I notice that some adverts, for beauty products of all things, airing on UK TV are still extolling the virtues of German engineering.
That reputation has taken a bit of a knock, of course, from the Volkswagen emissions scandal, unless you take the view that the clever software used to cheat the diesel emissions tests was just another example of how fiendish those Teutonic tinkerers are.
Hans Dieter Pötsch, chairman of VW’s supervisory board, said on Thursday that the decision to take a short-cut on achieving a top-notch result in the emissions tests was not the result of a ““one-off mistake but a whole chain of mistakes”.
The car maker has finally revealed the preliminary results from its internal investigation into the scandal, which has sullied the name of one of Europe's top manufacturers and, not incidentally, could see the company pay tens of billions of euros in costs, fines and damages claims.
Sports Direct (LON:SPD), the sportswear retailer controlled by Newcastle United chairman Mike Ashley, never had much of a reputation to be tarnished in the first place, and yesterday's report in the Guardian on “Gulag-style” conditions at one of its warehouses barely had an effect on its share price.
Disappointing sales numbers, however ….
That's a different matter, and the shares have taken a bit of a shoeing today.
The company's interim results made passing reference to working conditions at the group.
“To be clear, no warehouse workers are on 'zero hour' contracts, all have contracted hours with the agencies. In retail, casual workers find the flexibility offered by these arrangements very useful. We comply fully with all applicable legal requirements and will continue to keep these under review,” the group said.
The “we are not doing anything illegal” defence is a familiar one, used by fabulously profitable multi-national companies when explaining their Byzantine tax-avoiding corporate structures. At least Sports Direct appears to pay its taxes.
On to something that smells a bit sweeter than corporate doubletalk: sewage.
The Daily Telegraph reports that the industry regulator reckons water companies should be allowed to sell fertiliser and energy generated from human sewage.
The broadsheet helpfully explains to us what sludge is: it's a by-product of the water treatment process.
It can be used to create gas, which can be converted into energy. The remaining human excrement could also be sold to farmers as fertiliser.
It all sounds a bit science fictiony, but in a good way, not a Soylent Green sort of way.
In the small cap world, private investors are clicking on the story about bakery ingredients specialist Real Good Food's (LON:RGD) move into the sport nutrition world.
Sadly, this is not a case of scientists discovering that cake should be part of every athlete's diet, but the company's acquisition of ISO2 Nutrition sports from administration for a nominal sum.
ISO2 Nutrition will integrate its range of body-building supplements, whey protein and sports nutrition products into Real Good Food's Garrett Ingredients, which was already a customer.