Case Teaching Package
A case teaching package, written by Ken Parker and Dan D'Heilly, is available for this case. It includes strategies for case presentation, key concepts, solutions to the assignment questions in the case, and suggestions for the most effective ways to work this case into your course.
Length
This case is
14 pages in length and its case teaching package is
10 pages.
Abstract
This case deals with the creation of a food cooperative, Food From the 'Hood, by two social entrepreneurs and a group of inner-city high school students in Los Angeles shortly after the "LA Riots" in 1992. The riots occurred when white police officers were acquitted of beating black motorist Rodney King in spite of a video tape recording of the beating.
This case follows the group as they attempt to launch a non-profit organization at Crenshaw High School. One of the social entrepreneurs is a Crenshaw High School science teacher, the other is a very successful PR executive, Melinda McMullen. The case highlights the dilemmas faced by Melinda, which culminate when her boss says that she must leave her job, or stop her work with Food From the 'Hood.
- Location of the company: Los Angeles, California
- Years spanned by the case: 1992-1993
- Industry segment: Retail food and not-for-profit
- Stage of the company: Launch
- Age of the entrepreneurs: 35
Study Questions
- How might Melinda McMullen's attitude be different if a sponsor had stepped in and her own money wasn't on the line?
- At what point does a nonprofit or socially-conscious organization become a nonprofit business?
- How would you evaluate the potential-concept and profit potential-of the salad dressing business?
- How would you assess the potential of using the student-run business concept at the high school level? What are the possible benefits to the students? What are the possible downsides to students?
- Pick one: What challenges might Melinda encounter if she decides to continue her involvement with Food From the 'Hood? OR Both Melinda and Tammy are white. What challenges and/or opportunities are posed by their working with minority youth?
Key Words
opportunity recognition, career-building, and the place of non-profit activities in a successful career, cause-related marketing, and how PR can build something against long odds, differences between the non-profit and for-profit perspectives, issues surrounding the decision to become an entrepreneur, gender and race issues
The downloadable file for this case is an self-extracting WinZip file. After downloading, find ClearVue.exe in Windows® Explorer and double-click the file to decompress. The case file itself is in Microsoft® Word 7.0 for Windows®.
If you do not have Microsoft Word, you can download the free Microsoft® Word Viewer 97 right here: For Windows 3.x For Windows 95
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