Cleaning Up After Volkswagen

Volkswagen is expected to update the world on its internal investigation the emissions-regulations scandal this week. However, as this article puts it, VW has been “responding to each new revelation [of misconduct] with denial, feigned ignorance and weak apologies.” It seems almost impossible that a company as large as VW with such a glaring moral and practical issue can shrug it off so nonchalantly. Such behavior is very typical of a harmful corporate culture that is hoping against hope that the scandal will simply ‘go away.’ What VW should focus on, in addition to keeping its internal investigation as objective as possible, is a cultural shift towards openness, transparency and accountability. See the New York Times for more.