Rashi had planned on spending six months at home before returning to work after the birth of her first child. However, she and her husband had recently purchased a new home, and the high EMI payments dictated an early return.Rashi worked for Copier, a manufacturer of quality paper for printouts. She had recently been promoted to Assistant Product Manager for top quality paper after serving as sales representative in the Western Zone for three years. Upon returning to work, Rashi discovered that the Purchasing Manager had recently started buying an inferior grade of wood pulp, used in manufacturing the paper. The pulp would last about half as long as the original pulp, but the lower quality could not be detected by the buyer.When Rashi revealed this information to her boss, she was told that the Purchasing Manager was following orders from top management. The company was having financial difficulties and had to cut costs. The change in wood pulp quality was a quick and safe way to do so. Rashi argued that selling inferior merchandise as quality product was no way to solve budget problems, but she got nowhere. Copier products projected an image of quality which Rashi had stressed to her retailers when she was selling in the Western Zone. She could envision that image eroding rapidly as consumers began to experience poor quality paper. Not only would Copier’s reputation be damaged, but the reputations of the retailers carrying Copier’s products would also likely suffer.
a. Analyze the case.b. Suggest the alternatives which Rashi can implement to protect the Brand Image of Copier.