Nader Tavassoli wins top Case Centre award

London Business School Professor of Marketing Nader Tavassoli has won the top
prize in The Case Centre Awards and Competitions 2021.

Professor Tavassoli was recognised alongside his co-authors, Jamie Anderson of
Antwerp Management School and Karin Kollenz-Quétard of EDHEC Business
School. Their case study, ‘Dollar Shave Club: Disrupting the shaving industry’ was
named the Overall Winner in this year’s competition. It examines how a market
newcomer successfully broke into an industry long dominated by razor giant Gillette
through the use of a direct-to-consumer subscription model and other innovations not
previously used by the sector.

Professor Tavassoli said: “This case was a collaborative effort by three people
coming from different academic disciplines, which brought different perspectives to
even the simple question ‘Why are DSC blades cheaper?’ This required a multifaceted answer with a deep understanding of customers and the brands’ business
models.”

Richard McCracken, Director of The Case Centre, pointed out that educators had
been faced with the challenge of transferring their teaching online during the COVID19 pandemic. 

“This has highlighted the need for cases to adapt. The authors of the Overall Winning Case are integrating this flexibility, including guidance for educators worldwide, in their comprehensive teaching note, and offering direct dialogue and a webinar,” he said.

It is the second consecutive year LBS faculty have been recognised with the Overall Winner prize at The Case Centre Awards and Competitions. Herminia Ibarra, Professor of Organisational Behaviour, Aneeta Rattan, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour and their co-author Anna Johnston won the Overall Winner award for their case study, ‘Satya Nadella at Microsoft: Instilling a Growth Mindset’ in 2020.

Professor Tavassoli’s winning case study is available to purchase from LBS Publishing, The Case Centre, and Harvard Business Publishing.