Highlights:
* Broad-based, independent historical study by corporate historian Prof.
* According to the study, Continental was a pillar of the National Socialist armaments and war economy
* Innovative research approach includes companies that were not part of Continental at the time, i.e. Teves, VDO,
CEO Dr.
Under the new 'Responsibility and Future' program, lessons from the past are to be made a firmly established part of the company's corporate culture
'The study shows that Continental was an important part of
The study traces in detail how Continental's corporate culture was gradually distorted and how the company developed into a wartime business. The behavior and decision-making processes of the management at that time are presented in the study as are the experiences of employees. Prior to the war and before the product portfolio became ever more dominated by armaments, Continental manufactured numerous products for the National Socialist leisure and consumer society. 'The supplier industry and companies such as Continental, VDO, Teves,
Increasing radicalism reflected in the use of forced laborers and concentration camp prisoners
According to the study, Continental used a total of around 10,000 forced laborers during the Second World War. Their number fluctuated substantially. Their origins were diverse and ranged from Italian 'young fascists' to temporary workers from occupied
Corporate culture must be actively cultivated and defended
A key finding of the study is how susceptible Continental's corporate culture in general was to the Nazi ideology of a corporate community and the political-ideological goals of the Nazi regime. In the case of Continental, the corporate culture was distorted not only from the outside, but also from the inside. 'This shows how corporate cultures can quickly topple under pressure from political regimes and opposing social influences,' said Dr.
Dr.
Dr.
Study pursues new approach
Continental initiated its study four years ago as a comprehensive, academically neutral portrayal of corporate behavior during the Nazi era. 'With the precise reconstruction and analysis of Continental's history in the period from 1933 to 1945, this reappraisal is an important contribution to international corporate history research,' said Erker. 'The study is a history of five companies in the supplier industry that are now jointly part of Continental. This approach provides interesting comparisons and highlights differences as well as similarities.' Teves, for example, succeeded in many cases in evading the attempts of the Nazi authorities to monopolize and influence it, while Continental and VDO cooperated with the regime with far less conflict.
The academic basis of the work was ensured by the fact that Erker was able to conduct his investigation independently and free from any influence or control by Continental. The company made all relevant documents available to him in full and without restriction. The restoration of the company archive in 2016 was a key factor in this regard, as it enabled Erker to access around 30 percent of previously unknown or unevaluated material.
Outlook for the future
'The frank examination of our past is the starting point for stimulating a debate on corporate social responsibility and for integrating it internally into our corporate strategy,' added Degenhart.
As a result of the study, Continental has launched the 'Responsibility and Future' program. Its aim is to make continuous learning from the company's past a firmly established part of its corporate culture. Key elements include the systematic integration of the study results into corporate training, as well as the opening of the company archive to the academic community on the occasion of the company's 150th anniversary in autumn 2021.
In addition, Continental is sponsoring the new Siegmund Seligmann Scholarship, with which it is promoting research on economic and corporate history during the Nazi era as well as on the history of Continental. The company will also publicly present the names of its former forced laborers in the form of a commemorative plaque, to the extent the names are known. 'Without understanding the past and without fully coming to terms with the Nazi era, a conscious and unbiased embarkment into a successful future and the next 150 years of Continental is not possible,' commented Degenhart.
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