Business Case Studies & Business Publications

Urban Bankers: A Place to be Somebody

Davidson, Martin N...

Case

Urban Bankers: A Place to be Somebody

Davidson, Martin N.; Yemen, Gerry

OB-0753 | Published December 28, 2001 | 5 pages Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

Add To Cart Buy Now

Product Details

Product Overview
Learning Objectives

Charles Grace and Jerome Hicks were seated beside each other at a meeting the president of Chase Manhattan Bank Delaware had called. Hicks and Grace were financial associates at Chase Manhattan and members of the Urban Bankers Coalition. As they listened to the president's speech they were staggered to hear him say, "?we need more people to become involved in our community enhancement programs?dedicated employees like Jerome Hicks and Charles Grace who helped Chase Manhattan be named bank of the year for two years straight." His sentence lay like an unexploded bomb between Hicks and Grace. They were aware that all eyes had turned towards them. They had already sensed that some of their colleagues and superiors were uncomfortable with the relationship they had developed with the president. Why did they feel like this would be the last step over the edge??? This case opens the door to discuss relationship building and special challenges those in the minority face in building relationships.