Integrating the Desire-for-Control and Rational Choice in a Corporate Crime Context

• NCJ Number: 211005
• Journal: Justice Quarterly Volume: 22 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2005 Pages: 252-280
• Author(s): Nicole Leeper Piquero; M. Lyn Exum; Sally S. Simpson
• Date Published: June 2005
• Length: 29 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the extent to which desire-for-control relates to rational-choice considerations and corporate criminal decisionmaking.

Abstract

The authors first review the rational-choice model of criminal activity, which posits that crime is chosen because the anticipated benefit derived from it is perceived by the offender to outweigh the perceived risk or potential cost to the offender that may result from committing the crime. This is followed by a review of research that has examined the distinctive characteristics of decisionmaking in corporate crime and a discussion of the relationship between illusion of control and desire-for-control (DC), which is defined as the "general wish to be in control over everyday life events." The authors suggest that the DC relates to corporate offending behaviors by influencing the decisionmaking process more powerfully than low self-control. They predict that individuals with high levels of DC will be more attuned to sanction threats and less so to the personal benefits of the criminal act (thrill or excitement), but are also more likely to engage in corporate offending as a means of attempting to enhance their control over events that compose their corporate world of business. In testing these hypotheses, the current study examined how DC relates to rational-choice considerations in ways that depart from prior research. Thirteen business executive attending an executive MBA (Masters of Business Administration) program and 33 students enrolled in an MBA program during the 1996-97 academic year completed the research instrument, which involved responding to 3 scenarios. The scenarios depicted options for price-fixing, a violation of environmental law, and bribery. Results indicate that DC influenced the interpretation of rational-choice considerations and was positively related to corporate criminality. 3 tables, 81 references, and appended sample scenario