It is defined in the online Oxford dictionary as “dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery”.
Another definition of corruption is “the act or effect of giving or receiving a thing of value, in order that a person do or omit to do something, in violation of a formal or implicit rule about what that person ought to do or omit to do, to the benefit of the person who gives the thing of value or a third party”. (Argandona, 2005):
These definitions emphasize the following features of corruption (Argandona, 2005):
• It is an action, an omission, or an attempt to do such action.
• It consists of giving and receiving.
• It involves the exchange of something of value.
• It is done by an individual holding a position
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Consequences of corruption
Corruption takes place in industrialized countries, developing countries and less developed countries and seems to have been accepted as no more than a cost of doing business in many countries. As a result, corruption was identified as one of the greatest obstacles to social and economic development of nations. The effects of corruption are felt in monetary terms from a business point of view, as well as in social and political costs.
5. How to fight government corruption
i) Build strength from within
Strong internal controls and accountability mechanisms enable anti-corruption agencies to carry out their missions and avoid internal abuses that can damage their credibility ii) Cultivate influential alliances
External support is critical for anti-corruption agencies to outflank powerful opponents. Fostering effective alliances with different groups requires creativity and diligence, Kenya’s ethics and anti corruption commission for combating corruption and organized crime sought to gain media support by training its prosecutors in media relations, breaking down their reluctance to talk to the media while giving them the skills to do
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H., Gray, C. W., (2006). Anticorruption in Transition. Who is succeeding… and why? Washington DC: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/ The World Bank
Argandona, A., (2003). Private-to-private corruption. Barcelona: IESE Business School. Retrieved from http://www.iese.edu/research/pdfs/DI-0531-E.pdf
Argandona, A., (2005). Corruption and Companies: The use of Facilitating Payments, in Journal of Business Ethics, 60, 251-264
Nwabuzor, A., (2005). Corruption and Development: New Initiatives in Economic Openness and Strengthened Rule of Law, in Journal of Business Ethics, 59; 121-138
Dr Heather M., (2013). Corruption,Politics and Development: The Role of the World Bank. Palgrave Macmillan.
Arnold J. H., and Michael J., (2011). Political Corruption: Concepts and Contexts. Transaction Publishers.
Mr. Moses M., (2013). Conceptualising Corruption. Article retrieved from http://www.icac.org.hk/newsl/issue30eng/button4.htm
Wrong, M. (2014, May 6). Everyone is corrupt in Kenya, even grandmothers. Retrieved from www.foreignpolicy.com/.../everyone_is_corrupt_in_kenya Transparency International. (2014). Overview of corruption and anti-corruption. Retrieved from www.trasparency.org-Kenya
The Star
When dealing with corruption, first question to ask or to clarify is what corruption is. NSW Research (2002) describes corruption anything from gaining materialistically by virtue of position (for eg. getting a special discount at stores) to engaging in ‘direct criminal activities’ (eg. selling drugs). Newburn (1999) believes that there is a thin line between the definition of ‘corrupt’ and ‘non-corrupt’ activities as at the end, it is an ethical problem. For common people, however, bribery generalises corruption.
Corruption is commonly defined as “being dishonest or illegal behavior, especially by powerful people (such as government officials or police officers)” according to Merriam-Webster.com. However, although defined, corruption cannot be measured. Without measurement of this ten letter word, it becomes troubling within jurisdiction’s law abiding citizens live in. As a result, hysteria, panic and doubts arise which are only a few out many reactions the public makes. With the press only stirring greater chaos, corruption is never completely solved, which is why it must be confronted and measured before it’s too late. If not it’ll only continue to linger throughout media headlines and forums, but also the society, it conclusively affected and left a mark on for example, Pageland, SC.
Corruption is an individual and institutional process where there is a gain by a public official from a briber and in return receives a service. Between the gain and the service, there is an improper connection, (Thompson p.28). The two major categories of bribery is individual and institutional corruption. Receiving personal goods for the pursuit of one’s own benefit is personal fraud. An example of individual distortion is the financial scandal involving David Durenberger. Organizational corruption involves “receiving goods that are useable primarily in the political process and are necessary for doing a job or are essential by-products of doing it,” (Thompson p.30). An instance of institutional fraud is the Keating Five case. There are also times where there is a mixture of both individual and organizational corruption in a scandal. An example of this diverse combination is James C. Wright Jr. actions while he was the Speaker of the House.
For example, gratuities that demean the status of police as professional. Another example of corruption is graft. The graft is any type of abuse of one’s position for personal gain. This type of corruption involves the using of the position for a financial benefit.
Corruption is defined as the dishonest conduct one performs for illegitimate private gain (Paskal). To determine where corruption
The reason why corruption has become a global problem is because it’s rational to be greedy or wanting for more but soon after it gets out of control and then there is a corrupted person who in order to change would have to step down from power and become a person who doesn’t control.
People who do bad things some of which are illegal and some legal for the purpose of accomplishing good ends are guilty of “Noble-cause corruption.” It usually occurs in circumstances where there is little chance of being held accountable. This happens most often with police work when people think that they can get away or hide these illegal This doesn't necessarily mean that there aren't laws against the action (though sometimes there aren't), but the individual who commits noble cause corruption either can't be held accountable or believes he or she won't be held accountable.
Chetwynd, Eric, Frances Chetwynd, and Bertram Spector. "Corruption and Poverty: A Review of Recent Literature." Management Systems International (2003): n. pag. Print.
Turrow, Scott (1985) What’s Wrong with Bribery in Journal of Business Ethics, D. Reidel Publishing Company (Boston), pp. 249-251.
Corruption consists in the illegitimate agreement between a corruptor and a corrupted, in which they abuse of their public power in order to obtain personal benefit. Bribery and corruption is something that has been going on for years. According to Allen, “officials perceive themselves as immune to any penalties for demanding and receiving bribes” which she states that it is one of the main reasons for bribery and corruption in underdeveloped countries. According to Transparency International, an organization committed exclusively to end corruption, three of the most corrupt countries in the world are Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan. This does not mean that corruption is only seen in underdeveloped countries. In international business, corporate employees often find themselves dealing with corruptors in foreign countries and, in most cases, they will give in.
Bribery is wrong, and it would be almost instinctive to point at the benefits of impartially functioning public servants and incorrupt corporations to our democratic society as justification. However, in this imperfect world where bribery is rife in varying degrees, is it possible to express this notion convincingly? Certainly 'because the UK Bribery Act says so' is far less persuasive to a council planning office in Shanghai than in London, and indeed in compliance with section 7 of the Bribery Act 2010 which relates to commercial offences, it is essential that this question is engaged with on a corporate scale and without assertion through dogma. Accordingly, this essay will argue that elements wrong with bribery are inclusive of both moral and economic considerations. Moreover, in conjunction with international mandates, advent of aggressive legislation such as that of the UK Bribery Act 2010 is representative of global efforts to eliminate bribery. Hence, it follows that bribery can never be considered a normal part of business because it is economically unsustainable in the long term.
The existence of bribery and unethical behavior is rampant in the world market and may not change overnight. The question of bribery has been distilled in business literature as a question of ethics. In this situation at the airport with the customs officer, it is important to distinguish between business ethics and personal ethics. In a business ethics situation, the Foreign Corruption Practices Act would prohibit offering any bribe to the custom office – for example to free a shipment of goods that was lost in red tape (Pitman & Sanford, 2006). Most companies also have policies against bribery as well. In this situation, however the main issue at hand is that of personal ethics. When in a situation where your company is unknown and there is no business being conducted, normal business ethics and laws (including FCPA) do not apply only personal ethical standards.
Conceptualizing Corruption in South Africa Conceptualizing Corruption in South Africa Amr Taha El Baba Lebanese American University SPECIFIC PURPOSE: To persuade my audience that corruption could cripple the progress in South African societies. Crime and corruption are not relevant to the degree of poverty present in a country as some of you might think. Corruption is a social phenomenon that every society deals with, regardless of the level of development in the country. What makes corruption a dangerous social phenomenon is its ability to adapt to the conditions present in any country.
Kearney, A.T. (2001). Corruption and the Globalization Index. Last access on 27 March 2005 at URL: http://www.globalcorruptionreport.org/download/gcr2001/data_and_research.pdf NAIM, Mois´s (1995). Corruption Eruption. Last accessed on 2 April 2005 at URL: http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=648 MORAN, Robert T. and RIESENBERGER, John R. (1994)
Corruption can be defined as the use of entrusted power to accumulate public wealthy for personal benefit. Corruption is not peculiar to any country, continent or state; it is sure a global issue which is an endemic to all government all over the world. However, corruption is prevalent in the Niger delta region of Nigeria; public officers in this oil producing state of Nigeria are corrupt. Consequently, it has defied the Niger delta from developing politically and economically which has left the states reputation in a mess. Radicalization of youths, abject poverty and -political instability are the three leading effects of corruption in the Niger delta region of Nigeria.