According to “Honda's automobile unit resumes operations in Thailand”, BBC news article, HATC is the last Japanese automobile factory in Thailand to resume production after the floods in early October last year. The other companies such as Toyota and Nissan resume production at the end of 2011. HATC is only factory which is completely flooded. As a result, Honda had to revise down its expected income. HATC is one of the most important production centre in Asia, but now its productive capacity is about only 12% and it is said that full productive capacity will be available at the end of April 2012.
I feel very sorry to hear that HATC was flooded because my family is the one who continually use Honda cars and before the floods occur, we have ordered the Honda CR-V car. However, when we know that the factory is flooded, we have to cancel it unevitably. It is because we have seen from TV that many cars in the factory floated in the water, which make us unsure about the quality of our coming soon car. Later, I’ve heard from the news that Honda is going to destroy all the cars which are flooded, I think it’s a very good idea to do that because it can regain trust from their customer, at least me, although that method would cost a lot to the company but it’s right and fair to the customer. Reliability is very important in doing business, and I believe that the company do all things to keep their customer with them.
As a result, my family has ordered Honda car again, although we have to wait for it a bit long time but that is okay and we can understand them.
Japan is famous for the quality of products and customer services for a long time and in this situation, HATC not only reassures its reliability, but also implies that Japanese companies are trustworthy too.
Honda's automobile unit resumes operations in Thailand. (2012, March 26). BBC News. Retrieved May 4, 2012 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17508462
I feel very sorry to hear that HATC was flooded because my family is the one who continually use Honda cars and before the floods occur, we have ordered the Honda CR-V car. However, when we know that the factory is flooded, we have to cancel it unevitably. It is because we have seen from TV that many cars in the factory floated in the water, which make us unsure about the quality of our coming soon car. Later, I’ve heard from the news that Honda is going to destroy all the cars which are flooded, I think it’s a very good idea to do that because it can regain trust from their customer, at least me, although that method would cost a lot to the company but it’s right and fair to the customer. Reliability is very important in doing business, and I believe that the company do all things to keep their customer with them.
As a result, my family has ordered Honda car again, although we have to wait for it a bit long time but that is okay and we can understand them.
Japan is famous for the quality of products and customer services for a long time and in this situation, HATC not only reassures its reliability, but also implies that Japanese companies are trustworthy too.
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I remember the floods well. Although my area, Silom Road, did not flood, there were sandbags and flood walls everywhere, and it had a serious impact on AUA students. The only "harm" I suffered was that Tops at Silom Complex, my preferred local supermarket, ran out of things, and in the end the vegetable and fruit supply was greatly diminished.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Pam that the Honda has behaved both sensibly and properly in destroying all of the flood damaged cars. It will cost them a lot, but in the long run, for a successful and respected business, it is also the best choice for the reasons that she gives.
It's a good example of the benefits for consumers and the entire economy, and wider society, of healthy, capitalist free market competition and free speech.
I think a major problem for Thai competitiveness is that there is not enough fair competition. For example, every law that restricts or bans foreign competition, in banking, retail marketing, farming, land ownership, or whatever, allows local Thai business to continue with inefficient practices, which harms the entire Thai economy except the selfish groups being protected by these communist-like, anti free market laws that also allow unfair, monopolistic price gouging of Thai consumers.
Getting back to the floods, although I was very glad that Silom Road did not flood, I also thought it was very unjust to protect my area by making things worse for longer for other areas of Bangkok. I think that there should have been a special tax imposed on all flood free land in the inner city to be used to compensate the residents of other areas who suffered more to keep us dry.
Thank you for your comment, Peter. I agree with you that it seems unfair to protect business areas and let the other area flood longer, but I think it's better to protect some parts and let business go on rather than let everywhere flood and all businesses have to stop.
ReplyDeletePam,
ReplyDeleteYes. If a careful cost-benefit analysis showed that protecting the central business district from flooding would minimize the harm caused by the floods, I agree that it was a reasonable choice, but then those of us who benefited most by causing others to suffer more should have to pay them for their extra suffering. We do, after all, have the means to do that precisely because we were protected by prolonging the flood agony of others.
I think it is OK to make decisions that harm some people, but those people must be compensated for the harm forced on them, and the compensation must be at least as great as the full cost of that harm, including the inconvenience, worry, lost opportunity and so on. I think the residents of central Bangkok owe many other Bangkokians and Thai citizens a high debt that they have not paid.