For decades, Volkswagen was regarded as one of the most res ient automobile manufacturers in the world. However, in 2015, the company faced enormous public backl after regulat in the United States discovered that Volkswagen installed software designed to cheat emissions tests. The company had claimed that its diesel vehicles were environmentally friendly, but the suppos “clean diesel” technology turned to involve deliberate deception.
As media scrutin intensified, evidence emerged show that millions of cars world had been affected. The scandal quickly began to erode public confidence in the brand, and Volkswagen’s reputation came threat. Analysts argued that executives had seriously underestimated the likeli of discovery and the long-term reperc s of misleading regulators and consumers.
The financial cost of the scandal was enormous. Volkswagen paid tens of billions of dollars in fines, compensation, and vehicle recalls. In the long run, the crisis also exposed organizational vul ties, including a corporate culture that some critics described as excessively hierarch and risk-averse. According to several investigations, employees were often reluctant to step to the plate and question unethical decisions made by senior management.
Following the scandal, Volkswagen introduced stricter compliance systems and more extensive conting planning procedures. The company also invested heavily in electric vehicles in an attempt to rebuild trust. Although Volkswagen remains a major global manufacturer, the scandal became a symbol example of how quickly public trust can collapse when corporate accountability fails.
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Tokyo 2020: Design, Reputation, and Public Trust
Paragraph 1
When Tokyo was selected to host the 2020 Olympic Games, Japan was widely regarded as a reliable and well-organized host country. However, several design-related controversies soon placed the organizers under unexpected pressure. Two major symbols of the Games — the official emblem and the main Olympic stadium — became the subject of public debate. Although the two cases involved different problems, both showed how strongly global sporting events depend on public confidence, financial responsibility, and cultural symbolism.
Paragraph 2
The first controversy concerned the official logo for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The emblem was withdrawn after Belgian designer Olivier Debie claimed that it closely resembled a logo he had created in 2013 for the Theatre de Liege. Debie and the theatre took legal action to prevent the Olympic design from being used. The Tokyo organizing committee initially defended the emblem, but later announced that too many doubts surrounded it. The decision to abandon an Olympic logo after it had already been released was highly unusual, especially because sponsors had already begun using it in promotional materials.
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Debie later said that he had been surprised by the organizers’ change of position. He explained that he had not expected to challenge such a powerful institution, but the theatre’s director encouraged him to act. According to Debie, the theatre logo had been official for two years and could have been seen online in many places. The dispute therefore raised a larger question: in a world where visual material circulates rapidly on the internet, designers and organizations must be increasingly careful about originality and intellectual property.
Paragraph 4
At roughly the same time, the main stadium for the Tokyo Games also became controversial. The original design by the internationally known architect Zaha Hadid was futuristic and visually dramatic, but its estimated price rose sharply. The project was expected to cost 252 billion yen, which would have made it the most expensive sports venue in the world. Because of these escalating costs, the plan was cancelled. The dispute became politically damaging and contributed to the resignation of Japan’s Education and Sports Minister Hakubun Shimomura.
Paragraph 5
A new, less expensive stadium design was later selected. It was created by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma and was expected to cost 149 billion yen to build, with additional costs for design and maintenance. Kuma’s proposal was lower, smaller, and more closely connected to traditional Japanese architecture. Its steel-and-wood structure echoed temple styles and was surrounded by trees. Supporters argued that it blended better with the nearby greenery around Meiji Shrine than Hadid’s larger concept, which some critics had compared to a gigantic bicycle helmet or an oyster.
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The replacement stadium also had practical advantages. Kuma’s design occupied a smaller area than Hadid’s proposal and was planned to be built more quickly. This was important because the International Olympic Committee required the stadium to be completed by January 2020, several months before the Games were scheduled to begin in July. Taken together, the logo and stadium controversies suggest that Olympic planning is not only a matter of creativity. It also involves legal risk, public image, cultural sensitivity, cost control, and strict deadlines.
The passage focuses on two controversies connected with Tokyo 2020 and explains how they created reputational, legal, financial, and practical difficulties.
17. Why did the organizers decide not to continue using the emblem?