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Abstract
A long awaited apology was finally released from the president of Toyota on February 9, 2010. President of the company—Akio Toyoda addresses the issue of sticking accelerator pedals by giving an apology to the owners of Toyota vehicles. In his apologetic letter Akio Toyoda states that he takes full responsibility while presenting a plan to ensure future customer safety and satisfaction. “You have my commitment that Toyota will revitalize the simple but powerful principal that has guided us for 50 years: Toyota will build the highest-quality, safest and most reliable automobiles in the world” (Toyoda, Akio).
The implicit can become explicit after looking through the rhetorical situation lens on a letter written by Akio Toyoda, "Toyota's Plan to Repair its Public Image." After a rhetorical analysis of Toyoda's apologetic letter, readers are able to better understand why Toyota consumers continue to support Toyota and their vehicles. The conjunction of the purpose, audience, speaker, occasion, and cultural context evokes feelings and thoughts from Toyota consumers. Akio Toyoda used rhetoric— defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as “the art of using language so as to persuade or influence others; the body of rules to be observed by speakers and writers in order that they may express themselves with eloquence”—to his advantage during the composition of the 2010 letter.
Genre/Occasion
In digital writing , genre pertains to the type of text. There are various genres across the internet medium. Genres are like categories; when various texts have similar aspects they would be categorized into a genre. When looking at genre within community-building, different examples become present. Genres evolve over time; some are added while others become outdated.
Akio Toyoda's letter, Toyota's Plan to Repair its Public Image, would fall into a genre of letters. During the composition of the letter, Toyota wanted nothing more than forgiveness. It was clear that Toyota realized they made a mistake and were sincerely sorry.
Example
“When consumers purchase a Toyota, they are not simply purchasing a car, truck, or van. They are placing their trust in our company. The past few weeks, however have made clear that Toyota has not lived up to the high standards we set for ourselves. More important, we have not lived up to the high standards you have come to expect from us. I am deeply disappointed by that and I apologize” (President, Toyota).
“Today, Toyota team members and dealers across North America are working around the clock to repair all recalled vehicles. But to regain the trust of American Drivers and their families, more is needed. We are taking responsibility for our mistakes, learning from them and acting immediately to address the concerns of consumers and independent government regulators” (Toyoda, Akio).
Speaker/Writer
The speaker or writer of a text is the person who is actually preforming the writing or speaking. Often times, it can be useful to listen or look for the narrative mode (1st person; 2end person; 3rd person).
While reading Akio Toyoda's letter, i found "I" and "We" frequently. Because of the "I" and "We" i could determine the letter was written by Mr. Toyoda in collaboration with the Toyota company. Because the letter is written from Akio Toyoda and the Toyota company, the consumers were most likely more forgiving.
Example
"As the president of Toyota, I take personal responsibility. That is why I am personally leading the effort to restore our word and in our products" (Toyoda, Akio).
"Two weeks ago, I pulled the andon cord for our company. I ordered production of eight models in five plants across North America temporarily stopped so that we would focus on fixing customers' vehicles that might be affected by sticking accelerator pedals" (President, Toyoda)
Message/Purpose
The message or purpose corresponding to the genre. It is essentially the reasoning behind writing or speaking.
The Toyota 2010 controversy over sticking accelerator pedals prompted an apologetic letter by Mr. Toyoda. The particular letter that was written was one of confession, regret, concern, and solution. For Toyoda's letter, Toyota's Plan to Repair its Public Image, the message and purpose was to seek forgiveness, regain trust, and maintain business.
Example
"But to regain the trust of American drivers and their families, more is needed. We are taking responsibility for our mistakes, learning from them and acting immediately to address the concerns of consumers and independent government regulators" (Toyoda, Akio).
Audience
A collective group of listeners or speakers.
The audience for Toyota's message over the 'sticky pedals', is essentially everybody. You may not drive a Toyota, but you can still be a part of the audience. Of course the main audience is the people invested in Toyota, but this problem is significant to all drivers of various vehicles. A news release is a timely move for Toyota and can also help rebuild confidence in the consumer market for they admitted a mistake, fixed it, and will do everything in their power not to let that happen again.
Example
"But to regain the trust of American drivers and their families…"(Toyoda, Akio).
Toyoda, Akio. "Toyota's Plan to Repair Its Public Image - Cheers & Gears Forums." Cheers and Gears: News, Reviews, Muse. 9 Feb. 2010. Web. 6 Dec. 2011. <http://www.cheersandgears.com/topic/52919-toyotas-plan-to-repair-its-public-image/>.