WCC AND CORPORATE CRIME Flashcards
who created the term white collar crime and what does it mean
created by: edwin sunderland
definition: crime committed by someone of respectability and high social status in course of his job
what is an A03 point with the defintion of WCC
it fails to distinguish between two types of crime:
1. occupational: employers=offenders, own personal gain against where they work
2. corporation: by employees, benefits organisation, many harms caused by powerful dont break the law eg administrative offences
who widened the corporate definition and what did they widen it do
widened by: pearce and tombs
widened to: ‘illegal act or decisions’ ‘result of deliberate decisions’ ‘by legitimate business’ ‘intended to benefit the business’
what is the stat on wcc, corporate crime and street crime
wcc and corporate crime cause 10x more damage than street crime
what is the scale of corporate crime
it costs physically, economically and environmentally as its wide spread routine and pervasive
what are some examples of acts and omissions corporate crime covers
- financial crimes: eg tax evasion, bribery. Victims are the companies and tax payers
- crimes against consumers: eg false labelling and selling unfit goods. EXAMPLE: 2011 french government advised if women had breast implants from poly implant protheses to get them removed as filled with industrial silicone
- state corporate crime: harms when government institutions and businesses cooperate to pursue their goals eg: privatised public services eg education
what are the 5 reasons for the invisibility of corporate crime
- media gives limited attention to it: reinforce wc phenomenon stereotype. sanitised language to describe it. Example: sun: small titles, cant explain cc
- lack of political will to tackle it: politians claim to be tough on crime but are only touch on street crime
- often complex: not enough police to effectively tackle it
- delabelling: corporate crime is filtered out of criminalization process eg offences often defined as civil not criminal
- underreporting: victim is often society at large or environment - not identifiable individual.
what is an A03 point for the invisibility of corporate crime
partial visibility: all factors that cause the invisibility of corporate crime help remove it from the dominant definition of crime. law and order agender = invisible
what are the four explanations of corporate crime
- strain theory
- differential association
- labelling theory
- marxism
explain how strain theory is an explanation of corporate crime
merton:
- applied concept of innovation to explain wc crime others use it to explain corporate crime
box:
- if company cant achieve goals legally, may try illegal
EXAMPLE: documentary evidence: as companies increased their financial performance detoriated
explain how differential association is an explanation of corporate crime
sunderland:
- crime is behaviour learnt from others in social context.
- more we associate with those with criminal views the more likely we will be deviant
- the companies culture justifies committing crime to achieve corporate goals - employees are socialised into this criminality
Geis:
- employees in businesses where illegal price fixing is norm became part of their socialisation
what are the two things differential association links to
- deviant subcultures:
- groups with differing norms and values to soc
- offer deviant solutions to members problems
- companies may adopt deviant means and socialize new members into it
- competition may tempt them to offend to achieve goals - techniques of neutralisation:
marta:
- deviate more easy if can justify it to neutralise moral objects to their misbehaviour
EXAMPLE: wcc- may never admit receiving orders from above - blame the victim or normalise it as ‘everyone does it’
explain how labelling theory is an explanation of corporate crime
cicourel:
- mc are more able to negotiate non criminal behaviours for their misbehaviours such as youthful high spirits rather than vandalism’
- de labelling: businesses can often avoid labels buy hiring expensive lawyers to cover their activities eg tax voidance
- official stats of corporate crime = inaccurate
explain how marxism can be an explanation for corporate crime
- corporate crime is a result of capitalism as its goal is to maximise profit - inevitably causes harm
mystification:
box: - spread of the ideology that corporate crime isnt widespread or as harmful as wc crime
- capitalism control of the state allows them to enforce laws that dont conflict with their interest
pearce: - this sustains illusion that its the exception and not the norm - legitimises it
what is an A03 point for marxism and strain explaining corporate crime
over predicts wcc and corporate crime
Neiken:
- unrealistic to assume all bsuinesses offend
