Response to Will Ferguson

Should John lay off some workers or cut wages to help keep the company alive?

I think that John should cut wages to help keep the company alive that way he would not have to lay off his employees. But, in reality if he did that then most employees would want to quit because they are getting a much less salary than expected. In all reality, if this happened John would lay off the workers because that is the way how society works now. In today's world, everyone is getting laid off their jobs because of today's economy and that is just sad because most people need their job in order to survive. I think that John should find another solution and take care of it in his own way because he should have more than one plan.

Do you think there is a benefit over laying off employees as opposed to cutting wages? If you were the owner of a company, would you have more than one plan? What would it be?

John Smith Dilemma

Yes, I think that John Smith should sell the names because the marketing research firm is on the verge of bankruptcy and that is not a good standard for their company at all. But, also I do not think that this is fair because of the car dealer offering John $8,000 for the names and phone numbers of people who are likely to buy a new car within the next 12 months. Of course, this lets the car dealer to sell more because John would want to earn his money worth so he would not have to lay off his employees but it is not fair to bribe him of money. As I gathered information from the American Marketing Association website, it stated that it was established in 1937 by visionaries in marketing and academia. AMA has grown to be one of the largest marketing associations in the world with over 30,000 members who work, teach, and study in the field of marketing across the whole world. I think that their statement of ethics relates to the John Smith's dilemma because AMA is constantly changing and helping to shape the field in the marketplace to help people with their careers. This organization helps marketers and academics connect with the people and resources that they need to be successful. Yes, I think that this is a common dilemma because I think that every company will go through something like this once in their lifetime and that is okay. It is always okay to ask for help and I believe that after reading about the American Marketing Association and what it has to offer; their number one priority is to help those who are in need. I believe that this is normal and once put in the position, you would have to make a huge decision that can impact the company as a whole. This is a huge step and someone who is willing to take the step has to know what they are doing and willing to take that risk.

Do you think you would have the ability/encouragement to sell the names if you were put in John Smith's shoes? Do you think that this is fear? Is this a decent way to help their company from bankruptcy?