Thunderbird at ASU receives top 10 ranking in global impact for faculty research and case writing

The Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University has recently been recognized by The Case Centre's Impact Index 2023 as one of the top producers of case studies, having claimed the No. 20 position in the world and No. 7 in the U.S. for its global reach and impact of faculty case writing.

The domestic top 10 ranking places Thunderbird ahead of University of Michigan Ross School of Business, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. Internationally, Thunderbird ranks ahead of SDA Bocconi School of Management in Italy, National University of Singapore Business School, and University of Cambridge Judge Business School in the United Kingdom.

As the world’s leading independent hub and leader of all management schools for cases, The Case Centre is dedicated to advancing the case method worldwide by sharing knowledge, wisdom and experience, and inspiring and transforming business education across the globe.

The newly introduced Impact Index, derived from usage data from The Case Centre, shines a light on the global reach and impact of business schools' case writing during the previous academic year.

"Our top 20 world ranking from The Case Centre is a testament to the excellence of our faculty's teaching case publishing and unwavering dedication to developing world-class educational content for the current and future generations of global and digital leaders, managers and professionals," said Sanjeev Khagram, director general and dean of Thunderbird.

Additionally, two Thunderbird faculty have been recognized as The Case Centre's best-selling cases of 2023: Lena Booth, deputy dean of Thunderbird Academic Enterprise and professor of finance, and Andrew Inkpen, professor of management and the J. Kenneth and Jeanette Seward Chair in Global Strategy.

Both were acknowledged for their contributions to writing, teaching and innovating new ways of disseminating learning. The bestseller list includes the top 15 bestselling cases in each of the 10 major subject areas during the preceding calendar year.

Booth and Thunderbird Associate Professor Emeritus Frank Tuzzolino's 2013 case "Saito Solar: Discounted Cash Flow Valuation" (Case No. A06-13-0020) is a bestseller in Finance, Accounting and Control. Andrew Inkpen’s 2014 case "General Electric's Corporate Strategy" (Case No. A07-14-0011) is a bestseller in the Strategy and General Management category. 

Additionally, cases more than 10 years old are eligible for the classic case list — which features the top bestsellers in each subject category, as well as the free case category, based on the number of individual organizations ordering and teaching the case over the past five years.

Booth received such recognition for her case "Hola-Kola: The Capital Budgeting Decision" (Case No. A06-13-0013), which was included in The Case Centre's classic case collection for qualifying in finance, accounting and control categories.

The Case Centre also recently announced Euvin Naidoo, distinguished professor of practice of global accounting, risk and agility at Thunderbird, as its 2024 Outstanding Case Teacher for his commitment to innovation and excellence in case teaching.

“Thunderbird’s case series ranking of No. 20 globally and top 10 in the U.S. is a significant honor that reflects our school's commitment to excellence in management education, grounded in practice and real-world application,” said Naidoo.

“This distinction recognizes the collective effort and dedication of our faculty, staff and students toward advancing the frontiers of global management best practice and application across the public, private and nonprofit sectors. It underscores our school's effectiveness in preparing future leaders with the skills, agile mindsets, ethical grounding and the global perspective needed to navigate and succeed in a complex world.”

"Congratulations to our outstanding Thunderbird community for these remarkable accomplishments," said Khagram. "I am honored to work with such esteemed colleagues who consistently push boundaries, innovate with passion and implement with purpose, reflecting the profound impact of our faculty's commitment to advancing our mission: to educate, empower and influence global leaders and managers who maximize the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution for business, government, society and the environment."

Naidoo also explained that Thunderbird’s uniqueness in teaching and case writing "stems from its integrated approach to management education, which emphasizes practical learning within a global context. The school’s teaching methods are renowned for using real-world cases that challenge students to think critically, make strategic decisions and understand the global implications of management actions."

He underscored the fact that Thunderbird professors are both "esteemed educators and leading practitioners in their fields, enabling them to craft cases that are academically rigorous and directly relevant to current management issues. These cases often incorporate their research and professional insights, offering students and executives a window into the latest management trends, strategies and ethical considerations. This blend of theoretical knowledge and practical application, enriched by a global perspective, prepares students and executive partners to lead confidently and responsibly in diverse environments."

Thunderbird's faculty actively research and develop case studies based on complex current global business scenarios. These thought-provoking cases are used in Thunderbird degree programs and executive education environments to illustrate real-world global management occurrences and initiate deep analysis and professor and student discussion of causes and solutions.

These case studies offer insight into international business and are available for purchase as part of the Thunderbird Case Series, which was created in 1997 and is currently co-led by Naidoo and Mary Teagarden, deputy dean of Thunderbird Knowledge Enterprise and professor of global strategy.

According to The Case Centre, the case method remains an irreplaceable cornerstone of management education. During the 2022–23 academic year, over 1,000 organizations across 85 countries purchased cases from The Case Centre for use in their programs.

Since 2022, The Case Centre has received 22 new cases for distribution from Thunderbird authors. In total, the collection available through The Case Centre numbers over 480 cases, many with accompanying instructor materials, software and videos. Six of those are prize-winning cases from Thunderbird.