I need a discussion response to my peers discussion post If I were a U.S. citize

Question

I need a discussion response to my peers discussion post

If I were a U.S. citizen recently assigned as the manager of distribution in a European country, I would not give a tip to the customs agent in charge to clear the goods for pickup. I would respectfully decline to provide a tip. I would tell the customs agent to give me some time to contact my superior for the money and I would be back shortly. Afterwards, I would contact the government authority that recently launched the initiative to reduce corruption. As a representative of my company, I do not want to go to jail, waste resources, or ruin a business by making a bad choice (Wild & Wild, 2016, p. 94).

Bribery may be relatively accepted, but it means corruption and is unethical. If I had to give a tip, it would most likely be large and expected at each pickup. Large bribes draw attention and can violate the U.S Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (Wild & Wild, 2016, p. 47). On the other hand, giving the customs agent the tip would speed things up and keep business rolling.

Additional information would be helpful to me. I would like to know who instructed the customs agent to request a tip, how much of tip and how often, what the individual intended to do with the tip, if the customs agent is concerned with needs of the public, is the tip part of normal procedures and if so, I would request documentation. Regardless, I do not think the answers to my questions would change my decision.

Reference

Wild, J.J., & Wild, K.L. (2016). International Business: The Challenges of Globalization (8th ed). London, England: Pearson Publishing.

Explanation / Answer

Offering bribes at customs at any landing port is a violation against the compliance of foreign corrupt practices act. This incident should definitely be discussed on priority with the superviser and brought to attention of the compliance and ethics comittee at the organisation so that appropriate next steps of action be avoided. The FCPA violation would not only endanger the indivudal for malpractice but would also lead to tarnishing the reputation of the organisation.

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