When its main products, gasoline lead additives, were banned in most developed countries, a U.S. company introduced an environmentally friendly, octane-boosting gasoline additive, methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT). The product was approved for use in Canada, but not sanctioned for use in Europe or the United States, due to health concerns. In response to public concerns about environmental hazards, the Canadian government introduced legislation that would ban both the import and transport of manganese-based substances, including MMT. Faced with the possibility of losing both its current Canadian market and the possibility of trade in other countries, the company considers a political strategy. Supplement to this case is Ethyl Corporation of Virginia: The MMT Battle in Canada (B), product number 9B02M049.
The founder of a Canadian publishing company is nearing retirement. His mission has been to promote Canadian authors and he has actively pursued government assistance and policies to protect Canadian cultural industries. However, there are often policies against free trade of cultural products which has hurt exporting. Discussed is how firm value is affected by government policy and the trade-offs of cultural protectionism.
The rent-to-own industry is a four billion-dollar industry that rents appliances, furniture and electronic goods to customers. There is a potential threat to the rent-to-own industry as a result of an article in a national newspaper that accused the industry of taking advantage of poor consumers. Law makers and politicians were becoming active on the issue and the industry must formulate a response. Would the public really care enough about the rent-to-own industry for new laws to be passed that would change their operations? This case deals with the relationship between business, government and society and implications of public perception.
A small, founder-centered business, increasingly facing competitive imitation of their core activities, is at a crossroads. Expansion opportunities for the winery include branching into retail, expanding its offerings of wines made to their specifications in Europe, and expanding their direct sales network of end customers to include non-Bonny Doon wines. In considering these options, the core competencies of Bonny Doon as well as the interests of its dynamic founder and leader, are critical.