does Bribery help or hurt Essay

This case portrays the widely propagated and accepted phenomena of bribes and corruption in developing countries. Specifically how it affects every sector of the Ukrainian society, therefore making it difficult for the American investors to establish companies there and to prosper solely on doing good business. The case describes the types of obstacles and ethical dilemmas being created for the investors as a result of bribery and extortion.

OECD published Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions and Related Documents to prevent bribery and corruption. The aim of this convention was making the bribery of a foreign public official a crime under their laws (International Monetary Fund, OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, 2001). This document recommends to member countries that:

Bribery weakens competition and diminishes free trade which can affect companies, shareholders, and stakeholders. Jacob Franklin knowingly extended bribes to governments and contractors while knowing it was against company policy. Jacob engaged in bribery even though he knew it was wrong because he was advised that it was common practice at Richard Drilling. “In 1977, President Carter signed the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The law made it illegal to bribe foreign officials. The maximum punishments for violators were set at $100,000 and 5 years in jail. Companies can be fined millions” (Bredeson, 2012, p.301). Not only was extending the bribe against company policy, it was against law and could cost Jacob and Richardson Drilling money and freedom.

Corruption can take many forms and can be found in many countries, but mainly in the emerging ones. The main form of corruption is the bribery in the form of payments demanded by the government or ministry officials in exchange for a favor (granting a service, awarding a business).Corruption affects all the businesses that interfere with the government, but studies have shown that certain industries are more exposed to it. These industries are construction, airline manufacturing, power plants, and oil and gas production.

In my opinion every country is corrupt and has pliantly of bribery in their governments, businesses, and even households. Bribery in its most basic form is the practice of giving gifts of monetary value to a client or potential customer to persuade their decision. According to Black Law’s Dictionary, bribery is “The offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or other person in charge of a public or legal duty.” This practice constitutes a crime in most developed countries and is highly controversial. As with any controversy, bribery has its advantages as well as problems. Common advantages of bribery include gaining business without needing to have superior quality or services, building

In both developed and underdeveloped economies, there is a need to put regulations which ensure that profits are not abnormally earned at the expense of the innocent clients. It is therefore the mandate of the territorial authorities to put in place measures that introduce checks and balances in all trades. The respective companies or business must also follow the same suit lest they find themselves in the crossroads of law. However,

6. Evaluate whether the changes in Exhibits 4 and 5 are likely to stop future foreign corrupt practices at Baker Hughes.

Corruption has been seen as a major obstacle of rapid economic growth and development. It is a complex phenomenon whose roots lay in political and bureaucratic institutions and affects the economic growth of different countries. It makes the governments intervene where they do not need to, and it weakens the ability of the government to enact and implement policies in areas in which government intervention is needed. Over the years, the dispute of the economic consequences of corruption on economic growth has been a topic of analysis. The analysis is focused on the effect of corruption on economic growth. Several studies have generally found a negative correlation between corruption, economic growth, inequality, governance, income distribution and business environment. At the same time also some positive correlation with economic growth has been found to exist.

It would be convenient to start this research paper by stating that corruption is a challenge mainly for businesses in developing countries and that it is unrelated to the current affliction of the economy in the United States. It would also be convenient to claim corruption has declined in America as a result of awareness raising campaigns and the numerous anti-corruption laws. But none of those aforementioned statements would be true. Corruption is not the exception, but rather the rule in today’s business practices. In 2004, Daniel Kaufmann, a senior fellow at Brookings Institution and former director at the World Bank, calculated an index of "legally corrupt" manifestations which is defined as the extent of undue influence

Bribery can be defined as when one is offered money or some other incentive with the intention to corrupt a person’s actions.¬ Bribery is the main component, if not the basis, of government corruption.

Mr. Chong knows about recent cases of corporate bribery in Malaysia and in the retail industry. There had been scandals regarding foreign investors who bribed public officials or financed government programs to obtain business privileges or competitive advantage (Inkpen, 2010). Moreover, there was a recent case of bribery involving a Jextra’s country manager in the Philippines. More likely, this manager also encountered similar ethical dilemmas like Mr. Chong. Some individual factors that may have driven him to act unethically in the Philippines could have been pressure from the company to expand and gain competitive advantage in the region. Alternatively, he might have simply wanted to advance his career as a country manager, lacked of ethics or did not know the local laws regarding bribery. Additionally, he might not have received or requested support from the top management regarding the social and ethical issues raised in the Philippines. Mr. Chong, as an experienced manager, should have anticipated that he would encounter legal and ethical risks in Malaysia.

Madani D., Licetti M. (2010). Business regulation, reform and corruption. The World Bank, PREM notes, number 155.

Despite the high levels of corruption, investors do not seem to be deterred from doing business in China. Some believe that corruption acts as an effective “grease” to speed up the many layers of bureaucratic inefficiencies for starting of businesses in China (Meon, Weill, 2008). Furthermore, the policy of regional competition in China has caused the competitive lowering of bribes in order to attract businessmen with a lower “unavoidable cost” of doing business in the region. (Li, Peng 2001). Another reason would be the high predictability of corrupt practices in China (Campos, Lien, Pradhan, 2001), to the extent where investors factor “bribes and gifts” as a portion of their budget. Hence it does not appear as a deterrent to businesses when they enter the market (Dickson, 2008). Corruption due to “Guanxi” is also explained to enhance efficiency, because “Guanxi” contributes to high levels of public trust that encourages business ventures due to the availability of valuable information that reduces uncertainty (Li, Wu

The level of internationalisation around the globe has grown throughout the years, with advanced technologies the ease and ability to work with foreign countries has also grown. However, firms do not simply interact with each other with no outside party involvement; the government can be seen to play a large role in conducting international business. Governments continuously have the responsibility to act in the manner that they believe is best for their nation; this includes decisions regarding protectionism, which may serve to aid domestic industries but simultaneously hinder international business. It can be seen that governments do not always act in their nation’s best interest and are corrupt which can serve to increase the risks and costs of entering an international business environment. While these are examples in which the government makes international business difficult it can also be seen that the presence of a government is instrumental in creating international business effectiveness, whether this be through their legal system or from trade agreements. This makes the role the government plays paradoxical; as their involvement generally increases the risks and costs of firms seeking to internationalise, whilst simultaneously playing a significant role in creating international business effectiveness.

This does not set a good example for the employees and can be harmful to the future of the company. Ensuring that bribery stops can solve many of the problems discussed above. Some feasible solutions are being recommended to help the company in both short term and long term. First of all, all employees including managers should be given training and education about bribery, corruption and what’s deemed illegal according to the law. Explicit measures should be suggested on how they can avoid supporting corruption and also where they can report to in case a situation where dishonesty is involved arises.