Research summary
Research summary
Topic summary
Systemic corporate concealment stems from internal information filtering and the normalization of deviance rather than centralized conspirac
Key research questions
- Investigate "The History of Corporate Cover-Ups" from this distinct point of divergence: Organizational Drift & Normalized Deviance.
Important claims and supporting citations
A 2010 reorganization at BP split engineering and operations into separate functional units, resulting in onshore engineers failing to share critical data with well-site leaders on Deepwater Horizon.
A 2018 House of Commons report concluded that Deloitte was paid over £10 million as Carillion's internal auditor but failed in its risk-management role and ignored terminal failings.
Wells Fargo routinely distributed internal sales-integrity case data to legal, audit, HR, ethics committees, risk officers, the BSA officer, and KPMG, yet unauthorized-account practices persisted for over a decade.
Prior to the Challenger launch reversal, a Morton Thiokol engineer was instructed to take off their engineering hat and put on their management hat.
A 2008 Wells Fargo probe discovered 1,500 inappropriate accounts across three Palo Alto and Los Altos branches, resulting in seven terminations while CEO John Stumpf publicly cited inaccurate regional growth numbers.
An August 2004 Wells Fargo internal memo documented that sales gaming cases grew from 63 in 2000 to approximately 680 in 2004 and was circulated to Community Bank executives, legal, and corporate security.
Wells Fargo established simulated funding monitoring thresholds so high following 2013 news reports that only 3 out of roughly 30,000 flagged employees were investigated.
A November 7, 2007 presentation detailing VW defeat-device concealment plans was emailed to over a dozen managers below the board with a warning not to forward it.
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主張
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An internal Volkswagen investigation identified roughly 450 individuals involved in developing, refining, and…
An internal Volkswagen investigation identified roughly 450 individuals involved in developing, refining, and concealing Dieselgate defeat-device software from 2006 onward.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, known
A 2004 BP internal audit had graded the Texas City refinery's incident-analysis process as 'poor' prior to th…
A 2004 BP internal audit had graded the Texas City refinery's incident-analysis process as 'poor' prior to the catastrophic 2005 explosion.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, known
A 2010 reorganization at BP split engineering and operations into separate functional units, resulting in ons…
A 2010 reorganization at BP split engineering and operations into separate functional units, resulting in onshore engineers failing to share critical data with well-site leaders on Deepwater Horizon.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium, known
Prior to the Challenger launch reversal, a Morton Thiokol engineer was instructed to take off their engineeri…
Prior to the Challenger launch reversal, a Morton Thiokol engineer was instructed to take off their engineering hat and put on their management hat.
Labels: Source-linked, Low, known
Carillion Financial Collapse and Audit Failures
Carillion Financial Collapse and Audit Failures
Labels: Inferred, Low
NASA Space Shuttle Disasters and Normalization of Deviance
NASA Space Shuttle Disasters and Normalization of Deviance
Labels: Inferred, Low
General Motors Ignition Switch Defect and Investigation
General Motors Ignition Switch Defect and Investigation
Labels: Inferred, Low
Wells Fargo Sales Practices and Misconduct Oversight
Wells Fargo Sales Practices and Misconduct Oversight
Labels: Inferred, Low
Boeing 737 MAX Safety Oversight and MCAS Certification
Boeing 737 MAX Safety Oversight and MCAS Certification
Labels: Inferred, Low
A February 2024 FAA-commissioned expert panel report identified persistent disconnects between Boeing's senio…
A February 2024 FAA-commissioned expert panel report identified persistent disconnects between Boeing's senior leadership and employees regarding safety culture, complicated procedures, and fear of retaliation.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, known
None of the roughly 1,500 engineers working on the Boeing 737 MAX reported to the project's general manager,…
None of the roughly 1,500 engineers working on the Boeing 737 MAX reported to the project's general manager, reporting instead to business-unit heads.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, known
In 2015, the FAA delegated critical flight control certification tasks for the 737 MAX, including MCAS compli…
In 2015, the FAA delegated critical flight control certification tasks for the 737 MAX, including MCAS compliance findings, to Boeing under Organization Designation Authorization (ODA).
Labels: Inferred, Medium, known
Former Boeing chief technical pilot Mark Forkner was indicted on federal fraud charges regarding MCAS disclos…
Former Boeing chief technical pilot Mark Forkner was indicted on federal fraud charges regarding MCAS disclosures to the FAA in October 2021 but was acquitted by a jury after under two hours of deliberation.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, known
An independent board investigation found Wells Fargo's decentralized corporate structure granted excessive au…
An independent board investigation found Wells Fargo's decentralized corporate structure granted excessive autonomy to Community Bank senior executives, leading to systemic sales practice violations.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, known
The Joint Authorities Technical Review (JATR) found that Boeing did not evaluate MCAS as a complete, integrat…
The Joint Authorities Technical Review (JATR) found that Boeing did not evaluate MCAS as a complete, integrated function in certification documents submitted to the FAA.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, known
Prior to the 737 MAX crashes, Boeing's board lacked a standing airplane safety committee, did not discuss saf…
Prior to the 737 MAX crashes, Boeing's board lacked a standing airplane safety committee, did not discuss safety regularly, and possessed no mechanism for receiving safety whistleblower complaints.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, known
Wells Fargo routinely distributed internal sales-integrity case data to legal, audit, HR, ethics committees,…
Wells Fargo routinely distributed internal sales-integrity case data to legal, audit, HR, ethics committees, risk officers, the BSA officer, and KPMG, yet unauthorized-account practices persisted for over a decade.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium, known
GM took more than a decade to recall 2.6 million vehicles with defective ignition switches, which were linked…
GM took more than a decade to recall 2.6 million vehicles with defective ignition switches, which were linked to at least 13 deaths by GM's count.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, known
A 2018 House of Commons report concluded that Deloitte was paid over £10 million as Carillion's internal audi…
A 2018 House of Commons report concluded that Deloitte was paid over £10 million as Carillion's internal auditor but failed in its risk-management role and ignored terminal failings.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium, known
More than 75% of isomerization blowdown releases at BP Texas City in the five years prior to 2005 went unrepo…
More than 75% of isomerization blowdown releases at BP Texas City in the five years prior to 2005 went unreported or misclassified, with only 2 of 8 known prior incidents investigated as safety issues.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, known
Wells Fargo management addressed sales misconduct by terminating over 1,000 individual employees without addr…
Wells Fargo management addressed sales misconduct by terminating over 1,000 individual employees without addressing root environmental causes or leadership accountability.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, known
Prior to the Columbia disaster, photographic evidence from 79 NASA missions showed external tank foam strikes…
Prior to the Columbia disaster, photographic evidence from 79 NASA missions showed external tank foam strikes in 65 cases, which NASA had categorized as a maintenance issue rather than a safety threat.
Labels: Inferred, Low, known
Wells Fargo established simulated funding monitoring thresholds so high following 2013 news reports that only…
Wells Fargo established simulated funding monitoring thresholds so high following 2013 news reports that only 3 out of roughly 30,000 flagged employees were investigated.
Labels: Inferred, High, known
A November 7, 2007 presentation detailing VW defeat-device concealment plans was emailed to over a dozen mana…
A November 7, 2007 presentation detailing VW defeat-device concealment plans was emailed to over a dozen managers below the board with a warning not to forward it.
Labels: Inferred, High, known
In July 2017, prior to its liquidation, Carillion admitted that £729 million of previously recognized revenue…
In July 2017, prior to its liquidation, Carillion admitted that £729 million of previously recognized revenue was completely unobtainable.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, known
Anton Valukas's internal investigation into General Motors' ignition switch failures concluded the crisis ste…
Anton Valukas's internal investigation into General Motors' ignition switch failures concluded the crisis stemmed from engineering ignorance and bureaucratic dithering rather than a deliberate cover-up.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, known
General Motors engineers investigating moving stalls were unaware that other GM engineers had designed airbag…
General Motors engineers investigating moving stalls were unaware that other GM engineers had designed airbags not to deploy when vehicles were technically powered off.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, known
Following the Valukas report on the ignition switch recall, GM dismissed 15 employees and disciplined five ot…
Following the Valukas report on the ignition switch recall, GM dismissed 15 employees and disciplined five others, with over half of the dismissed holding senior or executive roles.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, known
GM upgraded its faulty ignition switch without altering the part number or notifying the National Highway Tra…
GM upgraded its faulty ignition switch without altering the part number or notifying the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Labels: Inferred, High, known
A 2008 Wells Fargo probe discovered 1,500 inappropriate accounts across three Palo Alto and Los Altos branche…
A 2008 Wells Fargo probe discovered 1,500 inappropriate accounts across three Palo Alto and Los Altos branches, resulting in seven terminations while CEO John Stumpf publicly cited inaccurate regional growth numbers.
Labels: Inferred, High, known
In fall 2002, a General Motors engineer approved an ignition switch that fell significantly below GM's techni…
In fall 2002, a General Motors engineer approved an ignition switch that fell significantly below GM's technical specifications.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, known
An August 2004 Wells Fargo internal memo documented that sales gaming cases grew from 63 in 2000 to approxima…
An August 2004 Wells Fargo internal memo documented that sales gaming cases grew from 63 in 2000 to approximately 680 in 2004 and was circulated to Community Bank executives, legal, and corporate security.
Labels: Inferred, High, known
According to the Department of Transportation Inspector General, the FAA official who approved removing MCAS…
According to the Department of Transportation Inspector General, the FAA official who approved removing MCAS from the 737 MAX flight manual did not know its operating power had been substantially increased.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, known
The Valukas report documented the 'GM salute' as a cultural gesture of crossing arms and pointing outward to…
The Valukas report documented the 'GM salute' as a cultural gesture of crossing arms and pointing outward to shift responsibility to others.
Labels: Inferred, Low, known
A December 2019 internal audit at Boeing revealed new 737 MAX safety issues, but the board never received emp…
A December 2019 internal audit at Boeing revealed new 737 MAX safety issues, but the board never received employee Speak-Up reports due to the lack of an escalation channel.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, known