Everyday U.S. managers in developing countries face the dilemma of furthering their business concerns in countries such as India, China, Russia and Mexico where bribery is commonplace while at the same time trying to ensure that they do not violate their companies code of conduct or worse the government’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). It is a fine line they walk. This paper will help those managers by explaining what bribery is, why it is thought to be an issue, show recently where companies have bribed and been caught as well as offer suggestions that will enable the U.S. manager in Mexico to accomplish what bribery accomplishes but is not unethical or illegal or in violation of a company policy that prohibits bribery. Bribery …show more content…
As noted, corruption is prevalent in these markets, but bribery is not necessarily perceived as a serious crime in some places. It is just the way of doing business and it has enabled companies to expand globally regardless of the means.
For those managers doing business in Mexico they should understand that the bulk of retailers pay bribes and Mexican firms are the third most likely to have to pay bribes, right after Russian and Chinese ones. (Josh, 2012) “La Mordida” translates to “the bite” which in Mexico is the term used for a bribe. It is the customary and traditional way of getting things done. In Mexico to get things done and to keep projects moving forward it is normal to have to bribe a cop, judge or permit agent, it is a way of life instead of as in the U.S. where it is considered an aberration in the system. In Mexico almost all agencies of government: Treasury, immigration, customs, commerce commissions, police, judges, planning departments and even lawyers are used to receiving bribes for their services, it is the customary way of doing business. (Some things in Mexico seem to never change: The Bits is Alive and Well In Mexico, 2006) Mexico is a highly controlled, heavily regulated mixed economy, with a complex bureaucracy of government officials dictating who is permitted to sell what and to whom.
A U.S. Manager in Mexico needs to understand the business climate and the culture. According to the
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:
Why would you want to move to the Mayan Riviera? The answer is why wouldn’t you? Just look at the cover of this book and the pictures within (which I wish were larger to enjoy the beauty) and you’ll find yourself ready to pack your bags and relocate. However hold on as this is in another country and there are a lot of questions and things to consider. Herein lies all the answers one could ever need to move to Playa de Carmen. Manny has done his research and in turn has given us an outstanding resource covering everything we need to know to move to Mexico. From the joys of living there whether in retirement or working adults with children he covers how to get there, what to expect as well as how to find everything once we are there. I loved
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.
India’s domestic business has seen high levels of corruption; more commonly the fraudulent behaviours and bribery of government officials and civil servants. This creates an unlevel playing field between domestic business and foreign business. Evidently this seemingly small issue of corruption could potentially tarnish India’s position as favoured destination of foreign investment (Mendiolaza, 2012).
This report examines cultural and institutional factors of Mexico and how they can impact global HR management and practices. Specifically, by analyzing Mexican culture based on Hofstede’s dimensions, economy, labor legislation, union and employment tradition we reached the conclusion that the features of Mexican culture (high power distance, strong collectivism, high level of masculinity and uncertainty avoidance) and institutional factors have a strong impact on management styles and HR practices of business in Mexico and may arouse some challenges for global company and their expatriates, especially those from countries that bear different cultural features and institutional conditions. In order to minimize the potential conflict between Mexican local employees and expatriates, parent companies need to provide trainings (culture assimilation, country condition, etc.) before sending anybody to Mexico. Also, whether the expatriates should put more effort to disseminate home country (headquarter) culture or to adjust to local culture depends on the company’s strategy in terms of being localized or standardized around the globe.
6. Evaluate whether the changes in Exhibits 4 and 5 are likely to stop future foreign corrupt practices at Baker Hughes.
In today’s ever changing and competitive modern world of business, it is critical for the companies to have activities internationally. In order to prohibit frauds and illegal activities, several acts and documents have been elaborated. One of the documents is Foreign Corrupt Practices Act that has been enacted in the 1970’s, as a result of SEC investigation of several U.S. companies that made illegal payments to foreign governmental officials, politicians, and political parties (Barnes 73). The FCPA had a critical impact on the way U.S. firms do business. Companies that did not comply with FCPA have been subject of criminal and civil enforcement actions that later resulted in huge fines and sentences for
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.
1. Gothic architecture (20 points) a. Describe the characteristics of Gothic architecture found in European cathedrals built between twelfth and sixteenth centuries. b. Include illustrations of the Gothic architecture and examples from Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" 2. Traditional Gothic fiction (30 points) a. Identify and explain examples of Gothic fiction (scary tales) from at least three (3) different cultures. b. Compare and contrast them with Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" in terms of the Gothic style elements (from your notes) Literature, Artwork, and Music 3.
As one begins to compare genocides and holocausts, it is hard to remain unbiased. Of Course there are dissimilarities, mostly semantic, between these two horrendous acts. Regardless, the fact is that both these words are used to explain the immense killings done with the objective of annihilating an entire race of people .Holocausts and Genocides are disgusting both in its drive and the scale of their destruction. Both should of never have happened.
One of the largest issues that democracy in Latin America faces is bribery. This however is not entirely the fault of the corrupt politician trying to stay in power. Voters are also to blame for accepting these bribes. By accepting the
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.
Since the phenomenon of globalization, companies that decided to broaden their horizons have to face multiple challenges and their management functions need some adaptations. While going abroad, companies may become concerned with the subject of corruption that makes the business with foreign countries even more complicated. Even if there is a willingness to fight and reduce the corruption across the world, companies must be aware that this subject exists and must take it into account while dealing with foreign companies, their efforts to understand and adapt to local corruption influencing their success of
My argument is simple, Bribe is a crime, people in our society view it as one but don’t see the severity and damage that it causes. Being raised in Mexico has showed me many things, one of them has been to avoid the law. By avoiding the law I mean handling with the police. At first you would think that it is great to be able to know how to avoid it but once I got older I understood the severity of my actions. At the age of 14 I started driving and therefore started to deal with annoying police officers who would only pull me over to get money off of me because I looked young. At