The case deals with the problem of promotion in a textile mill. The situation arose when a salesman died and his position was to be filled in by one of the two joint salesmen who were working under him. One of them had many years' experience in the sales department, but did not have a very broad exposure to marketing management. The other, though a new recruit, had a more broad based training, both within the company as well as outside. The management decided to promote the latter. This superceding, by the experienced salesman, created a controversy, based on the criteria of merit versus seniority, in the sales department.