A Problem of Corporate Convenience: A Case Study of the GM Ignition Switch Recall
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Authors
MacNeil, Ryan
Date
2015-10-06
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
Corporate Crime , Transformative Justice , Case Study
Alternative Title
Abstract
In light of the overwhelming harm caused by General Motors and its failure to recall defective vehicles for nearly a decade, this thesis explores the GM ignition switch recall and the numerous errors and omissions that enabled it to occur. This thesis begins by introducing corporate criminological studies broadly, then, in the second chapter, moves to develop a history of automobile regulation specifically. Following that, in the third chapter, this thesis builds the case against GM, showcasing how at several junctures GM chose profits over safety, and how the state regulatory system permitted this to happen by allowing the corporation to define a critical safety defect as a “customer convenience problem.” Finally, in chapter four, this thesis examines the state’s response to GM’s malfeasance, situating this in its broader social context, and then moves to criticize compliance and punishment oriented regulation from Ruth Morris’s (2000) conception of transformative justice. To effectively respond to corporate crime, this thesis argues that state responses should attempt to transform the criminogenic aspects of capitalism and the corporation, rather than punish or persuade.
Description
Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2015-10-01 11:38:15.572
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License
Queen's University's Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License for Deposit to QSpace and Library and Archives Canada
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Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.