Bribery

Question:

What is bribery, how common is it, and where is it found?

Response:

A common misconception is that bribery only involves the exchanging of money; however, a bride is anything the recipient views as valuable. Bribery is an unethical action in the business world. “A problem is determining the body of rules that will be applicable in defining the very notion of bribery, since some aspects of bribery are almost universally prohibited, while the others are banned only in certain jurisdictions” (Pavic, 2012). Healthy work environments stem from proper ethics (McGraw-Hill, 2011).

Many cultures host bribery as just another natural business action. “Cultural rules—norms and values—do not operate in society in an isolated manner but are integrated into more complex sets of regulators” (Rimskii, 2013). Depending on the country, bribery can be socially accepted or considered a serious criminal offense whether tangible or intangible. A few examples of situations leading to bribery are “getting a child admitted to a kindergarten or secondary school; gaining admission to a higher educational institution; applying to a social welfare department for a benefit or to have a benefit reassessed; appealing to a government agency to settle a housing or land-related problem; going to court” (Rimskii, p. 14, 2013).

Bribery is found in countries that adopt bribery as a common practice. These countries include Russia, China, Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, Brazil, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, and Germany (Rising, 2011). Foreigners hold the cultural logic and social practices of gift giving instead of outright bribery; however, the motive is still intentional bribery with the result being indirect bribery at best. Bribes are becoming increasingly common methods to undermine set governmental laws. “For most Russian citizens, refusal to offer a bribe in these situations often leads to serious problems later; in cases where medical assistance is needed, the consequences may...