Mattel As a global leader in toy manufacturing and marketing, Mattel faces a number of potential threats to its ongoing operations including tough competition, changing consumer preferences and lifestyles, lawsuits, product liability issues, global sourcing, and declining sales. The case addresses Mattel’s social responsibility imperative along with the company’s reactions to its challenges and its prospects for the future. What environmental issues are responsible for Barbie’s declining sales? How have these issues also affected other parts of Mattel’s product portfolio?