Strategies of containment in recall notices

Abstract

To understand how strategies of containment operate in recall notices, a writer or reader must first consider two goals that these notices attempt to accomplish. The first of these goals is obvious: a well-constructed recall notice entices a consumer into returning a defective product to the manufacturer, allowing the manufacturer to repair or replace the product. The second goal, while somewhat less obvious, is equally important: the recall notice controls damage to the manufacturer's reputation. Faced with the unpleasant task of recalling a product, the manufacturer can use that recall notice to mitigate its responsibility for the defective product and to demonstrate its concern for the consumer.