Prof. Dr. Markus Scholz

Professor of Business Management, esp. Responsible Management

Mr Prof. Dr. Markus Scholz

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Markt 23, 1.03

02763 Zittau

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Office hours:

Individual meetings by appointment.

Press material on Prof. Dr. Markus Scholz can be found here.

Vita

Markus Scholz is Professor of Business Administration, with a focus on Responsible Management, at Technische Universität Dresden and a Visiting Scholar at INSEAD.

His research addresses the strategic challenges of societal transformation. It focuses on the political role and responsibility of business, Business and Democracy, Business and Human Rights, as well as strategic management and the sustainable transformation of organizations. His work combines rigorous academic research with a strong commitment to practical relevance and is aimed not only at the academic community but also at business leaders, policymakers, and civil society.

Following his studies in Business Administration, Economics, and Philosophy at Leibniz University Hannover and the London School of Economics and Political Science, he held research and teaching positions at several internationally renowned institutions, including the Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science at the London School of Economics and the Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research at the Wharton School.

In Vienna, he founded and directed the Institute for Business Ethics and Sustainable Strategy (IBES) at the Vienna Chamber of Commerce and Industry as well as the Christian Doppler-funded Josef Ressel Centre for Collective Action and Responsible Management (CARe). He also served as European Chairman of the Harvard Business School’s Microeconomics of Competitiveness Network.

His research has been published in leading international journals, including Business Ethics Quarterly, Business & Society, California Management Review, Journal of Business Ethics, MIT Sloan Management Review, Organization Studies, Organization Theory, and The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science. In recognition of his teaching excellence, Markus Scholz received the Teaching Award of Technische Universität Dresden in 2026, together with Benedikt Kapteina.

As an expert on the societal role and responsibility of business, Markus Scholz is frequently featured in national and international media, including ARD, ARTE, Der Spiegel, Die Zeit, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Financial Times, Forbes, Handelsblatt, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, ORF, WirtschaftsWoche, and ZDF.

In 2025 and 2026, Table.Media recognized him as one of the Top 10 Sustainability Thought Leaders in Academia in the German-speaking world.

In addition to his academic work, Professor Scholz advises corporations, family businesses, public institutions, and foundations on strategic transformation, Responsible Management, Corporate Political Responsibility, and the role of business in strengthening liberal democracies. He is also an internationally sought-after keynote speaker, executive educator, and moderator.

Since 2022, he has served as Chair of the Working Group on Business Ethics within the Schmalenbach Society.

Core research areas

Innovation & Transformation
Strategic management
Responsible Management
Business and Democracy
Corporate Political Responsibility and Corporate Political Engagement
Business and Human Rights
Sustainability and Corporate Governance

Memberships

Academy of Management
Schmalenbach Society (Chair, Working Group on Business Ethics)
Society for Business Ethics
Verein für Socialpolitik (German Economic Association)

Publications

104 Entries

2025

Corporations, Populism and Responsibility: An analysis of the political self-perception of corporations and their strategies in coping with populism in GermanyKapteina, B. D. S., Burkatzki, E., Schöndube, A., Schwerdtner, M. A. & Scholz, M., Jan 2025Electronic (full-text) versionResearch output: Other contribution > Other
Corporate Conscience in a Populist Era: Self-conceptions of Corporate Citizenship and Strategies for Democracy’s ResilienceScholz, M., 2025Research output: Contribution to conferences > Paper

2024

Co sprawia, że firmy postępują etycznie?Smith, N. C. & Scholz, M., 1 Dec 2024, In: MIT Sloan Management Review Polska. 2024, 27Research output: Contribution to journal > Research article
What Motivates Companies to Act ResponsiblySmith, N. C. & Scholz, M., 17 Oct 2024, INSEAD Knowledge Research output: Other contribution > Other
What Makes Leaders Do the Right Thing?Smith, N. C. & Scholz, M., 10 Sep 2024, In: MIT Sloan Management Review. 2024, FallResearch output: Contribution to journal > Research article
Business and Politics Should Never Mix – Or Should They?Scholz, M. & Smith, N. C., 28 Feb 2024, Forbes IndiaResearch output: Other contribution > Other
Aufeinander angewiesen: Freiheit, Demokratie, Soziale MarktwirtschaftScholz, M., 26 Feb 2024, CSR NewsResearch output: Other contribution > Other
Business and Politics Should Never Mix – Or Should They?Scholz, M. & Smith, N. C., 21 Feb 2024, INSEAD Knowledge Research output: Other contribution > Other
Wie sich die Wirtschaft gegen rechts außen stemmen kannScholz, M. & Beschorner, T., 21 Feb 2024, In: Handelsblatt : Deutschlands Wirtschafts- und FinanzzeitungResearch output: Contribution to specialist publication > Feature article/Contribution (Feuilleton)
Wie viel politische Verantwortung hat die Wirtschaft?Scholz, M., 14 Feb 2024, Die PresseResearch output: Other contribution > Other

Further activities

99 Entries

2026

Wirtschaft und Mitbestimmung für Demokratie: Training für Aufsichtsräte Scholz, M. (Speaker) 31 Mar 2026 Activity: Talk or presentation at external institutions/events > Keynote > Invited
Wirtschaft mit Werten - Verantwortung neu denken Scholz, M. (Speaker), Planert, S. (Speaker) 20 Jan 2026 Activity: Talk or presentation at external institutions/events > Keynote > Invited
Wirtschaft mit Werten Scholz, M. (Participant) 13 Jan 2026 Activity: Other activities > Other activity