The Oxford-Achilles Working Group
on Corporate Social Responsibility

Developing knowledge about CSR

Learning from Mattel: Politics and Process in Product Recalls

Dr Dana Brown and Dr Steve New, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
Seminar: 04 February 2009, 12.00 - 13.45

Abstract: This seminar will summarize the events surrounding the dramatic product recalls of Mattel toys during 2007. Drawing on press reports and official documents, the seminar will explore the way in which issues relating supply chain integration, product inspection and quality management become part of political discourse. We observe that the public discourse surrounding these events can become disconnected from the operational reality, and lead to potentially dysfunctional regulatory responses.