An industrial ethic : the Bosch model

Having worked in French, American and Japanese companies, Guy Maugis found that the corporate structure of the German company Bosch was suitable for industry. The Bosch group employs 300,000 people in 135 countries. It has no shareholders and is owned by the Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. It is the largest non-listed company in Europe. Profits are reinvested in the company which consistently demonstrates its ability to conduct long-term and ambitious projects. Enthusiasm about the company’s products and fine knowledge of the industry extends to the members of the board of directors. According to the company’s ethics, the company’s financial result is really a result and not an aim. Similarly, employees are considered to be a resource and not a variable, even during the 2009 economic recession. What lessons can be learned from this model which industrial experts regard so highly ?