The WBS Case Centre

WBS is the only business school in South Africa to have a dedicated case centre. Case studies bring real-world business challenges into the classroom for students to address, and create a context for discussing and analysing business processes that is seldom generated using traditional teaching methods.

While WBS uses many international cases in its courses, the real-world decisions, companies and scenarios depicted in these cases are not always applicable in the South African context. Moreover, the South African business environment has unique characteristics that cannot be depicted in cases set in international contexts. As a consequence, as far back as 1993, WBS established its own case centre to produce South African cases, retaining a Harvard-trained case writer (Courtenay Sprague, who is today one of our academic faculty members) to help to develop the specialist skills that we needed.

Today WBS has a team of case writers - three full time and five freelance - who work with academics to produce timely, relevant cases to current challenges facing business and society. The case centre has developed more than 140 cases on companies as diverse as AngloGold, SABMiller, Nando's, Discovery, Harley Davidson®, Avis, and Young Designer's Emporium and Capitec Bank. The cases cover all areas of business and management; including strategy, organisational design and development, entrepreneurship, internationalisation, operations management and human resources. They are made available to academics and course facilitators for use in the classroom or for exam purposes through the WBS website and through the European Case Clearing House (ECCH). As a result of our presence on ECCH, our cases are now also used in other South African and international universities and business schools.

Academic and educational institutions may order our cases. To order a case or for more information, simply email Gerda Whiteman at case.centre@wits.ac.za or contact her telephonically on +27 (0)11 717 3922.

Click on the below to download an outline of the case studies available:

Case Abstracts Overview.pdf