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Wherever you look, the news about recalls is headlining with Toyota leading the pack with the highest profile problems. Indeed, the US lawmakers have begun a formal investigation into the problem of the sticking accelerator pedal. This is not a simple issue of a manufacturer with a faulty vehicle. The problem is the US is supposed to have a formal system in place to ensure that only safe vehicles are allowed on the roads. To this end, the Department of Transport established the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as its agent to collect information about traffic accidents. If patterns emerge, the NHTSA is supposed to liaise with the manufacturer to get prompt action to repair the problem. The insurance industry is also supposed to send data to the agency. Because insurers are handling claims on a daily basis, they should be the first to know whether there are design faults causing accidents. Indeed, State Farm is on record as saying it notified the NHTSA of unintended acceleration problems in Toyotas in 2007. If that is confirmed and other insurance companies also sent in reports of the same problem, the lawmakers will want to know why the NHTSA failed to take any action. When Toyota learnt of the problems is also going to be a key issue. Read the rest of this entry »

In the good old days, people were trapped in their employment. The lyrics of the classic song, “Sixteen Tons” say it all: “Another day older and deeper in debt… I owe my soul to the company store.” The company paid, but the only place to buy food and the other necessities of life was the company store. With the prices set unaffordably high, people had to go into debt to put food on their tables. In accounting terms, they never ever paid off that debt. It’s a strange reflection on those times – that employers felt their labor would never willingly stay loyal. Today, people are more free to sell their labor and, if the job is not good for some reason, they can move on to try somewhere else. To that extent, employers have to build up a relationship with their employees. Trust and loyalty must be encouraged on both sides. It’s the same with those who sell goods and services. There are vast numbers of potential customers “out there”. How do you convert “potential” into “actual” and then keep those customers loyal? Well, Toyota seemed to have the answer to the question and then, as it slowly forgot about the need to maintain their customers’ good opinions, lost their brand image for safety and reliability. What price loyalty from Toyota customers? Read the rest of this entry »