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Aer Lingus, the Irish international airline, is proposing to buy ATS, a small but rapidly growing robotics firm. Negotiations have been protracted and earn out is professed. The owner appears to be getting cold feet. Should Aer Lingus continue? This is the first in a three case series titled, Aer Lingus - ATS (A), Aer Lingus - ATS (B1) and Aer Lingus - ATS (B2) addressing minority shareholders who are also key managers. (A 12-minute video, Aer Lingus - ATS (A) - Video can be purchased with this case.)

An American project manager (with a team of 12 Americans), who is just about to conclude a week long negotiation with a team of 12 Koreans, is faced with a dilemma. He is being pushed to make a decision he is ill equipped to make; he feels it might not be in his company's best interest, but could be in the best interest of the joint venture that his firm is in the process of establishing with the Koreans.

This case presents Harlequin in 1979 at the peak of its success. The company is looking at diversification, trying to use its ever increasing cash flow. Specific issues are the type of diversification (if any) the company should engage in, and whether it should set up its own sales force in the U.S. The general issue is one of accurately identifying Harlequin's capabilities. This case should be used, although it is not strictly necessary, with the Harlequin Enterprises Limited - 1984 case 9A87M003.

The president of Petro-Canada Products Limited proposes to restructure his division of the company. His proposal is for an unusually decentralized organization, by oil industry standards, and it needs to be approved by the company's executive council. The case presents background material on the oil industry, West's division, and the specifics of his proposal. The reaction of other executives in the firm to the proposal is also presented.

Joint ventures are common methods of managing projects that involve different countries. Managers need to consider whether a shared management or dominant parent approach works best for a specific enterprise. Thirty-seven experiences point up the difficulties of working with more than one parent. Dominant parent ventures, those managed by one company like wholly-owned subsidiaries, are more successful than shared management ventures, where both companies contribute functional personnel. Problems often arise in shared situations because managers of international ventures have communication problems and different attitudes regarding: time, the importance of job performance, material wealth, and the desirability of change.

Noranda is preparing to develop a $400 million copper mine in Chile. The Task Force of Canadian Churches opposes the investment because of the lack of human rights in Chile and has made its presence felt at Noranda's last five annual meetings. Enough data is in the case to analyze the investment on financial and moral grounds. Is Noranda morally right to go ahead? To what extent should the answer to this question govern their decision? What is the role of business ethics in this decision?