Houston Astros and Enron Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Houston Astros and Enron - Assignment Example As a prominent sports team with a large fan base, it is a force to be reckoned with in the sports of American baseball which is perhaps the most popular team sports in the United States and also a major part of the American culture as a pastime when families bond together. When its sponsor Enron Corporation suddenly collapsed back in 2001, the Houston Astros found themselves in the embarrassing position of being endorsed by an organization which symbolized corporate greed. It is the aim of this brief paper to examine the options available to the said sports team and as an illustrative case study on how to properly handle a seemingly public relations disaster. Discussion Professional sports today in America and elsewhere in the world is characterized by the increasing intrusion of commercialization through corporate sponsorship in the form of company advertisements and marketing promotions. American sports organizations are privately-owned teams and as such has to be managed well like any business enterprise and has to turn a profit for its owners. In this regard, many of such sports organizations have turned to corporate sponsors to earn much-needed additional revenues to offset higher expenses in the form of maintenance of its home stadium and to pay the often-exorbitant professional players' fees. In other words, the sports team owners are in a quandary of sorts, as they have to sacrifice the purity or sanctity of sports in favor of commercial ads to make their sports teams a viable on-going enterprise. There is a prevalent practice of selling the naming rights of a stadium to a corporation for a huge fee. Problem Definition – in the case of the Houston Astros, they had sold the naming rights for their new ball park to Enron Corporation for a 30-year period to the tune of $100 million and in turn, Enron was given all the rights to put up advertisements, banners, and all sorts of the paid endorsements accruing to the Houston Astros sports team, such as the opportunity to put Enron's name on all interior and exterior signages to include even the uniforms of game-day staff. A part of the deal included spending for a luxury suite and season box seats (Jensen & Butler, 2007, p. 28). When Enron collapsed, the sports team had to find a way to dissociate themselves from it. Case Analysis – the sudden collapse was an unprecedented event in American business history for it was the largest bankruptcy filing ever and worse, Enron represented the corporate scandal involving dubious accounting practices, insider trading, and other types of malfeasance. The Houston Astros found themselves in the uncomfortable position of being associated with the company most hated by Americans who lost their jobs, pensions, and life savings. Evaluation of Case Facts – the naming rights that Enron Corporation entered into with the management of the Houston Astros was a valid business contract but the extremely bad name or reputation that Enron soo n earned after its collapse when sordid wrongdoing came to public knowledge made it untenable for the sports team to continue with the contract because it is now a public relations crises in relation to its valued publics, in particular its avid sports fans. Consideration of Alternatives – Houston Astros has to find a way to get out of the now-useless contract with Enron as the corporation is in no position to honor its end of the bargain in terms of annual installment payment for the naming rights of the stadium. The sports team has to resort to the courts to discharge it from its obligations

Events in U.S.A History in 1799 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Events in U.S.A History in 1799 - Research Paper Example Major amendments to the American constitution took place during his reign (Henriques 148). Largely, the American society recorded great changes in its political history following the ascension and death of President George Washington. Many historical facts in American society developed from contribution of renowned personalities in the society. Politics and war are inseparable, in many cases, they would influence the out come of events in the society. The political system adopted by the society in a particular period would influence the outcome of events in the society. For instance, the quest for independence by the American late president George Washington changed the political history of the nation. Social lifestyle of people in the society would change when different politicians ascend to power. Social changes brought by a politician in office would influence the lives of the people in the society. This paper intends to explore the effects of death president George Washington in 1799. Many historical publications through books and articles provide information regarding many reputed political figures that brought social or economic changes in the society. Demise of such political personalities may lead the country into instability. The death of President George Washington brought many changes to the political and social systems in America. Death of George Washington influenced the political system of United States of America. Although he was thought to achieve amicably in many of his policies, some of the changes instigated by his successors impacted political state of the country positively. For instance, Washington did not like formation of many political parties and promoted federal ideology while he was a live (McMaster 326). His death was a blessing to the Militia Legion, which was against his federal system of governance. The Militia Legion believed that, the presence of George Washington promoted federal policies. History records that the Militia Legi on honored a partisan governor of Pennsylvania, Thomas McKean (Koschnik 237). Militia Legion acted contrary to the expectation of many people. The Republican wing followed national mourning script. Another notable event that took place when George Washington died is joint mourning program that was led by Republican militia companies. His death led to the abortion of slavery as he had started in his will. The will indicated the intention of George Washington to abolish slavery and promote equality among the American people. Historian believes that the death of George Washington influenced the reaction of United States to Quasi War. The decision made by United States to engage in Quasi War was contrary to the wishes of President George Washington. George Washington influenced the neutral position that American took in handling the issues European conflicts (Grizzard 111). It is important to note that the European conflict had an impact to United States politically and economically. Th e economical ties between United States of America and the western countries relied on peaceful coexistence among the countries. This major factor influenced the decision of President George Washington. Political events, which took place after his death, respected many political decisions that he made while he was a live. For instance, federal governance system did not collapse. This led to disagreement between the two warring faction which later jeopardized the unity of United States of America. Unity of the nation was very crucial because it marked the end of tyrannical British regime. Another crucial area that is worth noting is role of unity in passing of the sedition act.