Corporate Harm - a Structural Analysis of the Criminogenic Elements of the Corporation.

This study utilizes three case studies of corporate harms to produce an "autopsy" of actual situations in which corporate behavior got out of control. The results of this study contradict many newly formulated assumptions emerging in the literature; the most common states that crimes are structural malfunctions originating in the middle management ranks, without knowledge or consent of leaders. There is overwhelming evidence that corporations make deliberate decisions which harm workers, consumers or the public. This study proceeds first by defining "corporate harm", as acts prohibited by the criminal code, acts prevented by civil santions and regulatory law and acts to which the law is indifferent. This area of criminology has been largely ignored by sociologists, but recent research has moved to a focus on the organization rather than the individual. The criminogenic elements of corporate bureaucracy are the focus of this work, which proceeds by building a model to explain how internal corporate features and processes routinely permit decisions which cause harm. The organizational background from which harm emerges is broken down into three sets of factors: "organizational license"--a set of structural preconditions; "mitigation"--cultural prerequisites; and "mobilization"--means by which individuals are stimulated to act. A fourth component is the "transformation" process by which harm emerges through individual decision making. Conclusions drawn from this analysis indicate that at least some corporate crimes are planned and implemented at the highest levels of the firm, through the formulation of key committees which act to both orchestrate and control the internal processes and external structures necessary for the commission of the harmful acts. The model proves to be inadequate due to its failure to incorporate the firm's power to control its environment; an aternative model incorporating research findings is presented.Ph.D.CriminologyUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/160164/1/8422268.pd