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Managing the adverse visibility associated with a high‐profile legal crisis is a challenge faced by an increasing number of public relations professionals. This paper offers guidelines for effectively managing a legal crisis outside the courtroom while the case is pending before a court of law.

Purpose: One of the objectives of this research was to identify whether “mad”, “bad” and “sad” frames, identified in modern news reporting in other Western nations, are also evident in historical newspapers in New Zealand, a nation geographically distant. Methodology/approach: Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze reporting of multiple-child murders in New Zealand between 1870 and 1930. Content was sourced from a digitized newspaper database and identified media frames were analyzed under the categories of “mad”, “bad” and “sad”. Findings: Historical New Zealand media constructed “mad,” “bad,” and “sad” frames for the killers, however, instead of being classified with a single frame many killers were portrayed using a combination of two or even three. In some cases, media ignored facts which could have provided an alternative portrayal of the killers. In other cases, no obvious frames were employed. Research limitations: This research does not include analysis of media frame building in modern news reporting. Originality/value: Media construction of frames for multiple-child killers in historical New Zealand news reporting has not been explored before.

Trials provide social movements with a public arena that can advance social movement goals. The adversarial structure of a trial gives social movements an opportunity to articulate their grievances and to subject their opponents to cross-examination. The drama associated with trials often attracts media attention, thus creating a broad audience for the movement's message. Moreover, trials can sometimes provide opportunities for collective experiences, bringing together activists, lawyers, experts, and other actors whose combined efforts can both strengthen the movement and promote its goals.

Is the death penalty dying? This autobiographical essay offers observations on the application of capital punishment in three very different legal jurisdictions at three different time periods when – partially by happenstance and partially by design – she was a homicide researcher, a participant and an observer of profound changes in the jurisdiction's application of the death penalty.

Through an analysis of the HIV-Tainted-Blood Affair in Japan, this paper explores why pharmaceutical companies act in a socially irresponsible manner. The paper suggests encouraging members of these corporations to become more conscious of their responsibility to society by developing themselves as professionals. The analysis shows that drug disasters are not caused only by a particular “special villain,” but by the structural conflict between medical professional ethics and the profit making motivation of pharmaceutical companies. In other words, the behaviors of pharmaceutical companies fall into the interstices of professional ethics.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of sexual objectification on the attribution processes of the guilt of a defendant – and also on the level of guilt. It was also hypothesized that legal expertise could be a protective factor in countering the influence of sexual objectification.

Sexual objectification can be defined as the perspective in which a person is evaluated solely in terms of his or her body parts or sexual function. As yet, no studies have assessed the influence of sexual objectification on guilt assessment in the legal system; this paper aims to explore whether sexual objectification has an influence on the attribution processes of a defendant's guilt.

The statistical analysis revealed that the sexually objectified defendant received a guilty verdict more often than a non-sexually objectified defendant; additionally, legal experts were more likely to identify the defendant as not guilty than non-legal experts. The findings support the hypothesis that sexual objectification is indeed one of the common stereotypes that lead to discrimination.

The present study provides novel findings regarding sexual objectification in the forensic context in which the defendant is viewed and evaluated.

Over the past decade, corporate philanthropy has undergone two fundamental transformations – strategic refocusing and globalization. Faced with scarcer resources and downsizing, leading firms have redefined philanthropy by tying it directly to corporate strategies and business units. Philanthropy is now seen as a component of long‐term competitiveness, rather than a short‐term image builder and sales generator. Internationally it can not only enhance and unify a global image, but also help open emerging markets through much‐needed social programmes. This high potential is unfortunately matched by an equally high risk. Global philanthropy can represent an ethical minefield, owing to extreme difficulties in monitoring subsidiary operations. In order to address this issue, presents a dual strategic framework for multinationals and their non‐profit counterparts. Adopts a stepwise approach, starting with a mission review and moving to a partner screening process, an internal audit and action plan, followed by actual programme development and performance monitoring. Despite the complexity of global corporate/non‐profit alliances, this strategic approach can minimize ethical and financial risks and give both entities a powerful competitive edge.

This paper aims to approach fundamental topics of financial crime and the law. What does constitute financial crime? Which field of law is best suited to address the threats of transgression by financial executives? What does motivate highly rewarded financiers to become white collar criminals?

To answer these research questions, contemporary theories of criminology in general and of white collar crime in particular, as well as theories on motivation, are critically discussed. Benefits and limitations of the theories in use are exemplified on the background of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) scandal.

The paper criticises that the state-of-the-art theories are not able to embrace financial criminality in its entirety. A provoking pace for further research might be that of psychopathic disorders among white collar criminals. Thus, white collar crime maintains its challenging character.

This paper provides a thorough testing of multidisciplinary theories that emerged over the past decades against the recent LIBOR scandal. The research questions addressed and the methodologies applied provide a framework for the assessment of the prevailing theories against other financial scandals.