White-collar crime

What is white-collar crime?

A still highly underestimated economical problem is that of unethical or damaging behaviour at the workplace. According to the German Insurance Association (Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungen) the damage to German companies alone can be estimated at several billions. According to the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) study "Wirtschaftskriminalität 2007" (Whit-Collar Crime 2007), half of all German companies have suffered from white-collar crime within the period relevant for the study. The overall damage done in cases that were actually discovered is estimated at up to six billion euros a year. In approximately every second case the offender is a member of staff working for the company concerned.

It has been scientifically proven that - contrary to commonly held beliefs - the personality of an individual has most influence on the question of whether this individual will show damaging or destructive behaviour. Opportunity, risk of detection, and company-specific conditions only play a minor role. However, they, too, must be taken into account.