Why can't the scandal hurt the consumer giant?

In late June, the National Auditing Bureau notified Gree, TCL, Midea, Galanz, Changhong and other 8 well-known home appliance companies to “cheat up” incidents. Today, more than half a month after the incident, there is still no one company publicly apologizes and informs the results of rectification. The number of false reports and the use of state financial subsidies can be so insignificant that they have become less focused on greediness and falsification, revealing the "short-sightedness" of some companies.

Missing one: companies lack legal awareness and social responsibility

According to an audit report issued by the National Audit Office, 8 well-known home appliance companies including Gree, TCL, Midea, Galanz, Changhong, etc., used energy-saving air-conditioner sales and installation numbers in virtual energy-saving air-conditioning promotion projects to obtain central financial efficiency. Energy-saving air-conditioning promotion subsidy funds exceed 90 million yuan. This is the first time that the relevant departments have confirmed through statistics that the media has been exposed for many years.

It is worth noting that these companies that are suspected of “defrauding” do not consider themselves to be at fault or even illegal. For Audit's announcement, a number of home appliance companies publicly responded that they did not “cheat up,” but “violation.” Gree Electric Co., Ltd., which was accused of fraudulently obtaining the highest amount of money, stated that the company had no fraudulent activities. “The Audit Bureau notified Gree that it violated regulations and obtained RMB 21,578,600 yuan of subsidies for central government energy efficient air-conditioning promotion. The main reason was that the data reported by terminal distributors was not standardized and not rigorous. Caused by." In the same way, several other companies have also pushed their responsibilities to dealers.

Recently, the reporter called Gree, Midea, TCL, Changhong and other relevant departments responsible person, hoping to understand the company after the notification of the entire improvement of the situation, but they all eat a "closed door", these companies do not interview the audit reported conditions .

Zhang Huiming, director of the Institute of Enterprise Research at Fudan University, believes that companies' compliance with laws and regulations and their good faith management are the legal requirements they must assume. The number of false reports, or subprime premiums, and the withdrawal of state financial subsidies are in fact illegal.

Luo Qingqi, a financial commentator and senior director of Pall Consulting, said that there have been many cases in foreign countries that once companies fall into such scandals, they will pay a huge price. Even if it is a fraudulent one-pound, this behavior is unforgivable, and it will He was investigated for legal liability for commercial fraud. It is hoped that Chinese companies will take the initiative to fulfill their legal and social responsibilities, face up to their own mistakes, and have a long-term vision to go further.

Missing two: policy design has loopholes

"Some companies are using the country's energy-saving subsidies to crack the loopholes in the country is already an open secret." Yang Dongwen, president of Skyworth Group, told reporters.

As early as October 2010, some media reported that Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and other places had fraudulently taken energy-saving subsidies. Gree and other air-conditioning brands involved almost all of them. Not only energy-saving and benefit-minimizing policies have been used as profit-making means by manufacturers, but also in the implementation process of “home appliances going to the countryside”, enterprises’ use of fraudulent means of supplementation has also been alarming. Home appliance chain companies such as Gome Appliances have also been exposed for fraudulent use.

“The vice chairman of a home appliance chain company stated that if the entire subsidy process does not have supervision and auditing, relying on the self-consciousness of the company or self-discipline of “flowing moral blood” will inevitably lead to problems.

Mr. Lu Jiebo, deputy secretary-general of the China Electronic Chamber of Commerce and an expert in home appliance industry, also lamented: “Financial subsidies are taxpayers’ money in the final analysis. These subsidies were originally intended to allow consumers to enjoy benefits when they purchased energy-saving products, but they eventually fell to the enterprise. The purse is angry."

The reason why fraudulent compensation is so easy is ultimately related to the process design of the subsidy policy. Professor Gu Jianguang, director of the Institute of Public Policy of Shanghai Jiaotong University, believes that temporary policies such as appliance replacement, energy conservation subsidies, etc., are prone to defects such as multiple links, multiple loopholes, and high costs. Some loopholes are difficult to make up or make up for. From the perspective of public policy, it is not possible to solve multiple problems with a single policy. In the long run, support policies should be formulated for recycling of used home appliances, promoting energy-saving appliances, and stimulating consumption.

Missing three: failure of the social integrity system to punish a company for dishonesty

"If Japan and the United States happened to defraud the state of financial subsidies, what kind of situation would companies face?" Luo Qingqi said that there may be a series of incidents that put companies in a passive position, such as stock prices plummeted, bank credit lines shrink, and business The cancellation of contracts by partners, the reduction of trust by the public, and the slow sales of products are the main reasons why companies are afraid of “scandals”. "I hope that the Chinese social integrity system can also play such a role and make the company prohibitive."

Some experts said in an interview with reporters that although the construction of China's credit information system already has a certain basis, but in terms of the status of the national credit information system, there is still a considerable gap from the overall demand for building an honest society. In particular, the credit supervision system and the untrustworthy disciplinary system are of limited effectiveness. Administrative, economic, and moral means must be used to supervise and punish credit activity in accordance with the law. Enterprises and individuals with serious acts of dishonesty should be removed from the market economy. Removed from the mainstream, while encouraging trustworthy corporate units and individuals.

“At a minimum, companies that have established a “blacklist” of integrity should be restricted and have similar subsidy policies or government procurement later to limit their entry into the shortlist.” A senior manager of a household electrical appliance company said that the audit report had exposed these companies. However, other relevant departments still need to increase their disciplinary efforts. “Investors and consumers can also choose to vote with their feet. The construction of an honesty system requires the most genuine people.”

“What companies should reflect on is how to balance corporate social responsibility with the goal of pursuing profitability, and how to establish and cultivate a credit system that allows the government and consumers to rely on.” Zhang Huiming said that with the gradual improvement of laws and regulations, As the market system matures, the costs of dishonesty and violation of laws and regulations will increase in the future. Only in this way will companies be able to cherish their own "feathers" and stop being "short sighted."