ORIGINAL: mongo
i dunno bob, but it would appear that having the PPP program would definitely help the bottom line of any distributor of R/C merchandise, the 2 folks who were on the committee included. they get the op to expose folks, who MAY not have ever seen their respective companies add before, to everything their employers have to offer. admittedly the 1000 or so, so far that have signed into the program, remember to discount the full members that opted to drop back a notch to the new level, are a small start, but executives are paid to take a long view in market development, so it may still be a great benefit to them at some point in the future. X
I think that there is little question that if the PPP program takes off and is a huge success that those companies who supply park fliers will benefit. Companies often join forces to launch programs which will benefit both partners. Joint ventures are common. The fact that AMA and Horizon/Hobby-Lobby may benefit from the PPP program is NOT necessarily conflict of interest. It's a partnership where both may benefit.
Now, if the hobby execs on the marketing committee have ONLY their company interest in mind then there is a problem. If they aren't working for the betterment of both AMA and their industry there is a problem. Same with Mark and the EC. If Horrace has such information, then let him post it. If not, he should retract and aplogize.
If the program is successful, then certainly the hobby execs are going to get some credit for their involvement. In exactly the same manner the Marketing Committee and the EC would get to take credit for expanding membership. To me that seems like a win-win situation. Or a lose-lose situation if neither results. Even if sales go up and AMA remains stagnant, you don't automatically have some conflict of interest. You have a business venture that didn't play out as planned.
What Horrace is clearly implying here is that either the Marketing Committee or the EC or both made this decision for personal gain of some sort, and not in the interests of AMA. Unless..........and in the context he said it seems ridiculous to me.........that by "feather your nest" Horrace meant that Mark ot the committee or the EC could "feather their nest" because they could take credit for a membership increase. Mark is a volunteer. He has no above the table financial stake in improving AMA membership roll numbers. Horrace clearly insinuates that Mark or the EC have some financial stake in this, which could only indicate some sort of under the table financial hijinks.
so, yeah, i see a conflict of interest sorta situation in having sales execs from the industry on our marketing committee.
Who is in a better position to assist AMA in marketing itself than marketing execs from the hobby industry? I don't see eye to eye much with STL, but his reply to me is right on the money. Strategic alliances/joint ventures/business partnerships work when put together properly. Is it a conflict of interest when after booking your ticket on the Delta Airlines website that you are then presented with a link to Hertz? This is no different.
I think Horrace needs to put-up or shut-up on this one. He continually reminds us of how he won't be silenced, how he will tell it like it is, hang the consequences. Let him do so now.