Stork Craft crib recall: Business As Usual?

Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 9:15 pm

Stork Craft Manufacturing of British Columbia (Canada), has announced the largest crib recall in history. They are recalling 1.2 million drop side cribs due to an entrapment and suffocation hazard. The affected cribs were distributed in both the USA and in Canada between 1997 and 2004, and have already resulted in four infants being suffocated, 20 falling and several others being injured. Parents can order a free kit to modify the crib and prevent further tragedy. The cribs were sold in major chains including Walmart, Target and BabiesRUs.

I’m not much of a complainer or curmudgeon, but the Stork Craft story irritates the crap out of me. While my girls are well past the age of being in cribs, I appreciate Stork Craft recalling their product and preventing further tragedy. But re-read the statistics of that first paragraph. Doesn’t it seem curious that it would take a company 12 years to realize that their crib is defective? Or more to the point, it seems curious that it would take dozens of children and families being injured (or dying) to realize that perhaps they need to investigate their product and make a correction. Twelve years on the market; what happened during the testing and federal approval phases before that?

Call my cynical, but I’m seeing big retail chains driving 1.2 million product units on a very popular crib. In the land of corporate business, Expediency is King. When you’re moving 1.2 million units at $100 – $400 each, there apparently is not a lot of motivation to be self-policing and responsible. Nor is there a lot of pressure from the Big Box retailers to get your dangerous product out of their stores. What happened to businesses protecting their customers from predatory vendors?

There ought to be an outcry against a company that pushes a million-plus units of product without being proactive about its safety, especially where children and infants are concerned. And there ought to be an outry against the Big Box retailers who let it happen. Unacceptable. The only reason the recall happened is because it had to; there were too many injuries and deaths for it not to happen. And that is just plain wrong. One death. One injury. LOOK INTO IT. Two deaths? Shut down fulfillment and FIX IT. These are children, for goodness sake.

Our corporate culture has lost its compass. We as a nation have lost our compass. There exists an “Atta boy!” response if it generates profits, no matter the expense in human life or public health. We are more concerned with doing for the bottom line than doing what’s right. We need a deep cleanse of epic proportions.

I write a blog about online marketing of small business, so why am I so darned political? Because everything the Government does affects you and I — small business owners. We need to be political. We need to enter into debate for the common good (remember, ‘We the People’?) — not Republican, Democrat, Independent or Rogue. In order to debate, we need to be informed. We can’t achieve anything while being stupefied and hypnotised by the latest dog & pony show.

In the past few days, we have had headlines about

A man who kissed another man on the American Music Awards. The NY Post summed it best: “The “American Idol” runner-up pelvic-thrusted his way through the four-minute, S&M-themed routine, taking time out from singing to grope a female dancer, kiss a male musician and, most shockingly, shove a male dancer’s face into his crotch, in an act that simulated fellatio.” Adam Lambert’s defense was that this has been going on for 20 years between women on stage, so chastising his boorish behavior as over-the-top and in bad taste was “hypocritical.” Apparently, people will do literally anything to maintain their 15 minutes of fame these days…? Personally, it made me glad that I don’t own a television, and vindicated my own decision years ago to cut the chord altogether. Call me hypocritical.
Sarah Palin promoting her book, “Going Rogue” and future Presidential ambitions, and the sexist Newsweek cover that used what amounted to a copyright-infringed photo of the former Governor. I’m not one of the 300,000 Sarah Palin fans / customers / motorcade, but I did truly enjoy her dad’s quote about his daughter, “She’s not retreating, she’s reloading.” Maybe her dad will run for President…
The massive healthcare “reform” bill clearing the first hurdle in the US Senate. I don’t like the bill for 100 reasons, not the least of which is that the Louisiana representative lobbied for $300 million in state perks for her Yes vote. It is one of many things that prove to me that the bill is corrupt and a brokered deal, rather than something truly worthwhile for the American people.
More soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq
More pushing around and posturing between all the Middle East countries — because that’s what they do best
Gold rising to a record high while the US dollar continues to fall — not surprising, considering every nation is running from the dollar before it crashes down upon them
The Fed pushing back against mounting pressure to be audited — I can’t imagine why :-P
A lame announcement from Mr. Geithner and the Obama Administration that a bailout plan for Small Business is being considered for the end of 2010. Pardon me, Mr. President, but I don’t think Small Business can wait another year to start discussing our recovery… I thought Mr. Bush was out of touch when he wasn’t aware of rising gasoline prices. Doesn’t seem like much has “changed” with the new Administration…
Learned that in Washington this year, we will have a “holiday” tree but not a Christmas tree, and the budget has been cut for the Hanukkah celebration. Meanwhile, major Hollywood donors were invited to dine with the President. At least someone’s on the guest list…

This is in the past week, folks. What’s sadly ironic about the above headlines are those that made the front page and those that were buried deep inside…

We have become so obsessed with the sound byte — with “managing the story” — that we’re missing the bigger picture.

We need to become a nation obsessed with the truth. Compulsive about having a moral compass. Passionate about leading and innovating. Narrowing our recycling to metal, glass and plastic, but true innovators in products and ideas. We must stop wasting precious time chasing headlines and stories that matter not. Profiting on injuring others. Lying and “spinning” and polling to determine how to execute the prescribed agenda. Buying the right people and silencing the rest.

We should know what’s right after over 200 years of history lessons and practice. We have a reference to consult when we’re not sure. Our diplomats should wisely bend, but our Presidents should be strong.

Maybe it was Lee Iacocca who once observed that there will always be leaders and those being led. I submit that the real leadership, the real engine of growth, will come from where it always has — small business. We are the leadership of the new era. We are change.

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