Corporate Ethics and Crime: The Role of Middle Management

Safety violations, bribes, kickbacks, and price-fixing -- these are some of the crimes that corporations indulge in as a matter of covert policy. What does middle management do when confronted with the knowledge that their superiors are breaking the law or violating ethics? What makes some corporations behave more ethically than others? Marshall Clinard interviewed retired middle managers of the Fortune 500 corporations to discover the nature of corporate crime and ethics, and the reaction of middle managers to it. How do middle managers account for differences in corporate behaviour? What pressures are brought to bear to keep them silent. What are their own personal ethics when confronted with corporate misdeeds? What kinds of violations would they be willing to report? When would they remain silent? The role of upper level management and the role government regulations play in discouraging and encouraging violations is also discussed. The result is a fascinating portrait of a closed and silent process of violation, corporate dynamics and personal, moral reaction.Clinard, Marshall Barron is the author of 'Corporate Ethics and Crime: The Role of Middle Management' with ISBN 9780803919723 and ISBN 0803919727.