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Toy Recalls and China: Emotion vs. Evidence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2015

Paul W. Beamish  and
Hari Bapuji
Translated by
包铭心  and
哈瑣•巴普吉
Paul W. Beamish
Affiliation:
University of Western Ontario, Canada
Hari Bapuji
Affiliation:
University of Manitoba, Canada
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Abstract

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Product recalls in 2007 raised serious questions about the safety of products made in China and resulted in widespread outrage. Our analysis of toy recalls in the USA between 1988 and 2007 revealed that the vast majority of recalls were due to flaws in product designs, conducted in the corporate headquarters of toy companies, rather than to poor manufacturing by factories in Asian countries. We also found that the recalls have increased over the years, due both to design and manufacturing flaws. Our findings generated widespread interest and influenced the course of debate on import product safety. Our findings and experiences have significant implications for the research on product quality in international operations and the role that systematic research evidence can play in shaping management practice and public debate.

Keywords

Chinaevidence based managementglobal supply chainsproduct recallstoy recalls产品召回玩具召回循证管理全球供应链中国
Type
Editors' Forum – Made in China: Implications of Chinese Product Recalls
Information
Management and Organization Review , Volume 4 , Issue 2 , July 2008 , pp. 197 - 209
Copyright
Copyright © International Association for Chinese Management Research 2008

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