It seems that the debate about what is bribery and corruption in Germany does not seem to want to come to an end. Recently, the question came up, if it is a payoff or maybe even corruption, if a business friend is invited to the VIP lounge of a sports arena or to the pit at a Formula 1 race, where the expenditures can quickly top Euro 1,000.

I rate the value of a business meeting in a casual atmosphere at a sports event as much more rewarding and more meaningful than for instance conversations in narrow booths at exhibitions stands in noisy exhibition halls. It is foolish to immediately let the suspicion arise there could be bribery or corruption involved. This could destroy the business culture and thus also negatively impact good communication.

Germans are somewhat prone to exaggeration. So also now this very public discussion about this question in regards to business morals due to misconduct, which is indeed not only liable to prosecution but also to a great extent objectionable. Let us not throw away the baby with the bath water. Business partnerships occasionally require some nurturing in a social framework and sport is part of this framework.

This is all a question of proportionality, and of character. I deem it as a matter of course that the invitation to the arena, the pit of a car race is evaluated the same as a business dinner a walk across a golf course. Where would we end up, if business could take place only within the scope of “office hours”, preferably taking minutes in vitreous rooms, basically under supervision and only in exceptional cases outside of the office, maybe at a trade show. In the latter case, the trade show booths would have to be designed totally differently. Heaven forbid that we have to undergo total supervision in order to experience a reputedly clean business environment. We know where this total supervision is going to lead, namely to a loss of trust which would accomplish exactly the opposite of what we would need for successful business relations.

Arena or trade show? It think there is a time for everything, within reason and the awareness of what one has to answer for. If we do not let us be irritated by the self-proclaimed upholders of moral standards and insist on letting values dictate the rules and not let the rules dictate the values then we are on the right track.