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Case studies.

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• Key tips for searching

Harvard Business School case studies

Other sources for business case studies, case studies journals, legal case studies.

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• Open case studies
• Further help

The Harvard Business School has produced many business case studies. Many, but not all case studies are published in the Harvard Business Review . Case studies published in the HBR are findable by title in LibrarySearch or via the EBSCOhost Business Source Complete database using the link below:

• Harvard business review

Select "Search within this publication" at the top left.  Then add your keywords and select Document type to be Case study.

Harvard Business School case studies may appear on the HBR website, hbr.org , but not be published in the Review itself. These cases are  not findable in LibrarySearch. In this situation, a case may be located by searching within the Harvard Business Review Digital Articles database, at the link below:

• Harvard Business Review Digital Articles Collection of articles hosted in EBSCOhost from the Harvard Business Review website, HBR.org

When linking to a case study that is an HBR digital article, link to the copy found in Harvard Business Review Digital Articles on EBSCOHost. Do not link to a case on hbr.org , since access limits will cause users to encounter a paywall. If case studies or other material from the Harvard Business School are not available via either of the databases mentioned above, please contact our Teaching Support Services .

• Business Source Complete (EBSCO) Aside from case studies within the Harvard Business Review, the Business Source Complete database within EBSCO contains case studies from other sources. They can be found using advanced search and selecting "case study" as the document type.
• SAGE Knowledge Within SAGE Knowledge is SAGE Business Cases, a set of business case collections divided by business discipline and geographic region.
• Emerald Insight An extensive business research database. Click on advanced search and then select the case studies checkbox.
• MarketLine Select "Analysis" from the menu bar, and select Case studies. Both Industry and Company cases can be found.
• WARC: World Advertising Research Center From the menu bar, select Advanced Search. Then beside "Select sources" check the Case studies box.
• Factiva Use "case study" or "case studies" as terms when building your search. There is no option to limit to case studies as a resource type.
• Passport Passport provides geographically discrete reports and analysis on companies and industries. These reports are not case studies, but provide context and data background which may enrich understanding of cases found elsewhere.
• Henry Stewart Talks Business & Management Collection HSTalks provides access to world class lectures and case studies by leading experts from commerce, industry, the professions and academia, in one online resource - accessible wherever, whenever and as often as is wanted.
• Business Collection (Informit) Search by topic and then narrow to Case Studies using Identifier selection in right side menu.

Note : some databases provide Teaching Notes to accompany case studies. These materials are usually restricted to teaching staff. If you have a teaching role at RMIT, and would like access to the Teaching Notes, first create a personal profile or account in the relevant database, then contact the Library at [email protected]  and staff will then organise upgraded access.

• Asian journal of management cases
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To find information on legal *cases* argued in the courts, see our Law and Justice library guide.

• Law and Justice This guide provides access to major Australian legal resources. It also provides tips on searching for different types of legal resources.
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• Next: Design and social context >>

• Last Updated: Feb 27, 2024 8:42 AM
• URL: https://rmit.libguides.com/casestudies

Commercial Law

Case Studies in a Business Context

• © 1988
• Desmond Painter 0

Dorset Institute of Higher Education, UK

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Table of contents (6 chapters)

Front matter, introduction summary of case-study contents summary of legal topics, introduction.

Desmond Painter

Summary of Case-study Contents

Summary of legal topics.

• Case Studies

Introduction to the Notes

Notes on each case study.

• business law
• commercial law

About this book

Authors and affiliations, bibliographic information.

Book Title : Commercial Law

Book Subtitle : Case Studies in a Business Context

Authors : Desmond Painter

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-09263-5

Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan London

eBook Packages : Palgrave Political & Intern. Studies Collection , Political Science and International Studies (R0)

Copyright Information : Desmond Painter 1988

Softcover ISBN : 978-0-333-43466-6 Published: 18 June 1988

eBook ISBN : 978-1-349-09263-5 Published: 18 June 1988

Edition Number : 1

Number of Pages : X, 154

Topics : Commercial Law , Business and Management, general

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About Harvard Law Case Studies

Case studies at harvard law school.

"[In 2004], Harvard Law School embarked on a major curricular review aimed at determining what changes might help us to prepare our students even more effectively for the complex global challenges of this new millennium."

--Supreme Court Justice and former HLS Dean Elena Kagan, 2007

One of the major initiatives that came out of this review was the Problem Solving Workshop, a required first-year program aimed at practical lawyering skills. View this short video about the Problem-Solving Workshop:

Harvard’s curricular review in 2004 challenged the accepted way of teaching law. In 2007, HLS Dean Martha Minow and Professor Todd Rakoff published these findings, "A Case for Another Case Method," in the Vanderbilt Law Review.

The Langdellian case method , which focused on "a retrospective view of facts," was falling short in teaching critical problem solving skills. What law school needed, according to Minow and Rakoff, was a new way to simulate “legal imagination.”

Minow and Rakoff wrote: "What [students] most crucially lack ... is the ability to generate the multiple characterizations, multiple versions, multiple pathways, and multiple solutions, to which they could apply their very well-honed analytic skills."

To that end, Harvard Law School instituted the Problem Solving Workshop, a required first-year course that teaches problem solving skills through the case study method . The Problem Solving Workshop encourages the use of case studies throughout the HLS curriculum.

Now, several faculty initiatives produce case studies at Harvard Law School.  

The Case Development Initiative 

The Case Development Initiative   creates case studies for J.D. and Executive Education classes. HLS faculty use case studies to teach a variety of legal topics, including career dilemmas that lawyers face and management issues that law firms and professional service firms experience. These case studies expose participants to real-world problems that lawyers and firm leaders confront, and help them work through possible approaches and solutions. CDI was founded by Professor Ashish Nanda and is now directed by Dr. Lisa Rohrer.

Great for: discussion-based case studies, law and business, management , professional development

Sample Teaching Units: Professional Development for In-House Counsel , Professional Development for Law Firms , Leadership

Additional Information:   The Case Development Initiative at Harvard Law School

Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program

The Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program , directed by Professor Robert Bordone , developed several role plays for an advanced negotiation workshop at HLS. The course, Multiparty Negotiation, Group Decision Making, and Teams , enables students to participate in and conduct complex, multiparty negotiations. "Lawyers and other professionals, irrespective of their specialty, find themselves party to negotiations with multiple (more than two) principals all the time," explains Bordone. "This course combines theory and practice to give students an opportunity to hone their skills in multiparty settings."  Students work in teams to address complex, global, and professional issues. The advanced workshop integrates intellectual and experiential learning by combining readings, lectures, and discussions with frequent exercises, extensive review, live and filmed examples, individual and small group reviews, and analysis of the negotiation process and the process of learning from experience.

Great for: role plays, multiparty negotiation, DVDs , mediation

Sample Teaching Units: Critical Decisions in Negotiation

Program on Negotiation 

Program on Negotiation materials use real events or fictionalized versions of events to teach negotiation and mediation theory, issues, and practice. These materials can take the form of a discussion exercise, a role playing game, a dilemma-based case study, or a factual account of a negotiation event. Events and historical contexts, such as the rise of organized labor in the United States, the conflict between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, and the history of Zionists and Arabs in the Middle East, catalyze discussion and debate on negotiation and dispute resolution.

Great for: role plays, historical case studies, negotiation, value-based conflict resolution, water rights and environmental management, examples of Great Negotiators

Sample Teaching Units: Mediating Value-Based Conflict

Problem Solving Workshop 

Problem Solving Workshop materials immerse students in the type of real-world problems faced every day by practicing lawyers. The case studies present the problem at hand and provide readings on related theory, excerpts of relevant law, and other illustrative documents, such as contracts and leases. Students complete team assignments and exercises that include tasks such as drafting a press release as general counsel of a toy company in trouble; determining, as an associate at a law firm, the possible actions open to a client facing a harassment change from a tenant; or deciding, as a new Assistant U.S. Attorney in New York, whether—and how—to charge someone with Section 8 housing fraud. Professors   Todd Rakoff   and   Joseph Singer lead the PSW teaching group, which develops new materials yearly.

Great for: workshop-based case studies , 1Ls, J.D. programs, lawyering, problem solving , free materials

Sample Teaching Units: Problem Solving Workshop , Advanced Problem Solving Workshop: Cyberlaw, Intellectual Property, and Internet & Society

Additional Information: Information Law and Policy: Advanced Problem Solving Workshop

Case Studies Program 

The Case Studies Program supports additional HLS faculty in developing case studies.

Great for:  discussion-based case studies

Sample Teaching Units:  Decision Making and Leadership in the Public Sector

Next:  The Case Study Teaching Method  >>

Business Law: Case Law

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Business Case Study Resources

• Business Case Tutorial This tutorial series focuses on how to write a business case. This tutorial is taken from Prosci's Business Case Toolkit which includes a complete business case template, guidelines, exercises, worksheets and checklists for developing an effective business case. It follows the series dedicated to project planning and reengineering design.
• SWIF Learning: A Guide to Student Written, Instructor Facilitated Case Writing SWIF Learning—Student-Written, Instructor-Facilitated Case Writing—is a new learning technique designed to engage students fully in the educational experience and ease the transition from the classroom to the workplace.
• What is Case Study Analysis?
• Analyzing a Case Study
• Writing a Case Study Analysis
• The Role of Financial Analysis

LexisNexis Federal and State Case Search

• Federal and State Case Search
• LexisNexis: Southern Reporter

Welcome to this LibGuide on finding a case law using Lexis Nexis Academic. Case Law is "law established by judicial decisions in cases as distinguished from law created by legislation."

Finding a Legal Case

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• Last Updated: Feb 1, 2024 10:05 AM
• URL: https://subr.libguides.com/c.php?g=33366

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Business Case Studies

Open access cases.

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A number of universities and organizations provide access to free business case studies.  Below are some of the best known sources.

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• Last Updated: Apr 25, 2024 10:02 AM
• URL: https://library.bu.edu/business-case-studies

McCombs School of Business

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Videos Concepts Unwrapped View All 36 short illustrated videos explain behavioral ethics concepts and basic ethics principles. Concepts Unwrapped: Sports Edition View All 10 short videos introduce athletes to behavioral ethics concepts. Ethics Defined (Glossary) View All 58 animated videos - 1 to 2 minutes each - define key ethics terms and concepts. Ethics in Focus View All One-of-a-kind videos highlight the ethical aspects of current and historical subjects. Giving Voice To Values View All Eight short videos present the 7 principles of values-driven leadership from Gentile's Giving Voice to Values. In It To Win View All A documentary and six short videos reveal the behavioral ethics biases in super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff's story. Scandals Illustrated View All 30 videos - one minute each - introduce newsworthy scandals with ethical insights and case studies. Video Series

Case Studies UT Star Icon

Case Studies

More than 70 cases pair ethics concepts with real world situations. From journalism, performing arts, and scientific research to sports, law, and business, these case studies explore current and historic ethical dilemmas, their motivating biases, and their consequences. Each case includes discussion questions, related videos, and a bibliography.

A Million Little Pieces

James Frey’s popular memoir stirred controversy and media attention after it was revealed to contain numerous exaggerations and fabrications.

Abramoff: Lobbying Congress

Super-lobbyist Abramoff was caught in a scheme to lobby against his own clients. Was a corrupt individual or a corrupt system – or both – to blame?

Apple Suppliers & Labor Practices

Is tech company Apple, Inc. ethically obligated to oversee the questionable working conditions of other companies further down their supply chain?

Approaching the Presidency: Roosevelt & Taft

Some presidents view their responsibilities in strictly legal terms, others according to duty. Roosevelt and Taft took two extreme approaches.

Appropriating “Hope”

Fairey’s portrait of Barack Obama raised debate over the extent to which an artist can use and modify another’s artistic work, yet still call it one’s own.

Arctic Offshore Drilling

Competing groups frame the debate over oil drilling off Alaska’s coast in varying ways depending on their environmental and economic interests.

Banning Burkas: Freedom or Discrimination?

The French law banning women from wearing burkas in public sparked debate about discrimination and freedom of religion.

Birthing Vaccine Skepticism

Wakefield published an article riddled with inaccuracies and conflicts of interest that created significant vaccine hesitancy regarding the MMR vaccine.

Blurred Lines of Copyright

Marvin Gaye’s Estate won a lawsuit against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams for the hit song “Blurred Lines,” which had a similar feel to one of his songs.

Bullfighting: Art or Not?

Bullfighting has been a prominent cultural and artistic event for centuries, but in recent decades it has faced increasing criticism for animal rights’ abuse.

Buying Green: Consumer Behavior

Do purchasing green products, such as organic foods and electric cars, give consumers the moral license to indulge in unethical behavior?

Cadavers in Car Safety Research

Engineers at Heidelberg University insist that the use of human cadavers in car safety research is ethical because their research can save lives.

Cardinals’ Computer Hacking

St. Louis Cardinals scouting director Chris Correa hacked into the Houston Astros’ webmail system, leading to legal repercussions and a lifetime ban from MLB.

Cheating: Atlanta’s School Scandal

Teachers and administrators at Parks Middle School adjust struggling students’ test scores in an effort to save their school from closure.

Cheating: Sign-Stealing in MLB

The Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scheme rocked the baseball world, leading to a game-changing MLB investigation and fallout.

Cheating: UNC’s Academic Fraud

UNC’s academic fraud scandal uncovered an 18-year scheme of unchecked coursework and fraudulent classes that enabled student-athletes to play sports.

Cheney v. U.S. District Court

A controversial case focuses on Justice Scalia’s personal friendship with Vice President Cheney and the possible conflict of interest it poses to the case.

Christina Fallin: “Appropriate Culturation?”

After Fallin posted a picture of herself wearing a Plain’s headdress on social media, uproar emerged over cultural appropriation and Fallin’s intentions.

Climate Change & the Paris Deal

While climate change poses many abstract problems, the actions (or inactions) of today’s populations will have tangible effects on future generations.

Cover-Up on Campus

While the Baylor University football team was winning on the field, university officials failed to take action when allegations of sexual assault by student athletes emerged.

Covering Female Athletes

Sports Illustrated stirs controversy when their cover photo of an Olympic skier seems to focus more on her physical appearance than her athletic abilities.

Covering Yourself? Journalists and the Bowl Championship

Can news outlets covering the Bowl Championship Series fairly report sports news if their own polls were used to create the news?

Cyber Harassment

After a student defames a middle school teacher on social media, the teacher confronts the student in class and posts a video of the confrontation online.

Defending Freedom of Tweets?

Running back Rashard Mendenhall receives backlash from fans after criticizing the celebration of the assassination of Osama Bin Laden in a tweet.

Dennis Kozlowski: Living Large

Dennis Kozlowski was an effective leader for Tyco in his first few years as CEO, but eventually faced criminal charges over his use of company assets.

Digital Downloads

File-sharing program Napster sparked debate over the legal and ethical dimensions of downloading unauthorized copies of copyrighted music.

Dr. V’s Magical Putter

Journalist Caleb Hannan outed Dr. V as a trans woman, sparking debate over the ethics of Hannan’s reporting, as well its role in Dr. V’s suicide.

East Germany’s Doping Machine

From 1968 to the late 1980s, East Germany (GDR) doped some 9,000 athletes to gain success in international athletic competitions despite being aware of the unfortunate side effects.

Ebola & American Intervention

Did the dispatch of U.S. military units to Liberia to aid in humanitarian relief during the Ebola epidemic help or hinder the process?

Edward Snowden: Traitor or Hero?

Was Edward Snowden’s release of confidential government documents ethically justifiable?

Ethical Pitfalls in Action

Why do good people do bad things? Behavioral ethics is the science of moral decision-making, which explores why and how people make the ethical (and unethical) decisions that they do.

Ethical Use of Home DNA Testing

The rising popularity of at-home DNA testing kits raises questions about privacy and consumer rights.

Flying the Confederate Flag

A heated debate ensues over whether or not the Confederate flag should be removed from the South Carolina State House grounds.

Freedom of Speech on Campus

In the wake of racially motivated offenses, student protests sparked debate over the roles of free speech, deliberation, and tolerance on campus.

Freedom vs. Duty in Clinical Social Work

What should social workers do when their personal values come in conflict with the clients they are meant to serve?

Full Disclosure: Manipulating Donors

When an intern witnesses a donor making a large gift to a non-profit organization under misleading circumstances, she struggles with what to do.

Gaming the System: The VA Scandal

The Veterans Administration’s incentives were meant to spur more efficient and productive healthcare, but not all administrators complied as intended.

German Police Battalion 101

During the Holocaust, ordinary Germans became willing killers even though they could have opted out from murdering their Jewish neighbors.

Head Injuries & American Football

Many studies have linked traumatic brain injuries and related conditions to American football, creating controversy around the safety of the sport.

Head Injuries & the NFL

American football is a rough and dangerous game and its impact on the players’ brain health has sparked a hotly contested debate.

Healthcare Obligations: Personal vs. Institutional

A medical doctor must make a difficult decision when informing patients of the effectiveness of flu shots while upholding institutional recommendations.

High Stakes Testing

In the wake of the No Child Left Behind Act, parents, teachers, and school administrators take different positions on how to assess student achievement.

In-FUR-mercials: Advertising & Adoption

When the Lied Animal Shelter faces a spike in animal intake, an advertising agency uses its moral imagination to increase pet adoptions.

Krogh & the Watergate Scandal

Egil Krogh was a young lawyer working for the Nixon Administration whose ethics faded from view when asked to play a part in the Watergate break-in.

Limbaugh on Drug Addiction

Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh argued that drug abuse was a choice, not a disease. He later became addicted to painkillers.

U.S. Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte’s “over-exaggeration” of an incident at the 2016 Rio Olympics led to very real consequences.

Meet Me at Starbucks

Two black men were arrested after an employee called the police on them, prompting Starbucks to implement “racial-bias” training across all its stores.

Myanmar Amber

Buying amber could potentially fund an ethnic civil war, but refraining allows collectors to acquire important specimens that could be used for research.

Negotiating Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy lawyer Gellene successfully represented a mining company during a major reorganization, but failed to disclose potential conflicts of interest.

Pao & Gender Bias

Ellen Pao stirred debate in the venture capital and tech industries when she filed a lawsuit against her employer on grounds of gender discrimination.

Pardoning Nixon

One month after Richard Nixon resigned from the presidency, Gerald Ford made the controversial decision to issue Nixon a full pardon.

Patient Autonomy & Informed Consent

Nursing staff and family members struggle with informed consent when taking care of a patient who has been deemed legally incompetent.

Prenatal Diagnosis & Parental Choice

Debate has emerged over the ethics of prenatal diagnosis and reproductive freedom in instances where testing has revealed genetic abnormalities.

Reporting on Robin Williams

After Robin Williams took his own life, news media covered the story in great detail, leading many to argue that such reporting violated the family’s privacy.

Responding to Child Migration

An influx of children migrants posed logistical and ethical dilemmas for U.S. authorities while intensifying ongoing debate about immigration.

Retracting Research: The Case of Chandok v. Klessig

A researcher makes the difficult decision to retract a published, peer-reviewed article after the original research results cannot be reproduced.

Sacking Social Media in College Sports

In the wake of questionable social media use by college athletes, the head coach at University of South Carolina bans his players from using Twitter.

Selling Enron

Following the deregulation of electricity markets in California, private energy company Enron profited greatly, but at a dire cost.

Snyder v. Phelps

Freedom of speech was put on trial in a case involving the Westboro Baptist Church and their protesting at the funeral of U.S. Marine Matthew Snyder.

Something Fishy at the Paralympics

Rampant cheating has plagued the Paralympics over the years, compromising the credibility and sportsmanship of Paralympian athletes.

Sports Blogs: The Wild West of Sports Journalism?

Deadspin pays an anonymous source for information related to NFL star Brett Favre, sparking debate over the ethics of “checkbook journalism.”

Stangl & the Holocaust

Franz Stangl was the most effective Nazi administrator in Poland, killing nearly one million Jews at Treblinka, but he claimed he was simply following orders.

Teaching Blackface: A Lesson on Stereotypes

A teacher was put on leave for showing a blackface video during a lesson on racial segregation, sparking discussion over how to teach about stereotypes.

The Astros’ Sign-Stealing Scandal

The Houston Astros rode a wave of success, culminating in a World Series win, but it all came crashing down when their sign-stealing scheme was revealed.

The Central Park Five

Despite the indisputable and overwhelming evidence of the innocence of the Central Park Five, some involved in the case refuse to believe it.

The CIA Leak

Legal and political fallout follows from the leak of classified information that led to the identification of CIA agent Valerie Plame.

The Collapse of Barings Bank

When faced with growing losses, investment banker Nick Leeson took big risks in an attempt to get out from under the losses. He lost.

The Costco Model

How can companies promote positive treatment of employees and benefit from leading with the best practices? Costco offers a model.

The FBI & Apple Security vs. Privacy

How can tech companies and government organizations strike a balance between maintaining national security and protecting user privacy?

The Miss Saigon Controversy

When a white actor was cast for the half-French, half-Vietnamese character in the Broadway production of Miss Saigon , debate ensued.

The Sandusky Scandal

Following the conviction of assistant coach Jerry Sandusky for sexual abuse, debate continues on how much university officials and head coach Joe Paterno knew of the crimes.

The Varsity Blues Scandal

A college admissions prep advisor told wealthy parents that while there were front doors into universities and back doors, he had created a side door that was worth exploring.

Providing radiation therapy to cancer patients, Therac-25 had malfunctions that resulted in 6 deaths. Who is accountable when technology causes harm?

Welfare Reform

The Welfare Reform Act changed how welfare operated, intensifying debate over the government’s role in supporting the poor through direct aid.

Wells Fargo and Moral Emotions

In a settlement with regulators, Wells Fargo Bank admitted that it had created as many as two million accounts for customers without their permission.

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