Ayse

ord Management's first concern was to protect its name brand. The negative press surrounding the tire tread separation issues threatened the longevity of the company name. Ford managers wanted to defend the Ford name against an impending association with the faulty products from Firestone. The second concern confronting the management team at Ford is their selection of other tire companies. It may never be known how much damage the defect Firestone tires inflicted on future car sales, but what can be deduced is that Ford will have a very difficult time recovering from a second issue involving sub-standard tires. A third concern revolves around Ford management's ability to nurture another partnership through good and bad times. When the tire problems were brought into the spotlight, both companies refused to accept the blame and allowed a century-old partnership to erode.

Ford—Labor

Initially, Ford Labor was not concerned with the recall issue, as they believed that the problem was only with the Firestone tires. As the issue sustained media coverage, the laborers started to feel the pinch of the loss of sales and became concerned that layoffs would affect their livelihoods. Ford employees were unsure if the company could recover from all of the finger pointing and questions about vehicle safety. 

~Firestone--Management~

Firestone Management was also torn between the social responsibility, loss of sales, and their company image. Firestone would not accept the blame of the tread breaking away from the tires causing rollovers, which in turn was responsible for traffic fatalities, because they said the Ford Explorer was to blame. The company wanted to make sure their reputation as a leading tire manufacturer would not be tarnished and they could salvage their relationship with Ford or any other car manufacturer.

Firestone—Labor

Just like Ford labor, Firestone labor is concerned about how the tire problems will affect their job stability and income levels....