Book contents
- Reviews
- The Cambridge Handbook of Corporate Law, Corporate Governance and Sustainability
- The Cambridge Handbook of Corporate Law, Corporate Governance and Sustainability
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Forewords
- Preface
- Introduction
- Part I Global Business and Fragmented Regulation
- Part II Corporate Law, Financial Markets and Sustainability
- Part III Corporate Law, Corporate Governance and Sustainability: Case Studies
- 10 Progress Is Possible
- 11 Green but Not Enough
- 12 The Australian Paradox
- 13 Moving beyond Virtue Signalling
- 14 The EU as a Potential Norm Creator for Sustainable Corporate Groups
- 15 Market-Led Sustainability through Information Disclosure
- 16 Law, Culture and Sustainability
- 17 Stakeholder Value versus Corporate Sustainability
- 18 Worker Participation, Sustainability and the Puzzle of the Volkswagen Emissions Scandal
- 19 Corporate Sustainability and Shareholder Activism in the Netherlands
- 20 Old-Fashioned yet Innovative
- 21 The Unsuccessful Pursuit for Sustainability in Italian Business Law
- 22 Sustainability and the Transformation of the Socialist Corporation into the Private Corporation
- 23 Limited Demand, Limited Supply
- 24 The Pacific Alliance
- 25 Social Environmentalism and Corporate Capture
- 26 The Social and Ethics Committee
- 27 Reforming the Nigerian Oil and Gas Sector
- 28 Enlightenment or Resistance?
- 29 The Community Company as a Vehicle for Sustainability in Solomon Islands
- 30 What Does It Mean to Be Sustainable?
- 31 Shareholder Voting and Corporate Sustainability in China
- 32 Corporate Governance Reform, Social Norms and Sustainability in Japanese Companies
- 33 Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in India
- 34 Sustainability and Legislated Corporate Social Responsibility in Indonesia
- 35 Islamic Financial Institutions and Corporate Sustainability
- 36 Leaders or Laggards?
- Part IV Potential Drivers for Change
- Conclusion
- Index
18 - Worker Participation, Sustainability and the Puzzle of the Volkswagen Emissions Scandal
from Part III - Corporate Law, Corporate Governance and Sustainability: Case Studies
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 November 2019
- Reviews
- The Cambridge Handbook of Corporate Law, Corporate Governance and Sustainability
- The Cambridge Handbook of Corporate Law, Corporate Governance and Sustainability
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Forewords
- Preface
- Introduction
- Part I Global Business and Fragmented Regulation
- Part II Corporate Law, Financial Markets and Sustainability
- Part III Corporate Law, Corporate Governance and Sustainability: Case Studies
- 10 Progress Is Possible
- 11 Green but Not Enough
- 12 The Australian Paradox
- 13 Moving beyond Virtue Signalling
- 14 The EU as a Potential Norm Creator for Sustainable Corporate Groups
- 15 Market-Led Sustainability through Information Disclosure
- 16 Law, Culture and Sustainability
- 17 Stakeholder Value versus Corporate Sustainability
- 18 Worker Participation, Sustainability and the Puzzle of the Volkswagen Emissions Scandal
- 19 Corporate Sustainability and Shareholder Activism in the Netherlands
- 20 Old-Fashioned yet Innovative
- 21 The Unsuccessful Pursuit for Sustainability in Italian Business Law
- 22 Sustainability and the Transformation of the Socialist Corporation into the Private Corporation
- 23 Limited Demand, Limited Supply
- 24 The Pacific Alliance
- 25 Social Environmentalism and Corporate Capture
- 26 The Social and Ethics Committee
- 27 Reforming the Nigerian Oil and Gas Sector
- 28 Enlightenment or Resistance?
- 29 The Community Company as a Vehicle for Sustainability in Solomon Islands
- 30 What Does It Mean to Be Sustainable?
- 31 Shareholder Voting and Corporate Sustainability in China
- 32 Corporate Governance Reform, Social Norms and Sustainability in Japanese Companies
- 33 Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in India
- 34 Sustainability and Legislated Corporate Social Responsibility in Indonesia
- 35 Islamic Financial Institutions and Corporate Sustainability
- 36 Leaders or Laggards?
- Part IV Potential Drivers for Change
- Conclusion
- Index
Summary
In September 2015, Volkswagen's "clean diesel" technology was exposed as a sham. Not only were the company's vehicles discharging dangerously high levels of nitrogen oxide, but VW had intentionally rigged its emissions systems to cheat on environmental tests. In the wake of resignations and criminal investigations, the company's governance system came under justifiable attack. Were VW's famously worker-friendly governance policies to blame? This Chapter examines the root causes of the emissions scandal and concludes that VW's governance culture suffered from dictatorial leadership as well as a cozy relationship between management and labor leaders. This culture of complacency led to a lack of accountability at key levels, including executives, shareholders, and regulators. In addition, despite its worker-oriented governance structure, Volkswagen's internal management is still organized along traditional hierarchical lines. Empowered workers, participating at all levels of company governance, would provide a stronger internal culture of compliance, innovation, and sustainability.
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- Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2019