Students have the opportunity to consider the role of corporate contributions in the operation of the branches and at the corporate level, and to determine the extent to which enlightened self-interest and philanthropic considerations merge or diverge. The case contains material that can lead into discussion of both Friedman's and Galbraith's criticisms of corporate giving. The new chief executive officer must decide whether to follow his three presidents' recommendation to cut Chemical Bank's 1984 corporate contributions as part of a general program of cost containment. The case describes Chemical Bank's extensive corporate giving and the rationale behind it.