Why do good companies go bad? Is corporate misconduct increasing in a disrupted world? How can leaders turn a scandal into a catalyst for reform — and prevent crises before they happen?
These urgent questions drive this book.
In this updated second edition, Ortus CEO José Hernandez draws on decades of experience advising global companies in crisis. Broken Business uncovers the root causes of ethical misconduct and delivers a proven roadmap for navigating scandals, restoring integrity, and rebuilding trust with regulators, customers, partners, and investors. As disruptive forces reshape the world and enforcement trends evolve, a commitment to integrity remains the best way to protect your company’s reputation.
BROKEN
and How Leaders Restore Trust
The Anatomy of Scandals
UPDATED SECOND EDITION – COMING SPRING 2026
BUSINESS
"An essential read for all corporate leaders."
– Louis J. Freeh, former FBI director
#ethics #scandal #transformation
About the book
Offering real-world case studies of corporate failure, reckoning, and renewal, this updated second edition of Broken Business: The Anatomy of Scandals and How Leaders Restore Trust explores how corporate leaders can learn from past crises to mitigate risks, protect their reputations, and ultimately build more ethical, resilient, and profitable companies. The book dispels common misconceptions about the causes of corporate misconduct, bringing together academic research on organizational psychology and compelling first-hand accounts from Fortune Global 500 c-suites and boardrooms.
This updated second edition of Broken Business includes new insights on how intensifying forces of global disruption can lead to increased misconduct in organizations; the risks and opportunities that AI presents for ethics and compliance leaders; and evolving global standards for corporate compliance programs.
Broken Business: The Anatomy of Scandals and How Leaders Restore Trust is an engaging guide that offers practical advice on institutionalizing integrity in any organization. It is an essential text for leaders seeking to understand the underlying causes of ethical crises so they can ultimately avoid them.
BOOK RESOURCES
More acclaim for Broken Business
“I recommend this book to all corporate directors and executives. It provides a concise look at how things can go wrong, how to deal with the fallout and how to ultimately become a better company. More importantly, Broken Business provides insights to those who have not had to experience an ethics crisis and therefore hopefully will not have to!”
Ian A. Bourne
Chairman, Teine Energy
Former Chairman, SNC-Lavalin Group
“The Empowering Integrity process illustrated in Broken Business properly describes the steps a company must take to master the journey from crisis to successful transformation. I got to know José Hernandez in 2005 as part of his work for Daimler. I appreciate him as a person and value his convincing professional work and competence, as well as his understanding of business.”
Bodo Uebber
Audit Committee Chair, Adidas AG
Former CFO, Daimler AG
"Broken Business is a current and compelling treatise on how to prevent, detect, and fix corporate mismanagement, the condition precedent to corruption, fraud, waste of shareholder property, reputational harm and costly enforcement action. Infused and instilled throughout this corporate governance failure ‘post mortem,’ Hernandez drives home the core lesson for corporate managers that ‘integrity’ is the sine qua non of business success and sustainability.
Beyond a good product or service, good business strategy and leadership, a strong commitment to integrity is critical in making a company strong and profitable in the long run. Every CEO, board member, CFO, general counsel and business manager should read and embrace Broken Business.”
Louis J. Freeh
Vice Chairman, AlixPartners
Former FBI Director
“Every current and aspiring business leader should read Broken Business. This foundational work shines a much-needed light on the murky business systems failures that lead to corruption and wrong-doing. It provides business professionals with a practical and clear seven-step-road map to fix the inherent problems within their organizations. Author José Hernandez conveys critical insights through compelling stories illustrating how leaders can take action to strengthen their organizations.
Broken Business is an easy yet inspirational read. Business leaders who take up Hernandez’s challenge and adopt the Empowering Integrity framework will be reshaping their organizations in ways that generate real, sustainable and positive benefits for employees, stakeholders, and society."
Joy Thomas
Former CEO, CPA Canada
“Excellent reading: very clear and to the point, lively through real-life examples, and ready to implement with practical recommendations based on deep corporate experiences. Broken Business underlines the importance of culture and tone from the top, and how crises are opportunities to make the company stronger and more valuable for society.”
Klaus Patzak
Former CFO, Bilfinger SE
“This book brings together key insights from José Hernandez's career working with business leaders to navigate high-profile corporate crises. In Broken Business, Hernandez shows how to identify and address the root causes of such crises, which very often lie in systemic failures of a company's ethical leadership and culture.”
Roger Dassen
Chief Financial Officer, ASML
"As an ethics and compliance professional, I have been fortunate to work closely with José Hernandez and benefit from his guidance and support over several years. He possesses a deep understanding of corporate misconduct and the subsequent crises that so often follow it. I recommend this book to all ethics and compliance professionals: I am confident you will enjoy the read and find yourself empowered, encouraged, and enlightened."
Michaela Ahlberg
Ethics and Compliance Professional
Former Chief Compliance Officer, Telia
Order the book
Broken Business
By José R. Hernandez, Ph.D.
Second Edition
The Anatomy of Scandals
and How Leaders Restore Trust
COMING SOON
Available for order April 2026