Crimes That Harm Business Versus Crimes Committed by Business

Part 1

Crimes That Harm Business Versus Crimes Committed by Business

Which do you believe presents the greatest threat to civil society: a corporation that commits crimes (e.g., murder, environmental crimes, or bribery), or persons who commit crimes that harm businesses (e.g., embezzlement, fraud, or larceny)? Defend your response, using at least one example from current events.

Part 2

Product Liability

After viewing the Chinese Imports & Food Safety (Links to an external site.) video, consider whether U.S. retailers that utilize products or raw ingredients that are imported from China and are poorly regulated should be liable in tort for injuries to consumers who are harmed by those products. Answer parts a and b of the prompt.

For this part of the prompt, answer one of the following points:

If U.S. companies should not be liable, then they could be legally exempt from tort liability. Discuss the consequences of such a policy to U.S. consumers.

If the U.S. companies should be liable, then those companies would not be legally exempt from tort liability. Discuss the consequences of such a policy to U.S. businesses.

Regardless of your response to part a, assume that U.S. retailers do have legal liability for defective products. What steps could U.S. retailers and manufacturers take when using products imported from China that would minimize their liability exposure? For example, they could warn consumers about the potential, though speculative, dangers when using products comprised of poorly regulated ingredients or components. Given your strategy, what challenges would exist for U.S. businesses that implemented your strategy?

Part 3

Regulation and the Greater Good

After viewing The Crisis of Credit Visualized (Links to an external site.) video, respond to each of the following:

How could government regulations have prevented or mitigated the credit crisis of 2008?

Discuss whether too much governmental regulation of business or too little governmental regulation of business presents the greater danger to:

the greater good

business

Part 4

Administrative Law and Business

Some argue that government needs to increase its regulation of business for the good of society as a whole. Others believe that the marketplace is self-regulating and that government intervention through needless regulation places an unfair, costly burden on businesses in general and on small businesses in par­ticular. What role do you believe government regulation should play to ensure ethical conduct by businesses? How do different political viewpoints potentially shape the answer to this question?