How can companies act with integrity and responsibility today? In the baroque hall at Gengenbach Abbey, von Hauenschild explained the basic principles of good corporate governance: “Today, this is more than compliance with laws and the establishment of compliance management systems.”

Integral behavior is increasingly becoming a vital component of a corporate strategy. In an age of growing transparency, exploiting tax loopholes and other loopholes in the global village can be beneficial to companies in the short term, but even threaten their very existence in the long term. According to von Hauenschild, society is often no longer willing to accept profit maximization at the expense of the general public. In his view, there is a growing feeling of inequality among the population. “This holds political explosives and new challenges for companies as well”, he said in the discussion with the students.