Global case study challenge

The Global Case Study Challenge (#GCSC) is a real intercultural and virtual experience, which provides the participants with invaluable experience for their private and professional lives. Educators from 40 universities across the globe with more than 2200 students participated in this experiential COIL and virtual exchange project in the past editions!

Our objectives

Virtual team cooperation

Apply digital tools for communication in global and/or remote national teams. For workplaces that are independent of time and location.
w

Culture

Take culture into account and develop intercultural competences in order to be successful in Global Virtual Teams.

SDGs integration

Integrate Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into decision making to contribute to sustainable and inclusive growth.

Global perspective

By gaining insights into responsibilities, structures, and challenges in Global Virtual Teams.

Self-directed learning

Enhance independence through self-directed learning.

Digital leadership skills

Acquisition of new digital skills and development of digital leadership competences.

why participate

Are you a student?

wCollaboration in global virtual teams

Development of digital leadership and remote work skills

Network with future and current professionals

iCertificate of completion

Are you an educator?

Innovation in online teaching and collaboration

Help your students to shape their future in remote work

wNetwork with global educational innovators

Collaborative grading experience in virtual space

Students are organized in global virtual teams and are assigned a case study and different activities to work on as a team over a period of 8 weeks. While working on international business challenges, not only do students gain knowledge in the different thematic areas of the case studies, but also experience how to work with people from different cultures, time zones, study programmes and all that in the virtual context!

Professors' grading conference

GCSC CASE Studies

The GCSC case studies are Harvard-style business cases exploring a real-life merger between a Spanish IT consulting firm (30,000 employees in 15 countries) and a Japanese multinational (100,000 employees in 50 countries). Based on interviews with C-level executives, the cases examine cultural and organizational shifts in areas such as:

  • Organizational values and cultural integration
  • HR and compensation
  • Corporate Social Responsibility
  • Change management
  • Learning & Development

The first edition (2021) was developed by the GCSC management team—Dr. Eithne Knappitsch, Dr. Barbara Covarrubias, Dr. Anna Zinenko, and Dr. Svetlana Buko—with contributions from Nikol Pasalic (Research Manager) and Berta San Martín Moreno (L&D Consultant).

The updated edition (2024), based on follow-up interviews with the same companies, was authored by the current GCSC team: Dr. Eithne Knappitsch, Dr. Barbara Covarrubias, and Dr. Anna Zinenko.

Together, both editions offer a longitudinal view of global M&A and its evolving human and cultural dimensions.

Intercultural Management represents one of the pillars of our #GCSC online program, and helps us to achieve incredible results after each edition.

administrative fees

Individual

For a single student

€ 15*

Contact us

Standard

Up to 50 students

€ 250*

Register today

Plus

Up to 100 students

€ 500*

Register today

* GCSC  is a not-for-profit project. We charge only a participation fee to cover our basic administrative expenses. If you are not able to pay the full fee, the educator can apply for a partial or full participation fee waiver. The waivers are available for educators/universities from developing and low-income countries, or from countries where banking regulations do not permit payments overseas.

** If you are an individual student willing to join, please contact us at hello@globalcasestudychallenge.com 

Awards

First place for International Teaching Excellence in the category Innovative Teaching and Learning, PROFFORMANCE 
06|2022 (see more)

Finalists of the 6th International e-Learning Excellence Awards, European Conference on e-Learning
10|2020

Short-list for national award ARS Docendi “excellence in teaching”, category Digital Transformation of Teaching
10|2020 (see more)

Innovative Teaching Award Winner of FHWien, category E-Learning
10|2019 (see more)

Nomination for national award ARS Docendi “excellence in teaching” online
06|2019 (see more)

TESTIMONIALS

The GCSC assignment has been an excellent international project management program. The key point of the program has been the intercultural cooperation.

Dr. József Poór

Professor at János Selye University

It was definitely a great challenge to collaborate with students and professionals from all over the world, and coordinate meetings taking into account the different cultures and time zones.

Elena Anguita Lueza

Student at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Working with other students in a digitalized way is the perfect preparation for future jobs, as you learn technical skills but also intercultural competence.
Simon Haas

Student at Deggendorf Institute of Technology

I learned that it is possible to work on a task with foreign people quite well, although you never got or will get in touch with them personally; before this project I could not imagine this way of working.
Student

Having the opportunity to participate in the GCSC was one of the most enriching experiences I have ever had! The GCSC proposes a lot of challenges related to globalization, as you communicate with people from different cultures, timezone and routines. Furthermore, you have contact with different points of view which is the amazing part of the job.
Caroline Maldaner Heller

Student at Universidade do Vale dos Sinos

Great project and experience both for students and professors. Good way of teaching students of different ways of communication, team work and critical thinking.

Natasa Tandir

Professor at International Burch University

The GCSC was a great learning experience! Students learned how to work in an international team, how to communicate to overcome cultural differences and more!

Amie van Woudenberg

Professor at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences

For me, editing the case was a very interesting and important experience. It is important to respond to people of other cultures in the best possible way and to satisfy their needs in the best possible ways.
Student

…the global case study was an interesting way to identify how cooperating across borders works. I have learned that disagreements can arise in a group working process, but it is very important to work as a group and not as an individual to perform well.
Student

I found it extremely formative and exciting as an educator to participate in the GCSC 2021 edition. Thanks a lot, Barbara, Svetlana, Eithne, and Anna for the amazing conception and organisation work as well as for putting together such interesting case studies for our students to work on. And congratulations on your incredible online facilitation, you are great role-models for all of us for virtual teaching. The Global Case Study Challenge also offered great networking and knowledge exchange opportunities to us educators, as well as our students. Some of my students have made friends with their virtual teammates and have arranged to meet face-to-face too. What an incredible opportunity for real Intercultural encounters!

Grazia Ghellini

Professor at Montpellier Business School

Are you interested in being part of this exciting challenge?
Do you want to offer your students new learning experience?

Register today

Partner universities

LET’S MEET IN THE VIRTUAL SPACE
Say Hello!

Are you interested in joining the Global Case Study Challenge or signing up for our Educator Certification Program, or maybe you want to partner up with us? We are open to all forms of cooperation as we believe in quality education that is available for everyone!

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