The responsibility of a company is not only to use entrepreneurial freedom efficiently. Such freedom goes hand in hand with an exceptional responsibility: corporate actions must be scrutinized in concrete situations to ensure they fulfill social responsibilities.
Business ethics are part of practical ethics, pursuing the question of which ethical norms and ideals can be brought to bear under modern social and economic conditions. The challenge lies in examining moral opinions regarding dilemmas in business dealings and its legitimacy lies in the foreseeable and apparent impact of such business dealings on people and the environment.
Values management is an instrument aiding a company’s self-management by means of the practical implementation of internal and external values, norms and standards in strategic and operative business affairs. It aims at a trusting cooperation with all stakeholders.