Society, Business and Criminal Justice - Research Paper Example

? Society, Business, and the Criminal Justice System in American Gangster (2007) 5 March Society, Business, and the Criminal Justice System in American Gangster (2007) Syndicated crime is a big and complex business, and for some gangs, it is a family business. American Gangster (2007), directed by Ridley Scott, explores Frank Lucas’ life and the factors that contributed to his development as a criminal gang lord. After Bumpy Johnson died from a heart attack, Frank, his former driver and confidante, took over the business and made radical changes in its structure and operations, although the basic principles of honesty, community service, and truthfulness to the clients remained. Frank transformed the structure by deleting middlemen and other criminal groups and dealing directly with heroin manufacturers in Vietnam. He also used brand management through branding his heroin, Blue Magic. He further changed operations through hiring his brothers and cousins as partners and distributors. Frank has created a better way of doing the same illegal drug business, because his changes provided high-quality products at the lowest cost. This essay reviews American Gangster (2007) and its social, political, and economic context. It argues that Frank is a product of his socio-economic and political conditions and that he devised a business model that had the core competitive advantages of loyal partners, efficient supply chain, and personalized services to clients and the community. Frank Lucas’ childhood in the South and his interactions with the police play a part in his own justification that resulted in his criminal career, because these experiences impressed upon him that he cannot rely on anyone else but his family, because he is a black man in a white man’s world. In the south, people are generally poor, especially black people who live in the ghettos. Bumpy Johnson resorted to giving donations, just so he can ease the black people’s poverty. The police also often harassed and arrested black people, which signify racial discrimination and its prevalence in modern society. The police are also corrupt and benefit from the illegal drug business through extortions. Frank, from these realities, learned that being black is a social and economic disadvantage. Black people are kept poor by having less access to political power and economic resources. At the same time, they experience undue racial discrimination that impacts their access to opportunities that can change their impoverished and disempowered conditions. Lichtenberg (2006) examined racial profiling that the police often use in their investigations. Racial profiling refers to using race as a dominant influence in affecting who police stop, search, and arrest (Lichtenberg, 2006, p.50). Through racial profiling, black people undergo the stigma of being black in a world that white men control and own. Frank realized that he has to be “somebody,” or else he will be nobody. He could only be somebody if he uses his intelligence and support system to gain wealth and this wealth will give him power. He did amass wealth through his heroin business, and as a result, he gained political power too, because he paid politicians and police to protect his family business. The same corrupt system that he detested had been turned into a means to become somebody in a white man’s world. The white man was still powerful as an ally, but at least, Frank enjoyed high social status, because of his innovative approach to managing his family business. Business and family needs and beliefs justified Frank’s divergence from Bumpy Johnson’s teachings about the importance of the middleman to businesses, including their illegal drug business. Bumpy Johnson criticized companies that have cut the middle men and buy directly from suppliers, because it depersonalized services and took jobs away from many people. He also complained that because of this practice, he can no longer find the “heart of anything.” From a business perspective, Frank broke away from the teachings of Bumpy Johnson after his death, because he believed that syndicated crimes can also learn from corporations who cut out the middlemen to make more profits. Without middlemen, Frank can directly import from manufacturers and get the products at the lowest prices. He can then sell these products at competitive prices, or half the price. For him, this is good business, since he can help his clients save money. At the same time, the business need for quality and consistent products justified this move. By sourcing directly from Vietnam, Frank ensured the quality of his branded merchandise. He also believes in being honest to his clients and not cutting them short with poor quality products, which is why he wanted Nicky, a local drug distributor, to stop selling chopped-up Blue Magic because it messes with his brand. Frank only wants to sell pure blue magic that is not yet chopped or diluted by distributors. This way, his customers will be loyal to him and to his organization/gang. From a corporate perspective, Frank decided to streamline the drug supply chain system, which improved product quality and operations efficiency. Through conduct vertical integration, where he does the sourcing and primary distribution himself, he reduced delays to fast production and decreased operations costs. The new supply chain system allowed him to cut all middlemen and criminal gangs, which only add costs and stress to the system. Without the middlemen, the supply chain structure was significantly simplified. The heroin organization had less layers and became more flexible, and yet more powerful. By flexibility, it refers to being able to decide who and where the products can be distributed. Frank could choose which criminals to remove and which to support, depending on the efficiency and effectiveness goals of his organization. Efficiency means keeping costs down without exploiting the people. For instance, Frank believed that a 20% cut was too high that it was unethical even for Bumpy. Effectiveness means getting quality products to end users, where they get value for what they paid for. These considerations made Frank a true kingpin, since he was the sole direct source and brand manager of blue magic. In addition, a family business is a good business organization with emotional, financial, and social benefits. Miller and Le Breton-Miller (2005, p. 32) stressed that many family businesses: ...cherish enduring, open-ended, mutually beneficial relationships with business partners, customers and the larger society. These relationships vastly exceed the time span, scope and potential of episodic market or contractual transaction. (cited in Carrigan & Buckley, 2008, p.656). Family businesses are believed to provide more personalized relationships with clients. Cooper et al. (2005) found from their study that numerous family businesses believe that they can offer excellent customer service compared to non-family firms (cited in Carrigan & Buckley, 2008, p.656). Frank realized vital organizational, business, and corporate benefits, after veering away from many of Johnson’s business teachings. Frank decided to employ his family members and other close relatives, because they are a reliable social support system that can serve family and organizational needs. Smangs (2010) asserted that based on the social network analysis model, a family business increases emotional ties that can be used to forge loyal partnerships. For a drug syndicate, it is important to have people to trust and Frank found that with his brothers and cousins. Families also have extensive social networks that can help achieve economies of scope and economies of scale. They have social networks as distributors and markets for heroin. In addition, by doing business together, Frank ensures order in his organization. Families naturally seek and preserve order, and with them, he rarely had to worry for dishonest transactions. Frank also protected his family better when they are part of the organization, since they were with him most of the time. Finally, Frank guaranteed the financial security of his whole clan through a family business. It means none of them will have to be poor and disempowered again. Frank’s point in shooting a man in the head on the busy sidewalk was to show everyone that he was invisible and invincible. He was invisible, because he could kill anyone in broad daylight and nobody would inform the police. It was a demonstration of his power to his siblings and community. Frank also showed that he was an invincible man, because no one could touch him, put him down, or shame him. Anyone who dared defy him or swindle him will meet the same fate. He could kill those who do not follow his rules without second thoughts. This was his tangible way of stressing authority and demanding respect from his family and community. Some of the ethical issues that several parts of the criminal justice system violated are unethical relationships between attorneys and clients and fraternization with suspicious members of society, as well as other “evidences” of solidarity that serve self-interests. First, Richie was sleeping with his lawyer. This is unethical and unprofessional for this lawyer, because she should not have any intimate relationship with her client. As a lawyer, she should have maintained objectivity by preserving professional distance with her client. Second, it was also unethical for Richie to be too closely involved with “bad elements” in society, because he was a cop. He might be using his friends to do his job as a police, but it sent the wrong message that he was also protecting them in breaking laws. Third, Richie also protected his partner, who was a heroin addict. He should have just reported him to their superior, so that he was rehabilitated instead of dying from drug overdose. Finally, ethical issues arose from corrupt politicians and authorities who use their power to extort money from the illegal drug trade. Instead of doing their jobs of cleaning the nation from drugs, they were only reinforcing drug abuse and its consequent effects of crimes and broken lives. American Gangster (2007) depicts how Frank introduced innovations to his business model and operations. His disempowered condition as a black male made him realize the importance of wealth to being somebody and in commanding respect from white people. Frank turned his heroin business to a family business, where there were no middle men and criminal gangs were kept at the bare minimum. These strategies gave him core competitive advantages of trustworthy partners, efficient supply chain, and tailored services to clients and the community. Though Frank has put his family’s lives at risk, he paradoxically was more able to protect them, since they were part of his organization. Hence, social network analysis help understand how Frank’s decisions protected and strengthened family ties, which served business purposes, as well. References Carrigan, M. & Buckley, J. (2008). ‘What's so special about family business?’ An exploratory study of UK and Irish consumer experiences of family businesses. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 32 (6), 656-666. Lichtenberg, I. (2006). Driving while black (DWB): Examining race as a tool in the war on drugs. Police Practice & Research, 7 (1), 49-60. Reyes, W. (2010). American Gangster. Contemporary Justice Review, 13 (4), 491-495. Grazer, B. (Producer), & Scott, R. (Director). (2007). American Gangster. [Motion picture]. United States: Universal Pictures. Smangs, M. (2010). Delinquency, social skills and the structure of peer relations: Assessing criminological theories by social network theory. Social Forces, 89 (2), 609-631. Read More