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The Test of Time: BMW's Ethical Dilemmas Over History Essays

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This Research paper reports on the ethics of BMW through its history starting from 1916 to present time of 2013. It shows the progression of BMW’s ethical dilemmas of having prisoners of war and concentration camp workers, allegation of bribery, to its racial discrimination. And the changes that where implemented that led them to be on Ethisphere Institute's top 100 list of the World's Most Ethical Companies for 2009. Such changes such as new management, changing conduct codes, improving environmental awareness, and ethics programs to insure no reoccurring incidents.

Bayerische Flugzeugwerke Werke (BFW) was founded on March 7th, 1916. At this time BFW was making parts for trains and retro-fitting planes with their revolutionary engines. …show more content…

With substantial wealth, and having the previous knowledge of building planes Hitler gave Günther the title of “Wehrwirtschafts führer” (Military and Economic leader). By the early 40’s BMW was now devoting its resources almost exclusively to building aircraft engines for the German Air Force, as well as chemicals and batteries. To help with such a work load “Quandt factories employed 50,000 slave laborers to churn out weapons and ammunition for the Nazis during World War Two, making the family very rich” (Fiona). Many ended up dyeing from terrible work conditions. Alongside with Porsche, BMW helped to create a new peoples car called Volkswagen, just one of the few projects entrusted to BMW by Hitler himself. This kept production up and the financial stability at an extraordinary high. After the war was over BMW’s head factory was destroyed by US troops, having all machinery dismantled and sold for scrap. With no longer factories to produce, and all machinery confiscated. BMW went into a financial hole.
This left Günther and the rest of his family in a very tight spot, and it did not look good for BMW. As the Quandt family fought the allegation after the war, they did what they could to keep BMW going. They were left making kitchen and garden equipment. It was not till 1948 that BMW was scraped up enough lose materials they were able to make their new much sought after one cylinder motorcycles. The German

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