Nathan Rosillo stared out his office window at the lazy curves and lush, green, flower-lined banks of the Dutch Valley River. He had grown up near here, and he envisioned the day his children would enjoy the river as he had as a child. But now his own company might make that a risky proposition.   Nathan is a key product developer at Chem-Tech Corporation, an industry leader. Despite its competitive position, Chem-Tech has experienced several quarters of dismal financial performance. Nathan and his team have developed a new lubricant product that the company sees as the turning point in its declining fortunes. Top executives are thrilled they can produce the new product at a significant cost savings because of recent changes in environmental regulations. Regulatory agencies have loosened requirements on reducing and recycling wastes, which means Chem-Tech can now release waste directly into the Dutch Valley River.   Nathan is as eager as anyone to see Chem-Tech survive this economic downturn, but he does not think this is the way to do it. He has expressed his opposition regarding the waste dumping to the plant manager and to his direct supervisor, Martin Feldman. Martin has always supported Nathan, but this time was different. The plant manager, too, turned a deaf ear. “We’re meeting government standards,” he had said. “It’s up to them to protect the water. It’s up to us to make a profit and stay in business.”   Nathan turned away from the window, his prime office view mocking his inability to protect the river he loved. He knew the manufacturing vice president was visiting the plant next week. Maybe if he talked with her, she would agree that the decision to dump waste materials in the river was ethically and socially irresponsible. But if she did not, he would be skating on thin ice. His supervisor had accused him of not being a team player. Maybe he should just be a passive bystander since the company is not breaking any laws. 1.Talk to the manufacturing vice president and emphasize the responsibility Chem-Tech has as an industry leader to set an example. Present her with a recommendation that Chem-Tech participate in voluntary pollution reduction as a marketing tool, positioning itself as the environmentally friendly choice.   Mind your own business and do your job. The company is not breaking any laws, and if Chem-Tech’s economic situation does not improve, a lot of people will be thrown out of work. Call the local environmental advocacy group and get it to stage a protest of the company.

Practical Management Science
6th Edition
ISBN:9781337406659
Author:WINSTON, Wayne L.
Publisher:WINSTON, Wayne L.
Chapter2: Introduction To Spreadsheet Modeling
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Should We Go Beyond the Law?

  Nathan Rosillo stared out his office window at the lazy curves and lush, green, flower-lined banks of the Dutch Valley River. He had grown up near here, and he envisioned the day his children would enjoy the river as he had as a child. But now his own company might make that a risky proposition.

  Nathan is a key product developer at Chem-Tech Corporation, an industry leader. Despite its competitive position, Chem-Tech has experienced several quarters of dismal financial performance. Nathan and his team have developed a new lubricant product that the company sees as the turning point in its declining fortunes. Top executives are thrilled they can produce the new product at a significant cost savings because of recent changes in environmental regulations.

Regulatory agencies have loosened requirements on reducing and recycling wastes, which means Chem-Tech can now release waste directly into the Dutch Valley River.

  Nathan is as eager as anyone to see Chem-Tech survive this economic downturn, but he does not think this is the way to do it. He has expressed his opposition regarding the waste dumping to the plant manager and to his direct supervisor, Martin Feldman. Martin has always supported Nathan, but this time was different. The plant manager, too, turned a deaf ear. “We’re meeting government standards,” he had said. “It’s up to them to protect the water. It’s up to us to make a profit and stay in business.”

  Nathan turned away from the window, his prime office view mocking his inability to protect the river he loved. He knew the manufacturing vice president was visiting the plant next week. Maybe if he talked with her, she would agree that the decision to dump waste materials in the river was ethically and socially irresponsible. But if she did not, he would be skating on thin ice. His supervisor had accused him of not being a team player. Maybe he should just be a passive bystander since the company is not breaking any laws.

1.Talk to the manufacturing vice president and emphasize the responsibility Chem-Tech has as an industry leader to set an example. Present her with a recommendation that Chem-Tech participate in voluntary pollution reduction as a marketing tool, positioning itself as the environmentally friendly choice.

  •  
  1. Mind your own business and do your job. The company is not breaking any laws, and if Chem-Tech’s economic situation does not improve, a lot of people will be thrown out of work.
  2. Call the local environmental advocacy group and get it to stage a protest of the company.
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