Collegiate Promotions distributes products that are marketed to students and alumni of major universities. High-selling products include coffee mugs and T-shirts that bear collegiate logos. In order to distribute its products, Collegiate Promotions has adopted an independent sales representative model. The sales representatives work for themselves and are not actual employees of Collegiate. They have independent contractor status.

Becoming an independent sales representative is easy. An interested person pays a $300 fee to obtain catalogs and other literature needed to advertise and sell the line of products. The sales representative then begins to write orders for products. A sales representative can sell to anyone through any channel. This means that there are no protected territories, so several sales representatives are often working in the same geographic location. Many representatives also sell through Internet websites.

Collegiate Promotions does not set an absolute price for its products. Instead, it uses a wholesale plus pricing strategy that allows sales representatives to sell within a relatively broad range. The range is normally 30 to 50 percent higher than wholesale. For instance, if the wholesale price of a coffee mug is $10, then the representative can choose to sell the mug at a price anywhere between $13 and $15. The sales representative receives a commission of half the amount charged over the wholesale price. If the mug sells for $13, the representative receives $1.50. If the mug sells for $15, the representative receives $2.50. Because they are independent contractors, the sales representatives receive no other compensation.

Questions:

1. Do you think the compensation system at Collegiate Promotions is effective?
2. Why would a sales representative try to sell at the top of the price range? Why at the bottom of the price range? Do you predict that most sales are made at the top or bottom of the range of possible prices?
3. How does the lack of geographically protected sales areas affect salespersons' behavior?
4. How committed do you think the independent contractors are to Collegiate Promotions? What are some positive features of the independent contractor status for the organization? What might be some positive features for the independent representatives? Would you expect sales representatives to have long-term associations with the company?