Mattel Case Study Critical Essay
Recently Mattel faced challenges regarding their toys manufactured in China. They found out that these toys made in China have high lead content that can poison children. Mattel immediately recalled these toys, specifically: 253,000 “Sarge Cars,” “345,000 batman, 683,000 Barbie and Tanner sets and 1 million Doggie Day Care Sets (iVillage, 2007). Mattel immediately asked their retailers to recall these toys. How did the management of Mattel arrive to this kind of decision in order to solve this problem? This study will examine the decision process.
Mattel believes in proper management is important to ensure the success of the company. And to be able to achieve it, a good manager is needed. Managers are vital ingredient of a company’s success because they are the ones responsible i company (Long, 1998). Ethics is also vital in an organization. Several times we hear about organizations being hit by scandal dealing with issues of ethics, integrity and trusty.
In reality, several organizations are ethical and are not beset with scandal, lawsuits and investigations. The reason most organizations considered ethical are not dealing with this negative press is because many have instilled a culture of ethics and integrity.
Since Mattel believes that ethics will be helpful to their productivity and survival, as contrast to what is perceived on television, for example, where people at all means do whatever they could to achieve something, even if it meant being dishonest. (p. 208) Mary Guy (1990) wrote that individuals who are considerate with regards to making ethical decisions influence the new comers of the organization, and will later on develop their own sensitivity on ethics. (p. 161)
Ethics requires the decision maker to consider things based on important values. (p. 5). According to Jacobs and Jaques (1987), the skill requirement at the organizational level requires ethics because it is responsible for the organization’s reputation of their products and services. The company should respond to the social and community needs and it should also be concerned with public relations. (p. 31)
The influence of ethics in decision making is crucial because the company or organization judges a situation based on what is morally right and fair for their clients or consumers. Not only will they lose their regulars if they fail, but they will also lose potential patrons (McGregor, 2004). They also base their decisions on how wise it should be. Seldom are there companies who are gearing towards unethical decisions just for the sole reason of achieving a goal (Minor, 2002). Usually, success comes with the right, ethical, decisions; and it has been proven for many years that is why organizations are required to make these sound judgments.
References
Guy, M.E. (1990). Ethical Decision Making in Everyday Work Situations. Westport, CT: Quorum Books
Jacobs, T.O., & Jaques, E. (1987). LEADERSHIP IN COMPLEX SYSTEMS. In J. Zeidner (Ed.). Human Productivity Enhancement: Organizations, Personnel, and Decision Making Vol. 2. Volume: 2, (pp. 7-31). New York: Praeger Publishers
Long, B.C. (1998) Coping with Workplace Stress: A Multiple-Group Comparison of Female Managers and Clerical Workers. Journal of Counseling Psychology. 45(1): 65
McGregor, G. (2004, October 8). Service Network. Journal of Counseling Psychology. 45(1): 65
Miner, J.B. (2002) Organizational Behavior: Foundations, Theories, and Analyses. Oxford University Press. New York: Oxford University Press.
iVillage.com (2007) Mattel Toys Recalled from China. www.iVillage.com
