Labor Unions and Product Quality Failures

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omesh Kini ◽  
Mo Shen ◽  
Jaideep Shenoy ◽  
Venkat Subramaniam
Keyword(s):  
Product Quality ◽  
Labor Unions ◽  
Product Recalls ◽  
Employee Morale ◽  
Product Recall ◽  
Quality Outcomes ◽  
Panel Regressions ◽  
Broad Cross Section ◽  
Operating Leverage ◽  
The Impact

In this paper, we study the impact of labor unions on product quality failures. We use a product recall as our measure of quality failure because it is an objective metric that is applicable to a broad cross-section of industries. Our analysis employs a union panel setting and close union elections in a regression discontinuity design framework to overcome identification issues. In the panel regressions, we find that firms that are unionized and those that have higher unionization rates experience a greater frequency of quality failures. The results obtain even at a more granular establishment level in a subsample in which we can identify the manufacturing establishment associated with the recalled product. When comparing firms in close elections, we find that firms with close union wins are followed by significantly worse product quality outcomes than those with close union losses. These results are amplified in non–right-to-work states, where unions have a relatively greater influence on the workforce. We find that unionization increases firms’ costs and operating leverage and, consequently, crowds out investments that potentially impact quality. We also find some suggestive evidence that unions may compromise quality by hurting employee morale and by resisting technological upgrades in the firm. Overall, our results suggest that unions have an adverse impact on product recalls, and thus, product quality is an important dimension along which unions impact businesses. This paper was accepted by Gustavo Manso, finance.

scholarly journals Institutional differences and integration difficulties

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 850-868 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kashef A. Majid ◽  
Hari Bapuji
Keyword(s):  
Product Quality ◽  
Failure Time ◽  
Accelerated Failure Time Model ◽  
Local Market ◽  
Product Recall ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Institutional Differences ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how the location of a firm’s headquarters and component sourcing impact a firm’s responsiveness in a product-harm crisis in local market.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected data on 1,251 vehicle recalls from 12 manufacturers, six in the USA, three in Germany, and three in Japan. All of the recalls occurred in the USA between 2002 and 2010. The time the product was first released into the marketplace was used as the starting point while the time the recall was initiated (if at all) was used to record the probability of the product recall over time. Specifically, a survival analysis with an accelerated failure time model was employed to examine the speed with which a product is recalled. The authors examined the impact of foreign composition using information provided by the American Automobile Labeling Act, which lists the proportion of each vehicle that is composed of domestic parts (USA/Canada) and foreign parts. Organizational characteristics (i.e. size, market share, assets, net income, and reputation) and recall size (i.e. number of affected vehicles) that might have an effect on time to recall were controlled for.FindingsThe authors found that firms headquartered outside the local market would take longer to issue a product recall than firms that were headquartered in the local market. Firm headquartered outside the local market can reduce the time taken to recall by sourcing parts from the local marketplace, rather than from abroad. Interestingly, even local firms are affected by the location of component sourcing, such that they take longer to issue a recall if they sourced parts from abroad.Originality/valueResearch in international marketing has examined the benefits of integration to firms, but has not studied the risks of integration. By highlighting the challenges of managing institutional differences and integration difficulties, the authors show that location of headquarters and the location from where components are sourced have an effect on firm responsiveness in product-harm crises. Further, the authors build on the global supply chain management literature that has shown the effect of upstream activities (i.e. foreign production) on downstream activities (i.e. product quality). Specifically, the authors show that upstream activities can not only affect product quality, but also the ability of firms to respond to those product qualities in a timely fashion.

scholarly journals All Supply Chains Don't Flow Through: Understanding Supply Chain Issues in Product Recalls

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjorie A. Lyles ◽  
Barbara B. Flynn ◽  
Mark T. Frohlich
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Current Situation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Product Recalls ◽  
Product Recall ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Impact

Our paper conceptualizes and highlights the role of the supply chains in China's product recall problems. We raise questions about the interrelationships of the focal manufacturer and the supplier firms and the consequences of these relationships. We address some of the causes of the current situation, including a discussion of deep supply chains, the importance of relationships, the role of trust and the impact of cultural misunderstandings. We suggest many future research questions to further understand how the supply chain can cause or deter product recalls.

EXPRESS: Regulating Product Recall Compliance in the Digital Age: Evidence from the “Safe Cars Save Lives” Campaign

2021 ◽  
pp. 002224292110230
Author(s):  
Sotires Pagiavlas ◽  
Kartik Kalaignanam ◽  
Manpreet Gill ◽  
Paul D. Bliese
Keyword(s):  
Media Coverage ◽  
Digital Marketing ◽  
Regulatory Agencies ◽  
Product Recalls ◽  
Product Recall ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Empirical Context ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The U.S

The unprecedented number of product recalls in recent years and subsequent low consumer recall compliance raise questions about the role of regulatory agencies in ensuring safety. In this study, the authors develop a conceptual framework to test the impact of a regulator-initiated digital marketing campaign (DMC) on consumer recall compliance. The empirical context is the launch of a nationwide DMC by the U.S. automobile industry’s regulator. The analysis utilizes recall completion data from 296 product recalls active both before and after the DMC’s launch. The results show that the DMC improves consumer recall compliance. In the first four quarters after it was introduced, the DMC increased the number of vehicles fixed, on average, by 20,712 per recall campaign over what was to be expected without the DMC. Regarding boundary conditions, the study finds that the DMC is more effective for recall campaigns with greater media coverage and for those with older recalled products. However, the DMC’s effect is weaker as the time needed to repair a defective component increases. The findings should help regulators make compelling cases for greater resource allocation toward digital initiatives to improve recall compliance.

scholarly journals PENARIKAN MEREK PRODUK: EFEK INDUSTRI, STRATEGI PENARIKAN DAN BAHAYA PADA KEKAYAAN PEMEGANG SAHAM

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 521-535
Author(s):  
Dwi Dewianawati
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chains ◽  
Share Price ◽  
Product Recalls ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Product Recall ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Pharmaceutical Markets ◽  
Study Process ◽  
Major Factors ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the impact of product recalls on manufacturing company shareholders in various supply chains. Previous research investigating this phenomenon was dominated by sectoral units and/or did not recognize threat interactions, policy recalls and sectors. Using the case study process, the study explored investor responses to key market product recall characteristics, recall policies and hazard levels, in a cross-industry survey of 295  product recall notices. The findings revealed a strong negative response from the share price to product recalls and a significant variation between the type of business and its level of danger. More controlled and tighter supply chains, such as the car and pharmaceutical markets, have shown statistically substantial share price declines. The findings suggest that the business sector and the level of harm associated with defective goods are major factors affecting the shareholders of manufacturing companies. Contrary to some reports, the effects of the recall policy have not been verified, although the recall campaign has proactively, in some cases, contributed to the rise in the share price. This  study will further benefit from a more thorough investigation of recall strategies on business assessments in certain industries, especially those vulnerable to regular and expensive product recalls.

scholarly journals Managing customer satisfaction after a product recall: the joint role of remedy, brand equity, and severity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Mafael ◽  
Sascha Raithel ◽  
Stefan J. Hock
Keyword(s):  
Customer Satisfaction ◽  
Brand Equity ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Product Recalls ◽  
Product Recall ◽  
Failure Severity ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractFirms struggle to respond to product recalls and manage post-recall customer satisfaction. In three studies, we examine the impact of firms’ remedy choice on satisfaction and provide evidence that firms’ post-recall remedy efforts are often not optimal. In Study 1 (field study), we estimate the longer-term effects of remedy on different satisfaction metrics and show that offering full remedy is much more important for low and high (vs. medium) brand equity firms, especially when failure severity is high. In Study 2 (experiment), we find further evidence that the positive impact of full remedy on satisfaction is moderated by brand equity in a u-shaped fashion. Finally, Study 3 (experiment) provides further evidence that the relationship between remedy and brand equity is contingent on failure severity. The findings contribute to the literature on firms’ management of negative relationship events and provide managers with the empirically grounded 5R guidelines to make better remedy decisions in response to product recalls.

Impact of Automobile Recalls on Stock Prices: A Study in the Indian Context

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 407-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jagandeep Singh
Keyword(s):  
Stock Returns ◽  
Stock Prices ◽  
Stock Price ◽  
Abnormal Returns ◽  
Product Recalls ◽  
Product Recall ◽  
Event Window ◽  
Indian Context ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

Not so long ago, ‘product recalls’ in the Indian automobile sector were a novelty. The defective vehicles were repaired as part of the after-sales service. In the absence of a strong regulatory framework, the manufacturers were under no obligation to proactively initiate product recalls. The introduction of a voluntary code on product recalls by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) in 2012 and introduction/amendments in the existing legal regimen of the country in recent years have led companies to take more than just baby steps towards product recalls. Product recalls are a case of management failure. There is a need for gauging the impact of this failure on the stock price of the manufacturers, especially in the Indian context where the recall phenomenon is poised to gain further momentum. The event study methodology is a widely used approach to assess the impact of a particular event/announcement on the stock price. This methodology was used in the present study to gauge whether abnormal stock returns accrued to the manufacturers during 13 product recall announcements made in the Indian automobile sector between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2015. The study found that product recall announcements generated small and statistically insignificant cumulative abnormal returns (CAR) of –0.02 per cent in the (–1, +1) event window, 0.92 per cent in the (–2, +2) event window and 1.70 per cent in the (–5, +5) event window. The study found no substantial or statistically significant difference in the CAR generated during big recalls and small recalls. Furthermore, the study found little evidence that CAR generated during recalls where defective component(s) in the vehicle were repaired is positive as compared to CAR generated when such component(s) were replaced.

Product Recalls and Firm Reputation

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 404-442
Author(s):  
Boyan Jovanovic
Keyword(s):  
Product Quality ◽  
Firm Value ◽  
Stock Price ◽  
Policy Intervention ◽  
Product Recalls ◽  
Product Recall ◽  
Product Price ◽  
Firm Reputation ◽  
Recall Data ◽  
Product Defect

Product recall data and information on stock price reactions to recalls are used to estimate the value of reputation in a model in which product quality is not contractible. A recall is the result of a product defect that signals low effort. The recall triggers a reduction in the firm’s product price and value, which then both rise steadily until its next defect occurs. We estimate that reputation accounts for 8.3 percent of firm value and that welfare is 26 percent of its first best level. A policy intervention that attains first best is a recall tax accompanied by a flow subsidy. (JEL D22, G32, H25, L25, L62, M31)

Impact of external currency exposures on macroeconomic policies

2020 ◽  
pp. 23-40
Author(s):  
I. V. Prilepskiy
Keyword(s):  
Monetary Policy ◽  
Exchange Rate ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Exchange Rate Regime ◽  
Macroeconomic Policies ◽  
Panel Regressions ◽  
Financial Account ◽  
Currency Exposure ◽  
Cross Country ◽  
The Impact

Based on cross-country panel regressions, the paper analyzes the impact of external currency exposures on monetary policy, exchange rate regime and capital controls. It is determined that positive net external position (which, e.g., is the case for Russia) is associated with a higher degree of monetary policy autonomy, i.e. the national key interest rate is less responsive to Fed/ECB policy and exchange rate fluctuations. Therefore, the risks of cross-country synchronization of financial cycles are reduced, while central banks are able to place a larger emphasis on their price stability mandates. Significant positive impact of net external currency exposure on exchange rate flexibility and financial account liberalization is only found in the context of static models. This is probably due to the two-way links between incentives for external assets/liabilities accumulation and these macroeconomic policy tools.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document