Papers should discuss not only psychology but also an application of such psychology to a particular aspect of communications theory, negotiations, dispute resolution, or lawyering. 

The purpose of your paper is not just to discuss the psychology of conflict communication but to help use the course material to be a better lawyer or dispute resolver. Although I do not have to formally approve your paper topic, I find that students who check in with me often benefit. 

Examples: (1) You can write a paper that expands upon an aspect of psychology/communication that was covered in the course and then discuss how that psychology/communication could help with various types of dispute resolution or lawyering—e.g., memory errors in police lineups; narcissistic personality disorder as a dynamic in entertainment industry disputes, etc. I am open to other formats and am happy to meet with you to brainstorm an approach. 

Discussion Question

Heimdall Corporation’s board of directors hired a new CEO, Essa Alharbi. The Executive Search Firm that hired him found that in their search of over 200 candidates, he was the most qualified. He had extensive experience in helping businesses succeed. After the Board of Directors hired him, 11 months into the job, the company experienced significant losses in revenue and market share. As a result, the Board forced him to resign but paid him a handsome sum to leave the company, as was customary in this situation. A group of shareholders filed a lawsuit against the Board of Directors indicating that they were liable for the hiring of the incompetent CEO, and demanding they reimburse the shareholders for their losses due to his actions.

Are the members of the board liable for hiring Mr. Alharbi, and for the losses of the company?

Action Items

Heimdall Corporation’s board of directors hired a new CEO, Essa Alharbi. The Executive Search Firm that hired him found that in their search of over 200 candidates, he was the most qualified. He had extensive experience in helping businesses succeed. After the Board of Directors hired him, 11 months into the job, the company experienced significant losses in revenue and market share. As a result, the Board forced him to resign but paid him a handsome sum to leave the company, as was customary in this situation. A group of shareholders filed a lawsuit against the Board of Directors indicating that they were liable for the hiring of the incompetent CEO, and demanding they reimburse the shareholders for their losses due to his actions.

Are the members of the board liable for hiring Mr. Alharbi, and for the losses of the company?

You are the Chairman of the Board of a well-known, publicly traded corporation. You are personally responsible for convincing the Board to fund a new product design that ultimately failed when it was placed on the market, causing extreme losses for the corporation. The shareholders now want to hold you personally responsible for all the losses to the corporation and have filed a derivative lawsuit in the name of the corporation in which you are the defendant. Please describe how you would defend yourself using the Business Judgment Rule. Create and describe any facts you think will support your position under this Rule. Limit your facts to only those that will support your position under this Rule and no others.

Action Items

1. Read the case study above.
2. By the due date, submit your answers to the case study questions. Justify your answers.

APA style

Heimdall Corporation’s board of directors hired a new CEO, Essa Alharbi. The Executive Search Firm that hired him found that in their search of over 200 candidates, he was the most qualified. He had extensive experience in helping businesses succeed. After the Board of Directors hired him, 11 months into the job, the company experienced significant losses in revenue and market share. As a result, the Board forced him to resign but paid him a handsome sum to leave the company, as was customary in this situation. A group of shareholders filed a lawsuit against the Board of Directors indicating that they were liable for the hiring of the incompetent CEO, and demanding they reimburse the shareholders for their losses due to his actions.

Are the members of the board liable for hiring Mr. Alharbi, and for the losses of the company?