Question

sherri dalton - O File Review View Tell me B 5 A - Natio... Home Insert Design Layout References Mailings Calibri (Body) 11 . E. . . B I J • a x, x 6 = = == A... A . A . A 21 Font Paragraph Help P A - Paste . Styles Editing Clipboard Styles 2. Outline the overarching key issues 3. Read each of the roles (VP, general counsel, etc.) and put yourself in the shoes of that person. Then, in your own words, write a synopsis of the issues from the role's viewpoint. In your synopses, be sure to include the key issues, a proposed resolution, and the pros and cons of your resolution(s) to the crisis. Be sure to back up your proposal with research, and cite your sources in APA/MLA format. 4. Your final draft should be written in APA/MLA format. **Please message me when you have chosen the company you want to use for this assignment. No more than 6 people can choose the same company, so assignments will be based on a first come first served basis. This assignment is due February 23" at 11:59 p.m. Page 2 of 2 683 words 08

Answer 1

Here are a few overarching issues with National Farm & Garden (NFG)

Business Issues: Falling Sales, declining market share and competition

• National Farm & Garden (NFG)'s flagship product the Ultra Tiller was on the decline and was being overtaken by competitors in the market.

• NFG responds by introducing a new product known as the Turbo Tiller which was an upgraded version of the Ultra Tiller

• However, in order to compete with falling demand and competitors, NFG chose to rush the R&D, production, and sale of the Ultra Tiller in order to time its release with the Tilling season.

Operational Issues

• This resulted in an insufficient amount of time spent was spent on R&D

• This meant Allowing sales, marketing, and business to overrule operations, quality control and manufacturing on production timelines, quality & quantity of delivery

Product Issues

• The Turbo Tiller has a shield that covers its blades.

• While initial versions of the Ultra Tiller made it difficult to unsheathe the shield and clean or maintain it, as of today the shield can be taken off with ease

• Any modifications can be made at the point of sale and are covered by warranty

• Warning labels were placed on the product documentation and at three distinct places on the Turbo Tiller

Usage Issues : Result in Casualties

• Users still chose to operate the product without the shield which resulted in a few casualties.

• Casualties include farm animals including chicken, cats, a dog & two goats) & a 7 year old boy who fell off the tiller and had to have his arm amputated as a result of the accident.

I'll be putting myself in the shoes of the Vice President of National Farm & Garden (NFG)

To all employees of NFG;

Introduction

In light of the recent news involving a 7 year old boy who fell off the tiller and had to have his arm amputated as a result of the accident caused by the exposed blades of our Turbo Tiller, we at NFG need to thoroughly introspect our business and operations in order to review what could have been done differently, in order to prevent such an unfortunate incident from repeating. After speaking to our operations manager at the factory, CFG our sales manager and our general counsel, I've come to the conclusion that NFG has four overarching issues that have to do with Business issues, Operational Issues, Product Issues, and Usage Issues.

The issue at hand

While the root cause of the problem seems to be an easily removable shield, there are several overarching issuess that have a domino effect on how the product is being used. The way i see it, our firm was pressured by falling demand for our previous product the Ultra Tiller and chose to rush the R&D, production and sale of the Turbo Tiller in order to regain market dominance. Had we as a firm spent enough time stress testing end usage and testing, we would have realised that the end consumers would use this product without the shield.

While ensuring that warning labels are placed on the products offers us legal immunity, quality control should never stop where regulations do. We manufactured this product and we know this product better than our regulators and customers, we should be two steps ahead of regulatory requirements. Legal immunity aside, this also represents a public relations issue and an organizational ethics issue. We shouldn't be perceived as a company that places profits over the safety of our customers.

The Solution

After speaking to all departments, we've concluded that all new Turbo Tillers that will be manufactured will come with shields that require specialized equipment to remove and clean the blades. R&D and manufacturing will work together to ensure that the new Turbo Tillers will have an inbuilt safety mechanism.  The cleaning and maintenance can only be done when the tiller isn't on. The shield won't come off when the tiller is on. While this will be a standard feature on all new Turbo Tillers, all previous models will be recalled to the factory for recalibration and installation of the new safety feature

Regards
VP of National Farm & Garden

John Smith