Product harm crisis at the crossroads: monitoring recovery of replacement products

Company responses to product harm crises must include a decision as to whether product replacement is indicated. A model is provided to assist managers in making product replacement decisions on the basis of empirical standards. In addition, a monitoring mechanism is suggested to assess the efficacy of company responses after they have been undertaken. Both parts of the model, taken conjointly, provide an ongoing technique to help ensure new product replacement success. The model has the additional advantage of being generally applicable to all cases of product harm crisis management involving product recalls.