Using academic literature and examples from your chosen case study topic, critically analyse the role of globalization in the rise of transnational corporate crime. Why is it that such crimes remain beyond the reach of law?

For this essay question, via no more than two case studies, students must evidence to what extent has globalisation facilitated and evolved transnational corporate crime. Globalisation is more of a process than a theory and as such, there are key things to consider:

  • Political, social, and economic changes to the world;
  • Globalisation and neo-liberalism;
  • Shift in changes in activities and networks;
  • The interconnectedness of the world as an open and borderless society;
  • Exploitation of laws and policies.

Globalisation – the process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale

Transnational corporate crime

Corporate crime refers to crimes committed by:

  • Corporations
  • Individuals
  • Overlaps with other crimes such as white collar crime, organised crime and state corporate crime
  1. Key terms:

Neo liberalism – a political approach that favours free-market capitalism, deregulation, and reduction in government spending

Zemiology- Zemiology is the study of social harms. Zemiology gets its name from the Greek word meaning ” harm“. It originated as a  critique of  criminology and the notion of  crime. In contrast with ‘individual-based harms’ such as  theft, the notion of social harm or social injury incorporates harms caused by  nation states and  corporations.

Corporate killings – a business or organisation can be found guilty for a persons death but there is an issue with finding the agent/director responsible in corporate killings therefore there are rare cases of these people sent to jail.

Reckless killings – a crime in which the person was aware they had to act or not act to avoid deaths and they chose not to.

Killing by gross carelessness –

Things to research:

  • Enron scandal
  • Try to choose enron and Grenfell case studies to explore
  • Listen to week 7/8 lecture
  • Talk about how companies go to poorer countries to get their work done, i.e when companies go china for cheap labour or other 3rd world countries
  • Grenfell tower, people have died so government can cut costs and save money
  • The bohpal disaster in india – corporate companies trying to save money
  • Ford pinto scandal – people died because the cars were catching fire (research more)
  • Globalisation is involved because companies in developed countries get products made from less developed countries
  • Easy to exploit laws if they are in different countries

Quotes:

  • “violence is no longer conducted with the sword, but with the pen” (Hall,2002) (steve hall )