NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

More than 50 entries from 34 universities in 15 countries.

That’s the top line tally of those answering the call in the 2014 NextBillion Case Writing Competition, which recognizes and publishes the best-written case studies about business strategies aimed at alleviating poverty, especially in the developing world..

Our global competition, which started out four years ago with a handful of entries, is sponsored by the Citi Foundation and is administered by GlobaLens, WDI’s case publishing division. NextBillion is an initiative of WDI.

The 52 entries were sent in from 105 people who entered individually or as part of a team. The countries represented are: Colombia, China, India, France, USA, Canada, Ethiopia, Denmark, Philippines, Grenada, Nigeria, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Australia.

Just a few of the universities include: the Indian Institute of Management (India); Brigham Young University (USA); University of Colorado (USA); Purdue University (USA); Cape Breton University (Canada); Copenhagen University (Denmark); St George’s University (Grenada); Griffith University (Australia); National University (Bangladesh); Lahore University of Management Science (Pakistan); Tsinghua University (China); University of San Carlos (Philippines); and Dilla University (Ethopia).

The case writing competition engages students and faculty on campuses all over the world in the emerging field of social ventures. Students and student teams, under the supervision of a university faculty member, submit original cases that describe a challenge faced by a company or organization as it tries to create a sustainable, scalable business venture aimed at alleviating poverty, especially in the developing world.

By harnessing the power of these stories, we hope students who will be the business leaders of tomorrow will be better prepared to bring about improved economic well-being for the billions of people at the base of the pyramid.

Last year, a team from the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce wrote the winning case about a successful Indonesian bank that also creates positive social change.

Prize money for the winning cases remains the same from last year. The first place team will receive $3,500. Second place will receive $2,500, and third $1,000. There also are two honorable mentions. In addition to the prize money, winning entries (including the honorable mentions) also will be added to GlobaLens’ Base of the Pyramid Collection, one of the largest available from any publisher. Each will be marketed to top business schools worldwide for adoption in business courses.

Thank you to everyone who submitted the initial entries. You now must submit a case study by the Dec. 20 deadline. Learn more about important dates, and get access to helpful resources here.

Stay tuned for announcements on the winners.

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