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A Cross-Cultural View of Corruption

Before you read:

Answer the following questions

• Why do some people choose corruption and others not?
• ariations in individuals' propensities to engage in bribery reflect the values and social norms that prevail in the societies in which they grew up. This leads to conclusion that corruption is, in part, a cultural phenomenon.
• Do the social and cultural norms and values prevailing in the societies in which they grew up affect their decisions?

Values and beliefs are transmitted unchanged from generation to generation through primary socialization, and they therefore represent a slow-moving component of culture. Also, social interactions may render cultural values and social norms at least partly endogenous. The proportion of people who adhere to the norm affects individuals' beliefs in the values underlying the norm, and, as a consequence, the likelihood that the norm will be internalized by others including future generation

Write whether the statements are true or false. Explain your choice. Correct the false statements. 

2. Match the notions related to corruption to their definitions

3.  Examine the following cases, based on real events, in which cultural norms clash. What will be the right/best scenario in each situation? Explain your choice.

Scenario A: Taiwan

You (a Westerner) are a manager in your company’s Taiwan

branch. You meet with a team representing a potential local supplier and notice that,

after the team departs, one of them left behind a briefcase. While looking for the owner’s name, you find the case to be full of cash.

Scenario B: Korea

Your accounting firm wishes to set up operations in South Korea, and you need a number of permits from the government. When the approval process bogs down, a local

consultant offers to take care of the problem. When you ask how, he confides that he will hand his government contact a white envelope—with money inside. His consulting fee will include an unitemized allowance for the payment. A related scenario is even more common: your applications for customs clearance never seem to get through the

authorities at the airport, and your Korean counterpart offers to take care of this in a

similar way.

Scenario: China

You are in Singapore to complete arrangements for a joint venture. Your Chinese

counterpart has proposed several persons for top executive positions, including his son-in-law, his brother, and his nephew. Should you object?

Scenario: Kenya

You run a book shop in Nairobi, and tomorrow is the deadline for a proposal you wish to submit for a government contract. You offer to pitch in to help your employees make

photocopies. Your sense of equality encourages you to convince the staff that you are “one of them.” Yet they resist your offer and insist that they can take care of it, even

though in reality they will almost certainly miss the deadline.

4. Answer the following questions

English as the EU language

Lesson 1                                                               

Tasks

I. Answer the questions below.

1. How many official languages are spoken in the EU (European Union)?

The EU has 24 official languages, of which three (English, French and German) have the higher status of "working languages" of the European Commission.

2. How many of them can you name?