Abstract
Mattel is one of the world’s largest and most famous toy manufacturers. It can count on a loyal customer base, whose trust has been earned throughout its 60 years of business. Notwithstanding the immense goodwill of its brand, a major supply chain scandal in 2007 put the company’s reputation at great risk. The discovery of lead paint and easy-to-swallow magnets in its toys manufactured in China caused Mattel to launch three global recalls, resulting in the firm’s taking extensive measures to resolve the crisis, rebuild its image, and, especially, increase the level of transparency and accountability in the management of its supply chain.
“To inspire trust, make your performance transparent.” (Stephan Rothlin, Eighteen Rules for Becoming a Top Notch Player, 2004)
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Notes
- 1.
The Hong Kong statement recognizes eight consumer rights, while Chinese law recognizes nine. The additional right concerns respect for the consumers’ ethnicity: “In purchasing and using commodities and receiving service, consumers enjoy the right to demand respect of their personal dignity and national customs and habits.” This right, of course, reflects the fact that China is a multiethnic nation. While over 91 % of China’s population is Han Chinese, the remaining 8.5 % consists of 55 recognized national minorities, whose interactions with the Han in the marketplace have occasionally precipitated group conflict and violence, as in recent disturbances in Xinjiang Province.
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Rothlin, S., McCann, D. (2016). Customers: Consumer Rights and Responsibilities. In: International Business Ethics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-47434-1_6
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