Case | HBS Case Collection | October 2006 (Revised November 2006)

Integrated Packaging Corporation: Struggling to Do the Right Thing (A)

by Herman B. Leonard and Orson Watson

Abstract

As a child, Al Fuller had seen his working-class, African-American neighborhood disintegrate as factory jobs moved away. He resolved to help inner-city communities do better when he grew up. Some years later, as an accomplished university graduate with several years manufacturing experience, he embarked on a scheme to take over and revitalize first one, then another, corrugated box plant. These plants were plagued by inefficiency, poor quality control, and tense labor relations. Using his understanding of inner-city life, Fuller employed discipline-based strategies to empower his employees and turn the failing plants into engines of community revitalization.

Keywords: Business and Community Relations; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Social Issues; Factories, Labs, and Plants; Strategy; Management Style; Pulp and Paper Industry; Manufacturing Industry;

Format: Print 21 pages EducatorsPurchase

Citation:

Leonard, Herman B., and Orson Watson. "Integrated Packaging Corporation: Struggling to Do the Right Thing (A)." Harvard Business School Case 307-064, October 2006. (Revised November 2006.)

About the Author

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Herman B. Leonard
George F. Baker, Jr. Professor of Public Management, Eliot I. Snider and Family Professor of Business Administration
General Management

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