ABSTRACT
American Motors Corporation pulled Jeep out of its product crisis by redesigning almost every one of its parts: new engine, new transmission, Levi's trim, modern colors, and additional instruments. Instead of reconsidering the product design, Robins aggressively marketed the shield for three years, despite evidence of infection, miscarriages, and, in a few instances, deaths associated with its use. Schlitz's product failure was the inadvertent result of a misplaced concentration on the wrong goals; the Coca-Cola Company plunged into disaster with its eyes wide open. They dealt with an incipient product failure by getting in touch with their customers, identifying the problem, and responding rapidly. If they had hesitated, they might well have found themselves in the same straits as Schlitz or Robins. There are several reasons that products fail, the most common being that the engineers mess up the design or that the design does not satisfy the market.
