Technicians from a car company would have apparently checked that their vehicles complied with environmental regulations and passed all technical tests. This was certified despite the fact that the daily operation of the cars will represent other levels of emissions, which were altered to the benefit of the brand through a device that modified them when the cars were stopped in the tests.
However, the cars had a higher level of emissions in motion and were actually much more polluting than what the company declared to the market.
This practice led to investigations for the company that, in addition to significantly affecting its reputation and the credibility of consumers, led to the payment of millionaire fines and cost overruns relevant to the operation by having to replace thousands of parts of the cars that had been sold.
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This case teaches us that even small decisions can lead to big changes within organizations, both positive and negative.
It is possible that the fate of this company would have been different if it had been transparent and respectful of its consumers and had promoted free and fair competition through behaviors such as:
- Not request, receive, deliver or exchange commercial information with competitors, even in casual conversations.
- Never enter into contracts with competitors that seek to restrict or limit the access or participation of competitors in the market.
- Never use casual, careless or imprecise language in letters, emails, text messages or other written communications with competitors that, read out of context, could be misinterpreted.
- Never disseminate incorrect or inaccurate information on the products or on the activity, establishments of the competitors or other elements that may negatively affect the image of the competitors or generate confusion.
- Not to carry out acts of imitation, exploitation of the reputation of others, espionage or violation of industrial secrets.
Study other cases and lessons on ethics and compliance in the annual virtual conduct course, The Power of Your Decision – Season Two, available on your SuccessFactors learning path.
