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A group of four friends, all married men and in their late 20s, meet for coffee in a major city. One of the men has received a job application from a young woman he considers to be a stellar candidate for his job opening. The discussion turns into a debate about the feasibility of hiring young women for professional and managerial positions, given that they become pregnant and go on maternity leave.

The human resources manager for logistics and supply chain management at BAX China must consider her company's high rate of staff turnover. In her monthly report to the managing director, the turnover had reached 12 per cent in the first eight months of the year. The human resources manager must evaluate the company's current methods of dealing with turnover and consider what additional action should be taken. Logistics was a complex and rapidly growing industry, particularly in mainland China. Many multinational and domestic service providers were entering the marketing and expanding their operations; however, these companies had to respond to complex operational challenges and escalating customer demands. The resulting demand for skilled workers led to high turnover rates across the industry and at all organizational levels, and created margin pressure and other management challenges. The case offers a uniquely Chinese perspective on workforce recruitment, management and retention. The industry and the broader economy were growing rapidly. Skilled workers were in short supply because logistics was a new and developing discipline in the former command economy. Also, in the human resources manager's opinion, cultural attitudes resulted in low loyalty among the workers.

Less than one year after being awarded a contract to develop one of the world's largest offshore petroleum fields, Statoil's future in Iran appeared to be in jeopardy. Statoil was at the center of a corruption investigation that had resulted in the resignations of three of the company's top executives, including its CEO. The issue was alleged bribes paid by Horton Investments, on Statoil's behest, to secure lucrative petroleum development contracts. According to the Iranian government, Statoil used Horton to channel $15 million in secret bribes to unnamed government officials. Statoil's country manager, who had considerable experience in the region and was unaware of the secret deals, is left with the difficult task of trying to salvage the operation and rebuild the social capital he had established between Statoil and its Iranian counterparts.

The merger of the Caribbean holdings of Barclays Bank Plc. and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) is going ahead, and the reality of integration of very diverse systems and procedures has to be faced. The case deals with understanding the current situation in terms of existing policies and designing policies that would be acceptable to employees from both banks in the organization - FirstCaribbean International Bank - which would be created by the merger. A critical aspect of the merger is the harmonization of compensation and benefits that must be resolved as a matter of priority. This case may be taught on a stand alone basis, or in combination with any of four additional cases that deal with various functional issues: 1) General Management - CIBC and Barclays: Should Their Operations be Merged, product 9B04M067. 2) Information Systems - Information Systems at FirstCaribbean: Choosing a Standard Operating Environment, product 9B04E032. 3) Accounting and Finance: CIBC Barclays: Accounting for Their Merger, product 9B04B022 4) Technical note: Note on Banking in the Caribbean, product 9B05M015.

A husband and wife investigative reporting team had created a four-part TV series on a genetically modified bovine growth hormone produced by a large biotech company. The hormone was injected into dairy cows to increase milk yields. The TV series raised concerns about the health effects of the hormone on humans who consumed the milk. Shortly before the series was to air, an attorney for the biotech company contacted the TV network and demanded that the script for the series be altered. The investigative reporters has to decide options they have. The supplement, What Are We Pouring In Our Morning Cereal? (B), product 9B05C029, discusses the aftermath of their decision.

Two investigative reporters prepared a four-part series on a bovine growth hormone that increases milk yields, and its effect on humans who consume the milk. The TV network receives a demand to alter the script from an attorney representing the growth hormone producer. This supplement to What Are We Pouring In Our Morning Cereal? (A), product 9B05C028, discusses the aftermath of the decisions made.

This is a supplement to PETA's Kentucky Fried Cruelty, Inc. Campaign, product 9B03C045. PETA escalated its tactics to pressure Kentucky Fried Chicken to implement stronger animal welfare guidelines. KFC was once again embarrassed worldwide when an investigation for PETA captured video of chickens being kicked and stomped on by workers at a processing plant that the company used. The footage provided new ammunition for PETA to increase the pressure on KFC to make significant changes, including protesting of KFC executives at their homes and encouraging celebrities to organize a boycott of KFC. Both PETA and KFC testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee presenting their sides of the story. One had to wonder whether the campaign unleashed by PETA had gained enough momentum to pressure the decision-makers at Kentucky Fried Chicken into making meaningful changes in its animal welfare practices, and if so, how the conflicts between KFC and PETA could ever by resolved, given both the increasing escalation and philosophical differences between the two organizations.

This note describes the process a student might go through in writing a report, describes the main sections in a report and, in a supplement, reviews some points of usages, style, grammar, etc. It should be used after the Note on Case Analysis, product 9A81L002.

Job Offer Negotiation is a role play between a job applicant who is graduating from an MBA program and a recruiter from a global consulting firm. It is intended to illustrate the importance of preparation and planning; integrative negotiation in the context of job offers, and specific behaviors that contribute to effective negotiation. To be used with 9B05C012.

To be used with 9B05C011.

The chair of the computer studies department noticed a marked change in the behavior of one of Conseco College's long-term employees. Although no official problems had yet surfaced, the chair has clear personal evidence that the employee was behaving erratically and uncharacteristically. The chair must decide how to deal with the situation. Supplementary cases Conseco College (B) and (C), products 9B05C003 and 9B05C004 follow the progress of the situation.

In this supplement to Conseco College (A), product 9B05C002, the chair of computer studies department has noticed a change in the behavior of a long-term employee. Her first action results in learning that the employee suffers from bipolar disorder. She gathered information on the disorder and then had to decide what action to take next. The supplement Conseco College (C), product 9B05C004 describes the outcome and the chair's action plan.

The chair of computer studies at a community college has noticed a behavioral change in a long-term employee and must decide how to handle the situation. She has learned that the employee suffers from bipolar disorder and has now been hospitalized for his illness, leaving much of the work from the last semester incomplete, including the marking of exams. The chair needs a detailed action plan for going forward. This is a supplement to Conseco College (A) and (B), products 9B05C002 and 9B05C003.

The Aspect Group is a small entrepreneurial marketing company that focuses on brand management. Having worked in the industry for a number of years both as permanent employee and freelancer, Marie Bohm founded the Aspect Group with a goal of developing a humane work environment with work-life flexibility. To grow the business, she is faced with two choices: she could partner with a small local firm or link with a high-profile firm in Toronto. The latter would provide greater visibility and credibility but she is concerned that the demands could alter the work-life flexibility qualities she valued. A video is available, product # 7B05C017.

The supervisor at a popular bar and eatery is close to finishing off the shift and is reflecting on the events that took place in the past couple of hours. He had just finished escorting the service manager of the restaurant out after watching him snort a line of white powder. The supervisor knew he could not just ignore what had happened but was concerned about what to do next.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club, a non-profit gaming organization and social club founded in 1884, was unusual, for through its payment of taxes and donations to the community, it had over the years funded a sizeable portion of Hong Kong government expenses and charitable work. The newly hired director of the information technology department is concerned about inefficient operation. The IT division had been an established part of the club for many years, and throughout time, had been organized and reorganized to meet the changing needs of the club. A task force is put together and an external consultant is brought in to review the division's organization. Upon completion of the review, the director of the division learns that the person heading the review plans to resign and must decide what to do.

The National Hockey League's collective bargaining agreement was due to expire on September 15, 2004. As executive director of the National Hockey League Players' Association, it is Bob Goodenow's responsibility to negotiate a new agreement in the players' best interests. The NHL has demanded that a salary cap be imposed in the next collective bargaining agreement and has threatened a lockout by owners if the players' association does not agree. The NHL has implemented a successful communications strategy and gained public support. Goodenow must decide how to proceed in order to gain a favorable position going into the negotiations and retain the loyalty of the fans on which the sport depends.

Bp's green re-branding efforts began officially with the unveiling of its new bp Helios mark, named after the Greek sun god. The new logo did away with 70 years of corporate branding, replacing the bp shield, long associated in consumers' minds with the strength of British imperialism. The Helios mark cost US$7 million to develop and was forecast to cost the company another US$100 million a year to integrate into marketing and operations over the next two years. At the logo's unveiling, the company's chief executive officer directed attention to the company's recent purchase of the solar energy company Solarex, an acquisition that made bp the world's largest solar energy company. The unveiling of the Helios logo was a formalization of a re-branding strategy that had begun to emerge the year before with the CEO's announcement that 200 new bp sites around the world would be powered in part by solar energy, through solar panels placed on the roofs of gas pumps, and his commitment to reducing bp's own carbon dioxide emissions by 10 per cent by the year 2010. From the start, however, environmental groups heaped scorn on bp's green re-branding. Greenpeace gave the company its Greenhouse Greenwash Award, given to the largest corporate climate culprit on earth.

The owners of a bar & grill located in a major tourist area must decide how to deal with the non-smoking bylaw that is being considered for the township it's located in. The bar & grill serves two different groups: a large number of tourists during the summer and local patrons who frequent the bar throughout the year. The owners are concerned how this bylaw will affect business during the slower winter months. The case allow students to produce a plan that deals with how to influence public-sector decision-makers, deal with multiple customer groups with the possibly conflicting interests, and motivating staff to implement a course of action with which they might not personally agree.

This case is designed to stimulate students' reflections on ethics. The context of the case is a familiar one to most students (plagiarism on a student essay); it therefore allows them to experience more personally the range of emotions and perspectives involved in ethical issues. Yet the parallels to business ethics situations are strong, and can be discussed in depth. Students are assigned to one of two roles in advance of class (a student who has plagiarized text for an assignment and a professor), supplement cases A Minor Assignment: Role of Rob Thatcher and A Minor Assignment: Role of Lydia Katz, products 9B05C007 and 9B05C008 are given out to support the roles.