Ethics Response: (Bribery)

Task:

Using the response template and thread below, “Unethical activity of bribery”, provide a personal reply to the thread, adding additional thought and advancing the conversation.  Your reply can be in personal tense, I, you, we, etc.  Add only new thought and do not simple restate what the post already says. 

Requirements:

• 200 to 300 words (no more and no less, title page and reference page not counted in word count)

Sources: (must use APA 6th Edition Style)

• 2 Scholarly Journal that is peer reviewed (must have online link available). Use of TEXT BOOKS or COURSE BOOKS of any type is not authorized. 

• 1 reputable business magazine (must be a periodical, must be current, must provide online link)

• 1 Biblical quote.  (Must be relevant and used in the conclusion.  Use N

*****************

Template: (Use this template for the reply)

Introduction

               Hi Lorne Patch.  Thank you for your thread on bribery.  I agree that bribery is both illegal and immoral in most societies.  The United States and most of the westernized governments have a set of business rules and morals that discourage and prohibit this type of activity.  Once question that comes to mind is could you justify or even perhaps set your morals aside if you were doing business in a society where bribery is common and maybe even an accepted practice to maneuver through complicated bureaucratic or business environments.  (use this as the intro)

Analytical Discussion

               Provide new ideas, research, and analysis that create a clear dialogue with the ideas in the thread you are responding to.     

Conclusion

               Wrap up-the moral and ethical dilemma opposed to the right thing to do.  Provide Biblical scripture to back up your argument.

References

• 2 Scholarly Journals that are peer reviewed (must have online link available) Use of TEXT BOOKS or COURSE BOOKS of any type is not authorized. 

• 1 reputable business magazine (must be a periodical, must be current)

• 1 Biblical quote.  Must be relevant and used in the conclusion

******************

Respond to this question and thread

Unethical activity of bribery:

Discussion topic of choice will be the unethical activity of bribery. Bribery as referenced from our reading of Business and Society is “a questionable or an unjust payment” (Lawrence & Weber, 2017, p.127). Bribery is often considered payment for a favor, or the influencing of an action, it can be payable in any form that is considered that of value, typically money or a gift. Bribery is common in the political, public, or legal duties as well as in private business firms and sectors. Bribery is not only an unethical activity it is considered a criminal offense and is also termed as corruption, according to American Business Law Journal “Every country in the world prohibits bribery. The normative and legal rules coincide and could not be more clear, do not pay bribes, even in an international context” (Nichols, 2012). We often see through the media on the news and readings in the newspapers about the influences of public and political figures who have been influenced or coerced directly for promises of actions and favors, and following the offense typically comes the terms of unethical behavior and crimes of dishonesty. From our reading of the Presentation: The Political and International Contexts “keep the emphasis on limited government” (Fischer, n.d. p. 5), suggesting that if there is no reason to play favorites and no need for bribery with limited government interactions.

            Bribery and the lack of ethics behind this kind of action demonstrate destructive consequences on social and economic levels, moral discourse shows impending lack of trust, breach of honesty, conduct that is unbecoming lead the public to believe that these action are not of the norm and will lead to failure on every level whether conducted in the political, legal, private, or public arenas. Bribery is not contained to any particular geographical area or in any particular sector, whether domestic or international regardless of the intentions ethically it is an act of corruption, the sectors mentioned above typically have policies set forth to deal with bribery, both ethically and legally that set standards of conforming to principles with the understandings of engaging in relationships that are appropriate and ensure diligent acts of professionalism for those who might be stakeholder, consumers, shareholders, clients, or the governance of communities to countries, there are laws and consequences for actions that detour from the policies that are written for protection.

            Bribery is understood to be a corrupt action that deters from legal ethics, doctors take an oath of conduct, businesses write policies, legal entities have a bar association, countries conducting  business in the transcontinental atmosphere have international standards of conduct, etc. from Business Ethics Quarterly “Economically, bribery has distortionary and disincentive effects” (Getz & Weber, 2004, p. 698). Bribery creates risk, it is not a proper functioning investment for competitiveness, and bribery leads to uncertainties towards development and growth. Although bribery is understood as an illegal action, it will continue, it is up to those who may be effected to curtail these actions, unethical acts are costly and do not benefit anyone, except maybe those committing the act and this will certainly only be short term, so as we progress it is assuredly that continuation into compliances of adapting additional practices that deter acts of corruption and dishonesty could become stricter and possibly transnational to assert enforcements against crimes without merit. In closing “And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right” (Exodus 23:8 ESV).