Why It Matters: Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility
Why explain the importance of business ethics and corporate social responsibility?
The car company Volkswagen (which is part of the larger Volkswagen Group) indicates that its goal is "to offer attractive, safe, and environmentally sound vehicles that can compete in an increasingly tough market and set world standards in their respective class."[2]
In the months following the discovery of the deceptive devices, investigators identified a team of Volkswagen employees who had hatched the plan and implemented it over a number of years. An internal evaluation identified a "culture of tolerance" for rule breaking at the company. It also came to light that Volkswagen's emphasis on "results at any cost" had contributed to the breach in ethical standards. Industry experts believe that the company's violation of consumers' trust will be will be exceedingly difficult to repair and that it may take years to rebuild the Volkswagen brand.
In this module you'll learn why business ethics and corporate social responsibility are not just means of "doing the right thing" but in many cases are good business, too.
- Jurevicius, "Ovidijus. \"Volkswagen Mission Statement 2013.\" Strategic Management Insight. September 14, 2013. Accessed February 19, 2019. http://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/mission-statements/volkswagen-mission-statement.html." ↵
- Jurevicius, "Ovidijus. \"Volkswagen Mission Statement 2013.\" Strategic Management Insight. September 14, 2013. Accessed February 19, 2019. http://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/mission-statements/volkswagen-mission-statement.html." ↵