Role Models & Responsibility

Editorial
ESPRIT St. Gallen Business Review
Editorial
Dear Readers,
How easily are personal values overthrown in the
face of personal advantages and profit? This has
become an omnipresent question for society over
the last years which will continue to strain our
attention for the years to come. While it is easy to
point fingers, a realistic and honest answer to this
problem is not as easy as it appears at first sight.
In essence, the events of the financial crisis are a
perfect example for the tragedy of the commons:
it is completely rational to act egoistically for the
individual as long as the costs are externalized
to society – whereas regulations remain the only
effective solution for this dilemma. To this day,
no powerful regulations have been introduced to
enforce compliance with society’s values, yet most
of us agree that this mindset has to change.
challenge? What can science, and universities in
particular, contribute to improving the situation?
The questions that need to be answered in order
to create a holistic understanding of this topic are
manifold. Therefore, the Esprit St. Gallen Business
Review examines the subject of this issue by
bringing together renowned authors from business,
politics and science. With this magazine we hope
to contribute to a deeper understanding of the
diverse facets of being a role model and bearing
responsibility – personally, on corporate level, and
as a society.
Clearly, our western economic model is already
experiencing a reevaluation, but never in history has
such fundamental change been successful without
the leadership of a few inspiring personalities – in
other words role models. In the past such individuals
emerged from within society, but it is becoming clear
that in the age of global enterprises, business has
to get involved and embrace today’s miscellaneous
challenges as well.
While role models drive change, we raise the
question as to what extent they can also be dangerous
and how we actually define a role model. Can and
should corporations ever take the place of leading
individuals and is it fair to demand more compliance
from companies of certain industries? We have to
ponder whether the faulty behavior of individuals
is in reality nothing more than the reflection of the
values of society as a whole and is thus a cultural
Sebastian Ebner
Editor-in-Chief
Christopher Höfer
Editor-in-Chief
Winter 2013 - 3