Business Law Question:
Recent scandals in the corporate world, such as WorldCom, Enron and Hewlett-Packard have resulted in a large number of high profile criminal prosecutions and stiff prison sentences for corporate officers. How much responsibility/liability should a corporate officer have over their own actions and the actions of their subordinates? Is it ever appropriate in the business world to hold a superior liable for a subordinate's criminal action (as may often be the case in a military structure), or should we each just be responsible for our own actions?