Perceived powerlessness or compulsion lets smaller actors disclaim responsibility.

Evidence

Smaller firms viewed themselves as too unimportant to the industry giants to have had any influence on the illegal scheme: “[I]n an industry like this, we couldn’t have been the initiators of anything like this” (Herling, 1962). They also viewed their participation as more or less compulsory if they were to survive the fierce competition: “You are a little fellow in a Bandura_1e_ch05. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 1393

Categorization

• QUESTION: The passage is cut off mid-sentence mid-quote; the complete thought about compulsory participation continues and would need the next paragraph. Worth flagging that framing felt-compulsion-as-excuse is a distinct mechanism from feeling powerless.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 1393