Bell Pottinger: Crossing ethical lines in pursuit of clients' political interests

How can companies engage in questionable, unethical business practices even when they are subject to national laws, industry standards, and organizational codes of conduct that are supposed to prevent such actions? This case encourages students to consider this management conundrum in the context of corporate lobbying and through the case of Bell Pottinger - a UK-based lobbying consultancy recently implicated in a lobbying scandal in South Africa. Students are asked to diagnose the scandal, identify the factors that contributed to it, and formulate recommendations to help similar companies avoid repeating the problems that ultimately led to Bell Pottinger's downfall.

- Understand the limitations of laws, industry standards and codes of conduct at the company level to promote ethical decision-making.
- Appreciate the challenges of ensuring ethical business practices in geographically dispersed business operations.
- Understand organizational factors (in particular, decentralized decision-making and performance management systems) and their effects on ethical decision-making.

Lobbying, ethics, non-market strategy, decision-making, performance-management systems

Master, M2, Mastères spécialisés, MBA, Executive MS, Cadre, Dirigeant

Public affairs

- PPT DEBRIEF

Année de la problématique : 2024

Livraison : Livraison par lien de téléchargement

Nombre de pages : 12

Temps d'utilisation : plus de 3 heures