This case won the Ethics and Social Responsibility category at The Case Centre Awards and Competitions 2025. #CaseAwards2025
Who – the protagonist
Peter, Sustainable Procurement Manager for electric commercial vehicles at SuperCar.
What?
SuperCar is a German automotive company for mid-range vehicles.
The company was working on the production of ElectricPioneer - their first affordable mass-market electric car.
In Peter’s role, he was responsible for the sourcing of the car’s batteries and strengthening SuperCar’s agenda for transitioning to sustainable production.
Why?
Peter had to choose between two batteries and present his recommendation to his boss.
The cheaper option was FastPace, with each unit costing €6,000.
But FastPace was a new player on the market, and Peter’s colleague explained to him that the cobalt used for these batteries came from mines in the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Some 200,000 artisanal miners in the country, who dig their own mines in search of cobalt, aren’t monitored by official organisations. Subsequently, children as young as seven are mining. Peter was alarmed as FastPace hadn’t been transparent about its supply chain.
The other option was FullEnergy, who charged €11,000 per unit. FullEnergy was a long-established firm with a trustworthy reputation, however, high battery prices would be passed onto the customer - hardly encouraging the adoption of electric vehicles by the masses.
When?
It was in 2020 when Peter was deliberating his decision.
At that time e-mobility had still not reached the masses, with electric vehicles (including hybrids) only comprising 3.6% of all registered vehicles in Germany.
The German government’s goal was to register between seven and ten million electric vehicles in the country by 2030.
Where?
Peter knew that to transition to exclusively electric vehicles for road transport would constitute a major advance towards greater environmental sustainability.
For example, if all vehicles in the US were powered by electricity, CO2 emissions would drop by 8.4%. In the UK, it would be 12%.
Key quote
“We can only make e-mobility more affordable and increase our impact on environmentally sustainable transport if we accept the grave risk of human rights violations in our supply chain and the reputational risks that may evolve for the company, whereas the more expensive battery will have much less environmental impact because fewer people will choose electric cars.”
Peter, Sustainable Procurement Manager
What next?
Peter was torn and found himself at an ethical career crossroads.
Peter didn’t want to disappoint his boss or cause any conflict; yet both batteries had distinct advantages and disadvantages in respect to both social and environmental sustainability.
Could he solve the dilemma? What recommendation should he give his boss?
This is the first Case Award for all the authors and the schools they represent.
On winning the award...
Julia said: "It is wonderful to know that our case has been of interest for other scholars and teachers, and served in the classroom as an exemplar to teach paradox theory."
Stephanie added: “I am thrilled and excited that we have won this award. The case stems from my co-authors’ work in the classroom. It is proof of the quality of our writing and conceptualisation that we are now honoured with this award.”
Christine, Henriette and Carolin commented: “Needless to say, we are delighted to win this award and feel honoured to be recognsed by The Case Centre. We have put a lot of time and effort into meetings, research and the general development of the case study. We are grateful that our work, which started out as project work within our bachelor’s degree, has now been acknowledged with this award.
“We are also delighted that winning this award will shed a special light on such an important and current issue. Winning this award highlights the relevance of our case study and shows that it makes a valuable contribution to academic teaching and practice. In a world which is becoming increasingly complex and the challenges we are facing are growing in intricacy, it is essential to develop a deep understanding of how to navigate paradox situations effectively.”
On the case’s popularity…
Julia continued: "Paradox theory is an extremely important lens to explain the tensions business practitioners face and helps students understand how to handle paradoxes that cannot simply be solved."
Stephanie added: “The case is timely and representative of real-world tensions that managers and corporations face every day. The theoretical lens of the paradox theory employed in the case study helps students and managers alike to embrace the tensions.”
Christine, Henriette and Carolin explained: “The topic of e-mobility and its sustainability, as well as the issue of poor working conditions in structurally weak countries, is a matter that will not be solved comprehensively and sustainably overnight. Our case study shows the paradox that exists ethically for this topic - and also that this is not and cannot be a right-wrong decision. Rather, the case study encourages its readers to research this current topic in more depth in order to get to know as many facets of upcoming ethical decisions as possible.”
On sustainability interest...
Julia said: “We all had a broad interest in sustainability, and found the conflict that can arise when social and environmental sustainability measures clash particularly interesting.
“Speaking about the case example of a German car manufacturer, which tried to both be responsible towards the environment and workers, we realised that managers in business practice often face real-life paradoxes.
“We thought it would be valuable putting this together as a case, so students gain an early understanding of a both/and mindset, instead of an either/or one.”
On keeping things simple...
Julia continued: “When writing the case, we went back into the field and also conducted desk research. We found it challenging to portray a highly complex case in a simple way, as electric cars are such a difficult and technical phenomenon. We wanted to provide depth and detail, but at the same time allow for a compelling and easy-to-read story.”
On classroom experience...
She explained: “We’ve taught the case in different settings and formats - online, hybrid and in-person, and in front of undergraduate and postgraduate students.
“We were surprised that even students who are part of a sustainability programme were leaning towards an either/or, good/bad logic.
“However, we were happy to see that our students developed an understanding of what complex sustainability paradoxes are and how they can be handled.”
On taking students by surprise...
Julia added: “Overall, most students thought the goal of the case was to pick a side or make a yes/no judgement. Most students were surprised when learning that a both/and solution is most valuable in complex situations.”
On case writing tips...
She commented: “We had a really good experience producing the case as a bigger team. While each team member had a clear task throughout the process, it was valuable to meet regularly to discuss findings and preliminary conclusions.”
Final word...
Mats said: “I would like to thank our teachers Julia and Stephanie for the great course on business ethics and their enthusiasm for cases, which sparked our own interest into contributing to this case. As a student, the energy that is put into courses and especially the cases by professors is often overlooked, yet with some perspective I can truly say that these are the classes that have been most memorable and valuable for me.
“I hope the case can prove to be a memorable class for other students and help other professors to create engaging classes.”
Christine, Henriette and Carolin concluded: “We are delighted to have received such great support from Julia and Stephanie in the publication of our work and would like to thank them once again for their support.”
Discover how this case works in the classroom.
“We used the case on the MBA programme at Stellenbosch Business School, in a module titled Contemporary Decision Making.
“The real-world relevance of the case forces students to grapple with the complexities of modern decision-making in business, where consideration must be given to economic, environmental, and social sustainability. The case allows students to explore multiple facets - such as human rights, environmental justice, business ethics, and global supply chains - while trying to reconcile seemingly opposing goals in their decision-making process. Analysis of the case fosters critical thinking and allows students to explore how trade-offs work in real-world decision-making.”
The case
Who – the protagonist
Peter, Sustainable Procurement Manager for electric commercial vehicles at SuperCar.
What?
SuperCar is a German automotive company for mid-range vehicles.
The company was working on the production of ElectricPioneer - their first affordable mass-market electric car.
In Peter’s role, he was responsible for the sourcing of the car’s batteries and strengthening SuperCar’s agenda for transitioning to sustainable production.
Why?
Peter had to choose between two batteries and present his recommendation to his boss.
The cheaper option was FastPace, with each unit costing €6,000.
But FastPace was a new player on the market, and Peter’s colleague explained to him that the cobalt used for these batteries came from mines in the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Some 200,000 artisanal miners in the country, who dig their own mines in search of cobalt, aren’t monitored by official organisations. Subsequently, children as young as seven are mining. Peter was alarmed as FastPace hadn’t been transparent about its supply chain.
The other option was FullEnergy, who charged €11,000 per unit. FullEnergy was a long-established firm with a trustworthy reputation, however, high battery prices would be passed onto the customer - hardly encouraging the adoption of electric vehicles by the masses.
When?
It was in 2020 when Peter was deliberating his decision.
At that time e-mobility had still not reached the masses, with electric vehicles (including hybrids) only comprising 3.6% of all registered vehicles in Germany.
The German government’s goal was to register between seven and ten million electric vehicles in the country by 2030.
Where?
Peter knew that to transition to exclusively electric vehicles for road transport would constitute a major advance towards greater environmental sustainability.
For example, if all vehicles in the US were powered by electricity, CO2 emissions would drop by 8.4%. In the UK, it would be 12%.
Key quote
“We can only make e-mobility more affordable and increase our impact on environmentally sustainable transport if we accept the grave risk of human rights violations in our supply chain and the reputational risks that may evolve for the company, whereas the more expensive battery will have much less environmental impact because fewer people will choose electric cars.”
Peter, Sustainable Procurement Manager
What next?
Peter was torn and found himself at an ethical career crossroads.
Peter didn’t want to disappoint his boss or cause any conflict; yet both batteries had distinct advantages and disadvantages in respect to both social and environmental sustainability.
Could he solve the dilemma? What recommendation should he give his boss?
Author perspective
This is the first Case Award for all the authors and the schools they represent.
On winning the award...
Julia said: "It is wonderful to know that our case has been of interest for other scholars and teachers, and served in the classroom as an exemplar to teach paradox theory."
Stephanie added: “I am thrilled and excited that we have won this award. The case stems from my co-authors’ work in the classroom. It is proof of the quality of our writing and conceptualisation that we are now honoured with this award.”
Christine, Henriette and Carolin commented: “Needless to say, we are delighted to win this award and feel honoured to be recognsed by The Case Centre. We have put a lot of time and effort into meetings, research and the general development of the case study. We are grateful that our work, which started out as project work within our bachelor’s degree, has now been acknowledged with this award.
“We are also delighted that winning this award will shed a special light on such an important and current issue. Winning this award highlights the relevance of our case study and shows that it makes a valuable contribution to academic teaching and practice. In a world which is becoming increasingly complex and the challenges we are facing are growing in intricacy, it is essential to develop a deep understanding of how to navigate paradox situations effectively.”
On the case’s popularity…
Julia continued: "Paradox theory is an extremely important lens to explain the tensions business practitioners face and helps students understand how to handle paradoxes that cannot simply be solved."
Stephanie added: “The case is timely and representative of real-world tensions that managers and corporations face every day. The theoretical lens of the paradox theory employed in the case study helps students and managers alike to embrace the tensions.”
Christine, Henriette and Carolin explained: “The topic of e-mobility and its sustainability, as well as the issue of poor working conditions in structurally weak countries, is a matter that will not be solved comprehensively and sustainably overnight. Our case study shows the paradox that exists ethically for this topic - and also that this is not and cannot be a right-wrong decision. Rather, the case study encourages its readers to research this current topic in more depth in order to get to know as many facets of upcoming ethical decisions as possible.”
On sustainability interest...
Julia said: “We all had a broad interest in sustainability, and found the conflict that can arise when social and environmental sustainability measures clash particularly interesting.
“Speaking about the case example of a German car manufacturer, which tried to both be responsible towards the environment and workers, we realised that managers in business practice often face real-life paradoxes.
“We thought it would be valuable putting this together as a case, so students gain an early understanding of a both/and mindset, instead of an either/or one.”
On keeping things simple...
Julia continued: “When writing the case, we went back into the field and also conducted desk research. We found it challenging to portray a highly complex case in a simple way, as electric cars are such a difficult and technical phenomenon. We wanted to provide depth and detail, but at the same time allow for a compelling and easy-to-read story.”
On classroom experience...
She explained: “We’ve taught the case in different settings and formats - online, hybrid and in-person, and in front of undergraduate and postgraduate students.
“We were surprised that even students who are part of a sustainability programme were leaning towards an either/or, good/bad logic.
“However, we were happy to see that our students developed an understanding of what complex sustainability paradoxes are and how they can be handled.”
On taking students by surprise...
Julia added: “Overall, most students thought the goal of the case was to pick a side or make a yes/no judgement. Most students were surprised when learning that a both/and solution is most valuable in complex situations.”
On case writing tips...
She commented: “We had a really good experience producing the case as a bigger team. While each team member had a clear task throughout the process, it was valuable to meet regularly to discuss findings and preliminary conclusions.”
Final word...
Mats said: “I would like to thank our teachers Julia and Stephanie for the great course on business ethics and their enthusiasm for cases, which sparked our own interest into contributing to this case. As a student, the energy that is put into courses and especially the cases by professors is often overlooked, yet with some perspective I can truly say that these are the classes that have been most memorable and valuable for me.
“I hope the case can prove to be a memorable class for other students and help other professors to create engaging classes.”
Christine, Henriette and Carolin concluded: “We are delighted to have received such great support from Julia and Stephanie in the publication of our work and would like to thank them once again for their support.”
Instructor viewpoint
Discover how this case works in the classroom.
“We used the case on the MBA programme at Stellenbosch Business School, in a module titled Contemporary Decision Making.
“The real-world relevance of the case forces students to grapple with the complexities of modern decision-making in business, where consideration must be given to economic, environmental, and social sustainability. The case allows students to explore multiple facets - such as human rights, environmental justice, business ethics, and global supply chains - while trying to reconcile seemingly opposing goals in their decision-making process. Analysis of the case fosters critical thinking and allows students to explore how trade-offs work in real-world decision-making.”
