Once things like this mattered (as in the days when components had to have second sources of supply). It seems to me (at least part) why consideration of these

Once things like this mattered (as in the days when components had to have second sources of supply). It seems to me (at least part) why consideration of these matters has slackened in recent decades is because there are many more things to process and to analyze them has become much more complicated. Even the most conscientious bureaucrat would be overloaded and unable to cope. Perhaps the only sensible way around this is to introduce high-level (broad) laws that require both corporations and their senior executives to act responsibly and to accept full responsibility for the quality of their products. As I suggested in my other post, if laws made it much easier for senior company executives to face criminal charges with regard to negligence, hiding faults from customers, etc. then they'd act more responsibly out of fear (these days they're too cocky that nothing will happen to them when things go awry and or their products go belly-up). A possible downside could be that fewer companies would tender for such contracts. That said, I reckon that situation would only be temporary until the message got through and sunk in. Also, such laws could easily be tailored to excuse those who made genuine mistakes, etc.