Shanghai Real Estate (A)

An independent consultant from the United States must decide what to do when faced with his client's apparent violation of an agreement with a third party. The consultant is American, the client is a Chinese real estate developer, and the third party is a French construction company. The case traces the development and tensions in a set of relationships fraught with cross-cultural confusion. The consultant must interpret the parties' agreement and decide whether loyalty to the client or a principle of transparency takes priority.