Ivar Kreuger: An International Swindler of Magnitude
Abstract
Abstract
This essay discusses the case of Ivar Kreuger, the founder of Kreuger & Toll Inc. (a Swedish match conglomerate), known as the “Match Kingâ€. After his death in 1932, Kreuger was accused of falsifying accounts, forging documents and concealing a misappropriation of funds of a massive scale in the USA and Europe during the 1920s. The aim of this study is to explore the case of Ivar Kreuger and the business world of which he belonged, from a perspective of critical criminology, and mainly a left realist viewpoint. Using an integrative approach by combining data on an institutional, organizational and individual level, the essay will explore the case as a rather typical phenomenon within a capitalistic economy, despite its extreme outcome. It was the combination of a culture which bred monopolistic endeavors in business, together with an autocratic style of leadership and an ego which was intent on conquering, which lead to one of the worst known swindles in the history of white collar crime.
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References
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