08
DAX 30 REVENUES COMPARED TO THE GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT OF CANADA
ALLIANZ | ADIDAS | BASF | BAYER | BEIERSDORF | BMW | COMMERZBANK
CONTINENTAL | DAIMLER | DEUTSCHE BANK | DEUTSCHE BÖRSE
DEUTSCHE POST | DEUTSCHE TELEKOM | E.ON | FRESENIUS
FRESENIUS MEDICAL CARE | HEIDELBERGCEMENT | HENKEL | INFINEON
LINDE | LUFTHANSA | MERCK | MUNICH RE | PRO7SAT.1 | RWE
SAP | SIEMENS | THYSSENKRUPP | VOLKSWAGEN | VONOVIA
€ 1,446bn
DAX 30
REVENUE
RISING EXPECTATIONS
DIRECTED AT CORPORATES
The degree of corporate responsibility expected of the private
sector has seen much change over the last few decades. In the
1970s, it was generally expected that companies focus on their
business – following Milton Friedman’s claim that the business
of business is business (Journal of Business Ethics, 1986) – and
limit their Corporate Citizenship to occasional donations.
However, in recent years expectations have been rising
continuously:
CONSUMERS, in particular those with high disposable
incomes, are becoming increasingly demanding about
where the goods and services they purchase come
from, and how they were produced (IZNE, 2015). Instances
such as the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment
factory in Bangladesh or the CO2 emission scandal in
the German automobile industry have further raised
consumers’ awareness and preferences to buy from a
good Corporate Citizen.
EMPLOYEES represent another group of Corporate
Citizenship stakeholders that companies need to take
into consideration. Highly qualified and sought-after
talents, in particular the Millennial generation, expect
employers to do more than just regular business. Although
studies show that Corporate Citizenship is not
the dominating factor in decisions about choosing an
employer, it is nonetheless a very relevant building
block of a company’s reputation (The Economist, 2015).