Abstract
Mattel Incorporation has been using different contractors in countries such as China, Malaysia, and Singapore. This essay highlights the issues associated with toy safety. The paper discusses the actions undertaken by Mattel after the incident. The essay also describes the best practices towards improving the safety of children’s toys.
Mattel and Toy Safety
In 2007, Mattel Incorporation “recalled its toys because they contained large quantities of lead” (Lawrence & Weber, 2014, p. 533). The decision to recall such products was appropriate. The action was critical towards supporting the safety of the targeted children.
Lead can cause numerous health challenges such as retardation, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, and kidney failure. The firm also acted ethically by focusing on the best strategies. The practice dealt with the issue of lead poisoning.
Mattel acted in an ethical manner after the disaster. However, the firm should have screened the affected children for lead poisoning. The approach would have made Mattel a more ethical firm.
A number of players are responsible for exposing more children to harmful toys. The first stakeholder is Mattel Incorporation. The firm failed to test the toys before marketing them to the customers. The firm should have used aggressive methods to test every toy.
This failure explains why more children were exposed to dangerous toys. The Chinese contractors can also be blamed for using unauthorized or inferior products. The paints used by these contractors and subcontractors contained lead compounds.
The government had also failed to set the right toy-safety standards. Such standards would have improved the safety of these toys. The government should always undertake the right measures to protect its citizens. These stakeholders should have acted in a responsible manner (Lawrence & Weber, 2014).
Government regulators should use the most appropriate strategies in order to ensure the safety of children’s toys. The best approach entails the use of appropriate toy-safety standards. Such standards include proper testing for chemicals and lead compounds.
However, a number of regulators would have responded differently to this issue. To begin with, government regulators in the United States would put much pressure on different companies. The approach can ensure such firms produce clean products.
The government of China would focus on proper manufacturing standards. Consumer advocates should ensure every company monitors and tests its toys before marketing them to the targeted customers. The toy industry would focus on proper manufacturing processes (Lawrence & Weber, 2014).
Children’s product retailers can encourage the government to support its citizens using the best standards. Different standard-setting organizations will promote the use of appropriate business practices.
These stakeholders tend to have different goals and objectives. This fact explains why such stakeholders have different points of view.
The society should use appropriate strategies in order to protect its children from harmful toys. The use of mandatory safety standards will ensure every toy is safe for use. The government should monitor the appropriateness of every safety standard.
It should also ensure every firm fulfills these requirements. Toy manufacturers should always use certified materials and standards.
They should also use proper testing practices. Consumers should ensure such toys have unique marks of quality (Lawrence & Weber, 2014). These stakeholders will eventually protect more children from harmful toys.
Reference
Lawrence, A., & Weber, J. (2014). Business and Society. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.