ELE 3724 Leadership and Financial Crime

APPLIES TO ACADEMIC YEAR 2012/2013

ELE 3724 Leadership and Financial Crime

Responsible for the course
Petter Gottschalk

Department
Department of Leadership and Organizational Behaviour

Term
According to study plan

ECTS Credits
7,5

Language of instruction
Norwegian

Introduction
This course presents an introduction to theories of financial crime, stages of financial crime, and criminal entrepreneurship. Response, regulation and prevention of financial crime are described in terms of intelligence strategy, intelligence information sources and information systems. By combining insights into the broad variety of financial crime types and behaviours and alternative corporate approaches, this course provides a unique insight into the growing local and global phenomena of financial crime.

The course provides students with substantial insights into interrelationships between how financial crime occurs and how financial crime can be investigated and prevented. Based on theories of financial and organized crime combined with Norwegian as well as international examples, students develop a reflected understanding of overall crime situations, that enable them to discover and prevent such crime. Students accumulate knowledge about internal investigations and investigation management. This is a white-collar crime course that teaches students how to reveal criminals and their crime as well as to assess the seriousness and consequences of financial crime. White-collar crime is serious crime that may have victims such as the society at large, key institutions such as banks, other business organizations as well as public administration, and individual persons in society.

Learning outcome
After completing this course, students should have acquired the following personal knowledge at a basic level:
  • Knowledge about financial crime: markets, players and mechanisms
  • Knowledge about criminal financial organizations: value configurations, business models, criminal entrepreneurship and management
  • Knowledge about theoretical, legal, criminological, economic and psychological aspects of financial crime
  • Knowledge about crime investigation: whistle blowing, complaints, interviews, documents and decision-making
  • Knowledge about prevention of crime: intelligence information, threat and risk assessments, security measures, ethical standards, regulations and committees

After completing this course, students should have acquired the following personal skills at a basic level:
  • Knowledge about how to assess threats and actions against financial crime
  • Knowledge about how to detect irregularities and misconduct
  • Knowledge about how to carry out investigations
  • Knowledge about how to collect information through interviews, information systems and external sources
  • Knowledge about how to apply value configuration analysis, competitive forces and evolution models for financial crime

After completing the course, students should have developed the following personal attitudes at a basic level:
  • A willingness to focus on early warning and whistle blowing
  • An ability to investigate the nature of crime and criminal motives
  • A desire to contribute to reduce the magnitude and seriousness of financial crime
  • An interest in understanding both offender and victim
  • Curiosity in relation to criminal causes and effects
  • Reaction to white-collar criminals and their actions as unacceptable behaviour

Prerequisites
None.

Compulsory reading
Books:
Fahsing, Ivar A. og Petter Gottschalk. 2008. Kriminelle organisasjoner : hvordan forstå organisert kriminalitet. Fagbokforlaget
Gottschalk, Petter. 2010. Ledelse og økonomisk kriminalitet. Cappelen akademisk


Recommended reading
Books:
Benson, Michael L., Sally S. Simpson. 2009. White-collar crime : an opportunity perspective. Routledge
Brightman, Hank J.. 2009. Todays white collar crime : legal, investigative, and theoretical perspectives. Routledge


Course outline
  • Examples of financial crime
  • Analysis of financial crime
  • Organizational theories of financial crime
  • Criminology theories of financial crime
  • Organized crime - history and overview
  • Legal and criminal organizations and their culture
  • The criminal project
  • Leadership in criminal organizations
  • Value configurations of criminal organizations
  • Market economy for organized crime
  • Maturity models for criminal organizations
  • An analysis of organized cocaine trade as a case
  • Investigation of financial crime
  • Information sources in investigation and intelligence
  • Information systems in intelligence and investigation
  • Strategy and management preventing financial crime
  • Dangerous and criminal leadership styles
  • Knowledge-based intelligence work
  • Planning an intelligence strategy
  • Implementing an intelligence strategy

Computer-based tools
Participants are to draw figures showing a causal diagram for developments in financial crime over time. The purpose is to model dynamics in combating financial crime. One variable in the causal diagram will be the number of crime occurrences. The causal loop diagram is built by starting with variables that influence the number of crime occurrences per year (causes) and what these kinds of crime lead to (effects). The number of crime occurrences will enter into several feedback loops. The causal loop diagram is drawn by using the software Vensim from Ventana Systems. This software is available for free at www.vensim.com/freedownload.html. The causal diagram should include polarity (+ and ø) for each cause-and-effect relationship. The causal diagram should indicate positive (+) as well as negative (-) polarity for each loop, where each positive loop suggests growth in crime occurrences, while each negative loop suggests decline in the number of crime occurrences as a consequence of actions and prevention measures. The causal diagram should indicate the exchange relationships between what is done to reduce financial crime. The causal loop diagram is a method within system dynamics.

Learning process and workload
The course is conducted with 45 hours of lectures. As a part of the learning process students must hold a presentation on a given topic to the class. The presentation has the form of a mini lecture in class.

There will also be assignments during the course. Information about assignments and presentations will be given when the course starts.
Recommended workload in hours
Activity
Hours
Participation in class
45
Reading subject literature
55
Writing term paper
80
Assignments and presentations
20
Total recommended use of time
200


    Examination
    A project paper concludes the course.
    The term paper can be solved individually or in groups of up to three students and will be handed out at the beginning of the semester.


    Examination code(s)
    ELE 37241 - Project paper, counts 100% towards the final grade in ELE 3724 (Leadership and Financial Crime), 7.5 credits.

    Examination support materials
    All support materials are allowed.
    Examination support materials at written examinations are specifies under exam information in our web-based Student Handbook. Please note the use of calculator and dictionary. http://www.bi.edu/studenthandbook/examaids


    Re-sit examination
    A re-sit will be held in connection with the next scheduled course.

    Additional information