Strategy and Performance Management
Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences
August 6, 2025
After this section, you should have a solid understanding of
A single individual can usually only commit small sins; a large firm can commit grandiose ones. Claes Gustafsson in Mintzberg (2014)
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters. Alan Simpson, Institute for Business Ethics
What is a “grandiose sin” in the tech world from the last year(s)?
Ethics is the branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct (Wikipedia contributors, 2023).
The right conduct includes those lines of actions that are desirable in terms of the objectives and moral values of our society (Bowen & Johnson, 1953).
Morality is an aspect of culture—different cultures have different moral systems.
Moral values also change over time.
A company is just a collection of contracts (shareholder primacy, Friedman). Can a contract have a soul?
Is there a moral (or social) responsibility for firms?
Firms function in the context of a wider social environment, which imposes on them certain moral demands and responsibilities (Mintzberg, 2014).
Business ethics is about doing the right thing in business.
Business ethics refers to the principles of right and wrong conduct within organizations that guide decision making and behavior (David & David, 2016).
Understanding the foundations of ethics and values, why do these concepts become strategically relevant for organizations?
Following concerns make the idea of an ethical strategy relevant:
Core principle:
Good ethics is good business.
Bad ethics can derail even the best strategic plans.
Ethical failure = value destruction
Strategic decisions affect multiple stakeholders across extended time horizons with amplified consequences.
This amplification effect makes organizational ethics both more complex and more critical than individual ethical decisions.
Two current social and cultural changes create ethical conflicts and dilemmas of strategic concern (Mintzberg, 2014):
Rapid technological development, e.g.
Environmental changes, e.g.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has evolved from consideration of issues beyond narrow requirements (Davis, 1973) to societal expectations of organizations (Carroll, 1979) to policies reflecting wider societal good (Matten & Moon, 2008).
CSR is context-specific organizational actions and policies that take into account stakeholders’ expectations and the triple bottom line of economic, social, and environmental performance. Aguinis & Glavas (2012)
CSR captures three core features (Moon, 2014):
Responsibilities of organizations to society (i.e., being accountable) and for society (i.e., compensation and value add) as well as good business practices.
Does it pay to be socially responsible?
Take 10 minutes to discuss the insights you gained from reading Barnett & Salomon (2012).
Prepare to …
10:00
Studies suggest a U-shaped relationship between social and financial performance: moderate CSR can positively impact performance, but excessive CSR may have diminishing returns (Barnett & Salomon, 2012).
The U-shaped relationship suggests organizations must make strategic choices about CSR investment levels:
underinvestment risk (missing stakeholder value creation opportunities)
optimal investment zone — CSR aligned with capabilities and stakeholder priorities
overinvestment risk (resources diverted without proportional benefit)
Firms need contextual ambidexterity—the ability to exploit current profitable technologies (economic responsibility) while exploring ethical/sustainable future innovations (ethical responsibility) simultaneously.
To achieve contextual ambidexterity given ethical strategic concerns, it is desirable to develop ethics sensitivity in the company:
CSR affects customer willingness to pay, cost structures, employee satisfaction, and supplier relationships.
Ethics and CSR considerations should, thus, be integrated into both external and internal audits as sources of opportunities and threats, strengths and weaknesses.
Practical framework for implementing ethical strategy:
How do we translate abstract ethical strategy into daily decisions?
The “gut” checks
— quick heuristics for immediate assessment
The process check — for (digital) product development contexts
Patagonia’s $10 million tax cut donation to environmental causes is a good example for contextual ambidexteriy:
Are there examples from (big) tech too?
Antrophic was founded by former OpenAI executives who left due to “safety drift”, structured as a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) to legally shield safety priorities from profit maximizing.
The following questions are designed to review and consolidate what you have learned and are a good starting point for preparing for the exam.
To be prepared for the case study next week:
Listen to: Meta: The Complete History & Strategy (full episode)
Come prepared with: