The Problem

Business school students graduate with little to no understanding of the co-operative model. This in turn can make it challenging to integrate graduates into the co-operative sector and foster the next generation of co-operative leaders. 

One of the International Cooperative Alliance’s (ICA) strategic objectives is to address “the exclusion of cooperatives and the cooperative identity from education systems at all levels across the globe,” including business schools. Yet for the seventh straight year, co-operative leaders in Canada say lack of awareness of the model continues to be the most pressing issue facing the sector. As one respondent to our Centre's 2024 survey noted, “the co-operative model is well-suited to address the challenges we are facing as a society today” but business students learn little—if anything—about co-operatives and credit unions as business models, let alone the role they play in the economy, their financial resilience, or impact on communities. 

Addressing the Problem: Co-operative Business Cases

Business case studies have proven to be effective pedagogical tools—but those most available and widely used in business schools overwhelmingly focus on investor-owned firms. While there are go-to sources for high-quality co-operative cases (e.g., HEC’s PortailCoop, ICCM’s Case Study Series), there is a dearth of co-op cases in the repositories most accessed by and taught in Canadian and international business schools.

Ivey Publishing, based out of Western University’s Richard Ivey School of Business, is Canada’s leading provider of business case studies and the 2nd-largest publisher of case studies in the world. Ivey’s cases are used in 96% of The Economist’s top-ranked full-time MBA schools and 97% of the Bloomberg Best International Business Schools. Yet, while the Ivey collection boasts more than 9,000 high-quality teaching cases and publishes an average of 35 per month, when we started this project in 2024 there were only 31 co-operative-based cases total in the entire repository.

We are changing that!

Two years ago, we convened an international consortium of co-operative researchers and educators and are building our collective capacity to write and publish Ivey cases through training, support, human resources, and project management.

Progress to date

Training

We have offered two case writing trainings by seasoned case writers and teachers, Dr. Ann Mesny at HEC Montreal and the official Ivey training with Dr. Simon Parker of the Ivey Business School.

Every month, we host a drop-in peer workshop so consoritum members can share drafts, ideas, and challenges.

Case Publishing

Ivey has published 3 cases by members of our consortium, 5 more have been submitted for peer review, 7 are in progress, and dozens more are planned. If we keep up this pace, we are on target to double the co-op cases Ivey had in its repository when we started this initiative a couple of years ago.

  1. Case Study: Co-operate or Control? Credit Union Wealth Management in Canada (English version) | Ivey Publishing
  2. Case Study: Union Sustainable Development Co-operative: Affordable Housing in Waterloo Region (English version) | Ivey Publishing
  3. Case Study: Union Sustainable Development Co-operative Part II: Preserving Affordable Rents in Waterloo Region (English version) | Ivey Publishing

Ivey Co-operative Business Cases

Through our collaborative partnership with Ivey Publishing, they have introduced Co-operative Business Cases, "a curated list of co-operative business cases highlighting innovative models, shared ownership, community impact, and collaborative strategies across industries to inspire learning and drive inclusive economic success." Going forward, all Ivey cases that feature co-ops will be included.

 

Cooperative Education Collection

Cooperative Education Collection on PortailCoop

Our Consortium's Ivey co-op business cases, along with teaching cases and case studies from around the world, are featured on PortailCoop's new Cooperative Education Collection.

This new resource hub, created by the ICBEC - International Co-operative Business Education Consortium in collaboration with the Institut international des coopératives Alphonse-et-Dorimène-Desjardins (IICADD) of HEC Montréal and the and the Universidad de Santiago de Chile, provides educators, students, and professionals with valuable tools to deepen their understanding of cooperative business education tools and methodologies.

This initiative highlights the importance of collaboration in advancing cooperative business education worldwide. The Cooperative Education Collection will continue to evolve and expand with contributions from our governance committee and global cooperative partners.

👉 Check out the website and explore the collection: Cooperative Education Collection

 

Get Involved!

Co-operative Researchers, Educators, and Case Writers

Join our Consortium: from new to seasoned case writers, teachers, and researchers, we support case writing training and facilitate mentorship and collaboration. 

Co-operative Sector Leaders:

Share your case ideas: work with us to turn scenarios, decisions, and solutions into compelling teaching cases.

Contact:

Natalie Kallio, Professional Research Associate
t: 306.966.8502 | e: natalie.kallio@usask.ca

 

Every Consortium member, collaborator, supporter, case writer, sector partner, and training participant is integral to the success of the Ivey Co-operative Business Case Consortium, with special thanks to: