Case 5 - Making Toys Globally PDF

Preview

Summary

Chapter group assignment on making toys globally....

Description

Mkt 3500 Section 1 Professor Silvia Martin Case 5- Making Toys Globally 1. How realistic do you think it is to create a world standard for toys with respect to their safety and use by children?

I believe it is very unrealistic to believe that there can be a world standard for safety to protect children. As the article stated, the safety regulations have been violated for more than 30, therefore many businesses aren’t abiding. Even if they were, many black market toys, just like many other black market products, are made of cheaper and sometimes dangerous materials that could have harmful chemicals in them. Also, we must take notice to the tradition of passing down family toys over generations that could have harmful chemicals within them even if stricter safety regulations were in place.

2. Should we ban products from a country that does not follow standards similar to what the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission suggests for the United States? Is the CPSC overprotective? Should each country have its own guidelines? Why or why not?

We should ban products from countries that down follow our safety regulations if we have the means to possibly produce the toys here in the U.S. If it is too costly, perhaps we can propose some type of sanction as a punishment. I do not believe the CPSC is overprotective because though these regulations have been put in place, toys are being sold here with dangerous chemicals that the CPSC is supposedly working to prevent. I do not believe each

country should have its own guidelines because no matter the country, all humans are affected the same way if they are to come into contact with these harmful chemicals.

3. If there are health risks associated with lead poisoning, what about related areas such as lead in drinking water (e.g., the issue that came to the forefront in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign regarding water supply in Flint, Michigan)?

I believe something needs to be something done as soon as possible in coming up with a way to fix this situation. If we do not allow it to be used in let alone paint and toys then it surely is not safe for it to be in our water.

4. Is lead in toys a financial, or cost, issue? Why have we not seen the toy industry monitor and do something about the lead problem, even though we have known about it for more than 30 years? I believe there is a cost issue, many companies will often go towards the cheaper route because it will not cut into their bottom line in that sense. As long as it saves the company money overall, they will evidently go with that method. This is where ethics then comes into play because if you are not comfortable with your own loved ones using these products then how can you expect other consumers to do so.The reason why we have not seen the toy industry do anything about this problem is obviously because it will affect their profits.

5. What is the current condition?

Certain brands of Fidget Spinners have been reported for containing high levels of lead, and Target pulled two types of Fidget Spinners due to the findings. The Fidget Spinners Target recalled contained up to 33,000 ppm, which exceeded the allowed lead levels of 100 ppm (parts per million) by the CPSC. A Fox News station also reported on concerns of high levels of lead in a certain brand of Mardi Gras beads. Although finding lead paint on new toys being produced today is rare, there are still some instances where parents should be concerned....