ICFAI Business School (IBS) case “Disney Enters Streaming Space: Can it Disrupt the Disruptor?” authored by Syeda Maseeha Qumer and Dr Debapratim Purkayastha, won in the “Knowledge, Information and Communication Systems Management” category at The Case Centre Awards 2021. The UK-based The Case Centre (TCC) is the independent home of the case method and the awards celebrate worldwide excellence in case teaching and writing.
The case is about The Walt Disney Company’s attempts to disrupt the streaming space in 2018 by pitching itself against Netflix, who changed the home entertainment market landscape. The case looks at the daunting task faced by Disney Chairman and CEO Robert A Iger (Iger) in building a massive streaming platform while integrating two big content-creation rivals (Disney and 21st Century Fox, which it acquired in 2017) which had drastically different images and corporate cultures.
Richard McCracken, Director of TCC, said, “Debapratim now has 11 trophies to his name, including five in this category, and is just two away from Sumantra Ghoshal’s all-time record of 13 awards.” Renowned management guru Sumantra Ghosal was the most successful individual author with 13 awards between 1991 and 2006 (15 years), when the award was restricted to only European institutions. TCC had noted that competition increased in 2011 when the awards went global as established players from North America became eligible. Dr Purkayastha won his 11 awards between 2014 and 2021( 7 years).
Regarding the win, Dr Purkayastha, Director, IBS Case Research Center, noted, “This category has grown in significance in the new age marked by digital disruption, and we are proud that IBS has had continuous success in this category. What’s more, in a very tough year marked by the pandemic, IBS had a record 18 bestselling cases this year, which is next only to Harvard! All this shows why a growing number of students and recruiters prefer IBS. Our students are taught with the same cases that are taught at the world’s best b-schools, and thus help them transform into well-rounded, future-ready professionals.”
The other winners in The Case Centre Awards include Harvard Business School, INSEAD, Darden, Ivey Business School, and MIT Sloan School of Management.