In an article for the Zentrum Liberale Moderne ("Center for Liberal Modernity"), Dr. Johannes Bohnen presents his concept of corporate political responsibility. The current occasion is the public struggle of Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser to deal responsibly with business in Saudi Arabia. Kaeser's reluctant cancellation of an investor conference in Riyadh after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is certainly worthy of criticism.
Nevertheless, according to Bohnen, we should recognize that there is a business leader who is demonstrating the ability to speak politically and names his strategic dilemmas. This courage deserves imitators. More companies must go out on a limb and become political brands. After all, a successful business has political prerequisites that need to be strengthened. In other words, there is a business case for democracy.
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