WHEN NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED:
THE CASE OF THE MISPRINTED PHONE NUMBER

Diane Bandow, Troy University Global Campus, Atlanta, GA

Tish Matuszek, Troy University Montgomery Campus, Montgomery, AL

Michael Anderson, Atlanta, GA

ABSTRACT

Mark volunteered to help with the community arts festival; he was supporting the not-for-profit organization as he had in the past. However, he did not know his good intentions as a volunteer would cost him his job as an assistant manager. The retail store’s phone number was printed in the festival advertising in error and ticket requests overloaded the phone lines, causing loss of business and annoyed the store manager. As a result, Mark was seen as the cause of the problems and terminated.
As a result, the festival has established a reputation as a well-known venue for local art.

One of the unique aspects of this festival is that it has enjoyed growth and continuity within the community even though the community itself was part of a much larger metropolitan area in the southwestern United States. The identity of the festival has remained intact and is considered a part of the local community. Part of the mission of the community festival Board of Directors is to educate the community about art in addition to creating a venue for creative expression. During its growth, the festival’s mission gradually expanded to include educational and other programs which run throughout the year. However, in recent times local artists who used to be yearly participants have drifted away and local funding used to support the festival is diminishing, because fewer and fewer local artists were participating. As a result, the Board of Directors focused on bringing in a nationally known talent and artists in various fields to attract more participants. Because local funding was lost, more funding now is being sought through grants. The focus of the festival is gradually changing from community artists to a broader scope and more national talent.

The Community Festival Organization

The nonprofit agency that was charged with running the community festival