The article in review restates Samsung’s admission that the battery in Note 7 was the cause of fire and explosions associated with these Smartphone. Some of the components that the company announced were the causes of the fire and the failures that caused the batteries to behave abnormally. Samsung, through its mobile CEO Koh Dong-jin agreed that the company had ignorantly omitted some safety procedures but promised consumers that it was instilling procedures that would avoid a repeat of the same in the future. To show sympathy with the situation, Samsung’s bad-news message included an admission that its latest Galaxy S Smartphone’s release would be delayed as the company probed its failures and enhanced produced safety after looking into the causes of explosions and fires in the Note 7 devices.
One can rightly argue that the company demonstrated understanding and concern of the bad news and its causes. It showed adequate buffer, provided an explanation, and presented the news in a manner that was understandable by the audience. However, it failed to present a redirection, focus, the future, and goodwill. For example, the news did not indicate that the company was willing to compensate the people whose phones had exploded in other means other than the provisions listed in the warranty. From a personal objective, this condition showed lack of goodwill. Similarly, it did not explain the measures that future Note 7 consumers would undergo to ensure that the problem was avoided (Samuelson, 2016). Instead, it showed its willingness to make improvements in the next range of Smartphone.
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Extent of Meeting needs of Victims and Other Stakeholders
As mentioned before, victims of fires and explosions were not covered in the message delivered by Samsung and reported by Reuters (2017). The other stakeholders, however, were adequately covered as the company explained that its future devices would avoid the same mistakes. It follows therefore, that the company instilled confidence in customers by making them believe that future devices would be safer and that the current mistake was innocent and unpredictable. Since Samsung is a publicly trading company, the incidence with Note 7 was likely to reduce the confidence of shareholders and cause some of them to withdraw from the company. However, the announcement that the company delay release of its next range of devices demonstrated goodwill and willingness to address mistakes of the past before releasing the next device.
Fairness of the Communication
Indeed, Samsung’s communication with regards to the defective battery was completely fair as it aimed at informing the stakeholders that it had noticed the problem and was ready to remedy it. Its willingness to admit the mistake publicly demonstrated sympathy for the victims. Similarly, the admission was a clear sign that it was unintentional and that the company had already embarked on corrective measures.
Aspects that need Improvement
Despite the effectiveness of this message, some its aspects may need improvement. For example, its sympathy with victims of fires and explosions needs to be improved through measures that ensure immediate replacement. Secondly, the company’s communication of the causes and corrective measures that need to be instilled in the batteries are lacking. From an objective position, the company is not entirely transparent with what will be done to avoid such mistakes in the future. The same aspect is reflected in the future devices (Reuters, 2017). Customers and other shareholders are not entirely sure whether the mistake will be repeated in the future or not as information issued by the company is inadequate and unsupported.
References
Reuters. (2017, January 23). Samsung Electronics says battery defects caused Galaxy Note 7 fires, may delay new phone launch. Retrieved from https://www.financialexpress.com/industry/technology/samsung-electronics-says-battery defects-caused-galaxy-note-7-fires/518550/
Samuelson, K. (2016). A Brief History of Samsung's Troubled Galaxy Note 7 Smartphone. Retrieved from https://www.reiffandbily.com/samsungs-note-7-battery-defect announcement-reveals-multiple-problems-caused-fires/
