Don’t Say Values: A Disney Teaching Case

This case study explores Disney’s response to HB 1557, Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill through the lens of ethically reliable organization theory. CEO Bob Chapek issued a series of statements in response to the bill that received a negative employee response. The dilemma facing Chapek, and employees, revolved around how Disney could maintain ethical reliability when facing internal and external pressure. Organizations that establish an ethically reliable process can benefit by connecting with employees who value ethical standards. But to what extent is an organization then obligated to defend those values and uphold ethical standards in the face of potential retaliation?