There *are* cultural issues, though

In some very large territories a kickback is normal business practice. For example, if you are tendering for a contract to supply English Language courses to all the schools/colleges in a large region against three competitors, it is taken as read that whoever wins will give the children of whoever grants the contract free courses. This is not at all "in a brown envelope", "under the table" or anything, it's regarded as normal business practice. I've had the fun job at a previous employer of going to various territories and instructing our people there not to engage in such practices, and put process in place to ensure they're not (a) because my employer genuinely didn't do that - this was usually in recent acquisitions in-territory who had to change to our way of doing business, and (b) because of the then-new anti-bribery legislation.

They look at you as if you are mad and swear blind that you'll never win another contract in that territory. That wasn't actually the outcome, but palm-greasing of that kind isn't seen as corrupt in large swathes of the world in the way it is in Europe, and they think you're odd/stupid if you try to do business another way.

Posted By: Old Man on June 3rd 2015 at 10:45:15

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