Title: Volkswagen brand: the fall of an auto empire

Authors: Adnan A. Latif

Addresses: College of Business Administration, University of Dammam, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia

Abstract: In September 2015, the news of Volkswagen (VW) exploded when the biggest auto manufacturer was found to be involved in a huge scandal. Now, business gurus are grappling with the same enemies called fraud, trickery and unethical conduct. In the last 50 years, corporate scandals used to injure consumers and investors but this scandal is more pervasive. It made a mockery of the loyalties of millions of consumers, ridiculed environmental agencies of a few dozen nations and devastated investors who thought that VW brand with a history of seven decades of integrity was their best bet. In the months ahead, as the scandal unfolds we will find out how meticulously and with an evil but genius mind the world was deceived by the once loved VW brand. The most intriguing secret to find out would be how will the company play the game of restoring its consumers' confidence?

Keywords: Volkswagen; auto manufacturer; corporate scandal; EPA compliance; diesel engines; ethics; corporate governance; deceit devices; emissions standards; consumer loyalty.

DOI: 10.1504/JGBA.2017.084597

Journal for Global Business Advancement, 2017 Vol.10 No.3, pp.281 - 304

Received: 28 Jun 2016
Accepted: 23 Sep 2016
Published online: 17 Jun 2017 *

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