1. Go back to the ethical dilemma at the beginning of the case. Which position did you take and why? Did your position change after you read the case?
2. Was Chiquita justified in making the extortion payments to protect its employees? Was the company really between a rock and a hard place? What should it have done?
3. Using your knowledge of business ethics and global practices, what concepts, principles, or ideas from your study have a bearing on this case? Explain how some of them might have guided Chiquita toward better decisions.
4. What is your assessment of CEO Aguirre’s statements? Is he sincere or just making excuses?
5. What is your analysis of the Chiquita board of directors’ handling of this case? Do you think selling the farms at a loss in Colombia was the right thing to do? Why?
6. In the “tale of two companies,” which do you think is the real Chiquita and why?

Assume that you are the top executive for a firm doing business in Colombia, South America. If a known terrorist group threatens to kill your employees unless you pay extortion money, should the company pay it?
If you answer “no”, how would you respond to the family of an employee who is later killed by the terrorist group?
If you answer “yes”, how would you respond to the family of an innocent citizen who is killed by a bomb your money funded?