Martin Kupp and Urs Mueller won the Outstanding Contribution to the Case Method Award at The Case Centre Awards and Competitions 2025. #CaseAwards2025
We are delighted to announce Martin Kupp and Urs Mueller as this year’s winners of the Outstanding Contribution to the Case Method award.
Martin is an Associate Professor for Entrepreneurship at ESCP Business School; and a visiting professor at ESMT Berlin.
Urs is an Associate Professor of Practice at SDA Bocconi School of Management. He is an experienced executive education educator and author in the areas of Business Ethics, Change Management and Strategy.
It all started with a new a new job, a shared office, and a message on a whiteboard.
When Urs joined ESMT Berlin in September 2005, his new office mate was out, but there was a welcoming message waiting for him on the whiteboard.
That message from Martin sparked a collaboration that has so far spanned two decades, produced a book, and had a far-reaching impact on students, faculty, and aspiring teachers and writers of the case method.
Case method advocate and bestselling author
Martin has been teaching with cases since 2001 and writing cases since 2004. A champion of the case method, Martin has always been keen to share his knowledge with colleagues by holding case writing and teaching workshops at ESCP Business School.
Alongside developing live cases with companies and start-ups, Martin often matches students with industry scientists working on Deep Tech ideas to help them identify material for cases. He is keen on developing new case formats and integrating new technology, including AI, into his teaching and writing.
Martin became a case workshop tutor for The Case Centre in 2009 and a Board member in 2012. He has been a scholarship mentor for first time writers since 2014, and a judge in The Case Centre and EFMD case writing competitions.
Martin has 18 cases published with The Case Centre and is currently no. 40 in our Top 50 Bestselling Case Authors.
Bestselling case author and outstanding case teacher
An ardent advocate of the case method, Urs has been leading case workshops with The Case Centre since 2013 and currently has 17 cases published in our collection.
He has been a Top 50 Bestselling Case Author since 2019 and is currently ranked at no. 25.
This will be Urs’ sixth award with The Case Centre after winning the Human Resource Management / Organisational Behaviour category award in 2013 and 2014; Outstanding Case Writer Hot Topic Competition in 2013 and 2014; and Outstanding Case Teacher in 2020.
Two decades of collaboration
Both tutors with The Case Centre, between them they have delivered 83 workshops on case writing and case teaching to over 1,300 participants.
They’ve led workshops in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, the UK, and the US. They’ve also been delivering an annual online case writing programme together since 2020.
As a result of their workshops and an ongoing desire to support the case community, Martin and Urs collaborated to write The Ultimate Case Guide, published in 2024 through Ubiquity Press Ltd.
The book explores the historical roots and modern applications of the case method. Offering a multitude of tools to help create engaging learning environments, it also provides practical guidance to support readers to craft their own cases, while connecting theory with practice. Two accompanying workbooks provide a practical template and framework for the reader’s case writing and teaching endeavours. The book is an excellent companion to their case teaching and writing workshops and is available for free digitally from The Case Centre.
This will be ESCP Business School’s 3rd award after winning the finance award in 1996 and the Best Free Case Award in 2019. And the 2nd award for SDA Bocconi after Urs’ win for Outstanding Case Teacher in 2020.
Urs and Martin have assured us that the message on the whiteboard was hilarious, despite neither of them being able to recall what it said.
We asked Martin and Urs for their reflections on workshops and case teaching, the key ingredients of a bestselling case, the inspiration for their book and the writing process.
Inspiration for The Ultimate Case Guide
Martin said, “I’ve been delivering case teaching and writing workshops for The Case Centre since 2009. I started with maybe 10-15 teaching slides and over the years this grew exponentially, especially after Urs joined me in 2013. Today the number stands at more than 500 slides. Many of these are based on questions we’ve received from workshop participants and discussions during workshops. So, Urs and I decided to turn this collaborative effort into a resource for case teachers and writers.”
Urs told us, “There are of course lots of great books on the case method, and we’ve benefitted many from them. Nevertheless, the idea to write our own book came from the countless questions from the wonderful participants in the many case method workshops we’ve conducted over the years on various continents.
“Both of us started teaching and writing cases while teaching executives in Central Europe. Most of our workshop participants worked in different settings. Through them we learned how to adopt and adjust the method for different types of participants in terms of geography, prior education, level of knowledge, and academic disciplines.
“We decided that we wanted to write a book that would take this diversity into account and allow all readers to quickly find responses to their most pressing answers. We also decided to make the book open access so that readers can use the table of contents, the icons, and the book’s index as well as the search functionality of any PDF reader.”
The writing process
Martin told us, “Honestly, I most enjoyed the time spent with Urs in conceptualising and outlining the book. Over the last couple of years we always tried to spend some uninterrupted time on the book during the summer. We booked an AirBnB for a week somewhere between our places of residence and used this time to develop the book.”
Urs said, “We also used the time to explore exciting places and enjoy great food!
“The biggest challenge was how slowly we progressed. In parallel to working on the text for the book we continued to run workshops, get ever more great questions, and developed new ideas. Both in the case teaching and in the case writing chapters we used a process logic to structure the text. Over time we revised and changed the flow of those processes, which then required us to rework much of what we’d already written.”
The key ingredients to a bestselling case
Martin said, “To write a very good case it’s important to find an excellent need and lead combination. By this we mean, a compelling and very clear teaching objective meeting with a great story.”
Urs told us, “With both needs and leads there are challenges: The lead (i.e. the underlying story) should be exciting and intriguing without being emotionally manipulative. While the learning need has to be very focused. All case authors know the temptation of overloading a case with multiple possible learning objectives. This would seemingly make the case more broadly useable, but in fact just makes it less impactful.”
Workshops and case teaching
Martin said, “I mostly enjoy the initial excitement of identifying a great story then discussing the idea for the case with the person from the company for the first time.
“I also take pride in seeing great case drafts and great case submissions from our workshop participants or from case writing scholars we have worked with. Some of our participants have even won prizes in case competitions and have written best-selling case studies. This is amazing to see.”
Urs told us, “I really enjoy the numerous ways student in my case classes make comments, suggestions, ask questions, or challenge me in a completely novel way. There are cases I’ve used for almost 20 years but entirely novel situations continue to emerge in the classroom. These situations are brilliant because I get to learn from students and participants.”
The final word
Martin said, “When I look at all the outstanding contributors to the case method, many of the past winners are my personal heroes and have been an inspiration for my own work. So, this nomination means a great deal. I truly hope that the content that we’ve developed, the cases, the workbooks, articles, and the book, are helpful to aspiring case teachers and writers.
“Ultimately, a case is what it becomes in the classroom. A great case session is electric, transformative, challenging and can change perceptions. A great case can inspire fresh ideas, new ways of doing things, and result in the type of deep and lasting learning that is rarely achieved in any other way.”
Urs said, “I am very grateful for the honour of having been selected. But in the spirit of contribution, I am deeply thankful for the many people, books, opportunities, participants that have contributed to my own learning. And I hope that others have, and will continue to, benefit from our experience.
“Case discussions allow participants to exercise, play, experiment and learn for their professional futures. Business in general and management in particular require interaction with others, mostly using words. A lively case discussion allows everybody to exercise exactly this.
“I’m proud when participants complain that my cases or classes didn’t culminate in a convergent solution. I love to teach business ethics and my job is never to tell students what they should think - but how to think.”
Hear about Martin and Urs' case method impact.
“The board of trustees is thrilled to award the 2025 Outstanding Contribution to the Case Method prize to Urs Mueller and Martin Kupp.
“Their 20 year long collaboration has resulted in significant advancement of the case method. From supporting faculty to adopt the case method in their teaching; educating and guiding aspiring writers; to making cases more accessible to a diverse audience.
“We look forward to seeing the continuing ripple effect of their work for students, teachers, and writers of the case method in the years to come.”
“Professor Mueller and Professor Kupp have revolutionized case writing education through their uniquely dynamic partnership. I still remember their workshop, joyfully opening with the Beatles' song 'Paperback Writer,' setting the perfect tone for an engaging learning journey. Their playful debates about ideas and concepts, delivered with interesting metaphors like 'patient in the room,' make complex case writing principles both accessible and memorable.
“Their innovative adaptation of the case writing workshop to an online format during and after the Covid-19 pandemic extended their impact to case writers globally. Their excellence in case writing spans from cases written about 16th-century explorers Magellan and Quesada by Professor Mueller to Professor Kupp's cutting-edge teaching cases on topics like digital transformation – demonstrating both the versatility of their approach and setting standards for other case writers to follow. They truly deserve the Outstanding Contribution to The Case Method Award as they continue to inspire the next generation of case writers.”
“I have had the pleasure of knowing Urs Mueller since 2012 when I joined ESMT Berlin. Sharing an office with Urs for many years, I witnessed firsthand his deep passion for new cases and expertise in the case method. Urs is a true connoisseur of this teaching approach, and while he modestly considers himself a better case writer than case teacher, I can attest that his students leave his classroom inspired and full of thought-provoking questions. This, in today's world, is perhaps more valuable than leaving with all the answers.
“Urs has been an invaluable mentor to me and many colleagues, guiding us in our journeys to case authorship. His contributions to the case method are truly unique and I am convinced he will contribute a whole lot more in the years to come.”
“I’ve taken Martin Kupp’s case writing class twice. From the first lesson in the first year to the last one in the second, I could see that I was in the presence of a master teacher. Martin not only instructed us on how to craft a strong case study, but also how to become a stronger classroom instructor. His humor, warmth and easy way of explaining the subject matter made the course a joy. When he confessed that he’s a surfer, I nodded my head. It made perfect sense. Strong surfers make something quite difficult look easy. Martin makes the art of case writing - and the act of teaching - look easy, though both demand great skill and patience.”
“I teach Digital Transformation at ESCP Business School and I have often used cases written by Martin Kupp in my courses. These case studies are perfect for illustrating digital transformation processes, their different aspects, and in particular the links that any well-designed digital transformation must have with the company's strategy. I'd like to thank Martin for his excellent work, which helped my students understand this.”
The recipients
We are delighted to announce Martin Kupp and Urs Mueller as this year’s winners of the Outstanding Contribution to the Case Method award.
Martin is an Associate Professor for Entrepreneurship at ESCP Business School; and a visiting professor at ESMT Berlin.
Urs is an Associate Professor of Practice at SDA Bocconi School of Management. He is an experienced executive education educator and author in the areas of Business Ethics, Change Management and Strategy.
It all started with a new a new job, a shared office, and a message on a whiteboard.
When Urs joined ESMT Berlin in September 2005, his new office mate was out, but there was a welcoming message waiting for him on the whiteboard.
That message from Martin sparked a collaboration that has so far spanned two decades, produced a book, and had a far-reaching impact on students, faculty, and aspiring teachers and writers of the case method.
Case method advocate and bestselling author
Martin has been teaching with cases since 2001 and writing cases since 2004. A champion of the case method, Martin has always been keen to share his knowledge with colleagues by holding case writing and teaching workshops at ESCP Business School.
Alongside developing live cases with companies and start-ups, Martin often matches students with industry scientists working on Deep Tech ideas to help them identify material for cases. He is keen on developing new case formats and integrating new technology, including AI, into his teaching and writing.
Martin became a case workshop tutor for The Case Centre in 2009 and a Board member in 2012. He has been a scholarship mentor for first time writers since 2014, and a judge in The Case Centre and EFMD case writing competitions.
Martin has 18 cases published with The Case Centre and is currently no. 40 in our Top 50 Bestselling Case Authors.
Bestselling case author and outstanding case teacher
An ardent advocate of the case method, Urs has been leading case workshops with The Case Centre since 2013 and currently has 17 cases published in our collection.
He has been a Top 50 Bestselling Case Author since 2019 and is currently ranked at no. 25.
This will be Urs’ sixth award with The Case Centre after winning the Human Resource Management / Organisational Behaviour category award in 2013 and 2014; Outstanding Case Writer Hot Topic Competition in 2013 and 2014; and Outstanding Case Teacher in 2020.
Two decades of collaboration
Both tutors with The Case Centre, between them they have delivered 83 workshops on case writing and case teaching to over 1,300 participants.
They’ve led workshops in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, the UK, and the US. They’ve also been delivering an annual online case writing programme together since 2020.
As a result of their workshops and an ongoing desire to support the case community, Martin and Urs collaborated to write The Ultimate Case Guide, published in 2024 through Ubiquity Press Ltd.
The book explores the historical roots and modern applications of the case method. Offering a multitude of tools to help create engaging learning environments, it also provides practical guidance to support readers to craft their own cases, while connecting theory with practice. Two accompanying workbooks provide a practical template and framework for the reader’s case writing and teaching endeavours. The book is an excellent companion to their case teaching and writing workshops and is available for free digitally from The Case Centre.
This will be ESCP Business School’s 3rd award after winning the finance award in 1996 and the Best Free Case Award in 2019. And the 2nd award for SDA Bocconi after Urs’ win for Outstanding Case Teacher in 2020.
Urs and Martin have assured us that the message on the whiteboard was hilarious, despite neither of them being able to recall what it said.
Hear from Martin and Urs
We asked Martin and Urs for their reflections on workshops and case teaching, the key ingredients of a bestselling case, the inspiration for their book and the writing process.
Inspiration for The Ultimate Case Guide
Martin said, “I’ve been delivering case teaching and writing workshops for The Case Centre since 2009. I started with maybe 10-15 teaching slides and over the years this grew exponentially, especially after Urs joined me in 2013. Today the number stands at more than 500 slides. Many of these are based on questions we’ve received from workshop participants and discussions during workshops. So, Urs and I decided to turn this collaborative effort into a resource for case teachers and writers.”
Urs told us, “There are of course lots of great books on the case method, and we’ve benefitted many from them. Nevertheless, the idea to write our own book came from the countless questions from the wonderful participants in the many case method workshops we’ve conducted over the years on various continents.
“Both of us started teaching and writing cases while teaching executives in Central Europe. Most of our workshop participants worked in different settings. Through them we learned how to adopt and adjust the method for different types of participants in terms of geography, prior education, level of knowledge, and academic disciplines.
“We decided that we wanted to write a book that would take this diversity into account and allow all readers to quickly find responses to their most pressing answers. We also decided to make the book open access so that readers can use the table of contents, the icons, and the book’s index as well as the search functionality of any PDF reader.”
The writing process
Martin told us, “Honestly, I most enjoyed the time spent with Urs in conceptualising and outlining the book. Over the last couple of years we always tried to spend some uninterrupted time on the book during the summer. We booked an AirBnB for a week somewhere between our places of residence and used this time to develop the book.”
Urs said, “We also used the time to explore exciting places and enjoy great food!
“The biggest challenge was how slowly we progressed. In parallel to working on the text for the book we continued to run workshops, get ever more great questions, and developed new ideas. Both in the case teaching and in the case writing chapters we used a process logic to structure the text. Over time we revised and changed the flow of those processes, which then required us to rework much of what we’d already written.”
The key ingredients to a bestselling case
Martin said, “To write a very good case it’s important to find an excellent need and lead combination. By this we mean, a compelling and very clear teaching objective meeting with a great story.”
Urs told us, “With both needs and leads there are challenges: The lead (i.e. the underlying story) should be exciting and intriguing without being emotionally manipulative. While the learning need has to be very focused. All case authors know the temptation of overloading a case with multiple possible learning objectives. This would seemingly make the case more broadly useable, but in fact just makes it less impactful.”
Workshops and case teaching
Martin said, “I mostly enjoy the initial excitement of identifying a great story then discussing the idea for the case with the person from the company for the first time.
“I also take pride in seeing great case drafts and great case submissions from our workshop participants or from case writing scholars we have worked with. Some of our participants have even won prizes in case competitions and have written best-selling case studies. This is amazing to see.”
Urs told us, “I really enjoy the numerous ways student in my case classes make comments, suggestions, ask questions, or challenge me in a completely novel way. There are cases I’ve used for almost 20 years but entirely novel situations continue to emerge in the classroom. These situations are brilliant because I get to learn from students and participants.”
The final word
Martin said, “When I look at all the outstanding contributors to the case method, many of the past winners are my personal heroes and have been an inspiration for my own work. So, this nomination means a great deal. I truly hope that the content that we’ve developed, the cases, the workbooks, articles, and the book, are helpful to aspiring case teachers and writers.
“Ultimately, a case is what it becomes in the classroom. A great case session is electric, transformative, challenging and can change perceptions. A great case can inspire fresh ideas, new ways of doing things, and result in the type of deep and lasting learning that is rarely achieved in any other way.”
Urs said, “I am very grateful for the honour of having been selected. But in the spirit of contribution, I am deeply thankful for the many people, books, opportunities, participants that have contributed to my own learning. And I hope that others have, and will continue to, benefit from our experience.
“Case discussions allow participants to exercise, play, experiment and learn for their professional futures. Business in general and management in particular require interaction with others, mostly using words. A lively case discussion allows everybody to exercise exactly this.
“I’m proud when participants complain that my cases or classes didn’t culminate in a convergent solution. I love to teach business ethics and my job is never to tell students what they should think - but how to think.”
Testimonials
Hear about Martin and Urs' case method impact.
“The board of trustees is thrilled to award the 2025 Outstanding Contribution to the Case Method prize to Urs Mueller and Martin Kupp.
“Their 20 year long collaboration has resulted in significant advancement of the case method. From supporting faculty to adopt the case method in their teaching; educating and guiding aspiring writers; to making cases more accessible to a diverse audience.
“We look forward to seeing the continuing ripple effect of their work for students, teachers, and writers of the case method in the years to come.”
“Professor Mueller and Professor Kupp have revolutionized case writing education through their uniquely dynamic partnership. I still remember their workshop, joyfully opening with the Beatles' song 'Paperback Writer,' setting the perfect tone for an engaging learning journey. Their playful debates about ideas and concepts, delivered with interesting metaphors like 'patient in the room,' make complex case writing principles both accessible and memorable.
“Their innovative adaptation of the case writing workshop to an online format during and after the Covid-19 pandemic extended their impact to case writers globally. Their excellence in case writing spans from cases written about 16th-century explorers Magellan and Quesada by Professor Mueller to Professor Kupp's cutting-edge teaching cases on topics like digital transformation – demonstrating both the versatility of their approach and setting standards for other case writers to follow. They truly deserve the Outstanding Contribution to The Case Method Award as they continue to inspire the next generation of case writers.”
“I have had the pleasure of knowing Urs Mueller since 2012 when I joined ESMT Berlin. Sharing an office with Urs for many years, I witnessed firsthand his deep passion for new cases and expertise in the case method. Urs is a true connoisseur of this teaching approach, and while he modestly considers himself a better case writer than case teacher, I can attest that his students leave his classroom inspired and full of thought-provoking questions. This, in today's world, is perhaps more valuable than leaving with all the answers.
“Urs has been an invaluable mentor to me and many colleagues, guiding us in our journeys to case authorship. His contributions to the case method are truly unique and I am convinced he will contribute a whole lot more in the years to come.”
“I’ve taken Martin Kupp’s case writing class twice. From the first lesson in the first year to the last one in the second, I could see that I was in the presence of a master teacher. Martin not only instructed us on how to craft a strong case study, but also how to become a stronger classroom instructor. His humor, warmth and easy way of explaining the subject matter made the course a joy. When he confessed that he’s a surfer, I nodded my head. It made perfect sense. Strong surfers make something quite difficult look easy. Martin makes the art of case writing - and the act of teaching - look easy, though both demand great skill and patience.”
“I teach Digital Transformation at ESCP Business School and I have often used cases written by Martin Kupp in my courses. These case studies are perfect for illustrating digital transformation processes, their different aspects, and in particular the links that any well-designed digital transformation must have with the company's strategy. I'd like to thank Martin for his excellent work, which helped my students understand this.”
