SITUATIONA non-profit hospital located in a small town was being sued for alleged antitrust violations after it failed to grant work privileges to an orthopedic surgeon employed by an independent physicians group (IPG).The hospital's reasons for denying privileges were complicated and difficult to explain in short 15 second sound-bites.  Conversely, the IPG's messages were easy to understand and...

SITUATIONA real estate development company was accused by residents of a building it was tearing down - to make room for a major new development - that the company was racist and disregarding the needs of lower income residents.The disaffected residents had staged a picket in front of the CEO's home and threatened more demonstrations there.  They had also organized large-scale demonstrations...

SITUATIONA national, home-warranty company faced a class-action law suit prompted over the way the company notified its customers of policy changes. The suit exposed the company to more than $225 million in damages.The company felt that the problem was caused by the confusing and ever-changing policies and regulations of the state's insurance regulators.The company was a market leader and feared...

A large regional bank in the Midwest was sued by a female employee and the EEOC for sexual discrimination, alleging that the bank unfairly failed to promote the woman and that her compensation was lower than her male peers’.  While the bank felt the allegations of the suit were groundless, bad publicity about the suit clearly threatened to damage the bank’s reputation and management was rightly...

SITUATIONA partnership of pharmaceutical companies created to develop and distribute an early warning test for breast cancer was at risk because a physician who developed the test protocol was suing for higher royalties.Given the current amount the partnership was paying for the license, drug companies were making it possible for state agencies to provide the test to lower income women for free...