Read the discussion "Volkswagen: Where were the Lawyers - Discussion Forum 1" and give response.
Being the voice of reason or speaking up for what is right can be difficult in a corporate setting, Sitting in a conference room among people who may be scared to mention or do not care whether an idea is ethical or unethical is a difficult position to be in. This lack of speaking out may have played a role in the Volkswagen scandal.
Lippe (2105) discussed seven different possibilities of why lawyers did not detect or reveal the truth of what was going on with the "clean diesel" project. Lippe stated that the most likely situation that occurred was "The Volkswagen engineers neither discussed with nor hid what they were doing from Volkswagen's in-house lawyers, and the in-house lawyers didn't realize what was going on. Most likely, maybe 50 percent" If this scenario truly transpired, Volkswagen may have other legal issues in the future. It should not be a normal practice for a company the size of Volkswagen to have engineers not discuss with their lawyers what is going into production. The lawyers may not fully understand every aspect of what the engineers are doing so it is up to the engineers to make lawyers fully aware of what is taking place so that from that point the lawyers can ask questions to ensure there are no looming legal ramifications. Lippe also stated that a single engineer made a bad design decision. Whether the design was good or bad it should have been openly discussed and reviewed several times not just with lawyers but the entire project team before being released into production. If new ideas and designs are not discussed questioned, and reviewed there could possibly be other bad designs in the works. It is important that when dealing with the public and federal regulations communication and full disclosure must be an intricate part of all projects and processes. I feel that Volkswagen tried to place the blame on one engineer's bad design to protect the executives.
I feel that if I worked in the engineering department of Volkswagen I would have felt obligated to bring up how unethical this approach would be. Prior to the release of the design to the executives and other project members, I would have brought the issue up with the other engineers so a new design could have been created. I also would have mentioned the negative long-term effects not only for the company but also on the environment. Hotten (2015) stated that "The engines emitted nitrogen oxide pollutants up to 40 times above what is allowed in the US " As an engineer, I would have made requirements and testing results available to upper management and lawyers to see that test results were not in line with the goal the project was trying to achieve. I would have reminded the team that we had an obligation to maintain the trust of our customers and to keep the environment clean.
Moreover, they did not require an accounting from the men into whose hand they gave the money to pay to these who did the work for they dealt faithfully (2 Kings 12:15 The New King James Version). When the "clean diesel" vehicles released, no one questioned Volkswagen because customers had put a great deal of faith in the company over the years and had come to expect nothing but high standards and quality. As major car manufacturer, Volkswagen had an obligation to their customers to be honest. Consumers had come to trust Volkswagen to produce and deliver a product that was safe and reliable but Volkswagen violated that trust. The company should have never allowed such an unethical thing to take place.
According to Clairmont (2017) "Once caught, VW didn't come clean, choosing instead to stall, twist the truth, shirk blame, and to a remarkable degree refuse to change." This was an error on Volkswagen's part. Once the truth was out Volkswagen should have taken the first opportunity it had to be upfront with the public. Therefore, whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and that you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops. Luke 12:3. If scripture was used and applied Volkswagen would have never taken this route and then when it had the opportunity to tell the truth it would have been completely honest knowing that the truth would eventually be exposed. The executive team had the opportunity to make things right but choice to continue to deceive and try to cover up what had really taken place.
As the CEO of the diesel division of Volkswagen the way, I would have approached the public is by being open, honest and reassuring. First, I would openly have shared exactly what occurred. Thoroughly explaining exactly who was involved from the person who came up with the idea, the people involved in developing the software, the people overseeing the project and even the lawyers involved. Second, I would have been transparent by honestly answering all questions. This would allow Volkswagen to address any untruths as well as put the public's mind at ease. In addition, I would be sure to reassure the public that everyone involved have been terminated from the company or were reprimanded accordingly. Lastly, I would have assure the public that nothing like this would take place again and lay out the plan being implemented for future endeavors. I would implement required reviewed at every stage of development and design. As well, as require lawyers to thoroughly review the design and ask questions to ensure that all legal issues are reviewed and considered.
The entire Volkswagen scandal was an unfortunate situation. A company that had according to Clairmont (2015) beat the GMs and Toyotas of the world to become the top-selling automaker globally, two years ahead of schedule." risked all it had accomplished. I believe that this situation was ultimately about bottom line earnings. It is disappointing that a company of this size had gotten to a place where it placed bottom line earnings and being top automaker over ethical and legal standards. The thing that Volkswagen failed to consider is the consumer and financial backlash that came along with not being honest. Volkswagen now has to pay millions of dollars in fines and repairs. My hope is that other corporations will see this situation and when faced with a similar situation will take the more ethical path and chose to do the right thing.