Contemporary Business 14th Edition by Louis Boone, David Kurtz

تمرين 24

Toyota's Recall Woes Toyota Motor Company grew dramatically in the last decade, doubling production capacity in its drive to become the world's top auto-maker. While rapid growth doesn't excuse the recent recall of millions
of Toyotas worldwide due to faulty accelerator pedals, it could help explain why the public relations aspect of the recall made the revered company stumble so badly."What they did this week, they should've done last. . . . You want to rip off that Band-Aid all at once," said one public relations expert. Instead, Toyota first denied the accelerator pedals were mechanically flawed and insisted customers had incorrectly installed their floor mats, interfering with the pedals' operation. But even when the problem became clear, Toyota was slow to react. Customers were left confused and angry as they waited for information and repairs. Finally CEO Akio Toyoda told the world, "I apologize from the bottom of my heart for all the concern that we have given to so many of our customers." Writing in the Washington Post, he also said, "We have not lived up to the high standards you have come to expect from us. I am deeply disappointed by that and apologize. As the president of Toyota, I take personal responsibility."Time will tell whether the world's number-one automaker can recover from what one observer called "the worst-handled auto recall in history," a debacle that will cost Toyota more than $2 billion in repairs and lost sales.
-Why do you think Toyota's CEO felt he had to apologize? What effect do you think his actions had on Toyota owners?