In order to understand bribery it is important to understand corruption, which is the abuse of power for your own private gain. Bribery itself is not something that is done out in the open, instead it is done in secret and can include a plethora of different crimes. The exchange of something in the hopes of being given something in return is bribery. The impact of corruption and bribery is damaging and a lot more common than realized. It is not acceptable for ethical, moral, and legal reasons to agree to bribery or any other type of corruption. Companies have the responsibility of ensuring that their business relations are conducted in an honest and ethical manner. In fact, businesses have an ethical, moral, and legal responsibility to guard themselves against corruption and bribery and the best way to do this is with anti-bribery training.
You Can Prevent Corruption and Bribery within Your Company
As a company it is your responsibility to control the risk process for bribery and corruption. You can do this by putting the proper training in place. Without the proper training to recognize polices, laws, and regulations you risk suffering from this type of corruption. Instead you can have employees trained to spot red flags that indicate corruption or bribery. It is also important to instill in your work force that you will not tolerate participation in any corrupt situations. Instead they need to be reported or escalated when appropriate.
What Is High Risk Activity?
High risk activity involves corruption and bribery that is financially motivated and occurs within the interface with outside parties. So anyone that comes into contact with a third party could be exposed to the risk of corruption and bribery. While some roles may be more vulnerable and exposed to such risks, this can also happen within professional relationships, significant relationships, family members, or others that are formally engaged to represent your company.
