The Tangelo-Deal

Role of Dr. Albert Giussani

You are Albert Giussani, a researcher employed at an international pharmaceutical concern. Recently you were able to produce a synthetic product which can heal and inhibit the spread of the illness “rudosis”. Rudosis is a rare illness that strikes only pregnant women. If this illness is not discovered and treated within the first four weeks of its onset it leads to serious brain, eye, and ear damage in the foetus.

This illness has recently broken out in your immediate vicinity, and several thousand pregnant women have been found to be affected by it. Through tests on volunteers, you have been able to establish that your synthetic serum can heal rudosis in its early phases, and that this serum is not only efficient, but is also harmless to the patient.

Unfortunately, this serum can be derived only from the juice of an extremely rare fruit called tangelos. In the last growing season only a very few of these fruits were harvested (about 4000), and it is impossible to obtain more of these fruits before the next season. That means women who now suffer from rudosis cannot be treated and thus healed.

As you have been able to provide sound evidence that your serum is harmless to pregnant women and has no side effects, the powerful U.S. government organisation, the Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.) has officially approved the production of this serum for widespread use.

Unfortunately, this illness has spread much faster than anticipated and has now reached an unforeseen mass. Your firm had not planned on making the serum available for public consumption within the next six months. Your firm holds the patent for this serum, which should be very desirable once it is on the market.

You have recently discovered through a reliable source that a certain Mr. H. Cardoza, an exporter of South American fruits, is in possession of 3000 tangelos. If you could obtain the juice of these 3000 fruits, you would be able to treat the affected women as well as immunize all other women in the surrounding area against rudosis. Currently, there no other region in the country threatened by this illness.

You were recently informed that Dr. Peter W. Rudelli, who works for a rival pharmaceutical concern, is also urgently seeking tangelos. In addition, Dr. Rudelli also knows that Mr. Cardoza has 3000 tangelos. In recent years Dr. Rudelli has been doing research on the consequences of a biological war. There are many industrial spies in the pharmaceutical industry. Your firm and Dr. Rudelli¹s firm have met frequently in the courtroom in past years due to disputes over patent rights and the alleged abuse of industrial espionage laws.

Your firm¹s boss has given you the task of contacting Mr. Cardozo and buying the 3000 tangelos. You have been informed that he is determined to sell to the highest bidder. Your firm has given you permission to offer Mr. Cardoza a maximum of $250,000 for the purchase of this important raw material.

Before you negotiate with Mr. Cardoza, you have decided to talk to Dr. Rudelli to dissuade him from buying the tangelos.