Broken Business

PREFACE

Why do good companies go bad? Why do corporate scandals happen so often? Is corruption and misconduct in business inevitable? And, on a more pragmatic level, what can business leaders do about it? What can they do to save their companies when scandal strikes or, better yet, what can they do to avoid scandal in the first place?

These are the questions that drive this book.

The answers are based on both academic research and years of experience working with venerable, global companies that were nearly taken down by crises of their own making, only to restore themselves and emerge stronger and better than ever. The information contained in these pages is of interest to anyone in a leadership position in their workplace; or anyone with an interest in management, business ethics, or the impact of corporate misconduct on society and what can be done about it.

With every passing year, it seems we are barraged with more and more stories of corporate scandals. Recent examples include a global carmaker rigging their vehicles to cheat on emissions tests, a major bank illegally foisting accounts and credit cards on millions of customers without their knowledge or consent, and innumerable stories about sexual misconduct by powerful entitled leaders. And these are just a few high-profile cases – the tip of the iceberg for anyone who routinely reads the business news.

Sadly, it was the cover-up in these cases by powerful but misguided leaders that caused even more problems than whatever ...