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<blockquote data-quote="Azgulor" data-source="post: 5347168" data-attributes="member: 14291"><p>Common sense & general business practices effectively negate the need for such. If anything, you'd need evidence that Hasbro is micro-managing.</p><p></p><p>Facts:</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">WotC has its own executive management</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">WotC is a division of hasbro</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Hasbro has its own executive management team</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Executives are typically highly compensated employees</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Parent companies set sales or profit targets for divisions</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol"><em><u><strong>Divisions develop their own business plans on how to reach those targets</strong></u></em></li> </ol><p></p><p>Now this isn't universally true, especially if the division is performing poorly or if the division is newly acquired. By all appearances, the first is not true and the second is certainly not true any longer.</p><p></p><p>So, unless Hasbro likes paying its executives to micro-manage a division that already has its own highly-compensated executives (which would be a significant waste of money and resources) it is <em><u>extremely unlikely </u></em>Hasbro is "pulling the strings" of those "poor WotC puppets". Believing this implausible scenario to be true implies the following:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">WotC's fiscal health is in serious disarray.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The execs at WotC are empty suits with a title, salary, & benefits but no real power.</li> </ul><p></p><p>The far more likely scenario is that in the beginning of each fiscal year, Hasbro identifies the financial targets WotC needs to meet. WotC's management team then develops a business plan that comprises the strategies, planned products, & planned services that they feel will enable them to meet those targets. Each individual product line (like MtG & D&D) are then assigned <em>their</em> individual targets. The development of the business strategy, the management of the staff towards meetings those goals, and attaining the profits and controlling the costs of doing business are the jobs of the WotC Execs & Mgmt teams. Understand? <em><u><strong>It's their job</strong></u></em>.</p><p></p><p>Decisions to hire, promote, demote, or fire staff within WotC are made by WotC execs/management. The decision to launch or scrap products, lines, or IP are made by WotC execs/management. </p><p></p><p>Exceptions occur, of course, if D&D weren't profitable yet WotC was fighting to save it after a lengthy period of failure (multiple quarters or years), Hasbro <em>might</em> step in to sell off or close down that piece. The perceived need to do so, however, would imply a serious lack in confidence in the WotC executive team and you'd like see a major shakeup within the upper ranks in the days, weeks, or months to follow.</p><p></p><p>So what does all of this mean to the Hasbro/WotC master/puppet conspiracy?</p><p></p><p><em><strong>It's bunk.</strong></em></p><p></p><p>The GSL? WotC's decision (Perhaps in response to Hasbro saying "We want greater control over our IP")</p><p></p><p>Hiring & Firiing? WotC's decision</p><p></p><p>New products? WotC's decision</p><p></p><p>DDI? WotC's decision</p><p></p><p></p><p>I know many love to think of WotC as "fellow gamers" & Hasbro as "evil corporate suits" but unless Hollywood & Shadowrun represent reality -- it ain't frakkin' likely.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Azgulor, post: 5347168, member: 14291"] Common sense & general business practices effectively negate the need for such. If anything, you'd need evidence that Hasbro is micro-managing. Facts: [LIST=1] [*]WotC has its own executive management [*]WotC is a division of hasbro [*]Hasbro has its own executive management team [*]Executives are typically highly compensated employees [*]Parent companies set sales or profit targets for divisions [*][I][U][B]Divisions develop their own business plans on how to reach those targets[/B][/U][/I] [/LIST] Now this isn't universally true, especially if the division is performing poorly or if the division is newly acquired. By all appearances, the first is not true and the second is certainly not true any longer. So, unless Hasbro likes paying its executives to micro-manage a division that already has its own highly-compensated executives (which would be a significant waste of money and resources) it is [I][U]extremely unlikely [/U][/I]Hasbro is "pulling the strings" of those "poor WotC puppets". Believing this implausible scenario to be true implies the following: [LIST] [*]WotC's fiscal health is in serious disarray. [*]The execs at WotC are empty suits with a title, salary, & benefits but no real power. [/LIST] The far more likely scenario is that in the beginning of each fiscal year, Hasbro identifies the financial targets WotC needs to meet. WotC's management team then develops a business plan that comprises the strategies, planned products, & planned services that they feel will enable them to meet those targets. Each individual product line (like MtG & D&D) are then assigned [I]their[/I] individual targets. The development of the business strategy, the management of the staff towards meetings those goals, and attaining the profits and controlling the costs of doing business are the jobs of the WotC Execs & Mgmt teams. Understand? [I][U][B]It's their job[/B][/U][/I]. Decisions to hire, promote, demote, or fire staff within WotC are made by WotC execs/management. The decision to launch or scrap products, lines, or IP are made by WotC execs/management. Exceptions occur, of course, if D&D weren't profitable yet WotC was fighting to save it after a lengthy period of failure (multiple quarters or years), Hasbro [I]might[/I] step in to sell off or close down that piece. The perceived need to do so, however, would imply a serious lack in confidence in the WotC executive team and you'd like see a major shakeup within the upper ranks in the days, weeks, or months to follow. So what does all of this mean to the Hasbro/WotC master/puppet conspiracy? [I][B]It's bunk.[/B][/I] The GSL? WotC's decision (Perhaps in response to Hasbro saying "We want greater control over our IP") Hiring & Firiing? WotC's decision New products? WotC's decision DDI? WotC's decision I know many love to think of WotC as "fellow gamers" & Hasbro as "evil corporate suits" but unless Hollywood & Shadowrun represent reality -- it ain't frakkin' likely. [/QUOTE]
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