Business and the Risk of Crime in China

35 Pages Posted: 25 Jun 2012 Last revised: 25 Apr 2013

See all articles by Roderic Broadhurst

Roderic Broadhurst

School of Regulation & Global Governance (RegNet); Australian National University (ANU) - Cybercrime Observatory

Brigitte Bouhours

Australian National University (ANU)

Thierry Bouhours

Australian National University (ANU)

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: Septmber 28, 2012

Abstract

The results of a large victimisation survey conducted in 2006 of 5,117 businesses in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Xi’an are reported. Over one-quarter (26.2 per cent) of businesses reported at least one incident of crime over the past year, but higher risks of commercial crimes (i.e., fraud, bribery, extortion and intellectual property offences) than common crime (i.e., robbery assault, and theft) were found. Across the cities, the rate of commercial crime (22.6 per cent) was 3.4 times that of common crime (6.7 per cent) and businesses in Shenzhen were at higher risk of commercial crime (27.9 per cent) than those in Xi’an (25.3 per cent) and Hong Kong and Shanghai (19.5 per cent). Just over 6 per cent of respondents mentioned incidents of bribery. Larger businesses were most at risk especially of fraud and differences between the cities were small. The survey shows that the level of crime reported by businesses located in China was lower than other emerging economies as well as Western and Eastern Europe. Explanations about the level of crime against business in China are discussed at the macro level using Durkheimian ideas about modernisation and crime and at the meso/micro levels by drawing from opportunity and routine activity theories.

Keywords: China, crime against business, corruption, comercial crime, fraud, bribery, crime statistics, crime victims,

Suggested Citation

Broadhurst, Roderic and Bouhours, Brigitte and Bouhours, Thierry, Business and the Risk of Crime in China (Septmber 28, 2012). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2090615 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2090615

Roderic Broadhurst (Contact Author)

School of Regulation & Global Governance (RegNet) ( email )

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200
Australia

Australian National University (ANU) - Cybercrime Observatory ( email )

Brigitte Bouhours

Australian National University (ANU) ( email )

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601
Australia
+61261250115 (Phone)

Thierry Bouhours

Australian National University (ANU) ( email )

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601
Australia

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