In this single-episode Decision Lab, participants assume the role of Head of Global Sourcing at Thalassa Marine Foods, an international commercial seafood enterprise managing a $420M procurement budget across Pacific Island Exclusive Economic Zones (Kiribati, Samoa, and French Polynesia). The enterprise faces an immediate crisis: the Pacific Fisheries Council has issued a 48-hour ultimatum demanding that commercial fleets sign the Pacific Blue Development Compact—endorsing dual-use seabed mineral extraction in exchange for guaranteed 10-year EEZ quotas at a 25% license discount ($14M annual savings).
Simultaneously, Thalassa's primary European and North American retail supermarket buyers, representing 55% ($180M) of enterprise revenue, have issued binding notices threatening immediate contract cancellation if the company procures fish from active seabed mining EEZs. Participants must evaluate scientific oceanographic data, fleet logistics cost models, and host-nation fiscal deficits before engaging in a live AI defense with Chief Operating Officer Henrik Thorne and submitting a formal board recommendation.
The simulation guides learners through the Nature-Related Risk & Dependency Framework (TNFD/TCFD adaptation), requiring them to distinguish superficial corporate social responsibility (CSR) optics from balance-sheet operational dependencies. Participants evaluate four strategic pathways: (A) Full Quota Lock-in, (B) Royalty-Funded Offsets, (C) High-Seas Fleet Relocation, and (D) a Science-Based Benthic Exclusion Alliance funded by natural capital price premiums.
In debrief, facilitators can leverage the case to explore how physical ecosystem services directly underpin commercial asset productivity, why the Mitigation Hierarchy prioritizes Avoidance over unproven offset funds, and how executives can structure shared-value financing mechanisms to align host-nation fiscal realities with downstream buyer sustainability covenants.
Learning objectives
- Highlight how physical nature dependencies (e.g., benthic nutrient upwelling supporting 42% of juvenile biomass) directly dictate balance-sheet asset solvency and supply-chain continuity.
- Contrast market transition risks ($180M buyer contract delisting) with regulatory licensing incentives ($14M fee discount) to demonstrate the asymmetry of downstream commercial exposure.
- Examine the structural limits of the Mitigation Hierarchy, demonstrating why deep-sea abyssal destruction (0% historical recovery rate) cannot be resolved through financial offset funds.
- Illustrate how natural capital accounting and value-share pricing (14% buyer premium funding an $18.5M sovereign dividend) can bridge host-nation public revenue deficits (35% gap) without ecological destruction.
About the authors
LiveCase Studio creates high-impact immersive simulations that challenge executives to navigate complex trade-offs across strategy, sustainability, operations, and leadership.
LiveCase Studio
Interactive simulation studio designing executive decision-making experiences focused on sustainability, strategy, and organizational leadership.
Who is this for?
Mid-to-senior procurement executives, supply chain directors, sustainability leaders, and corporate strategists navigating ESG compliance, commodity sourcing, and natural resource governance.
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