Backed up by reasons beneficial to organizations, it is standard practice today when numerous companies go about their operations in ways that are somewhat controversial to accustomed conventional business norms( Bisschop, 2009) . Notably, thousands of professional businesses routinely end up committing crimes that environmentally, financially, economically and sometimes, physically cause harm to both the human and physical aspects surrounding the business. Albeit there are reprimanding civil and administrative laws to punish those that are found guilty of committing corporate crime it is still ongoing cancer within the international and local business realm.
Corporate Crimes, according to criminology confines, relates to offenses committed by either individual representing a business entity or a corporation bearing a separate legal attachment from people managing its operations. Typically, a corporate criminal indulges in acts of industrial discharge and pillage into resources such as water sources, bribery of government officials and acts along the lines of law breaking ( Kennedy, 2014) . Often a time corporate crimes are referred to as silent acts solely attributable to the fact that most individuals are not aware that their rights stand infringed upon by these corporations. Studies in the U.S corporate sectors reveal a significant increase in unlawful corporate activity majorly centered on aspects beneficial to businesses but detrimental to the environment along with its inhibitors. Consequently, corporate crime spans unorthodox business practices not suitable o the sustainability of healthy competition with the underlying rationale for such illegal activities being cost-cutting.
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Classifications of Corporate Crime
Corporate Violence.
Corporate pollution. Industrial waste spillage into water sources and toxic fume release into the air are characteristic of corporate pollution evident in many business’s operations( Greife, Stretesky, Shelley & Pogrebin, 2015) .Aside from the fact that these natural water resources are home to aquatic life man consumes the water. Typical of resource pollution many a company opt for the cheaper way out in disposing of their waste by dumping them in environmental resources around. Ideally, such acts constitute corporate crime activities as most regulatory bodies only realize that resources exist polluted after the act has silently persisted for a period unnoticed.It goes without saying that pollution paints a dirty picture of a nation to the outside world ruining the possibility of tourist influxes into the country. Notably, this is so because when water bodies are polluted and appear clogged with filth the reputation of the country the corporation operates stands marred as a result.
Crimes against employees. These relate to work environments and their susceptibility to harm the lives of the existing labor force regarding psychological, physical, mental and financial distress. Notably, in the US alone, reports indicate that approximately 6 million formal employees and casual laborers are injured while on the job with over 10,000 deaths realized eventually( Greife, Stretesky, Shelley & Pogrebin, 2015) . Alarming statistics compare deaths with the statement of the fact that for every person randomly killed by a stranger two employees lose their lives due to workplace hazards. As such, this goes ahead to highlight the horrific extent to which un-monitored corporate crime , in whatever form it rears its ugly head, has reached as well as its associated detrimental outcomes. Consequently, long term aftermaths of contracted occupational diseases such as cancer, asthma as well as cardiovascular diseases have contributed a lot to these high death rates noted( Kennedy, 2014) .As such, corporate bigwigs are in most cases accountable for such alarming rates of employee loss of lives primarily due to their negligence of risk factors in the workplace. Such neglect, in the end,violates the employee occupational safety and health standards or just neglect establishment of adequate working standards safe enough for workers.
Crimes against business customers. Companies, in their quest to realize substantial returns regarding profit sales, have indulged in mass production to meet this ultimate goal.However, there is a thin line trekked by said companies between increased output and quality standards acceptable by quality assurance regulatory bodies( Greife, Stretesky, Shelley & Pogrebin, 2015) . It is a line so faint and blurry that many a business overstep their boundaries and push to market products that are substandard and harbor harmful side effects to their consumers.Notably, such products can range from edible knick-knacks to chemical products like cosmetics intended to alter certain aspects of the customer’s physical appearance but end up damaging their health. Once such detrimental products flood the market, corporations that are aware of their harm assume that the liability of use of such goods falls onto the final customer albeit this is not true at all( Kennedy, 2014) . Evidently, acquisition of said harmful products is easy for the consumer who most times does not read the ‘ almost hidden’ warning messages on these commodities. Research shows that in the United States alone over 100,000 people are permanently disabled from the consumption and usage of inferior products with 30,000 ending up dead from the side effects. In most cases, the corporate culprits are investigated and reprimanded for their actions often a time to pay damages in the millions of dollars( Bisschop, 2009) .Notably, the damage payments are not meant to impact these businesses as a small financial pinch but rather as a massive drain on their resources and serve as a warning to others. Third world product dumping. Guised as a market move to avail cheaper products to third world countries, corporate companies dispose of substandard commodities at lower prices than the market prices to avoid losses. As such, dumping relates to the export of goods at prices lower than the standard market limits most times to developing countries that do not necessarily pay attention to quality issues ( Kennedy, 2014) . Evidently, the act of dumping in itself is a crime against international trade laws and ultimately the human lives at stake with the circulation of such defected goods globally. Perhaps this would explain why international bodies like the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) have given international regulators authority to impose taxes on companies found guilty of this act.
Economic, corporate crimes
Misleading and false advertisements. Ideally, increased levels of output influenced by customer volumes are the biggest drivers of heightened production levels existent in multi-million dollar corporations and businesses globally ( Snider, n.d.) . False adverting relates to cases where organizations make aid of misleading untrue product facts in a bid to entice customers to purchase their products that offer few, if any, of the publicized attributes. As such, companies have over the years incorporated cunning strategies to up their sales records while gaining an unhealthy competitive edge over the other fair market players.
It is imperative to understand that a lot stands invested in such market misrepresentations that are characteristic of colorful and times mouth-watering adverts that continuously run on all over social networks. Consequently, it is not until quality regulatory bodies set up policies and guidelines to follow when marketing a product or service that false adverts as a corporate crime will cease.
Price fixing. Dominant market leading companies and corporations can decide to team up and set their standard commodity pricing levels unique from the existing market prices ( Snider, n.d.) . As such, tacit prices fixed by these companies end up setting a precedent to follow by other market players that may not necessarily be that big or have that influence. Evidently, no market player is eligible to set theirown prices as this stands left to prevailing economic conditions within the market and a times ruling governments. Consequently, such an act is typical of corporate crime as in most cases the other smaller businesses do not realize that they are following price mechanisms a set by their competitors. Ideally, overpricing entails undisclosed meets by these big market participants characterized by subtle interactions geared at establishing market conditions favorable to them( Heikkurinen, 2010) . For instance, such noted market illegal behavior may take on the form of market segmenting apportioning territory for these players, price set at predetermined identical levels. Furthermore, corporations can go as far as agreeing to take turns in bid submissions to provide products and services illegally creating a competitive edge over smaller market players.
Theories of Corporate Crimes in local and global markets
The Structured action theory that relates to hierarchical learned business traits by junior employees from their seniors as far as market operations are concerned. Ideally, the more experienced employees pass on ruthless business etiquette that the juniors pick up characteristic of the use of illegal means and all necessary ways in upping profit margins( Heikkurinen, 2010) . Notably, in many businesses, such taught principles are viewed as inheritance traits the junior employees will someday master when their seniors leave the corporation to ensure its sustainability.
The Subcultural theory. Notably, such a corporate crime is urged on by work environment subcultures when employees contrast their problems and notice the solutions cannot get offered by anything within the legal confines. As such, the only option they deem left to take is inevitably breaking the law in their attempts at remedying their problems often a time violating societal norms in the process( Kennedy, 2014) . Apparently, top profile executives always make sure to lubricate regular communication with other executives who possess definitions that are capable of violating the law to operate in their favor. Thus, just like any other illegal crime corporate crime is a learned business habit through the social process of differential association.
The Anomie theory. As a result of unpredictable environmental elements that corporate executives have no control over, alternative illegal routes are sought by these market players to remedy the issues at hand (Pearce & Snider, 2016). Consequently, in most cases the ultimate solutions that stand chosen to bear detrimental effects onto the environment as well as its inhibitors. Charges and fines against corporations involved in corporate criminal activities over the past 25 years have been reported to have significantly risen in the United States of America. According to research data ousted by a law professor at the University of Virginia the numerical data of the prosecutions has maintained a steady position throughout this period (Pearce & Snider, 2016).Notably, in the year 2002, the Arthur Andersen firm was found guilty by a federal court in the US of justice obstruction about corporate criminal activities it did. Apparently, the firm’s employees were red-handedly caught shredding incriminating proof connected to one of the firm’s clients a one Enron .
Although later on, the court overturned a prior conviction it had made citing lacking jury instructions, the damage had already existed administered. Eventually, the old company that had realized profits within the regions of 9.3 billion dollars after all the court fines and charges was virtually gone( Svensson & Wagner, 2014) . To many citizens, the eventual collapse of the corporation was justice enough whereas for others the overturning of the prior conviction did not portray a good look for a supposedly pro-business nation.
Environmental conservation and economic planning are both crucial in the daily life of human beings. As silent as Mother Nature could appear, there is a bomb ticking that calls for the need for her conservation. To illustrate this fact, accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is on the rise. Consequentially, an abnormal rise in global temperatures is recorded on a daily; a phenomenon referred to as global warming. Also, many species are getting endangered because of the destruction of habitats. Furthermore, all aspects of nature, including air, water, and land, are being polluted every day ( Heikkurinen, 2010) . All these negativities consolidated together point to the fact that planet earth is becoming lesser hospitable by the day. Therefore, it calls for conservation of nature, a process that will have an impact on global economies. Financial planning of various nations across the globe is, to a significant extent, affected by the need to conserve the environment. Many conferences and global summits have been and are still being held in response to the ever-changing environmental conditions. It is during these meetings that policies are discussed and passed. These principles always have financial implications on countries that implement them. In national budget planning, they should also be considered. For example, the carbon tax that is imposed on carbon-intensive products, a move intending to control carbon emissions. Also, countries invest in this drive, like in the mass sensitization on the importance of conservation. Therefore, the preservation of nature affects the process of economic planning.
Conclusion
It is quite imperative that the relevant regulatory bodies are critical and pertinent enough to set in place observatory systems that can spot illegal market business activities. As such, examples of said systems could include NGO whistle blowers that have the environmental as well as human welfare at heart monitoring the acts of significant market participants. Various policies and principles have been passed regarding this move. These policies need to be implemented on the global stage, and this requires nations to include conservation in their planning. Therefore, not until all the market aspects get collectively involved as watch dogs to the inferior products on the market as well as illegal company acts will corporate crime be stamped out.
References
Bisschop, L. (2009). Corporate environmental responsibility and criminology. Crime, Law and Social Change , 53 (4), 349-364. doi:10.1007/s10611-009-9227-8
Greife, M., Stretesky, P. B., Shelley, T. O., & Pogrebin, M. (2015). Corporate Environmental Crime and Environmental Justice. Criminal Justice Policy Review , 28 (4), 327-346. doi:10.1177/0887403415576742
Heikkinen, P. (2010). Image differentiation with corporate environmental responsibility. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management , 17 (3), 142-152. doi:10.1002/csr.225
Kennedy, M. A. (2014). Articulations of Fracking Fields: State Diplomacy, Corporate Energy and Environmental Movements Across the European Union and the USA. SSRN Electronic Journal . doi:10.2139/ssrn.2508412
Snider, L. (n.d.). Corporate Economic Crimes. Corporate and White-Collar Crime Corporate and white-collar crime , 39-60. doi:10.4135/9781446214619.n3
Svensson, G., & Wagner, B. (2014). Marketing of Business Sustainability: A Case Illustration Beyond Corporate Boundaries. The Sustainable Global Marketplace , 305-305. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-10873-5_174
