Confidential information for students assigned the role of the Division of Environment Conservation. See Riverside and DEC--General Information.

The objective is to reconcile the trade-offs involved in setting an agricultural policy in delicate ecological settings and determine the role business should play in an imperfectly competitive developing region.

In 1988, the Du Pont Co. is abruptly confronted with solid scientific evidence that chlorofluorocarbons are destroying the earth's ozone shield. Du Pont, with its Freon brand product line serving markets for foam insulation, electronics solvents, and especially refrigeration, was the world's leading producer of these chemicals. Although no substitutes were currently commercially available, or even proven, Du Pont had to decide what to do. The pur...

The main issue has to do with the lack of fit or incompatibility between the early environmental requirements for strategy and the cultural constraints on the organization. Describes the internal resistance to the proposed changes and top management's efforts to resolve the contradictory requirements of strategy and culture. A second major issue concerns the challenge facing a general manager who has been given responsibility for operationalizing...

The Southern Co., an electric utility, is planning its compliance with the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act. The Act established a system of tradeable permits for sulfur dioxide emissions. The company must decide whether to install pollution control equipment and generate excess permits for sale to other firms, or to emit larger quantities of sulfur dioxide, save capital costs, and purchase pollution permits. Can be used to teach discounted c...

Allied-Signal, Inc., one of the world's oldest chemical companies and today a diversified conglomerate, is liable for clean-up costs of old hazardous waste sites. These costs are substantial: reserves grew to nearly $500 million in 1991. Attempting to avoid further set-asides, and anticipating U.S.-style liability laws in Europe, environmental managers undertake a review of the company's three-part environmental control policy. With extensive pro...

COMCO Martech was a new breed of joint venture for COMCO Holding, a mid-sized Swiss-German company that had grown over a five-year period through tie-ups with small, start-up companies. Whereas a typical COMCO venture provided services to a large German retailer, was based in a German-speaking country of Europe, and granted COMCO Holding clear management control, COMCO Martech was managed on a 50-50 basis with an American partner, was active in E...

McDonald's announces its decision to change from polystyrene "clamshells" for its sandwich packaging to a new paper wrap.

Supplements Block 16: Conoco's Green Oil Strategy (A). Provides the environmental groups' perspective on Conoco's Ecuadorian strategy. Designed to be distributed to students who will be playing the role of Ecuadorian environmentalists.

Conoco's attempted to win an oil development contract in Ecuador's tropical rain forest. The case discusses government perspectives, environmental perspectives, and indigenous people's perspectives. Allows role playing in a "negotiating forum" set up by Conoco to get their developing plan in the various interest groups. This oil development contract is key to Conoco's Latin American E&D strategy.