Coding template and evidence-to-template mapping (audit trail)
| Evidence excerpts | Descriptive code | Template mapping | Process inference |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Shipments of the Galaxy Note 7 are being delayed due to additional tests being conducted for product quality” (Gibbs, 2016) | Decision to delay shipments for quality tests | Strategic sensitivity ✕ Error detection | Recognition of product safety anomalies |
| “In response to recently reported cases of the new Galaxy Note7, we [noted that] there have been 35 cases that have been reported globally” (Samsung, 2016a) | Immediate acknowledgement | Strategic sensitivity ✕ Error detection | Attention to consumer risk perceptions |
| Samsung said it was “currently conducting a thorough inspection with our suppliers to identify possible affected batteries in the market” (Samsung, 2016b) | Internal awareness of incidents | Strategic sensitivity ✕ Error detection | Continuous scanning and internal monitoring |
| Samsung referred to “producing the highest quality products” and stressed that it was “taking [the] incident […] very seriously,” thereby prompting the allocation of resources toward quality control (Samsung, 2016b) | Redirected funds toward quality control | Resource fluidity ✕ Error detection | Financial reallocation to risk management |
| “Koh says a team of 700 company engineers conducted internal testing, and independent reviews of potential problems were carried” (Moynihan, 2017), referring to actions undertaken shortly after the issue was discovered | Technical redeployment for immediate testing | Resource fluidity ✕ Error detection | Human redeployment |
| From Samsung Urges Galaxy Note7 Users to Immediately Participate in The Replacement Program: “Our number one priority is the safety of our customers. … We sincerely thank our customers for their understanding and patience.” (Samsung, 2016c) | Empathetic framing | Leadership unity ✕ Error detection | Early safety-centered framing aligns messaging and stabilizes stakeholder expectations |
| “The Samsung statement to Reuters is terse […] Samsung, in a statement to Reuters, did not elaborate on what it is testing the devices for or in which markets the shipments are being delayed.” (Reuters, 2016b) | Delivery of terse stakeholder communication | Leadership unity ✕ Error detection | Delivery of a few initial, clear messages to stakeholders |
| “Initially, Samsung was praised for its fast and decisive reaction to the reports” (RedBanyan, 2016) | Fast decisive messaging | Leadership unity ✕ Error detection | Early coherence and speed of messaging reinforced credibility and limited interpretive drift among stakeholders |
| “Recalling a product is never easy, and yielding returns of more than 30% is extremely challenging. Samsung aggressively told the media its goal was a 100% recall. Less than three months later, the company has reached a 96% return rate globally” (Lopez, 2017) | Proactive recall announcement | Strategic sensitivity ✕ Error communication | Interpreting evolving risk signals and stakeholder responses |
| “The company sent text messages and emails to communicate the recall” (Lopez, 2017) | Direct communication through multiple channels | Strategic sensitivity ✕ Error communication | Broadening stakeholder reach to accelerate recall compliance |
| “Teams of Samsung employees were sent to airports to collect the phones” (Lopez, 2017) | Employee mobilization to support consumers | Resource fluidity ✕ Error communication | Operational redeployment for recall execution |
| On September 2, 2016, during a press conference in Seoul, DJ Koh announced: “By putting our top priority on customer safety, we've decided to halt sales (of Galaxy Note 7) and offer new replacement handsets to all customers” (Petrov, 2016) | Executive alignment in recall announcements | Leadership unity ✕ Error communication | Leadership coordination across units |
| Tim Baxter, President and COO of Samsung Electronics America, stated in a September 2016 video apology: “We did not meet the standards of excellence that you expect and deserve. For that, we apologize, especially to those of you who were personally impacted by this” (King, 2016) | Transparent executive engagement | Leadership unity ✕ Error communication | Leadership enactment of corporate responsibility |
| “Samsung also formed a Battery Advisory Group of external advisers, academic and research experts to ensure it maintains a clear and objective perspective on battery safety and innovation” (Samsung, 2017b) | Formation of external expert group | Strategic sensitivity ✕ Damage control | External expert validation of safety practices |
| “Since the Note7 recall, we've re-assessed every step of the smartphone manufacturing process and developed this 8-Point Battery Safety Check. It involves putting our batteries through extreme testing, inside and out, followed by careful inspection by X-ray and the human eye to ensure highest quality” (Samsung, 2017d) | Development of new quality standards | Strategic sensitivity ✕ Damage control | Institutionalization of risk monitoring |
| “Samsung … 700 researchers tested 200,000 phones” (Lopez, 2017) | Large-scale redeployment of engineers | Resource fluidity ✕ Damage control | Mobilization of technical expertise |
| “Samsung also improved the volume and speed of returned units by working with telecom carriers to issue a software update that would disable the Galaxy Note 7's charging abilities” (Lopez, 2017) | Technical software fix to mitigate hazard | Resource fluidity ✕ Damage control | Technological interventions for risk containment |
| “Samsung has begun a massive marketing campaign to re-establish itself as the number one mobile brand in the world following the recall … that all started with a TV ad … explaining Samsung is improving the manufacturing process since the Note7 issues” (Fenech, 2017) | Repositioning investments in advertising | Resource fluidity ✕ Damage control | Strategic reframing of corporate reputation |
| “Samsung's enhanced multi-layer safety measures protocol will implement strict safety standards on every element of the company's devices including the overall design and materials used, device hardware strength and capabilities, and improved software algorithms for safer battery charging temperature, current and duration” (Samsung, 2017e) | Institutionalization of standardized testing | Resource fluidity ✕ Damage control | Embedding safety routines in operations |
| “Samsung SDI said in a statement that it has invested about 150 billion won ($129 million) in safety and that its batteries will probably be among the safest in the industry after the additional steps taken” (Bloomberg, 2017) | Funding long-term safety innovation | Resource fluidity ✕ Damage control | Long-term capacity building for risk prevention |
| “Today, more than ever, we are committed to earning the trust of our customers through innovation that redefines what is possible in safety.” (Samsung, 2017b) | Public reaffirmation of safety and transparency | Leadership unity ✕ Damage control | Transparent executive engagement in long-term damage control |
| “The Galaxy S8 is our testament to regaining your trust by redefining what's possible in safety.” (Samsung, 2017f) | Linking recovery narrative to new flagship launch | Leadership unity ✕ Damage control | Leadership focus on renewal and forward strategy |
| Evidence excerpts | Descriptive code | Template mapping | Process inference |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Shipments of the Galaxy Note 7 are being delayed due to additional tests being conducted for product quality” ( | Decision to delay shipments for quality tests | Recognition of product safety anomalies | |
| “In response to recently reported cases of the new Galaxy Note7, we [noted that] there have been 35 cases that have been reported globally” ( | Immediate acknowledgement | Attention to consumer risk perceptions | |
| Samsung said it was “currently conducting a thorough inspection with our suppliers to identify possible affected batteries in the market” ( | Internal awareness of incidents | Continuous scanning and internal monitoring | |
| Samsung referred to “producing the highest quality products” and stressed that it was “taking [the] incident […] very seriously,” thereby prompting the allocation of resources toward quality control ( | Redirected funds toward quality control | Financial reallocation to risk management | |
| “Koh says a team of 700 company engineers conducted internal testing, and independent reviews of potential problems were carried” ( | Technical redeployment for immediate testing | Human redeployment | |
| From Samsung Urges Galaxy Note7 Users to Immediately Participate in The Replacement Program: “Our number one priority is the safety of our customers. … We sincerely thank our customers for their understanding and patience.” ( | Empathetic framing | Early safety-centered framing aligns messaging and stabilizes stakeholder expectations | |
| “The Samsung statement to Reuters is terse […] Samsung, in a statement to Reuters, did not elaborate on what it is testing the devices for or in which markets the shipments are being delayed.” ( | Delivery of terse stakeholder communication | Delivery of a few initial, clear messages to stakeholders | |
| “Initially, Samsung was praised for its fast and decisive reaction to the reports” ( | Fast decisive messaging | Early coherence and speed of messaging reinforced credibility and limited interpretive drift among stakeholders | |
| “Recalling a product is never easy, and yielding returns of more than 30% is extremely challenging. Samsung aggressively told the media its goal was a 100% recall. Less than three months later, the company has reached a 96% return rate globally” ( | Proactive recall announcement | Interpreting evolving risk signals and stakeholder responses | |
| “The company sent text messages and emails to communicate the recall” ( | Direct communication through multiple channels | Broadening stakeholder reach to accelerate recall compliance | |
| “Teams of Samsung employees were sent to airports to collect the phones” ( | Employee mobilization to support consumers | Operational redeployment for recall execution | |
| On September 2, 2016, during a press conference in Seoul, DJ Koh announced: “By putting our top priority on customer safety, we've decided to halt sales (of Galaxy Note 7) and offer new replacement handsets to all customers” ( | Executive alignment in recall announcements | Leadership coordination across units | |
| Tim Baxter, President and COO of Samsung Electronics America, stated in a September 2016 video apology: “We did not meet the standards of excellence that you expect and deserve. For that, we apologize, especially to those of you who were personally impacted by this” ( | Transparent executive engagement | Leadership enactment of corporate responsibility | |
| “Samsung also formed a Battery Advisory Group of external advisers, academic and research experts to ensure it maintains a clear and objective perspective on battery safety and innovation” ( | Formation of external expert group | External expert validation of safety practices | |
| “Since the Note7 recall, we've re-assessed every step of the smartphone manufacturing process and developed this 8-Point Battery Safety Check. It involves putting our batteries through extreme testing, inside and out, followed by careful inspection by X-ray and the human eye to ensure highest quality” ( | Development of new quality standards | Institutionalization of risk monitoring | |
| “Samsung … 700 researchers tested 200,000 phones” ( | Large-scale redeployment of engineers | Mobilization of technical expertise | |
| “Samsung also improved the volume and speed of returned units by working with telecom carriers to issue a software update that would disable the Galaxy Note 7's charging abilities” ( | Technical software fix to mitigate hazard | Technological interventions for risk containment | |
| “Samsung has begun a massive marketing campaign to re-establish itself as the number one mobile brand in the world following the recall … that all started with a TV ad … explaining Samsung is improving the manufacturing process since the Note7 issues” ( | Repositioning investments in advertising | Strategic reframing of corporate reputation | |
| “Samsung's enhanced multi-layer safety measures protocol will implement strict safety standards on every element of the company's devices including the overall design and materials used, device hardware strength and capabilities, and improved software algorithms for safer battery charging temperature, current and duration” ( | Institutionalization of standardized testing | Embedding safety routines in operations | |
| “Samsung SDI said in a statement that it has invested about 150 billion won ($129 million) in safety and that its batteries will probably be among the safest in the industry after the additional steps taken” ( | Funding long-term safety innovation | Long-term capacity building for risk prevention | |
| “Today, more than ever, we are committed to earning the trust of our customers through innovation that redefines what is possible in safety.” ( | Public reaffirmation of safety and transparency | Transparent executive engagement in long-term damage control | |
| “The Galaxy S8 is our testament to regaining your trust by redefining what's possible in safety.” ( | Linking recovery narrative to new flagship launch | Leadership focus on renewal and forward strategy |
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