You are the director of research and development at Soy-DRI. Your mission is twofold:

You are the director of research and development at Soy-DRI. Your mission is twofold:

(1) to locate and identify the best environmentally sensitive resources and processes for all of the products Soy-DRI manufactures, distributes, and sells, and (2) to come up with at least one new product (or derivative/alternative use for an existing product) every two years.

You have been with Soy-DRI almost since its inception, when you were a struggling graduate student. The company funded your biohazard research and your still-unfinished doctorate. You have been a pacesetter with the organization, but are looked upon with some disfavor. You are often criticized for your overzealous push for innovation in product development. Some think you are too big a risk-taker for the well-being of the organization, and many in the organization complain bitterly about the elitist compensation and benefits you have at your disposal for yourself and your department. You take it all in stride, knowing that Soy-DRI’s market expansion is due in large part to your creativity and that of your staff.

You were also a key figure in supporting the entire environmental initiative, and had to fight an uphill battle to convince other executives that the cost to produce a line of environmentally sensitive products was worth the endearment it would earn in the eyes of customers and the government. Your biggest complaint now is that the global market has opened doors to some low-cost soybean growers whose use of toxins is unrestricted. Soy‑DRI has been purchasing soybeans in areas where certain pesticides and herbicides have been linked with exceedingly high rates of certain cancers and skin ailments.

Soy-DRI went public three years ago and has performed well since then, a fact that should sit very well at next month’s shareholders’ meeting. One of the issues on the agenda is the adoption of tighter corporate governance mechanisms, including methods for incorporating stakeholders’ concerns into Soy-DRI’s strategic planning efforts.

Late yesterday, you received a communication from the general counsel indicating there may be a potential problem with customers’ misusing Slab-Dri and Pet-Dri. The CEO has requested that you two meet and come up with a comprehensive action plan to resolve this matter. A meeting has been scheduled.