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Designed to be used in conjunction with Patriot National Insurance Co. Discusses a suit brought by a woman client who was badly injured in an automobile accident and alleges that a proximate cause of the accident was faulty repairs on her car by a Patriot-insured auto shop. Contains common information about the law, the accident, witnesses, etc., but different information about the organizational contexts within which each negotiator must operate.

Jane Kravitz (Caucasian female), strategic product manager, and Lyndon Brooks (African American male), a member of her staff at Jensen Shoes, a successful producer and marketer of casual, athletic, and children's footwear, are assigned to new positions and to each other at the start of the story. Presents their very different points of view on their first couple of months working together. Can be taught in a variety of ways: with all students receiving both cases; half receiving one and half receiving the other; or a third of the class receiving both, one third receiving one, and one third receiving the other (as is appropriate). Should be used with Jenson Shoes: Lyndon Brooks' Story.

Jane Kravitz (Caucasian female), strategic product manager, and Lyndon Brooks (African American male), a member of her staff at Jensen Shoes, a successful producer and marketer of casual, athletic, and children's footwear, are assigned to new positions and to each other at the start of the story. Presents their very different points of view on their first couple of months working together. Can be taught in a variety of ways: with all students receiving both cases; half receiving one and half receiving the other; or a third of the class receiving both, one third receiving one, and one third receiving the other (as is appropriate). Should be used with Jensen Shoes: Jane Kravitz's Story. This case is a revised version of Jensen shoes: Lyndon Twitchell's Story.

Business decisions, by their nature, involve ethical considerations because (1) most economic decisions are choices where the decision-maker could have done otherwise, (2) every decision or action affects people, and (3) every decision or set of decisions is embedded in a belief system that presupposes some basic values or their abrogation. The task of justifying moral beliefs and integrating them into business situations and the process of applying ethical standards to everyday decision-making are incomplete and can be exasperating. But the business manager has recourse to the long tradition of ethical study. This note outlines some of the basic terms used in the study of ethics and describes the task of business ethics. Most important, the text describes five theories of moral reasoning-utilitarianism, rule-based morality, a rights approach, a contemporary Aristotelian approach to virtuous character, and social justice. They lay out minimum standards for an acceptable moral decision that can serve as criteria for moral business judgments.

Presents a model for understanding how private social-purpose ventures (nonprofit and for-profit) differ from traditional business firms in both their objectives and methods of operation. Identifies six dimensions that are useful for understanding the differences. Also discusses the role of social enterprise in society and current trends creating opportunities for social entrepreneurship.

Several members of a consulting firm work to develop ways to build and nurture a more diverse work environment while reflecting on personal experiences that help them to become leaders in issues of diversity.

Beginning in 1992, "Beavis and Butt-head," an animated series on MTV about two uncivilized teenaged misfits, became both a runaway popular sensation and the symbol of a heated national debate about violent and inappropriate programming on television. Especially after the show was blamed for inspiring a five-year-old to set a fire that killed his younger sister, the controversy posed difficult decisions both for MTV's parent company, Viacom, and for advertisers, including some of America's biggest.

Supplements the (A) case.

A group of Lotus employees propose extending all health care and other benefits to the spousal equivalents of lesbian and gay employees. The vice president of human resources considers the proposal during a reorganization and period of financial uncertainty.

Details Lotus's decision to extend benefits to spousal equivalents of lesbian and gay employees.

Kurt Landgraf, newly named CEO of Du Pont Merck Pharmaceutical Co., addresses complaints of discrimination from African-American scientists in R&D during significant downsizing and dramatic changes within the pharmaceutical industry.

Forced to explain why businesses should continue to give money away while laying off workers, contributions managers in hundreds of companies have come up with an approach that ties corporate giving directly to strategy. In those companies, philanthropic and business units have joined forces to develop philanthropic strategies that give their companies a powerful competitive edge. The new corporate philanthropy encourages companies to play a leadership role in social problem solving by funding initiatives that incorporate the best thinking of governments and nonprofit institutions. The new approach to philanthropy is best illustrated by the AT&T Foundation, which has set up a dynamic relationship with the company's business units to support social causes while advancing AT&T's business goals.

New Age entrepreneurs are redefining the way business is conducted, placing environmental and moral needs and job satisfaction at or near the top of the corporate mission. Today's company is a place where managers encourage employees to do community work on office time and where everyone creates products that they themselves love. This view of work may seem overly idealistic to many, but New Age ideals are growing in popularity among today's workers whose futures seem increasingly uncertain in the wake of layoffs and restructurings. While the founders of companies like Tom's of Maine or The Body Shop believe they are making the world a better place, writers like Paul Hawken and Charles Handy have discovered a more pragmatic use of New Age ideals, as a way for business people to think about their organizations.

Charles Foley, vice president of the computer retailing firm Sayer MicroWorld, must decide whether or not to fire his employee, Kathryn McNeil, a 37-year-old product manager who has been unable to work as many hours as her colleagues due to her status as a single parent of a six-year-old boy. The company's recent risk-laden acquisition of another ailing firm has intensified the office's already high-pressure environment by necessitating that all employees work 13- and 14-hour days. Although McNeil appears to be doing her best to fulfill both her parental and professional responsibilities, her immediate supervisor insists that McNeil has not been able to complete her share of the work.

Supplements the (A) case.

In the late 1980s Howard Schultz led the Starbuck's Coffee Co. to explosive growth, transforming a small whole-bean coffee company into a national retail power. Starbuck's success hinged on its reputation for quality and personal service. Schultz feared that the company's rapid expansion, plus the retail industry's high turnover and reliance on part-time workers, were threats to Starbuck's competitive edge. How could Schultz reduce turnover and encourage loyalty and enthusiasm among his employees?

Supplements Howard Schultz (A) product # 994006.

Supplements Block 16: Conoco's Green Oil Strategy (A). Reviews the environmental challenges facing the oil industry throughout upstream and downstream operations, and oil companies' competitive responses. Reviews Conoco's and Du Pont's environmental initiatives in more detail. Provides a multinational and competitive context to deepen management's appreciation of the strategic significance of the Block 16 development.

A junior salesperson on FirstAmerica Bank's trading floor is assisting a top salesperson, Linda, on a deal to finance the construction of a new cruise ship for Poseidon Cruise Lines. While the terms of the deal are being worked out, he realizes Linda has taken advantage of the Poseidon executives' unfamiliarity with complex financial structures to build an outrageously high profit margin into the deal. When the executives become suspicious of the prices FirstAmerica is quoting, Linda asks the protoganist to send them an intentionally misleading fax so that the deal will not be held up. Holding the personal belief that "before a blind man you shall not put a stumpling block," he does not know if he can bring himself to send the information.

Supplements the (A) case.