Harvard Business School to make EbonyLife case study available worldwide

In 2023, thousands of people studying business online will have access to a case study on the EbonyLife Group that is already a required class for all first-year MBA students at Harvard Business School.

This development is part of an ongoing effort to broaden the school’s reach and deepen its impact while educating leaders who make a difference in the world.

In 2021, the EbonyLife case study became one of just 500 case studies read by students during the two-year MBA programme, making this a rare accomplishment for an African company, led by a Nigerian woman.

In September 2022, EbonyLife CEO, Mo Abudu, was appointed as an HBS Executive Fellow, allowing her to share her business and life experiences in person with students while working on a project with HBS faculty.

While on campus, she will meet with Prof. Feng Zhu and his team, regarding all the preparations required to make the case study available, via Harvard Business School Online.

Within next year, the EbonyLife story will be shared with students around the world, including leaders in a wide range of industries, as they seek to enhance their skills and create more impact in the lives of others.

Abudu said: “I didn’t really see this coming. Nearly three years ago, we were approached by Harvard Business School for a potential case study about EbonyLife. Now, just one year after it became part of the compulsory curriculum for all first-year MBA students, it’s going to be available to a global cohort studying online. 

“The EbonyLife Group has its challenges, but I am pleased with our progress. We operate in a tough business environment but we continue to give 100 percent and to push the boundaries in everything we do.”

Harvard Business School has been ranked as one of the world’s top business schools for over a century, pioneering the development of the case method of teaching. Cases document real events in companies and students assume the role of managers with business dilemmas, which they need to analyse and provide possible solutions to. Harvard Business School Online launched as HBX in 2014.