Consultancy firm probes bribery claims made by boss

Say it isn't so! There goes my faith in humanity.

Business as usual isn't it? Secret payments, price fixing cartels, nepotism ......... should be in the business section.

Well, if they really got the contracts, I'd say they really felt this is money well invested. Only if they wouldn't get caught.

These three countries from Southeast and Central Asia are distinctive in many ways, and this is no different with respect to the much studied subject of corruption. All these countries have experienced economic liberalization with the reduction of trade and investment barriers, and less government intervention in the economy which is suppose to reduce corruption because business no longer need to pay bribes to be allowed to conduct them, yet despite this, there has been no discernible fall in corruption. Some argue that individuals and organizations doing business in countries where corruption is prevalent should not be expected to adhere to strict standards of ethical practice. However the basis for such argument is faulty and ethics unlike etiquette, has a universal basis. It is fundamentally the same all over the world. Even in practical sense, there are long range advantages to be gained by ethical behavior in these situations.

Novenachama - Ethics has to do with complaince with local laws and standards of behaviour, and is in no way universal.

Frungy - I am talking about Universal Ethics which is a set of principles which apply to all human, whether secular or religious, independent from any particular faith. They are objective and eternal.

The Japanese are aggressively targeting Vietnam and other countries, much of it with public funds like ODA.

They resort to bribes because the Japanese contractors don't like sharing work or working with foreign contractors and they want the jobs all to themselves. So they try to subvert a bidding process with bribes. This isn't the first scandal of its type.

NovenachamaMar. 25, 2014 - 11:01AM JST Frungy - I am talking about Universal Ethics which is a set of principles which apply to all human, whether secular or religious, independent from any particular faith. They are objective and eternal.

They're also non-existant. Give me a list of these principles and I'll cite at least one example of a civilisation where they didn't apply.

Frungy - I will share a framework for universal principles of ethics. First principles of personal ethics include concern for the well-being of others. Respect for the autonomy of others. Trustworthiness and honesty. Willing compliance with the law; with the exception of civil disobedience. Basic justice; being fair. Refusing to take unfair advantage. Benevolence; doing good. Preventing harm. Second principles of professional ethics include impartiality; objectivity. Openess; full disclosure. Confidentiality. Due diligence/duty of care. Fidelity to professional responsibilities. Avoiding potential or apparent conflict of interest. Third principles of global ethics include global justice; as reflected in international laws. Society before self-social responsibility. Environmental stewardship. Interdependence and responsibility for the whole. Reverence for place. I must state that I have no qualification as an ethicist and realize that principles can only provide guidance and be used to trigger our conscience or guide our decisions. I believe that principles are basically landmarks or generic indicators to be used as compelling guides for an active conscience.

NovenachamaMar. 25, 2014 - 05:55PM JST Frungy - I will share a framework for universal principles of ethics.

Novenchama, I think you have confused ethics and morality.

First principles of personal ethics include concern for the well-being of others.

One look at the world today and you can see that this simply isn't truly universal. If it was then major companies wouldn't pay peanuts and use child labour in sweatshops in the 3rd world just to save a few bucks on production costs.

Respect for the autonomy of others.

You mean like in North Korea where there are concentration camps, or in the U.S. where people are habeus corpus has been suspended indefinitely?

Trustworthiness and honesty.

Oh dear. Every politicians everywhere proves you wrong.

Willing compliance with the law; with the exception of civil disobedience.

Willing compliance with the law? Show me the most honest person you know and then follow them for a week and they'll break at least a half dozen laws.

Basic justice; being fair.

We don't have a justice system, we have a legal system, and there's nothing fair or just about it.

Refusing to take unfair advantage.

Every businessman everywhere would laugh in your face if you proposed they follow this principle.

Benevolence; doing good.

How much money do you have in your bank account right now? Take it out and send it to people starving to death in Africa. You might do it, just to prove me "wrong", but there are billions of other people who haven't.

Preventing harm.

You mean like fast food companies that knowingly sell products that slowly kill their customers?

Second principles of professional ethics include impartiality; objectivity.

It is impossible to be totally impartial and objective.

Openess; full disclosure. Confidentiality. Due diligence/duty of care. Fidelity to professional responsibilities. Avoiding potential or apparent conflict of interest. Third principles of global ethics include global justice; as reflected in international laws. Society before self-social responsibility. Environmental stewardship. Interdependence and responsibility for the whole. Reverence for place. I must state that I have no qualification as an ethicist and realize that principles can only provide guidance and be used to trigger our conscience or guide our decisions. I believe that principles are basically landmarks or generic indicators to be used as compelling guides for an active conscience.

... I could go on, but what you're listing here is a MORAL wishlist. Even then it isn't universal.

Ethics is about complying with the law, nothing more, nothing less.

Tip of the ice berg I suspect.

Frungy - Ethics is about complying with the law is a fallacious statement. It is based on faulty reasoning.

Since laws impose sanctions, they use fear as a motivator. Therefore laws and regulations, although necessary, will be resented for the compliance they require since they restrict liberty and appeal to fear. Even though the goal of compliance is to help improve ethical behavior, simply concerning ourselves with being in compliance and satisfying the letter of the law will not improve ethical behavior by itself because being in compliance with the law is not equivalent of being ethical. To equate following the law with being ethical is a mistaken view. In short, neither individuals nor companies meet their full ethical responsibilities when they simply aim to stay in compliance. The fact is to be ethical we need to go beyond compliance because if companies rely solely on appeals to compliance to promote ethical behavior, they may end up not determining the very ethical behavior they seek to encourage. Since compliance is targeted at meeting the basic legal requirements, it emphasizes the letter of the law, rather than addressing the reasons for the law, the spirit of the law. Simply meeting the demands of compliance does not always make it ethically.

NovenachamaMar. 26, 2014 - 03:09PM JST

Frungy - Ethics is about complying with the law is a fallacious statement. It is based on faulty reasoning.

Well, the law is the only thing we can enforce. Moral principles are all very nice, but you can't MAKE people adhere to them.