Police misconduct and crime: bad apples or systems failure?

The purpose of this paper is to report from an empirical study of white‐collar crime in business organizations and to create insights into perceptions of potential offenders.

A survey was conducted among chief financial officers in the largest business organizations in Norway.

The study identified financial misconduct by chief executives in the company as the crime associated with the most serious consequences for the company. A person in purchasing and procurement functions is assumed to be most vulnerable to and most likely involved in white‐collar crime.

The survey focused on perceptions and threats rather than actual crime cases that might be included in future research.

Most vulnerable persons, including purchasing executives and chief executive officers, should never be left alone signing invoices and other expenditures on behalf of the firm.

A four‐eye principle should be introduced in all business organizations in financial matters.

Chief financial officers' perceptions of vulnerability in top management create new insights into white‐collar crime.