Assignment

Develop a list of at least 10 stakeholders who have an interest in (or may develop an interest in) the business context described above. Remember, it is better to identify specific individuals or groups rather than broad categories of stakeholders. For each stakeholder, describe their specific interest (e.g., ways impacted, needs, expectations, concerns, agenda). Be sure to include a rich diversity of stakeholders, including stakeholders from diverse backgrounds and with diverse perspectives and interests.

Upon completing this assignment, students will be able to:

1. Identify a diversity of stakeholders relevant to a specific business context (e.g., business decision, project, ethical dilemma).
2. Describe each stakeholder's relevant interests (e.g., ways impacted, needs, expectations, concerns, agenda).

Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning founded Tesla Motors (named after inventor Nikola Tesla) in 2003 to design electric sports cars. In 2004, Elon Musk became the largest shareholder of Tesla Motors and has served as the company's CEO since 2008.

In 2006, Musk described' Tesla Motor's purpose as supporting the transition from a fossil fuel economy to a solar electric economy by producing electric vehicles. Their strategy was to initially produce low volumes of high-performance electric sports cars for customers willing to pay a premium, optimize electric vehicle technology and drive down the cost, and then produce higher volume, lower price electric cars. The company has expanded its range of products and currently produces energy storage systems, solar panels, and solar roof tiles in addition to electric cars.? To reflect its expanded range of products, the company changed its name to Tesla, Inc. in 2017. Tesla Inc.'s market capitalization reached $1.2 trillion in November 2021, and is currently estimated to be $900 billion, making it one of the most valuable companies in the U.S.

New employees are generally required to sign an arbitration agreement, in which they agree to resolve disputes via arbitration. These agreements essentially block employees from suing Tesla. In recent years, there have been a growing public discussion about workplace conditions at Tesla, including claims of unsafe work practices, racial discrimination and harassment, and sexual description and harassment. Last year, a contract employee (who had not been required to sign an arbitration agreement) successfully sued the company. He claimed that he experienced daily racist slurs and racist graffiti, and that supervisors ignored his complaints. He was awarded $137 million in damages. Tesla now faces a growing number of similar lawsuits related to racial discrimination, sexual harassment, and personal injury.

While the Tesla's clean-energy credentials have made it popular with environmental investors and environmentally conscious consumers, these same investors and consumers are alarmed by the growing number of accusations against the company.

Shareholders are concerned about brand risk and have proposed that Tesla eliminate the use of mandatory arbitration to resolve workplace harassment and discrimination complaints. Thus far, Tesla has resisted these calls.

https://www.tesla.com/blog/secret-tesla-motors-master-plan-just-between-you-and-me

https://www.tesla.com/