Question 1

What process is characterized by the top managers in organizations attempting to protect the good reputation of the organization by providing statements on how decisions should be made while creating incentives for lower-level managers to take deviant or illegal actions on behalf of the organization?

Accepted Answer

Decoupling involves a separation between formal organizational policies and actual practices, where top management may publicly commit to ethical behavior while implicitly encouraging or tolerating unethical practices at lower levels to achieve organizational goals.

Question 2

The rational choice perspective on criminal behavior stresses all but which of the following factors?

Accepted Answer

The rational choice perspective on criminal behavior emphasizes reasoning and strategic planning, adaptation to particular circumstances, and weighing of costs and benefits. However, it does not focus on the influence of cultural values on criminal behavior.

Question 3

Corporate involvement in crime seems to be linked with which of the following factors?

Accepted Answer

Corporate involvement in crime is often motivated by the pursuit of profit. In an economic climate that promotes aggressive pursuit of profit, corporations may engage in illegal activities to gain a competitive advantage or increase their profits.

Question 4

Rationalizations for corporate crime would include all but which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Conventional offenses such as theft, assault, and murder are not the same as corporate offenses, which can harm many people on a large scale. The other options are all common rationalizations used by corporations to justify their illegal actions.

Question 5

Which of the following is not an internal variable linked with corporate crime?

Accepted Answer

Level of industry concentration is an external variable that is linked with corporate crime, as it can create an environment that fosters collusion and anti-competitive behavior. The size of the corporation, financial performance, and corporate subculture are all internal variables that can contribute to corporate crime.

Question 6

Donald Cressey criticized the treatment of corporate crime by other researchers (e.g., Sutherland; Clinard and Yeager) on which of the following grounds?

Accepted Answer

Donald Cressey criticized the treatment of corporate crime by other researchers on the grounds that corporations are not persons, cannot learn, do not have motivations, and cannot form intent. This suggests that he did not believe in treating corporate behavior as if it were the same as individual behavior.

Question 7

Which of the following is not an external factor linked with organizational crime?

Accepted Answer

Diffusion of responsibility through different divisions is an internal factor rather than an external factor linked with organizational crime. The other options listed are all external factors that can influence or contribute to organizational crime.

Question 8

A general theory of crime:

Accepted Answer

A general theory of crime attempts to explain different forms of crime with the same general explanation, seeking a unified understanding of the underlying causes of criminal behavior across various contexts.

Question 9

Which of the following criticisms has not been directed at general theories of crime?

Accepted Answer

The criticism that general theories of crime can only explain conventional but not white collar crime is a common critique directed at these theories. However, the other options of explaining different types of activities too simplistically or broadly, and providing no clear basis for explaining variations between conventional and white collar crime rates over time are also commonly cited criticisms.

Question 10

Which of the following theories, unlike most theories, raises the question of why someone does not engage in criminal behavior?

Accepted Answer

Social control theory focuses on why individuals do not commit crimes, emphasizing the role of social bonds and societal norms in preventing deviant behavior.

Question 11

Organizations with specific goals have been characterized as:

Accepted Answer

Organizations with specific goals are often designed to be rational systems, as they are structured and governed by a set of established rules and procedures that are intended to maximize efficiency and productivity in achieving their goals. Rational systems typically have a hierarchical structure, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities, and a focus on the use of technology and other resources to achieve their objectives. While they may also have elements of open and closed systems, the emphasis on goal-oriented rationality is what distinguishes them from other organizational models.

Question 12

Which of the following phrases does not refer to the control balance theory proposed by Charles Tittle?

Accepted Answer

The phrase "Equal balance of control fosters innovation" does not refer to the control balance theory proposed by Charles Tittle. The theory suggests that a surplus or a deficit of control can lead to criminal behavior, whereas an equal balance of control does not necessarily foster innovation.

Question 13

When we say that the Ford Motor Company produced unsafe cars, we are treating the organization as:

Accepted Answer

When we say that the Ford Motor Company produced unsafe cars, we are treating it as an actor, as it is the entity responsible for designing and manufacturing the cars.

Question 14

With regards to corporate or organizational crime, the text stresses that:

Accepted Answer

The text stresses that the resources and structure of an organization can enable and facilitate crimes, such as financial fraud or environmental harm, allowing for the perpetration of harm on a large scale. While an organization in a literal sense cannot act, its actions are carried out by individuals within the organization, and the organization as a whole can be implicated in criminal behavior. However, individual identity should never be completely subordinated to the demands of the organization, as individuals should always act ethically and within the law. Thus, option D - the organization and its resources make many crimes possible - is the most accurate.

Question 15

The concept of "bounded rationality":

Accepted Answer

Bounded rationality refers to the fact that human beings can only process a limited amount of information at one time, leading to choices that are often based on incomplete or defective information. It does not suggest that rationality is unlimited, refer to the roots of rationality in early development, or pertain to the boundaries between rational and irrational behavior.

Question 16

What type of theory focuses on how a fraud spreads among investors via social networks?

Accepted Answer

The theory that focuses on how a fraud spreads among investors via social networks is the diffusion theory. This theory explores how a certain concept or behavior spreads through a social system, in this case, the spread of fraudulent practices among investors. Therefore, the best choice is B) Diffusion.

Question 17

Braithwaite and Fisse's defense of the notion of corporations as directly responsible for criminal actions stresses all but which of the following factors?

Accepted Answer

Braithwaite and Fisse do not argue that corporations can legitimately be said to have emotions and feelings. Instead, they stress the collective nature of corporate actions, the role of corporate policies as intentional actions, and the potential for punishment to affect corporations as entities.

Question 18

Which of the following statements made about white collar crime from the perspective of labeling theory is true?

Accepted Answer

Labeling theory suggests that those in the white collar class are more likely to be able to shield themselves from being labeled criminal due to their social status, financial resources, and ability to manipulate the legal system. This is contrasted with conventional offenders who may not have the same resources and therefore are more vulnerable to being labeled and stigmatized as a criminal. The other options are not consistent with labeling theory.

Question 19

The structural perspective in criminology focuses on which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The structural perspective in criminology focuses on social conditions and the distribution of power and resources as factors that contribute to criminal behavior. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the larger societal structures and how they shape individual behavior. Face-to-face interaction (A) and physical structures (C) may be important, but they are not the primary focus of this perspective. The role of personality (D) is more central to other theoretical perspectives, such as trait theory.

Question 20

The idea of the organization as a context or environment which can influence individual attitudes and behavior in a criminal direction is explained in which of the following perspectives?

Accepted Answer

The social psychological perspective focuses on the influence of the social environment on individual attitudes and behavior.

Quiz 8: Explaining White Collar Crime: Theories and Accounts