BDA was one of the best places I have ever worked.
Pros
BDA is the premier merchandise agency in the US and has set its sights on becoming the world leader in the field. The work itself is very interesting and I cannot say that I have ever been bored. Among our clients are Fortune 500 companies and many of the national sports leagues. Provided you have the desire to do it, you will be able to learn much about marketing, advertising, client services, import and countless other disciplines at this business. You will also meet many lifelong friends at BDA.
Cons
Hostility to individual views: Management is currently entrenched in their belief that change should only occur top down. If you possess the drive and desire to try to contribute to the growth of this company by proposing improvements to internal operations, it is best to suppress your feelings. You will likely encounter an attitude of dismissive condescension or outright hostility. Even relatively minor suggestions, such as proposing a programming change to improve efficiency in keying in an order, is challenged as not being possible or even necessary and desirable, even though the company-wide benefit would be tangible. I believe that this hostile attitude starts at the very top of BDA's corporate hierarchy and is reinforced as it flows down through middle management. It is no wonder employees do not participate in company discussion or problem-solving opportunities without coercion. Job security and working environment: During the past 6 years there have been 5 mass layoffs, resulting in an overriding sense of "fear" (it's not my word choice--it was actually used by a senior executive) among remaining employees. Management seems actually to wish to compound these feelings as they speak openly about employees "selecting themselves out of the company." Perhaps in part because of financial limitations, little or no effort seems to be made to improve the physical working environment. Personnel realignments are made frequently, without consultation with the persons affected, with little or no advance warning, and with no explanation as to why the change is being made. If any effort is being made to assess the success of a change, it is not being shared with the persons directly affected. It is no wonder morale has suffered. Lack of adequate personnel and work-life balance: As every BDA salesperson knows, work responsibilities defy being structured to match a normal 8-hour day. As support personnel have left those remaining have had to assume the responsibilities formerly handled by their peers, and management has not historically reacted quickly to relieve the stress on them. Workweeks of 50 hours a week or higher are not only common, some support staff seem to take a perverse pride in working overly long hours of 60 hours per week or more. And since these are salaried positions, there is no financial reward.