Speculation surrounds the rumored agreement between General Motors and AM General to
market and manufacture the civilian version of the HMMWV, known as the “Hummer” H1.
Plant expansion would be critical to AM General’s ability to manufacture and sell the vehicle.
Success of the deal and ultimately the plant expansion is dependant on city cooperation, a
contract with the UAW, and most importantly the relocation of nearly 50 local residences from
their lifelong homes. 5 pp. Case #00-21. (2000)

American Apparel, a multinational fashion retailer headquartered in Downtown Los Angeles,
looked to target the plus-size clothing customer segment in an effort to grow its stagnant sales. It
launched “The Next Big Thing,” a marketing campaign requiring contestants to submit modeling
shots for American Apparel’s online audience to vote on. Little did they know that their ad copy,
which utilized several puns as adjectives to describe larger women, would invoke a negative
response by media outlets as well as the incite members of the plus-size community. Nancy
Upton, a size-12-wearing student and actress based in Dallas, Texas, decided to join the contest
with a satirical entry, and created a blog. What happened next was a series of corporate
communication problems that revealed a deeper issue of cultural insensitivity rather than just a
poor choice of wording. 17 pp. #13-08 (2013)

A mid-size manufacturer of electrical equipment buys out a competitor and discovers improperly
disposed polychlorinated biphenyls on the property. Though he is guilty of no wrongdoing, the
CEO must move quickly to deal with the concerns of employees, shareholders, customers,
suppliers, and the neighboring community, which suspects the company of complicity in
contamination of the local water supply. 9 pp. Case #97-01. (1997)

The CEO of a $35-million manufacturing firm in the American Midwest is faced with an
executive’s worst nightmare: a boiler explosion that kills two employees and seriously injures
five others. This crisis management case takes the reader through a series of
information-gathering and decision-making steps as the CEO and his senior team grapple with
human tragedy and calamitous business problems simultaneously. (A) Case, 5 pp. (B) Case, 2 pp.
Case #98-01. (1998)