Normal Organizational Wrongdoing
A Critical Analysis of Theories of Misconduct in and by Organizations
Donald Palmer
Reviews and Awards
AOM SIM Division Best Book Award Social Issues in Management Division Best Book Award 2013 and Finalist for AOM Terry Award
"One of the strength's of this book is the many vivd and fascinating case studies of organizational wrongdoing that the author uses to illustrate each theory ... anyone with an interest in corporate scandals will find these case studies rich and compelling ... Palmer's book is both important and timely." - Carol A Caronna, Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews
"Palmer's book is both important and timely... [and his] exploration of these questions covers a wide range of disciplines - sociology, psychology, social psychology, criminology, political science, economics, and philosophy - giving his book an impressive breadth. He provides thorough and careful descriptions and illustrations of eight specific explanations of organizational wrongdoing... Anyone with an interest in corporate scandals will find these case studies rich and compelling." - Contemporary Sociology
"Palmer provides an overview of the underlying theories, drawing on a range of disciplines sociology, economics, psychology, ethics and management and provides examples showing how each explanation can be applied. ... the book is very useful for anyone interested in organizations and ethics. With his fine review of relevant theories and by providing a wealth of examples, Palmer is able to demonstrate that organizational wrongdoing is indeed normal, as his title suggests." - Ian Towers, Work Employment & Society
"Donald Palmer has developed a provocative argument about the inevitability of organizational wrongdoing. What we have here is a critical, inclusive, sociological analysis that takes the perspective of embedded wrongdoers[The book] could easily be a basic text for organizational studies courses of any kind. Why? Basic positions are presented and compared. Ethics are not compartmentalized. Applications are not oversimplified. Readers understand more clearly why organizational participants may develop a cynical outlook." - Karl Weick, ASQ, 14/07/2013