Do you believe that Mattel acted in a socially responsible and ethical manner with regard to the safety of its toys? Why or why not? What should or could Mattel have done differently, if anything? Mattel acted socially responsible and ethically by ultimately recalling their products and addressing the public. They worked aggressively with the consumer product safety commission and other U.S. government agencies to get the products recalled. They also released a list of all recalled products and provide a customer service number to answer consumer questions in regards to the safety of their children. Mattel also provide mailing labels to consumers so they could return the hazardous products and offered replacement toys. However, as Toys-R-Us point out, the time frame between identification and recall was unacceptable. Mattel should have immediately recalled their products instead of continuously selling products that cause harm to children. Furthermore, Mattel only issued a recall and an apology. There was no remedy offered to parents for putting their children at risk of death. …show more content…
Why do you think so? I believe Early Light (the Cars contractor) and Hong Li Da (the subcontractor) are responsible for the children’s exposure to the lead. They chose to violate the rules because lead paint was less expensive than unleaded paint and last longer. In an interview, Chen Tao, a manager of a toy factory, stated that there are regulations enforcing lead standards in China, but they are very often ignored due to the client’s decision to use the paint they wish. Also, the U.S. Government (CPSC) should also be held responsible for neglecting to annually or bi-annually requiring all toys be inspected. CPSC is ultimately responsible for ensuring the safety of the public. They shouldn’t allow any products to enter the United States without inspecting them on a regular
Initially, the technological toys in question do not teach their owners the importance of responsibility. Consider the following question Frank Mullin poses in his article Love In the Time of Robots: “...what does a child
There are many other ways that a child, especially under the age of six can be diagnosed to lead poison besides air pollution. One of the most common ways is when a child eats or chews on an object that has lead based paint chips in or on its surface. Parents can easily prevent this from happening by reading labels or buying objects which are not painted. Another way in a child can be affected is by drinking water that comes from lead pipes.
Mattel wants to improve their execution of the existing toy business and globalize their brands; extend their brands into new areas; identify new trends, create new brands, and enter new industries; develop people and improve productivity by simplifying processes and maintaining customer service levels. Mattel wants to make a positive impact in children’s lives around the world by using unrivalled creativity and innovation to create high-quality toys that will be loved by children and trusted by parents.
... lead -based. They should not participate in activities that disturb old paint or in cleaning up paint debris after work is completed. Prevent children from playing in the bare soil.
B1. Explain the ethical desirability of improving the company’s reputation in the community based on the scenario: The Company prime responsibility is to bring profit to the organization, but one may agree or disagree gaining money comes at a price, and that is if you have the money you need help the community. But all may agree that everyone has a social responsibility to help the community, especially for a company. Company should strive to be viewed as a company with CSR not only to have a good reputation within communities, but to help make the world a better place for everyone.
In 2007, the international toy manufacturer, Mattel, Inc. issued several recalls for millions of their products. These recalls were for safety reasons in that testing at the manufacturing sites and special test laboratories showed that millions of their toys were coated with dangerous amounts of lead in the paint. This lead based paint contains a potent neurotoxin that if ingested can cause serious harm to children. Mattel assured the public that the problem would be solved, the recalled products would be collected and replaced, and that the company would never let this type of incident happen again.
Mattel inspected materials when they came in the factory door. Suppliers were monitored for problems such as lead-based paint, and some vendors had been terminated for violations. Mattel developed about 5,000 new toys each year. New toys were first produced in small batches before approval. When full-scale production began, the company would periodically take toys off the production line for inspection. (p.3)
The business world has always been a very risky business. There is a lot to worry about no matter what position a person fulfills; everyone has some level of responsibility. The Gap Incorporated is a multinational specialty retail company (Gap Inc. 2014). The company was created by a Doris and Don Fisher (Joslin et. al. 2010). Don Fisher and his wife was a very wealthy couple, Don was a real estate developer (Joslin et. al. 2010). They decided to open up a clothing store when Don realized how popular jeans were becoming in the fashion industry. Another reason that Don Fisher wanted to open a clothing store is because he has an extremely difficult time finding jeans that fit him properly in department stores (Joslin et. al. 2010). So in the year of 1969 the Fishers opened the very first Gap store in San Francisco, California (Gap Inc. 2014). In this paper I will explore The Gap Incorporated and discuss the company’s ethical culture and behavior past and present. Based on preliminary information, I hypothesize that The Gap Incorporated is an ethical company.
Our week five case study, Mattel and Toy Safety, involves toy safety inspection and product recall concerns among outside contractors. In 2007, the infamous toy company, Mattel, recalled a very large number of toy products covered with lead-based paint that were manufactured in China. Mattel responded to the massive toy recall by increasing the testing of all products and reassuring its customers that they will take affirmative action to correct the recall issues as soon possible. In my opinion, I believe Mattel acted in a socially responsible and ethical manner regarding the safety of it toys because as soon as Mattel was aware of a European merchant finding lead paint on their toy products, Mattel conducted an immediate investigation.
The corporate social responsibility is a commitment by a business to contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life for employees and their families’ as-well as contributing to the society. Walmart is a well-known company that offers customers the items they want and need at a low cost, with nearly 4,000 stores in the United States. According to the Fortune 500, Walmart was ranked number 1 in 2015. Just like any other superstore Walmart needs to continue the use of social responsibility by recreating a relationship between business and the community especially if they want to dominate the competition in 2016. The use of sustainability, strategic philanthropy, causing market, shared values, stakeholders and global perspective will help readers understand the purpose of social responsibilities in the corporate world.
Top managers should be reminded that they are ultimately responsible for the quality of a product and the company. Quality management is one of the keys. By defining quality in operational terms, understanding the costs and benefits of quality, recognizing the consequences of poor quality, and recognizing the need for ethical behavior (Stevenson, 2012), will lead to a more productive operation. If Toys, Inc. specifically doesn’t want to hire additional positions to inspect quality they could outsource to a company such as SATRA whom from its website states, “SATRA can assess the risk of injury from a toy, as well as carry out analysis for the presence of restricted metals such as lead, chromium and mercury(2015).” Quality is the ability of a product or service to consistently meet or exceed customer expectations (Stevenson, 2012). Quality when it comes to manufacturing of toys especially those that have moving parts also brings in safety concerns. “Market watch officials and technological experts have warned parents to pay more attention to the quality of toys they purchase to better protect their children (Hazell, C 2011).” Parents will associate a poorly made toy, especially one that already knows that it’s poorly made by having a trade-in program as potentially dangerous for their son or daughter. Continuing to have customer dissatisfaction will further question the quality of our product and in turn the safety of our
Manufacturers are responsible for making sure the products they produce are child safe. What this means is the products must be designed and marketing to children based on the age appropriateness. The products must comply with all safety requirements for each country Mattel does business. The products advertisement targeted to children must not exploit their innocence and age restriction should be placed on the products they produce so that the appropriate consumer age group is purchasing the products. Parent of these consumers must be informed, when parental guidance is needed in deciding to purchase a particular product because the product requires
Why is the reporting required? The intent of Congress was to encourage widespread reporting of potential product hazards. Congress sought not only to have the Commission uncover substantial product hazards, but also to identify risks of injury which the Commission could attempt to prevent through its own efforts, such as information and education programs, safety labeling, and adoption of product safety standards. Although CPSC relies on sources other than company reports to identify substantial product hazards, reporting by companies is invaluable because firms often learn of product safety problems long before the Commission does. For this reason, any company involved in the manufacture, importation, distribution or sale of consumer products should develop a system of reviewing and maintaining consumer complaints, inquiries, product liability suits and comments on the products they handle.
Background Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the leader in global entertainment reaching 3 billion cumulative subscribers in more than 220 countries and territories. Discovery satisfies curiosity, entertains and inspires viewers with high-quality content through global brands, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, Science and Turbo/Velocity, as well as U.S. joint venture network OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, and through the Discovery Digital Networks portfolio, including Seeker and SourceFed. Discovery owns Eurosport, the leading pan-regional sports entertainment destination across Europe and Asia-Pacific. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools, including an award-winning series of K-12 digital textbooks, through Discovery Education. (Investor Relations) Mission and Vision Statements