Sociologist Clinard (coauthor of Corporate Crime, 1980) is back at
the same old stand, whaling away at the presumptive venality of big
business, American style. Relying mainly on secondary sources,
Clinard targets the automotive, energy, drug, and defense
industries as leading violators of ethical canons. By the Naderite
author's jaundiced account, neither customers nor employees, host
communities, and stockholders are safe from the misconduct of top
US enterprises. Offering largely anecdotal evidence in support of
this stand, Clinard cites twice-told tales of fraudulent cost
overruns at Pentagon suppliers, illegal contributions to political
campaigns, price-fixing, defiance of health/safety regulations,
dumping of toxic wastes, bribery, and allied abuses of the public
trust. Not too surprisingly, he has a little list of reform
recommendations, which include tougher enforcement of extant laws,
protection for socalled whistleblowers, federal chartering of
consequential corporations, controls on the size of large
companies, and means to the end of curbing cutthroat competition.
Clinard's charges make an impression by virtue of appearing in one
place - but, unfortunately, the author is given to unsubstantiated
pronouncements and innuendo. Cases in point: the allegation that
pharmaceuticals houses have used their marketing muscle to hook
American consumers on prescription drugs and the arguable
contention that military contracts afford higher margins than
commercial work. In the context of a prospering domestic economy,
moreover, Clinard's polemic raises an unintended issue, i.e., not
whether multinationals are guilty of wrongdoing (as many obviously
are), but what standards of proof may legitimately be used to
impeach their collective as well as individual records. A hatchet
job with a blunt instrument. (Kirkus Reviews)
In recent years, the media have been full of stories about
ethical decline. Illegal dealings have been uncovered in the
banking and savings and loan industries as well as the highest
levels of Congress and government administration. Even television
evangelism has been seriously tarnished by scandal. "Corporate
Corruption" is the first wide ranging book to turn the spotlight on
the unethical and illegal behavior of America's giant corporations
and their executives: the prestigious Fortune 500. While avoiding
the undignified zealotry of tabloid muck-raking, this
well-researched volume explores corporate abuse and examines the
disparity between the facts of corporate misconduct and the glowing
image that advertising and other media portray of these
corporations.
Marshall Clinard identifies the auto, oil, pharmaceutical, and
defense industries as the major offenders. He devotes a chapter to
each of these areas in addition to chapters on corporate violence,
corporate bribery, and a final discussion of how to correct these
widespread abuses. Although their massive productive capacities and
innovative powers have contributed immeasurably to the high
standard of living that many Americans enjoy, far too often
corporations have abused the public trust, the people who use their
products, their own employees and stockholders, the environment,
and even the Third World that they profess to help. From illegally
disposing of hazardous waste to defiance of health and safety
standards to price-fixing, corporate violations cost hundreds of
millions of dollars and thousands of lives. The magnitude of their
offenses becomes clear when one considers that a single corporate
offense may run into millions of dollars in losses, while the
average cost of a burglary is $600 and the average larceny $400. In
some cases, the cost of a single case of corporate misconduct may
exceed a billion dollars. Having published three earlier books on
corporate misbehavior and having received two grants from the U.S.
Department of Justice to make specific corporate studies, Clinard
is well-qualified to bring insight, experience, and unblinking
scrutiny to what he describes as a story that must be told.
Corporate Corruption is a must for anyone concerned about the
widespread breakdown of ethics in contemporary society and the role
played by large corporations when they abuse their power. It is
also of interest to persons involved in business management,
complex organizations, criminology, general ethics, and, in fact,
to any responsible customer.
General
Imprint: |
Praeger Publishers Inc
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
March 1990 |
First published: |
March 1990 |
Authors: |
Marshall Clinard
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 19mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover
|
Pages: |
224 |
Edition: |
New |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-275-93485-9 |
Categories: |
Books >
Social sciences >
General
Books >
Business & Economics >
General
|
LSN: |
0-275-93485-3 |
Barcode: |
9780275934859 |
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