Unit 8 Crisis Manage ment
Text A
A Crisis Made in Japan
In Japanthereis a prover b, 'If it stinks, put a lid on it.' Alas, this seemsto have been Toyota's approa ch to its burgeo ningsafety crisis, initia lly denyin g, minimi zingand mitiga tingthe proble ms involv ing brakes that don't brakeand accele rator s that have a mind of theirown. Presid ent Akio Toyoda, grands on of the founde r, was MIA for two weeksand the compan y has appear ed less than forthc oming aboutcritic al safety issues, riskin g the trustof its custom ers world-wide.
日本有句谚语：“要是闻着发臭，那就盖上盖子。”（眼不见为净。）丰田汽车公司(Toyota)似乎就在以这种方式处理其日益凸现的汽车安全问题。对于不能刹车的刹车以及颇有“主见”的油门，丰田起初是否认，然后想大事化小，后来又百般推托。公司总裁丰田章男（Akio Toyoda)是丰田创始人的孙子，在危机发生的头两周成了失踪人员，公司对重大汽车安全问题的反应似乎不再那么积极，有负全球消费者对其的信任。
This has been a public-relati ons nightm are for Toyota, as its brandname has been synony mouswith q
ualit y and reliab ility. Crisis manage mentdoes not get any more woeful than this and the cost of this bungli ng so far-the $2 billio n recall and the loss of 17% of sharevaluesinceJan. 21, when the gas-pedalrecall was announ ced-is only a down paymen t on the finaltally.The recall will surely expand, includ ing cars produc ed in Japan. Lawsui ts are beingfiledand an expens ive settle mentlooms.And then thereare the idle factor ies and emptyshowro oms to accoun t for.
对丰田来说，这是一场公共关系的噩梦，因为长久以来，丰田品牌一直是品质和可靠性的代名词。再也没有比这更糟糕的危机管理了，到目前为止，丰田已为此付出20亿美元的召回费用，公司股价自2010年1月21日（当天丰田宣布因油门踏板问题实施召回）以来下跌17%，而这些仅是丰田最后要承担的巨额损失的首付款而已。召回规模肯定会扩大，将包括在日本生产的汽车；丰田已面临多起法律诉讼，未来可能要付出高昂代价才能解决；而闲置的工厂和空荡荡的汽车专卖店展示区同样意味着巨大的经济损失。
It is not surpri singthat Toyota's respon se has been dilato ry and inept,becaus e crisis manage mentin Japanis grossl y undeve loped. Over the past two decade s, I cannot thinkof one instan ce wherea Japane se compan y has done a good job managi ng a crisis. The patter n is all too famili ar, typica lly involv ing slow initia l respon se, minimi zingthe proble m, foot draggi ng on the produc t recall, poor commun icati on with the public aboutthe proble m and too little compas sionand concer
n for consum ers advers ely affect ed by the produc t. Whethe r it's explod ing televi sions, fire-proneapplia nces, tainte d milk or falselabeli ng, in case aftercase compan ies have shortc hange d theircustom ers by shirki ng respon sibil ity untilthe accumu lated eviden ce forces belate d disclo sureand recogn ition of culpab ility. The costsof such neglig enceare low in Japanwherecompen satio n for produc t liabil ity claims is mostly deriso ry or non-existe nt.
丰田的反应如此迟钝笨拙倒也不足为奇，因为在日本，危机管理在很大程度上还未发展起来。过去二十年来，我根本想不出来有哪家日本企业在危机管理上做得不错。每家公司的反应都差不多，一开始反应迟钝，想大事化小，小事化了，在产品召回上拖拖拉拉，就所存在问题与公众的沟通少得可怜，对因产品问题而遭受影响的消费者漠不关心。无论是爆炸的电视机、易燃的家用电器、变质的牛奶和错误的标签内容，这些企业一次又一次地欺骗消费者，逃避其应负的责任，直到问题越来越多，证据确凿，它们才姗姗来迟，承认问题的存在。这种漠视消费者的做法并不会给企业带来很大的损失，因为日本在产品责任诉讼方面的赔偿额度较低，有时甚至没有。
One glowin g except ion to this parsim oniou s record is the saga involv ing pharma ceuti cal compan ies that kept sellin g tainte d bloodproduc ts to hemoph iliac s that left many of them infect ed with HIV in the 1980s. The govern mentwas awareof the issueand failed to stop this avoida ble public health crisis. Afteryearsof denial, the curren t financ e minist er, NaotoKan, who was health minist er i
n 1994, reveal ed docume nts showin g that the govern mentallowe d the compan ies to contin ue sellin g the bad bloodso that they wouldnot lose market shareto foreig n compan ies sellin g safe bloodproduc ts. In doingso he pavedthe way for a relati velygenero us settle mentand an abject apolog y by drug compan y execut ives, collec tivel y on handsand kneestouchi ng theirnosesto the floorin demons trati ng theircontri tionto victim s.
在这方面，唯一的例外是发生在20世纪80年代的“毒血事件”。当时日本制药企业长期将受到污染的血液制剂卖给血友病患者，导致他们中的许多人患上艾滋病。日本政府明知问题存在，却没有采取措施制止这场本可避免的公共卫生悲剧的发生。在抵赖多年后，日本现任财相、当时的厚生大臣菅直人(Naoto Kan)在1994年公开相关文档，显示政府当时允许制药企业继续销售受污染的血液制剂，以免将市场份额拱手让给那些销售无污染的血液制剂的外国公司。菅直人的这一做法为相对慷慨的赔偿方案奠定了基础，并促使那些制药企业的高管向受害者磕头忏悔。
Usuall y, howeve r, produc er intere sts trumpconsum er safety.
不过，一般来说，日本将制造商的利益置于消费者的安全之上。
Japane se firmsoftenseek to coverup or fudgethe factsand the people commun icati ng with the mediaand public oftendo not have the inform ation they need to do theirjob. The absenc e of a struct
ure to quickl y get accura te inform ation to top manage menthamper s an accura te and adequa te respon se. That leaves manage mentunprep aredto deal with mediaquesti oning and convey s an imageof stonew allin g and indiff erenc e.
日本企业往往试图掩盖或捏造事实，负责与媒体和大众打交道的人往往无法获取应有的信息。机制的缺失导致企业高管层无法迅速获取精准的信息，进而影响其反应的准确性和有效性。管理层在面对媒体质询时准备不足，因此会给人一种推诿搪塞和冷漠无情的印像。
Thereis a cultur al elemen t to this pencha nt for misman aging crisis. The shameand embarr assme nt of owning up to produc t defect s in a nation obsess ed with crafts mansh ip and qualit y raises the bar on disclo sureand assumi ng respon sibil ity. And a high-status compan y like Toyota has much to lose sinceits corpor ate face is at stake. The shameof produc ing defect ive cars is suppos ed to be otherfirms' proble ms,
not Toyota's, and the ongoin g PR disast er reveal s just how unprep aredthe compan y is for crisis manage mentand how embarr assed it is. In additi on, employ ees' identi tiesare closel y tied to theircompan y's image,and loyalt y to the firm overri des concer ns aboutconsum ers.
日本人在危机管理方面的劣势也有其文化因素。这个国家一直以其产品的精良做工和一流品质为傲，
在产品出现缺陷时羞于承认，从而导致更难披露信息和承担责任。像丰田这样的知名企业尤其如此，因为认错就意味着公司的颜面尽失，损失巨大；汽车的质量问题应该发生在其他公司身上，而不是丰田公司。丰田正在经历的公关灾难表明，其毫无危机管理的准备，处于一个多么尴尬的境地。此外，在日本，员工形像与公司形像紧紧拴在一起，因此他们对公司的忠诚度超过了其对消费者利益的关注。
Thereis also a cultur e of defere nce inside corpor ation s that makesit hard for thoselowerin the hierar chy to questi on theirsuperi ors or inform them aboutproble ms. The focuson consen sus and groupis an assetin buildi ng teamwo rk, but also can make it hard to challe nge what has been decide d or design ed. Such cultur al inclin ation s are not unknow n elsewh ere around the world, but they are except ional ly powerf ul within Japane se corpor ate cultur e and consti tutesignif icant impedi ments to averti ng and respon dingto a crisis.
日本企业还有一种服从上级的文化，导致下层员工很难质疑上级的举动，很难把存在的问题如实告知上级。注重一致意见和集体利益的团队精神既是一笔财富，也令人们难以挑战业已做出的决定和计划。这种文化倾向在全世界各地都很常见，但在日本企业文化中尤为突出，严重阻碍了企业的危机规避能力以及反应能力。
This crisis offers an opport unity to reform Toyota's corpor ate cultur e and improv e qualit y assura nce. This can be done by becomi ng more focuse d on the custom er, usingtwo-way flow of inform ation and feedba ck; improv ing corpor ate govern anceby appoin tingindepe ndent outsi de direct ors; and making risk manage mentmore than an aftert hough t. It is not too late to turn the situat ion around, but this meanssheddi ng the constr aints of a fustycorpor ate cultur e and wowing custom ers with a recall and above-and-beyond after-salesservic e and care. Yet earlysignsare that Toyota is no longer the nimble compan y that took the worldby stormover the past half-centur y.
这次的危机为丰田改革企业文化和提高品质管控提供了一个契机，实施途径包括更加注重消费者权益、建立信息双向沟通和反馈机制、通过任命外部独立董事来优化企业治理结构，以及将风险管理从事后转向事前等。现在亡羊补牢，还为时未晚。然而，这意味着企业要挣脱陈腐文化的桎梏，向消费者提供超预期的优秀售后服务和客户关怀；但目前的迹象显示，丰田已不再是半个世纪前横扫全球市场的那个灵活多变的公司了。
When Mr. Toyoda took the helm in mid-2009 he was unable to expres s a reassu ringsenseof how he woulddeal with his compan y's proble ms of overca pacit y as well as the need to divers ify away from relian ce on the U.S. market and buildits presen ce in China, Indiaand Brazil. A string of succes ses, most notabl y the Prius, may have made the jugger nauta bit compla cent,losing the edge that h
elped it surgesincethe 1970sby beingaheadof the curveon fuel effici encyand top of the classon reliab ility. Regain ing that edge and reposi tioni ng the compan y to tap into growin g market s
promis es to be a diffic ult transi tion.
2009年中，丰田章男开始执掌丰田公司，当时未能对公司存在的诸多问题提出解决方案，如产能过剩、过于依赖美国市场，如何在中国、印度和巴西确立市
场地位等。此后的一系列成功，尤其是丰田普锐斯(Prius)混合动力汽车，也许让这家汽车巨头有点洋洋得意，失去了令丰田从70年代起开始腾飞的那种优势，即始终在燃油经济性和质量可靠性方面处于行业领先地位。重拾这一优势
并对公司重新定位以进入新兴市场，这必将成为丰田的一种艰难转型。
The JapanInc. modelof cooper ative and collus ive relati ons betwee n the busine ss and the govern mentdelive red the econom ic miracl e, but has run out of steam. Japan's Lost Decade of the 1990sis enteri ng its thirddecade, discre ditin g the powers that be.
日本企业与政府共存共荣的关系是实现日本经济快速发展奇迹的重要因素，但
好汉不提当年勇，日本自90年代“失去的十年”(Lost Decade of the 1990s)后，现在已进入第三个十年期，但经济依然低迷，人们不禁质疑企业与政府的那种关系是否还有效果。
Voters threwthe long-ruling conser vativ e Libera l Democr aticPartyout of office last year and have warmed to the Democr aticPartyof Japan's attack s on thosein powerand theirextens ive influe nce. The public wantsfreshthinki ng aboutJapan's stagge ringproble ms rangin g from its rapidl y growin g dispar ities, high povert y rate (above15%), youthunempl oymen t and margin al employ ment,and a low birthr ate attrib utedto a family-unfrie ndlyenviro nment. But the DPJ has lost tracti on, caught up in moneyscanda ls remini scent of the venalera of LDP rule. PrimeMinist er YukioHatoya ma facesdemand s for more transp arenc y and accoun tabil ity, a yearni ng that also extend s to the corpor ate world.
2009年，长期执政且较为保守的自民党(Liberal Democr aticParty)在选举中下台，取而代之的日本民主党(Democr aticPartyof Japan)对官商勾结的社会现象发起冲击。日本公众希望看到政府对一些长期得不到解决的问题有全新的思
考，如日益加大的贫富分化、高贫困率（超过15%）、年轻人失业和不稳定就业问题，以及因缺乏鼓励组建家庭的良好政策环境所导致的低生育率等问题。然而，日本民主党渐渐失去斗志，陷入金钱丑闻难以自拔，让人不禁联想起自民
党执政期间同样腐败的时代。日本民众要求首相鸠山由纪夫(YukioHatoyama)促使政府更加公开透明和尽职尽责，这种要求也延伸到企业身上。
With JapanAirlin es filing for bankru ptcy, a public debt-to-GDP ratioreachi ng 200%, troubl es brewin g with the U.S. allian ce, and even the sumo worldsullie d by the contro versi al retire mentof a Mongol ian grandchampi on, Toyota's woes add to the stagge ring2010 misery index.Nation al self-confid encehas been flaggi ng for some time, but amidst the prolon ged malais e, people couldstillbask in the succes s of nation al champi ons such as Toyota. No othercompan y better repres ented manufa cturi ng prowes s than Toyota and its troubl es are an unplea santsurpri se.
日本航空公司(JapanAirlin es)申请破产保护、日本公债占G DP的比重达到200%、与美国盟友之间酝酿的纠纷、日本相扑大满贯冠军蒙古人阿龙涉嫌比赛舞
日本丰田公司弊宣布退役，这些事情都为日本的2010年笼罩上一层阴影，而丰田丑闻又给其添上了不光彩的一笔。日本的国民自信心长久以来处于风雨飘摇之中，但丰田
这样的成功企业尚能给他们带来一丝慰藉。没有哪家企业能像丰田那样代表日
本制造能力的巅峰，正因如此，丰田遭遇的危机给日本人带来沉重的意外打击。
Americ ans used to say that what is good for Genera l Motors is good for the countr y and what is good for the countr y is good for GM, highli ghtin g the promin enceof Americ an car cultur e and how public and privat e intere sts were confla ted. Now that Toyota has many factor ies, employ ees, suppli ers and dealer s in the U.S., it's worthrecall ing that mutual intere sts are at stakein rectif yingthesesafety proble ms and puttin g Toyota back on track.
美国人以前常说：对通用汽车有好处的事，对美国也有好处；对美国有好处的事，对通用汽车也有好处。这句话彰显出美国汽车文化的主流地位，以及公众和私人利益如何错综复杂地交织在一起。丰田在美国有很多工厂、员工、供应商和汽车代理商，因此在丰田质量安全问题上，美日有着共同利益所在，丰田重回正轨对双方都有好处。
In Japan, the mediahas takensometh ing of a minima listapproa ch to this story. Here on its home turf, Toyota seemsto have been much more succes sfulin managi ng the news than it has been in the U.S. and both the mediaand govern menthave been more circum spect. On Friday, howeve r, the outspo ken transp ort minist er, SeijiMaehar a, pointe dly said that Toyota had denied thereis a proble m and in his view the compan y was insuff icien tly sensit ive to consum er compla ints.Yet unlike his Americ an counte rpart s, he has not author izedan inquir y into the safety defect s.
日本媒体对丰田危机的报导极尽简约之能事。丰田在本土的危机公关能力似乎比在美国更强大，日本媒体和政府对此事的态度也更为谨小慎微。不过，2010年2月5日，说话一向直言不讳的日本国土交通大臣前原诚司(Seiji M aehar a)点名指出，丰田公司曾否认存在质量问题，因此他认为该公司对消费者投诉的敏感度不够；但与美国方面不同的是，他没有授权发起对丰田产品安全隐患的调查。Also on Friday, Mr. Toyoda finall y held a pressconfer ence, two long weekssincethe U.S. gas pedalsafety recall was announ ced. At the confer ence,Mr. Toyoda triedto rescue the situat ion by apolog izing for the inconv enien ce to custom ers around the world.The compan y ascrib es the allege d brakeproble ms to custom ers misund ersta nding the feelin g of the ABS brakin g system and says that only the 2009 modelPriusis involv ed. SinceJanuar y, the compan y has fixedthe softwa re so that the ABS respon ds more quickl y.
同一天，丰田章男终于召开新闻发布会，这距离丰田公司因油门踏板安全问题在美国发出召回公告已有两周时间。丰田章男试图做一些补救工作，为此事给全球消费者带来的不便致以歉意。然而，公司将刹车问题归因于消费者对ABS 电子刹车系统使用感受的不当理解，表示只有2009年生产的普锐斯存在此类问题；自2010年1月起，公司已解决了相关软件问题，让ABS刹车系统的反应更加快速。
This pressconfer encewas an unsucc essfu l attemp t to reassu re custom ers and bluntthe impact of hearin gs schedu led for Wednes day in the U.S. Clearl y, Toyota is trying to avoida safety recall in Ja
panand is lobbyi ng the govern mentto permit a volunt ary repair progra m that involv es less stigma and cost. The compan y's insist encethat thereis no defect, just a softwa re glitch, ringshollow and does little to regain trustand restor e confid ence.Priusis a critic al modeldrivin g salesfor Toyota and questi ons aboutits brakin g system and othersafety defect s linger.
这场新闻发布会并不成功，既没有给消费者带来安抚，也未能缓和计划于2010
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