Ethical Issue
The ethical issue presented in Robert Capps’s article “Why Things Fail” is the need for companies to produce products that are durable enough to meet the clients’ demands. It is clearly demonstrated in the article that most mechanical devices will fail to perform for the period they are expected to is attained, and this involves even the best-engineered products. This has presented a lot of dilemmas to manufacturing companies who are faced with meeting the clients’ needs. The dilemma of the companies is based on the fact that technological advancements have resulted in the need for the development of products that are highly efficient, small in size, light, and more powerful. This means materials for making new products have to change. Materials that can meet these new technological demands are normally less durable, thereby lasting only but for a short time. Companies are, therefore, in a dilemma: Should they produce durable products that are 100% failure-free within the stipulated time, or should they produce products that meet the new technological demands?
Personal Feeling
Competition between different manufacturing companies and the ever-changing customer demands are the main factors that have contributed to the high failure rate. In terms of competition, manufacturing companies feel unless they outdo their competitors in the field of innovation, their products may become irrelevant and hated by clients. They, therefore, end up struggling to outdo their competitor without paying enough attention to the quality of their products. Clients, on the other hand, have impacted to this due to their high and ever-changing demands. They desire small, light, powerful, and efficient products that still should be durable. In reality, this is not attainable. There is, therefore, a need to strike a balance between technology and durability.
Further Research
Several studies have documented the ever-changing customer needs as a great challenge to the development of new products. According to Kano Analysis, the manner in which the company analyzes and determines the needs of the customer is critical to ensuring the success of the product and maintaining the customers. The analysis revealed that for most of the clients, their satisfaction is dependent on the extent to which the product will be fully functional. This means, apart from the new desirable features in new products, customers still value durability. Basic customer needs need to be satisfied as these allow the company to establish itself in the market. Performance needs are critical in ensuring the company remains in the market while excitement needs allow the company to excel and become world-class. New product launch is a great challenge also because it’s always welcomed with lots of expectations from customers who always desire a product that fully addresses their needs but doesn’t affect the basic needs. The development of a new product, therefore, requires vision, focus, research, and paying attention to detail.
Final Opinion and Recommendation
The needs of the customers will forever change and increase. Though there is a need for the clients to be understanding and avoid over-expectation, the manufacturing companies need to be more innovative in that as they develop more efficient, powerful, light, and small products, they should not forget the basic need of durability. The producing companies ought to remember that even though the clients expect these new features, they still expect the new products to be 100% failure-free. I strongly recommend that the companies should base their technological advancements on scientific facts, rather than mere competition and ever-changing customer needs.