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Business Ethics in Today's Corporate World
Conceptions of white collar crimes
Ethics within corporations
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Recommended: Business Ethics in Today's Corporate World
White-collar crimes are defined as criminal violations committed by people of high respectability and high social status in the course of their occupations (Humphrey, J. A.2012) Individuals, businesses, and governments may engage in white-collar crimes (Humphrey, J. A.2012). White-collar criminals are rarely arrested or punished for their offenses (Reurink, A. 2017). For the most part corporate elites have reaped considerable financial profit from their wrongdoing; and most have avoided criminal prosecution (Humphrey, J. A., and Schmalleger, F. (2012 and Reurink, A. (2017).
Organized crime involves an organization of individuals with close communal ties, who participate in carrying out illegal activities for the purpose of obtaining power and
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Organized crime aims to establish ownership and market control of a specified industry or territory (Little, W., 2013). On the other hand, white-collar crime more than often refers to crimes committed by corporate employees or owners in the quest of profit or other organization goals (Little, W., 2013). They are more difficult to disclose because the transactions take place in secret and are more challenging to prosecute because these individuals are able secure expert legal advice on how to break the rules (Little, W. & McGivern, R. …show more content…
Both corporate and organized crime is persuaded by influenced by monetary gains (Humphrey, J. A., 2012). At the same time the crimes are carried out by people with clout, either through their business positions or class in society, environmental factors such as absence of law enforcers and rewards play a considerable role in influencing corporate and organized crime (Humphrey, J. A., 2012). Nevertheless, the two forms of crime differ in terms of the nature of activities the means employed to achieve their goals (Humphrey, J. A., 2012). While corporate crime takes place within an appropriate situation and employs betrayal, while organized crime is secretive and “underground-based,” relying on violence, threats and bribery to evade the law (Humphrey, J. A., and Schmalleger, F.(2012 and Little, W. & McGivern, R.
According to Abandinsky (2012), organized crime is an illegal activity committed by a group of people who have a formally organized structure with the aim of getting direct or indirect financial benefits or materials of high value. Organized crime has two types of organization bureaucratic and patron-client organizations.
A group that is defined as partaking in organized crime typically specializes in a range of crimes by which they can obtain the goals they aim for. The most renowned techniques of crime involve extortion, blackmail, gambling, loan-sharking, political corruption, and the manufacture of illicit narcotics. Surely these crimes sound like something any old criminal of the modern day would do, so much more lies behind the workings of an organized crime group.
Summary: White-collar crime and those that commit it have very little attention. In Choosing White-Collar Crime, Neal Shover and Andy Hochstetler (2006) discuss the participation in white-collar crime is chosen. Shover and Hochstetler use rational-choice theory to explain the decisions made by white-collar criminals. The authors look at a few areas of white-collar crime: the lure, the predisposed and tempted, self-restraint, oversight, and the threat and choice.
White-collar crime is seen as a crime performed by a respectable person of high social status in one’s workplace. White-collar crime is the type of crime, the classification of which is basing on the grounds of offender’s belonging to well-educated middle or upper class being representatives of government or business. I am going to argue that elite and low class individuals who committee white-collar crimes are handle in two different ways. The elites who are running these corporations those committee white-collar offenses get prosecuted as civil cases. When you have the same crime committed from an individual of the lower class who will get treated as a criminal offense. Same crime but one is looked at as a deviant behavior, where the other one is looked at as a bad business deal. To help my argument, I am going to use labeling theory, conflict theory, construction of
White collar crime is a term created by Edwin Sutherland in 1939 that refers to crimes committed by people of higher social status, companies, and the government according to the book “White-Collar Crime in a Nutshell” by Ellen Podgor and Jerold Israel. White collar crimes are usually non-violent crimes committed in order to have a financial-gain (Podgor and Israel 3). A very well known white collar crime that has even been taught in many history classes is the Watergate scandal. This is a white collar crime that was committed by government authorities. Watergate was a crime that shocked the nation.
White-collar crime is the financially motivated illegal acts that are committed by the middle and upper class through their legitimate business or government activities. This form of crime was first coined by Edwin Sutherland in 1939 as “a crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation.” (Linden, 2016). Crime has often been associated with the lower class due to economic reasons. However, Sutherland stressed that the Criminal Justice System needed to acknowledge illegal business activity as crime due to the repercussions they caused and the damage they can cause to society (Linden, 2016). Crime was prevalently thought to only be
A theoretical perspective that has been used to explain white-collar crime is rational choice theory (Paternoster and Simpson, 1996; Piquero et al., 2005). Its bases its argument on the idea that people consider their decisions prior to undertaking criminal acts, and then act in their self-interest. Emphasizing that the decision to commit a criminal offense is within the control of the individual (Quackenbush, 2004). This decision is based upon an evaluation of the associated costs and benefits of the act. In other words, the perspective presupposes that rational individuals will make the decision to commit a crime when the anticipated ...
white-collar crime” (Shapiro, S. P.). It is no surprise to anyone that positions of trust regularly decentralize to corporations, occupations, and “white-collar” individuals. Nevertheless, the concept of “white-collar crime” involves a false relationship between role-specific norms and the characteristics of those who typically occupy these roles. Most of the time, it is the offender that is looked at more than the crime itself and assumptions about the individuals automatically come into play. It has be to acknowledged that “ class or organizational position are consequential and play a more complex role in creating opportunities for wrongdoing and in shaping and frustrating the social control process than traditional stereotypes have allowed” (Shapiro, S. P.). The opportunities to partake in white-collar crime and violate the trust in which ones position carries are more dependent upon the individuals place in society, not just the work place. The ways in which white-collar criminals establish and exploit trust are an important factor in truly exploring and defining the concept of white-collar crime.
White collar and corporate crimes are crimes that many people do not associate with criminal activity. Yet the cost to the country due to corporate and white collar crime far exceeds that of “street” crime and benefit fraud. White collar and corporate crimes refer to crimes that take place within a business or institution and include everything from Tax fraud to health and safety breaches.
Organized crime is defined as a systematic unlawful activity for profiting on a city, state, or profiting illegal on an international scale. These criminal organizations keep their activities secret. In some cases gangs can be considered sufficient and systematic enough to be called organized. Criminal organizations in general need help from society, or have someone in high political rank to help carry out the illegal processes. This could be law enforcement agencies, judges, and other important political figures. Without these important individuals involvement, organized crime could not exist. There are many examples of organized crime.
Lastly, on chapter seventeen, James William Coleman has shown what interaction theorists might ask. Coleman gives the impression of white collar crime as a common act because white collar crime is ‘brought by the coincidence of three necessary factors’. In order to become a white collar criminal, that individual would need to understand the value of other white collar criminal. One individual must be motivated by watching other white collars being successful; the criminal action may be excused as a requirement duty in businesses; and white collar crime seems prosperous in financial wise. Therefore, according to Coleman, white collar crimes are increasing because of those individuals are in motivation to gain respect, but in unethical method. This is one of the methods that few corporations are experienced
White collar crimes do not garner as much media attention as that of violent crimes (Trahan, Marquart, & Mullings 2005). This is an odd fact because white collar crimes cost society much more than violent crimes do (Messner & Rosenfeld 2007). While there are many different definitions for white collar crime, Schoepfer and Piquero describe it as a nonphysical crime that is used to either obtain goods or to prevent goods from being taken (2006). People who commit these crimes are looking for personal or some sort of organizational gain and are being pressured to be economically successful from the idea of the American dream. The authors suggest that there are two types of people who commit crimes, those who have an immense desire for control and those who fear losing all they have worked hard for (Schopfer & Piquero 2006). Both groups have different reasons for turning to crime, but both groups commit the crime to benefit themselves. It was found that higher levels of high school drop outs were directly correlated to levels of embezzlement in white collar crime (2006). Because they are drop outs, they are less likely to be successful legitimately and turn to crime more often than their graduate
White collar crime is viewed as non-violent and treated differently than other types of crimes; some that are even violent in nature. In general, personal and public perception can vary from one individual to another. “A recent survey conducted by the National White Collar Crime Center (NWCCC) confirm that the public considers certain white collar crimes as more serious than some street crimes, according to Drs. Marilyn Price and Donna Norris” (Perri, J.D., CFE, CPA, 2011, p. 23). Even though white collar crimes do not seem a violent as someone that commits murder; there is still major damage done. For example, a fraud victim goes through a lot of hardship. They can be harassed, have their identity stolen and lose everything. This in many cases can be looked at as a severe crime. Valuables taken during a burglary can be replaced easily, but someone’s identity and livelihood cannot be given back. Most white...
...o be intense for arrests for white collar crime than for predatory violence or drug dealing. Indeed, political pressure is more likely to be exerted in blocking or derailing white collar crime investigations than in conventional crime cases, and the police can operate effectively against white collar crime only to the extent that they are relatively free of political influence” (2010:278). Until political influence and the powers of corporations are subdued little can be done to battle this type of crime. People who commit this type of crime have the power to avoid prosecution primarily due the powerful corporations they work for or the institution they are a part of.
This paper is a group discussion topic and my viewpoint is that white-collar crime is more harmful than street crime, because it is not looked at the same way and the laws are lacking when it comes to white-collar crimes. “Street crime is any criminal offense that typically takes place or originates in a public place such as assault, robbery, and sexual assault” (Dugger, 2016). When people think of crime they look at street crime more so then white collar crime. “White-collar crime refers to non-violent crimes committed by business or government professionals for financial gain such as fraud, embezzlement, and environmental violations” (Dugger, 2016). However, the outcomes of crime no matter what type are serious problems and are harmful in