An Empirical Examination of the Causes of Corporate Wrongdoing in the United States

Charles W. L. Hill, Patricia C. Kelley, Bradley R. Agle, Michael A. Hitt, Robert E. Hoskisson

Human Relations · 1992 · Volume 45 · Issue 10

DOI: 10.1177/001872679204501003

Abstract

It has been argued that a firm's propensity to violate federal laws and regulations is related to firm size, diversity, financial pressures, and organizational structure and processes (Clinard & Yeager, 1980). The current paper tests these propositions using United States data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. The findings offer at best weak support for some of these propositions while strongly suggesting that most are invalid. The results have important implications for future research and practice.

Keywords

corporate wrongdoing, learning theory, antecedent variables, empirical evidence

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