Case 1

You work at McLaughlin-Lynch National Bank and have some bad news to give some of your customers.  During a recent trip, one of your account managers lost a laptop with customer information, including sensitive information like birthdates.  The laptop had a number of software security mechanisms in place, so it's unlikely, but not entirely impossible, that whoever found the laptop will be able to access the sensitive information. 

Only a few of your customers (fewer than 3%) will be affected by this loss.  Your procedures dictate that affected customers will be given a new account (a new debit card with a new credit card number will be sent to them) and the old account will be closed (so customers will have to destroy their current debit cards and checks). The current balances and current credit limits will be transferred to the new accounts.  Customers will have to order new blank checks with the new account numbers on them. Some of your customers will be inconvenienced by this process.

Although you can't force your customers to, you think it would be a wise idea for them to contact the three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) and put an identity theft or fraud watch request on their accounts. 

Write a letter to those customers who were affected and let them know that the laptop was lost and what will happen with their accounts.

Case 2

You manage the small specialty grocery store, Nuts 'N Twigs, in Houston, Texas, and are facing some new competition from a recently built Super Target that opened nearby.  Your customers are telling you that they like shopping at the Super Target because food costs are less expensive, parking is easier, and a pharmacy is available within the Super Target.  They do like the customer service at your grocery store better and say that the experience shopping at "Bread and Butter" is more personal.

You know that to stay competitive you need to make some changes, but you're limited in how much you can do-you can't add a pharmacy; it would be too expensive.  What you'd like to do is to get ideas from your employees about changes that would improve the customers' experiences with the store to the point where they wouldn't go to Super Target or improve the store's bottom line.  You think that if employees propose the changes they'll be more likely to implement them, and you're willing to pay for the ideas, if you can use them.

Specifically, employees who suggest an idea that is good enough to be implemented will be recognized in the store's newsletter and get one extra paid vacation day.  You employ a lot of college students, and you think their getting an idea implemented would look great on their resumes for future employment. To submit an idea, employees can simply send you an email that describes the idea. 

Write an email to your employees explaining the situation and calling for their suggestions.

Case 3

You coordinate the security for the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, a Fortune 500 company.  Recently, your staff of security officers has been complaining that their two-way radios are malfunctioning.  You're not surprised-the equipment they're using is more than a decade old.  Lately, even transmissions within the building tend to break up due to electrical interference.

You've evaluated three different two-way radios as potential replacements: the WAVE-08, the Trek 485, and the TALKabout 2000.  The WAVE-08 had better reception and it could send and receive messages within a range of 3 miles, while the other two radios' range was limited to 1 mile.  The Trek 485 was the lightest of the bunch, though, at only one pound.   The WAVE-08 was the most cost effective option, at $75 per unit with a two year guarantee.  By comparison, the Trek 485 was $110 per unit (with no guarantee), and the TALKabout 2000 was over $160 (but with a five year guarantee).

You know your boss, Anita Hofstadter, director of facilities, won't want to replace the radios because of cost, but she is interested in safety and security.

Write a memo to Anita Hofstadter and recommend that the company purchase a dozen WAVE-08 radios.