Morality of Bribes - 1100 Words

Bribes and Morality Machiavelli (1882), in writing of cruelty and clemency asks the question of whether it is better to be loved or feared and asserts that both are best. Machiavelli (1882) justifies this conclusion by saying that people are fickle. They will pledge their lives when danger is distant and benefits are high, but desert those to whom they pledge their lives when danger is imminent. The person who places love above all else is in danger during times of crisis. Conversely, men are careful not to offend those they fear, because they fear the punishment and are more likely to remain true to their pledge. There is a caution in this assertion to know the difference between fear and hatred and the recommendation is to be†¦show more content†¦There is no compelling force, other than a sense of morality to encourage organizations to admit paying a bribe. Using the rule of prima facie, even the FACP allows payment of bribes under certain conditions; grease payment, for example are all owed. Thus making both the payment and the admission purely subjective with no clear indication as to who is right or wrong except within the legal provisions of the law. Ethicality of Bribes Looking at bribes from the perspective of Machiavelli (1882), bribes are required to protect the people of the country. This protection takes two forms, first to protect the people from outsiders and second as a power lever against the organization paying the bribe. The solicitor of the bribe gains power over the organization. Power manifested in other demands that, if not met, will result in disclosure of the bribe, a threat that, if made true, would result in prosecution of the one paying the bribe. The one demanding the bribe faces no such fear since the legislation’s power is in prosecuting the payer, not the payee. Looking at bribes from the perspective of Pastin and Hooker (1980), prosecution of the one paying a bribe does very little to address the issue of corruption since the payer is the one subject to legislation. As long as the one demanding the bribe is not subject to prosecution, the request for bribes will not diminish and organizations will simply notShow MoreRelatedCultural Relativism Essay938 Words   |  4 Pagesaims to address several ethical questions, especially regarding Cultural Relativism which typically outlines why values and morals in human communities are deemed appropriate. Further, the paper discusses how cultural relativism is used to justify bribes in Mexico and whether this is ethical or not. Each country may view bribery under different societal conditions and circumstances. In most cases, nations with different cultural backgrounds will posses different ideas about â€Å"bribery† and other customsRead MoreEthical Vs. Legal Business Issues949 Words   |  4 Pagescourse. 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Also one must realize that being moral involves self denial. For example a moral person must not take BRIBE, but another person who is not moral and takes bribes may turn out to be in a financially better position. So, moral obligations lead to sacrificing of ones personal interests. So we need to justify the necessity to be moral. There are many reasons which justify being moral