S e c o n d e d I t I o n 1 Reading for the Real World 1

relativism
, 
ethical
behavior may appear very 
different from one culture to another. Take, for example, the behavior of 
bribery
. 
In most countries, businesses which 
resort to
bribing government officials in 
order to receive special favors or special treatment are understood to be acting 
unethically. However, this behavior may be tolerated or even expected in some 
cultures. As reported by a German magazine, one of the 
ministers
in the Thai 
government office of land management was quoted as saying, “Bribes are part of 
traditional Thai culture.” This minister went on to explain that his employees 
were instructed to accept any money offered to them, as long as they did not ask 
for it. The bribes were considered a supplement to the extremely low pay of this 
office’s employees.
Bribes may be required in a variety of business situations. They are most 
commonly paid just before a contract is finalized. Bribes may also be paid to 
suppliers to ensure prompt delivery, or they may be given to distributors to 
guarantee delivery of high quality products. When such bribes are meant to 
speed up a business transaction or make a deal go smoothly, it may be referred 
to as a “grease payment.” Additionally, bribes may be used to buy “protection” 
for a business, either against some harmful act or against government 
harassment.
In an effort to crack down on the payment of bribes to foreign governments, 
the United States passed a law in the 1970s called the Foreign 
Corrupt
Practices 
6
relativism --- a philosophy which states that good and bad 
are relative to culture and groups
6
ethical --- related to right and wrong; moral
7
bribery --- giving or taking money for influence
8
resort to --- to do as a last choice
11
minister --- a high level government official
26
corrupt --- dishonest
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Act (FCPA). This law was created after official 
investigations revealed how much money US 
companies were paying in bribes to governments and 
officials in other countries. The investigation showed 
that more than 400 companies doing business 
internationally had paid over $300 million in bribes. 
These bribes were hurting the image of the companies within the United States. 
Therefore, the American government proposed the FCPA to restore integrity to 
American business and confidence among American consumers.
According to the FCPA law, any US business caught paying bribes to any 
official or agent of another country’s government could be punished by fines or 
possible imprisonment. The fines could be up to twice the amount of the bribe, 
and imprisonment could be up to five years. But this law actually put US 
businesses at a disadvantage in the global market. Companies from other 
countries were still paying bribes to do business. Therefore, the US government 
worked with its major trading partners to establish an international treaty to 
crack down on such unethical business practices as bribery. In 1997, thirty-four 
countries signed an agreement called the Convention on