sweden during this prestigious competition. While we know that this competition will be tough, we are eager to work together under pressure, learn from other teams from around the world and gain new perspectives from the experience. We are convinced that this will be an extraordinary experience, both personally and professionally.
