Dow-Corning Implants Case LO5323

Arsenio Roldan (roldan@uclink.berkeley.edu)
Fri, 2 Feb 1996 10:46:35 -0800 (PST)

Hi! My name is Arsenio Roldan. I have been following the discussions and
have pursued understanding the concepts of LO short of a passion in the
past couple of years. I have also studied and practiced the TQM and
Continuous Improvement concepts and methods in private and higher
education settings.

In my strategic management course in the MBA program, I came across Dow
Corning's case on the silicone breast implants. Obviously, it appears that
the management had failed to correctly assess or predict the impact of the
silicone implants to the recepients as well as the magnitude of the
liability. Although Dow Corning was seemingly sophisticated in its
organizational skills, matrix/multi-dimensional structure was featured in
HBR, I am uncertain whether they are some kind of LO. Could the problem,
unprecedented liability settlement todate, have been avoided? Could LO
help in the strategies developed after the crisis, to control costs and
avoid a recurrence?

--
Thanks and regards to all.
Arsenio Roldan III
Office of the Director of Accounting Services
University of California at Berkeley
433 University Hall,  MS# 1100
TEL:(510)643-2465 | FAX:(510)643-7628
EMAIL:roldan@uclink.berkeley.edu