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I also despise the whole fear argument that if Westerners do not start working more hours, then we will be overtaken by a non-Westerner who is willing to burn the midnight oil toiling 100 hours a week simply to make a few additional widgets. Just because my counterpart works 100 hours a week and I work 50 does not mean he is creating any more value. We could do worse as a culture than setting that example for the rest of the world.

Nathan Rice
Director, interactive development
Banner Health
Phoenix, Arizona

Progressive Insurance: Progressive or Not?

I was encouraged to see that Progressive Insurance was one of the companies featured as a Customers First winner (October). Most carriers are too conservative, not willing to take chances, not willing to empower employees, or foster a culture where employees feel valuable and part of the process. As a manager working in the insurance industry, I can honestly say that Progressive is the exception.

Richard Conde
Team leader
Company name withheld
San Antonio, Texas

I manage an auto-body-repair business, and from my perspective, the policies of Progressive Insurance ("Putting Customers First") really aren't customer friendly at all. Its only reason for writing an estimate at an accident scene is to control the claim immediately. Second, the Concierge program is Progressive's way to control costs for the repair. The vehicle owners have no contact with the repair shop. They don't even know who is going to repair their vehicle and how they'll do it. Progressive picks out a few shops in the area, and these shops compete for the jobs that are parked at the claims center. The shops work off the Progressive estimate and are graded on supplement requests and making the claims adjuster's life easier. My problem with the whole Progressive process is that the consumer has no choice at all.

Robert W. Grimes
General manager
Smeltz Auto Body Inc.
Monroeville, Pennsylvania

To Sir, With Love

What surprised me in the Richard Branson article ("The Gonzo Way of Branding," October) was how the experts you interviewed for the story missed the point. While they are correct in stating that a brand has to stand for something unique, they missed that the Virgin brand stands for getting it right, not settling for second best, and working hard to give its customers what they want -- even though it might make some missteps along the way. If it keeps doing that, Virgin will be successful in whatever category it chooses to compete.

Dave Dolak
Vineyard manager
BrandTrellis.com
Charlottesville, Virginia

I just finished reading "The Gonzo Way of Branding," and Sir Richard Branson's story is truly inspiring for me as a 26-year-old entrepreneur. I have zero business background or education, but from what I've experienced, formal education does a great job of zapping every ounce of creativity out of its students until there's only structure and rigidity left. I enjoy breaking all the rules. I wonder why the "experts" and "gurus" criticizing Branson's style of business aren't billionaires themselves.

Adam Dudley
Vice president and partner
Gray Morrison & Associates LLC
Winter Park, Florida

The Pro-Am Economy

Pro-Amateurs ("The Amateur Revolution," October) will create an economic system that is the perfect embodiment of "think globally, act locally." As the professionals price themselves out of the market, both by simple iconoclasm and by the inability of the market to afford them (witness offshoring), the entire dynamic of the economy will change. Geographic specificity will replace multinational conglomeration, and global networks will replace hierarchical, command-and- control structures. I, for one, can't wait.

Jacob Cooper
Cambridge, Massachusetts