We know that cases are a highly effective way to bring business dilemmas into the classroom, facilitating experiential learning using real-world examples.
Often, companies and case protagonists choose to participate in the process when a case is being written about them, but some cases are written using secondary information already available in the public domain.
The question is, if a business has a story to tell, are there benefits to collaborating with case authors?
We met with VP of Strategy, Niko Muttilainen, and Impact Programmes Manager, Juliette Pochart from Too Good To Go to ask this very question. They shared their experiences of collaborating with Copenhagen Business School’s Peter Ørberg Jensen to write a case.
A planet without food waste
A good case needs a good dilemma at its core. A question that sparks debate, gets students thinking and testing out ideas.
When the strategy team at Too Good To Go were grappling with a dilemma at the heart of their business mission, their VP of Strategy contacted Copenhagen Business School to suggest a collaboration.
Too Good To Go is a certified B-Corp, social impact company, with a mission to eliminate food waste on a global scale. Niko and Juliette wanted to collaborate with Copenhagen Business School on this case so that that they could demonstrate that it is possible to create a social impact business while making a profit. To be financially successful while ‘doing good’.
Too Good To Go is on a mission to eliminate food waste for a more sustainable planet, but inherent in this is the need to internationalise. Which raises the dilemma, how can the company scale for greater social impact while protecting their profit margin?
This question is central to the case, Too Good To Go: Bridging the Gap Between Sustainability Objectives and Business Goals in the Global Food Industry.
Challenges provide fertile ground for learning
Niko thinks it’s important for companies to engage with case writers. Not only when things are going well but also, and especially, when things go wrong. Being open and honest about challenges is more beneficial for students as well as for the company. Providing opportunities for learning alongside compelling the company to think about what went wrong and how they could do things differently in the future.
Niko and his colleagues also found that collaborating live and in person with case writers, provided a space for discussion and reflection during the writing process. This also gave the company an opportunity to take a step back and reflect on the bigger picture. To be honest about the challenges they had faced and the learning they could take forward.
What about neutrality?
Case writers need to remain neutral, providing an unbiased foundation for students to develop their own opinions. So, we asked Peter, one of the lead writers on this case, whether having the company involved had any impact on the writing in this respect.
Peter told us that at the start of any collaboration there needs to be a shared understanding about the goal of the case. He echoed Niko’s view that, ”this is not a glamorous brochure about how wonderful everything is, that wouldn’t be interesting or serve the purpose of learning”. So, there was a mutual understanding among all parties from the beginning that this case was about providing accurate information and presenting it as neutrally as possible.
A real-world example evolving in real-time
One of the challenges Niko and Juliette found during the process was that things were moving so fast in the real world of the company, the team at Copenhagen Business School were continuously having to re-write sections of the case as things evolved.
On the plus side, when the case had its first practice run in the classroom in the spring of 2024, students were presented with up to the minute information. Niko also contributed with a guest lecture on the company while the case was being tested out.
Both Niko and Peter found that the student engagement was very high. Students were intrigued to learn that a business could deliver a positive social impact while being profitable. The students were also interested to hear about how Too Good To Go saves money for the consumer. Doing good all round. And the teaching note evolved as a result of that session.
An opportunity to ‘do good’ in a wider context
As part of Too Good To Go’s mission to deliver a positive social impact, CEO, Mette Lykke is passionate about coaching and mentoring other business leaders. Helping them think about how they can build sustainable, profitable businesses that do good in the world.
There’s no doubt that this case offers an excellent learning opportunity for students and business leaders alike.
The case authors and the team at Too Good To Go are excited to see how the case is received. The hope is that it will appeal to colleagues in business education as a vehicle for exploring how social impact businesses can achieve financial success, while inspiring other business leaders and the business leaders of tomorrow.
It's an exciting time.
This article was published in Connect, March 2025.
