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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 8 page research paper first offers the background and effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, describes white-collar crime, then explores theories of white-collar crime. Exxon's behaviors during and since the spill are related to the different theories. In every case, the writer finds that Exxon's actions cannot be considered anything but fitting into the descriptions inherent in the different theories. Bibliography included.
Page Count:
8 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_Exval.doc
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
so-named in the literature, there is no question that it falls within the category of criminal actions. In terms of sociological whit-collar crime theories, the causes of the Valdez spill
represented a deviance in social norms and approved behaviors, in other words, the behaviors violated the standards and expectations of the society (Pfohl 14). The society in this case expected
safe voyage of the oil tanker; it expected the corporation to take the necessary steps to assure that safety. The local people in Cordava expected to continue fishing and enjoying
their rich marine life. Exxons failures to follow policies violated the standards of behavior expected by the world. One of those policies
was to assure the ships captain and the crew-members had sufficient rest so they would not enter a stage of fatigue which causes mid-judgments and erroneous thinking patterns (Rosekind, et.al.
160). Exxon compounded their criminal behavior with insults to the local people affected by the spill, by legal manipulations to avoid accepting the responsibility for the spill in terms of
criminal elements, and by then fighting proposed safety standards that are more rigid than those in the past. Regardless of which white-collar
crime theory one reviews, e.g., Merton, Sutherland, Hirshi, Exxons actions reflect the definitions and inherent behaviors. This essay reviews the background and effects of the spill, then discusses white-collar crime
theory relating Exxons actions to those theories. The Effects of the Valdez Spill On March
24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, spilling 11 million gallons of crude oil into one of the worlds most biologically rich waters. The natural habitat
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