A German court has sentenced two former Volkswagen executives to prison and handed suspended sentences to two others for their roles in the company’s diesel emissions scandal.
If you are at the top of an organisation then you can you be a scapegoat? You are literally in charge. Your only chance is if an employee committed fraud and deliberately hid something from you.
Head of department is middle management. Middle management is certainly the most vulnerable position in situations like this.
The top manager got a nice compensation and very high pension (according to German media ~€1.3 million per year), while the owners (Piech/Porsche family) still earn billions every year.
CEO Martin Winterkorn’s trial in Germany was paused in 2021 due to health issues, but he remains a key figure under investigation.
The arrest of Audi’s then-CEO Rupert Stadler in 2018 marked a dramatic shift into current executives.
Owners responsibility is interesting. I think the concept of limited liability protects them, but should it? If they actively influenced the policy I don’t think it should (but proving that is difficult).
If you are at the top of an organisation then you can you be a scapegoat? You are literally in charge. Your only chance is if an employee committed fraud and deliberately hid something from you.
Head of department is middle management. Middle management is certainly the most vulnerable position in situations like this.
The top manager got a nice compensation and very high pension (according to German media ~€1.3 million per year), while the owners (Piech/Porsche family) still earn billions every year.
Top managers do seem to be targeted.
Owners responsibility is interesting. I think the concept of limited liability protects them, but should it? If they actively influenced the policy I don’t think it should (but proving that is difficult).