Crime and Corruption in Organizations

Book excerpt: Although increasing attention has been paid to it, there are no signs that crime and corruption in organizations is decreasing, so if you're a manager or government policy maker, and your mandate is to reduce crime and corruption, where do you start? The international authors of this book fill a critical need to address such a prevalent and costly topic with a detailed analysis of the risks associated with crime and corruption in organizations. They examine the causes and consequences, and the choices we face in our efforts to eradicate these social maladies. They focus on the risks to individuals and organizations surrounding criminal and corrupt acts, with an emphasis on the psychological, behavioral and organizational factors supporting such behaviors. Finally, they explore the phenomenon of crime and corruption across a diverse array of organizational settings (ranging from public to private, for-profit to non-profit) and occupational categories (e.g., police officers, physicians, accountants, and academicians). The constant barrage of scandals publicized by the media demands 'front burner' attention dedicated to stemming this tide. Accordingly, this book turns to prominent researchers employing their talents to produce more ethical organizations. The result is the most up-to-date thinking on both classic (e.g., cognitive moral development) and novel (e.g., moral attentiveness) approaches to crime and corruption, as well as scientifically-grounded approaches to reducing illicit behavior in organizations.