Posted on 09/22/2007 12:07:24 PM PDT by yorkie
LOS ANGELES - Mattel Inc. tried to save face Friday with Chinese officials, taking the blame for the recent recalls of millions of Chinese-made toys as it strives to mend a strained relationship with the nation that makes most of its toys and fattens its profit.
The world's largest toy maker sent a top executive to personally apologize to China's product safety chief, Li Changjang, as reporters and company lawyers looked on.
'Mattel takes full responsibility for these recalls and apologizes personally to you, the Chinese people, and all of our customers who received the toys,' Thomas A. Debrowski, Mattel's executive vice president for worldwide operations, told Li.
The unusual move reflects how invested El Segundo-based Mattel has become in China.
'Mattel certainly must have been facing some pressure to do that, because you can't imagine why they would be trying to push this story along any further,' said Eric Johnson, a professor of operations management at Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.
He suggested Mattel may want to prevent China from imposing more taxes or regulations.
'China's embarrassment in all this could lead to that, and I think they were trying to head that off with this apology,' Johnson said.
(Excerpt) Read more at 2.tbo.com ...
Pathetic groveling.
Trade with China... it’s brought so many new concepts to our nation. Groveling is merely the latest. Just stack it over near the espionage and treason. We’ll deal with it later.
> Pathetic groveling.
The technical term is “kowtowing”.
And repugnant.
Eckert and his buddies need to move to China, see if they can make a living there instead of pretending to be part of us.
I'm sure the 1.6 billion ethnic Han Chinese will openly accept and nurture their little Caucasian buddies once they have no money and no American passports.
Absolutely sure.
They just lost my business... I have 3 boys and 12 nieces and nephews.
You are not insane.
This is disgusting. In fact I have just had it with all of the groveling from so many quarters as of late.
Everybody crawls along regurgitating phony apologies for anything that pricks the senseless sensibilities of the
hyper-publicity crowd. Geez !!
It is not you. I do agree, however, that it is Mattel's fault. They are the ones who closed down their US factories and went for the garbage made in China. Any American company that manufactures out of the country deserves total boycott on a permament basis.
But, that is just me.
The big news this week is the declining US Dollar, but it isn't all bad. Pushes the trade imbalance in our favor, but it's not so good for outfits with so much of their manufacturing base abroad, like Mattel.
60% of all Mattel toys are made in China!!!
They don't want China to shut off the spigot of their chep labor and toys!!
Too bad Mattel's CEO didn't think about the fact that his apology will ensure that we turn off the spigot from this end.
I'm done with you Mattel -- and just as my 3-year old was getting into the Barbie phase! #$@%^&
Insane. And no more mattel toys for me.
What this REALLY means is that Mattel has turned into a despicable corporation......unwilling to meet safety regulations imposed for the safety of our kids.
The only other alternative is for it to place the blame where it belongs - on the chinese corporations using slave labor and unsafe process and ingredients - but it will ignore this for profit -
I will never buy another Mattel product, and will encourage anyone I can to do the same. I truly hope Mattel will soon have to find another market to sell its faulty/poisonous/dangerous toys into, and see how they like the profits they make by selling them into, say, india or messico..........
This is sickening.
Do the Chinese really think this is the way to mend things? Force Mattel to grovel? Does that absolve China of their guilt?
Let mattel take the blame for screwing consumers in an effort to suck up to china. Hopefully, US consumers will boycott all of mattel’s toys. Let the chinese buy them.
65% of Mattel’s manufacturing is in China......they panicked, the cheap chisling whores!!!!
That’s it! Mattel ain’t getting my business no mo! (studied English at liberal public schools).
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