The Handbook of Business and Corruption

For years, corruption has been dismissed as a cultural phenomenon prevalent in developing countries, mirroring low salaries, weak infrastructure, disorganized administration and unstable political conditions. What this theory fails to explain, however, is why so many western multinational corporations have been involved in corruption scandals in recent years even though most of these companies ostensibly had anti-corruption programs and monitoring systems in place. This book considers corruption in the business world in its broadest sense, including bribery and petty payments, nepotism and cronyism, gift-giving, embezzlement of public property and money laundering. It then explores corrupt behavior across different sectors in more detail in an effort to understand how corruption varies by industry. While a number of books dealing with corruption have been published over the years, little attention has been paid to the specifics of corruption in different industries and economic sectors. With contributions from some of the leading global experts in business ethics and law, this handbook will be an essential resource for both scholars and practitioners.