Open Access Women Leaders Case Series

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https://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/33762

The Women Leaders Case Series includes teachable cases about real women business leaders based on primary interview data and secondary research, topics related to culture and gender norms, strengths-based leadership, business diversification, grit and resilience, work-life balance, and so on. Each case includes a teaching note to guide future instructors who may adopt the case for their students, which include teaching strategies, suggested readings, and examples of comments students might make. These cases vary in length and are relevant for a broad audience of learners. Each case is appropriate for existing or aspiring business leaders who want to learn effective management and leadership skills by learning from the example of a female business leader. These cases are also appropriate for graduate or undergraduate business students in classes that discuss business management, leadership, small business entrepreneurship, and/or civic and non-profit leadership.

For Instructors, Teaching Notes are provided for every case. Please visit The Case Centre to verify your instructor role and obtain access to teaching materials.

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 10

Overcoming Sexism and Economic Setbacks: Entrepreneur, Naumeena Suhail
(Women’s Leadership Initiative, Lerner College of Business & Economics, University of Delaware, 2023) Bullough, Amanda; Dunham, Aynsley
Naumeena Suhail is an entrepreneur and single mother in Karachi, Pakistan, who owns and operates The Design Firm, a marketing and social media/website design company serving banks and other companies in Pakistan and abroad. This case focuses on the struggles Naumeena has faced while conducting business in Pakistan, particularly those caused by economic challenges and sexism.
Grit and the Uphill Climb in Computer Science: Entrepreneur, Mahrukh Qadeer
(Women’s Leadership Initiative, Lerner College of Business & Economics, University of Delaware, 2023) Bullough, Amanda; Dunham, Aynsley
Mahrukh Qadeer is a female entrepreneur in Pakistan working in the field of computer science. Pakistani cultural norms can be restricting for women, often limiting them to maintaining the home and caring for children or working in the garment industry. Moreover, computer science is a typically male-dominated field, even in cultures without such restrictions on women's activities. This case explains how Mahrukh overcame these cultural norms and the challenges she faced while forging her career.
Seeing Entrepreneurship and a Blind Chef: Entrepreneur, Laura Martinez
(Women’s Leadership Initiative, Lerner College of Business & Economics, University of Delaware, 2023) Bullough, Amanda; Dunham, Aynsley
Laura Martinez is a blind woman who became an entrepreneur in the culinary field. She became the first blind person to train at Le Cordon Bleu and subsequently opened her restaurant, La Diosa, in Chicago, Illinois, USA. This case examines Laura's challenges in becoming a chef and how she overcame them through determination and confidence in herself. Specific focus is given to the negative views of disabilities and disabled people that Laura contended with and how those can have an adverse impact on disabled people.
Building A Brand: From Entrepreneur, Humera Fatima
(Women’s Leadership Initiative, Lerner College of Business & Economics, University of Delaware, 2023) Bullough, Amanda; Dunham, Aynsley
Humera Fatima is a Pakistani entrepreneur in the fashion and stationary design fields. She pursued this career despite her father's expectation that she would be a secretary for their family business and Pakistani cultural norms discouraging women from working. This case will explore how Humera felt emboldened to pursue her creative career despite these cultural obstacles.
Authentic Leadership and the Leadership Paradox: The Balancing Act of Leading a Small Business
(Women’s Leadership Initiative, Lerner College of Business & Economics, University of Delaware, 2023) Bullough, Amanda; Dunham, Aynsley
This case examines the issues faced by Georgia Wilkins, a small business owner who co-owns an advertising firm with her husband. Issues discussed include how Georgia created the culture in her business, the tension between being an owner and boss versus a teammate and friend to her staff, and the difficulties she faces due to being in business with her spouse. The solutions Georgia found are presented for students to review and discuss.
Experiences of Womanhood in Business Consulting and Web Design: Entrepreneur, Emily Lonigro
(Women’s Leadership Initiative, Lerner College of Business & Economics, University of Delaware, 2023) Bullough, Amanda; Dunham, Aynsley
This case examines the effects of gender on women's careers and the balancing act that women negotiate with their husbands to grow their businesses. It especially focuses on societal expectations of mothers and gender discrimination in majority-male career fields. These are explored through the story of a female business owner named Emily Lonigro. Also discussed are her methods of handling the gender-related adversity she faced, and how she navigated economic problems that threatened her company.
Employee Empowerment & Strengths-based Leadership: Small Business Development with Entrepreneur, Elizabeth Colón
(Women’s Leadership Initiative, Lerner College of Business & Economics, University of Delaware, 2023) Bullough, Amanda; Dunham, Aynsley
This case examines how small business owner Elizabeth Colon improved her work-life balance and efficiency in her company by delegating and adopting a strengths-based leadership style. Special attention is given to the unique issues Ms Colon faced as an entrepreneur, especially a female entrepreneur, which necessitated a need for change in her organization. Students are asked to examine the problems faced by Ms Colon prior to the adoption of a new leadership style and to make their own suggestions regarding how she could improve her business.
Swimming Upstream: The Resilience and Strength of Entrepreneur, Ayesha Hamza
(Women’s Leadership Initiative, Lerner College of Business & Economics, University of Delaware, 2023) Bullough, Amanda; Dunham, Aynsley
Ayesha Hamza is a Pakistani woman who owns and runs two fashion businesses despite Pakistan's cultural expectation that women are homemakers. This case explores how Ayesha harnessed her own power to create her businesses, despite the backlash she faced from family and strangers for violating social norms. The case evaluates how Ayesha found the personal strength to succeed in the face of cultural adversity.
Flourishing Despite Adversity: Resilience & Self-belief from Entrepreneur, Anadil Khan
(Women’s Leadership Initiative, Lerner College of Business & Economics, University of Delaware, 2023) Bullough, Amanda; Dunham, Aynsley
Anadil Khan is an entrepreneur from Karachi, Pakistan who has worked in the textile sourcing industry and the Pakistani women’s apparel industry since the year 2000. This case explores the dangers she faced in Karachi during the height of Pakistan’s political turmoil and struggles with terrorism. It further explores how she was able to overcome these issues by changing her company’s focus to a related industry that was less affected by the political tensions of the time. Anadil ultimately reopened, redefined, and rebranded her company successfully.
Forging Ahead with Passion and Spousal Support: Safia Mustafa
(Women’s Leadership Initiative, Lerner College of Business & Economics, University of Delaware, 2023) Bullough, Amanda; Dunham, Aynsley
Safia Mustafa is a woman entrepreneur in Pakistan. She owns and operates Eskillstech, a company specializing in marketing through social media, website, and graphic design. Pakistani cultural norms typically restrict women to maintaining the home and caring for children, and women rarely participate in the workforce. This case reviews how Safia was challenged by, and overcame, these cultural norms while forging her career. It also presents a spouse’s role in an entrepreneur’s pursuit of business goals and the importance of an entrepreneur’s passion for her business.

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