Center Spa

A long time ago and a short time ago. In a place both near and far away a marketing professor would eat out all the time. He did not like to cook and be at home by himself. He went to the Center Spa in West Haven many times a week. The owner is one of the greatest kindest people anywhere. He is an extremely hard worker. It was a pleasure to go into the luncheonette and see the many things he did for others. But something was wrong with the food. The professor realized that he put large amounts of salt into all his cooking. The professor mentioned that people today want to add salt them self.

He did not believe that it was appropriate to advise the owner that too much salt was perhaps driving away customers. While eating there a few people complained that their food was too salty. The owner would give them their meal for free but the salt stayed.

Marketing Application INDIGENOUS or INDIVIDUAL

As a professor of marketing I believed that I had put my finger on the decline of customers in the Center Spa. The owner had attributed the decline to the move of the court house and the police station from the center of town. This put me in a very difficult position. Do I share this insight with him or remain silent? I must also accept the conclusion that perhaps customers like a great deal of salt on their food and this was just my own taste. I also did not want to say or do anything that would hurt his feelings. So I said I had changed my diet and did not continue to go to eat their.

As a professor of marketing I have found that people are very reluctant to make changes. I include myself in this reluctance. I have also found that if suggestions are made they are viewed as personal attacks or some type of personality flaw.

I find this trait with many students and the discussion of their efforts and grades. I do not believe that one student would believe that they deserved anything but an A grade. I have had some miserable nasty students who did not or would not do the assignments and expect an A. In several cases when they would attack me personally for giving them a lower grade I would give them the A. I always gave the student the benefit of any doubt. This is because I know the grade is more important to them than me and I realize that I could have made a mistake. I always tell them the student the story how some people helped me in my life by giving me the benefit of the doubt. I also ask that when it comes their time to judge others if they will remember someone helped them and they should help someone else. I would think that when they saw this trade as important to do they will have achieved maturity and adulthood. I have no idea if anyone learned this from me. My friend at the Center Spa was already an adult and therefore he was entitled to do it his way without my input.