Case Name :      Shark’s Fin Soup at The Jade

Authors :           Mary Weil, Leon Li

Source :             Ivey Publishing

Case ID :            W13274

Discipline :        General Management

Case Length :    12 pages

Solution Sample availability : YES

Plagiarism : NO (100% Original work)

The owner of The Jade Seafood Restaurant in Richmond, BC, is ambushed by an impromptu media interview with animal rights activists regarding his restaurant’s serving of shark’s fin soup. This soup has been an upper-class staple delicacy in China for over 400 years; with the increased consumer power that has resulted from the growth of the Chinese economy since 1970, it has become the signature dish for families celebrating important occasions and for sealing business and political deals. However, research has shown that sharks have become a highly endangered species, in part because of the practice of harvesting only the fins and throwing away the rest of the carcass and because of the small birth rate and slow growth development of the fish. The consumption of shark’s fin soup in Chinese culture has become an easy target for animal rights activists because it is so localized. How should the owner react to this media ambush? If he removes this culturally important item from his menu, how will this affect his business in the highly competitive Asian restaurant environment in Richmond? Should a cultural norm trump real concerns about the consumption of an endangered species?