CORRUPTION: WHAT BUSINESS REALLY THINKS
When companies bribe officials, it’s bad news for business and citizens alike. There’s little room for democracy if politicians are paid to put the wishes of companies above the basic needs of their citizens, and there’s no guarantee on public safety if contractors are allowed to skirt regulations at will. Honest companies stand to lose out, and, if corporate bribery goes mainstream, the overall integrity of the corporate sector is at risk. It’s clear the issue is urgent, yet like all corruption, corporate bribes are passed covertly, hidden behind closed doors. So what is the real scale of the problem, and what measures are needed to tackle it? For our Bribe Payers Survey we asked those on the inside – business people – collecting the opinions and experiences of 3,000 senior business executives in 30 countries. The results: more than a quarter believe they have lost business due to bribery. In countries such as Malaysia, Mexico and Pakistan, it rises to almost half. Asked why the problem persists, one in four said that corruption was not prosecuted. One in five believe their company doesn’t take the problem seriously. Yet the desire for improvement is there. Almost 80 per cent agreed that their company has an ethical responsibility to fight corruption, and three-quarters said they could imagine themselves getting involved. Presenting the data interactively online, we invited users to dig into the results, breaking it down according to gender, country and sector, and leave their thoughts in our discussion forum. There’s a wealth of data to explore, but whatever way you cut it up, one result shines clear throughout – bribery is bad for business, and many of those at the heart of it are ready for change.
AT A GLANCE
We interviewed more than 3,000 business executives in 13 sectors from 30 countries about their views on business and bribery.
More than 1 in 4 business people worldwide believe that they have lost business because a competitor paid a bribe.
More than 1 in 4 business people believe that the main barrier to stopping corruption in the private sector is that corruption is widely accepted as a fact of life.
More than 3 in 4 business people worldwide believe their company has an ethical duty to fight corruption.
More than 1 in 2 business people worldwide believe anti-corruption policies would be effective in addressing corruption in their company.
Almost 1 in 2 business people worldwide believe that investigative journalism would be an effective way to stop corruption in the private sector.
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