Research Guides: NYU Business Library: Case Studies

Case Study Resources

Harvard Business School Case Study Collection
Access 2,000+ Harvard Business case studies. Harvard cases may be linked to and used as course reserves, but cannot be downloaded. Note that NYU Libraries does not have access to all Harvard case studies. Many must still be purchased, individually, via the Harvard Business Publishing website.
Teaching notes: Available via the Harvard Business Publishing website after signing up for a free "Educator" account.
Bloomberg Businessweek Case Studies
Cases designed to align with the most commonly used undergraduate finance textbooks and the Bloomberg Terminal. Cases include: pre work, slides, student version of study, prof version of study, Bloomberg tutorial video and script, and additional materials (such as Excel files).
Teaching notes: Included.
Bloomsbury Fashion Business Cases
Click "Bloomsbury Fashion Business Cases" when entering the database to browse 250+ cases. Topics covered: advertising, consumer behavior, branding, buying, entrepreneurship, ethics, marketing, media, merchandising, product development, promotion, supply chain management, sustainability, textiles.
Teaching notes: Included.
Emerald Insight
In the upper-right hand navigation, select "Explore Our Content" and then "Case Studies". NYU subscribes to the "Emerging Markets Case Studies" collection, which includes 800+ cases. When searching in Emerald, be sure to limit your "content type" to "case study" and "access" to "only content I have access to".
Teaching notes: Available after creating account and contacting customer support for access.
Sage Business Cases
Contains 3,600+ cases from business schools such as Yale SOM, Kellogg, Berkeley-Haas, Cambridge, Notre Dame, Rotterdam, Tsinghua, Zurich, and more. Also includes cases with enhanced learning tools, including data and video. Search by keyword or browse cases by topic, geographic region, or publisher.
Teaching notes: Request the code for access via our email form (for instructors only). Directions for how to input code can be found on Sage's website.
WARC
25K+ succinct advertising and marketing case studies. Click "Case Finder" when entering the database to browse or search by product/service category, location, campaign objectives, media and channels, creative approach, target audience, budget, campaign duration, and reported metrics.
Teaching notes: Does not include teaching notes.

Instructors, email us for teaching notes access.

Finding Case Studies in Article & Book Databases

ABI/INFORM This link opens in a new window ABI/INFORM features full-text journals, dissertations, working papers, key business, and economics periodicals. Researchers can locate country- and industry-focused reports, and its international focus provides a picture of companies and business trends around the world.
Business Abstracts with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window

FAQ: How do I find Harvard Business School Case Studies that have been published in the Harvard Business Review (via Business Source Complete)?

Ebook Central This link opens in a new window Ebook Central is NYU's preferred ebook provider. Users can search, read, highlight, and annotate full-text books in many subject areas, including the social sciences and humanities.

How to search: For the first 3 databases, in the advanced search interface, limit your "document type" to "case study", then click the "full text" box. In the search boxes, include the topic or company you're researching. For Ebook Central, put "case stud*" in one of the advanced search boxes and make sure it is searching the "title". (The asterisk will retrieve books that mention "case study" or "case studies" in their titles.) Include your topic or company of interest in the remaining search box. Some case studies in these databases will not be structured in a traditional business case format.

Case Studies from the Library Catalog

Search the Library Catalog (BobCat) to locate books and ebooks that contain case studies. Search for "case studies" AND a keyword relevant to your research topic. Below are some results from a sample search of "case studies" AND "finance":

Case Studies in Business Finance and Financial Analysis by Kenneth Midgley
Trends and Impacts of Foreign Investment in Developing Country Agriculture: Evidence From Case Studies by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Reading, Teaching, and Writing Case Studies

The Case Study Handbook by William Ellet
Details how business students and MBAs can efficiently analyze, discuss, and write about case studies. Ellet facilitates Harvard Business Publishing's case method training seminars.
Teaching with Cases by Espen Anderson & Bill Schiano
Focuses on easy and practical advice for instructors. Covers how to plan a course, how to teach it, and how to evaluate it.
The Case Writer’s Toolkit by June Gwee
This book deconstructs the case study, describes the case writing process, and explains how a strong case study is composed. It serves as a guide for writers to develop case studies for teaching, research, and knowledge-capture.

For Purchase

Cases found via the below platforms must be individually purchased by the end user. Some content may be free.

Case Studies from Business Schools

Case Study Aggregator Websites

Instructor Case Study FAQs

Q: Can I use the library's case study materials in my course, as a course reserve?
A: Yes, all of the cases in our subscription platforms, including the Harvard Case Study Collection, may be used in your course and as course reserves.

Q: How do I gain access to case-specific teaching notes?
A: Directions may be found in the descriptions for each product (above).

Q: Why does the library not have access to all HBS cases?
A: Harvard Business Publishing sells only a small portion of its overall case study products to academic libraries via a third party (EBSCO). Their primary selling strategy is direct-to-student.

Q: Can I request Harvard cases via the library's Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service?
A: Typically no. Contemporary case studies are not available via ILL due to how they are licensed by Harvard for use by only one individual. Very rarely, an old case may be available via ILL, but this is uncommon.

Q: I heard that faculty get free Harvard case content access. Where do I sign up?
A: Faculty from any major college or university can sign up for a Harvard Business Publishing Educator account. These accounts give professors free access to most case study content - after they confirm your faculty standing - in order for you to evaluate materials for use in your class. Students must still purchase any materials assigned by for your course, or access it via the library's subscriptions (if available). Please note that Educator accounts are not affiliated with the library: we cannot grant access.

Q: I want to assign an HBS case study that is not part of the library's pre-existing subscription. Can you purchase it for my students?
A: Unfortunately, no. Such cases must be purchased individually. You may wish to contact your department head to see if funds are available to purchase on behalf of your class.

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