Reference no: EM132858701

Background

Current Situation

The Problem

Bridgeport Ltd. is a Canadian marketing strategy firm with its headquarters in Calgary, and satellite offices in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, and Ottawa. Bridgeport employs 125 people (consultants, analysts, and support staff) in Calgary and 35 people in each of the branch offices. The firm specializes in the development and execution of sales promotion programs for Canadian businesses operating in one of three industries: financial services, specialty retail, and food and beverage service providers. Bridgeport's CEO Jane Feltner founded the company in 1999 with only one partner and two employees and has since grown the firm's annual sales to $42 million. The company is considering going public by offering shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Before making the decision to take the company public, the Bridgeport board of directors has asked Jane Feltner to prepare a series of research reports that could be used to create a prospectus (a document that details the company's operations, financial situation, and prospects for growth for potential investors). Jane has put together a team of ten people to draft a report on the current operational practices of the company. Four team members are located in Calgary, two in Toronto, two in Vancouver, and one each in Winnipeg and Ottawa. Chen Lee from the Calgary office will lead the project. The team is tasked with producing a formal report on the operational practices of the firm as a whole and for each local office, including customer acquisition, retention, and management strategies.

Louise Baxter, the project team member representing the Winnipeg office, has written an email to the CEO expressing dissatisfaction with Chen Lee's leadership of the writing team. She has repeatedly asked for a meeting with Chen to discuss her concerns, but their respective schedules have not aligned. Louise feels frustrated and believes the project leader may be purposefully ignoring her concerns.

Louise has been with Bridgeport for one year and has never met Jane Feltner nor Chen Lee in person. She has communicated with Chen via email and telephone but has had no communication with the CEO. Jane has not been involved in the planning or execution of the report, has not sat in on meetings, nor has she received a progress report. One month into the project, Louise emailed the CEO with her concerns about the leadership of the team (see Exhibit A).

Activities and Discussion

1. What are the positives and negatives of Louise's analysis of her audience?

2. Is the channel that Louise chose for her message appropriate? Explain your answer.