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DK



Last Updated: 11/4/2009

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Gender: Male
Status: Single
Sign: Sagittarius

City: Toronto
State: Ontario
Country: CA
Signup Date: 8/3/2006
Thursday, September 06, 2007 

So Mattel has its 3rd product recall in about as many weeks.

(see Financial Times article)

 

So... the real question -- IMHO -- is will consumers commit to paying more for safer (ethically produced) products?  Not just toys, but everything.  If something seems so cheap at retail; that we in Canada or the US are nowhere close to competing on a production cost basis; is that not a warning sign that it might just be too good to be true?  Or, not safe enough to be true?

 

Is it a fool's paradise to want low(est) prices, without inviting/accepting any risk?

I don't think Mattel should be singled out and flagellated.

 

It's not because the said toys were manufactured in China.  It's not because the workers are Chinese.  It could happen in any market where there is tremendous pressure to absolutely minimize (the cost of) all factors of production.

 

I know, we can't all afford to shop at Williams Sonoma and Whole Foods.  That's the other extreme.

 

But there is surely a middle ground: fair wages for workers; ethical, safe production practices; transparency into compliance; and, of course, slightly higher prices to pay for all of this.

 

Or, the alternative – the fool's paradise – the status quo – more product recalls – more sick people – more scapegoats.

 

What do you think?

Clay

 
Frozen Dinners were on sale. Mum became ill that evening. Yes, corporate bottom line should be considerate by putting people first. Ever get hired and you are thinking maybe you could be the fall guy? Sometimes; its like Ze Puppet Meister is in control. The executive who fell to his death was not really behind the lead based toys? The name of the game is not always the blame game. Some nit will be pushed to the front. He will be forced to seek the bottom line in cost cutting and in savings. He may unwittingly or knowing cause great harmful risk to the clientele. Alan Sugar says;"i don't like liars. I don't like cheats. I don't like schmoozers. If you think you can underestimate me; Don't." It is a big problem when the politically correct run the show over the academic and the practical leaders. USA TODAY had a recent article on an armadillo burrowing under a tent city persons living quarters. The heath department should be spot onto this problem. Leprosporium live between the toes of the armadillo. A disease control astute human being could summarize; a ten city of homeless people could become victims of a leprosy epidemic. Mosquitoes are vectors of disease. Tent cities of crowded homeless jobless could become infected. Like in the film JAWS; the chamber of commerce will declare;"There is no Great White Shark." Indeed there is an invisible hand and it is not always necessarily The Hand of God. Nestle is a transparent food company. My M16 was called The Mattel Toy. I think the Russian SK rifle is easy and fun to shoot. Integrity is important in quality control from management to production to sales. It is difficult to be the policeman policy maker of everything in the world. When someone is on your back; it could be because they are being bullied and they are scared. The root of many problems are someone or something is money crazy.
 
 
Posted by Clay on Wednesday, May 06, 2009 - 2:41 AM
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