When the Long Star Fades

Valeria Madriz

As Vice President Sales, Rita Leigh has an important decision at hand and does require some critical thinking. There is no doubt that Bob Antice has served Powerful Entertainment for more than three decades and has been one of the most valuable assets for the organization. Bob’s contributions to the organization in the 1990’s as the regional sales assistant, and then senior manager had placed Powerful on top. He had strived hard to develop strong personal relationships within the supply chain and was a trusted individual.

Recently, however, the industry has witnessed a major transformation with the advent of the Internet and the launch of digital media platforms. Moreover, CD’s are now an outdated concept and only used as a collectors’ item whereas the upcoming generation has turned their attention to content available online, on their iPads, iPods, mp3 players, etc. Times have changed and unfortunately Bob has been unable to compete with time and his sales strategies, and stories have become outdated to a large extent. Sales reports have also repeatedly highlighted the downfall, and the fact remains that Bob is still one of the highest-paid individuals at Powerful and it is becoming a drain on the financial resources of the organization.

Bob was a legend for Powerful, and everyone loved him but organizations in the 21st century don’t function that way and can’t sacrifice numbers based on the fact that a particular individual is loved by everyone. From a long term strategic perspective, retaining Bob further did not make sense for the organization. Who was once a valuable asset for the organization has now turned into a drain on resources? Another important aspect to be taken into account was the fact that Bob is 61 years old, had he been any younger, the organization could have invested in him through extensive digital media training and development to bring him up to par, but that is also not worth it.