Corruption in the Light of Economic Globalization - Case Study Example

Corruption in the light of Economic Globalization Without a shadow of a doubt, corruption is one of the biggest ailments that a society could ever face. This step is carried out to get the needs fulfilled on the part of the people as and when they feel the need for the same. Corruption aims to cut through the normal set system and do something totally different. It aims to deprive the common man who is willing to go the normal route do something different in order to satisfy his need. Corruption is blatantly observed in politics and in some institutions; where a number of people make wrong use of power and authority and hence accept things which are normally not meant for them, whilst being in their respective capacities. (Box, 1989) They make use of the liberty provided by their job to do something totally uncalled for and unethical all said and done. Bribe is a reward promised or given to a person in order to corrupt his judgment or conduct. Bribery is the crime of offering, giving, or accepting a bribe. Public officials are sometimes bribed to grant favors or to permit the violation of law. Other persons who are sometimes offered bribes are voters, witnesses in courts, jury members, labor officials, employees and athletes. Thus corruption disrupts the normal flow of a society and does something totally immoral within the realms of a society, which is not only disturbing for the commoners but also leaves a bad mark on the social fabric. (Rosenau, 2001) The reasons for corruption to increase are aplenty and the same have to be addressed in the proper light so as to make the ones who commit this heinous crime accountable for their actions in front of everyone and more than that, they are not allowed the liberty to take the general public for a ride since they seem to end up doing things which are completely uncalled for and unrelated with the capacity of their respective professions. The corruption stems out from a number of different facets, more so due to abysmal economic conditions. We can take the example of a police officer as to how he becomes corrupt and then gauge the essence of pressure which is thrust upon him from different fields of life. (Nevin, 2000) An example is that of Enron where a large number of people lost their jobs as well as their retirement savings and not to forget the losses that were incurred on the part of the banks as well as investors claiming to be around billions of dollars in bad loans and investments. Apart from this more than ten investigations were carried out to discern the real issue, which led to the same so that every possible angle related with corruption, could be looked at. It is true that Enron is not the only company, which is against external audits. Recent surveys and sheer evidence from the US has proved that the pressure on companies can do much more harm than any good in this regard. Considering the same in the light of Enron, the gloss is pretty much fading away from the term associated with auditing and its like. (Wilentz, 2002) One needs to comprehend the fact that external inspection could at times be a bit imperfect and flawed to say the least. Conceivably, for the same matter, the time has arrived to amend the article concerned with conviction and faith everywhere that the best way indeed is to pressurize performance from organizations is a team of outsiders who more or less come in from time to time so as to measure, judge, condemn as well as bring shame. With the passage of time, all Enron can at this juncture in its history show is that some auditors were corrupt but one must not forget that there is also some new evidence that audits can harm and not improve the performance as such of the company. Different researches have proved that indeed audits do backfire in the longer time frame and they must be kept as far away as possible. (Johnson, 1981) The British Call Centers face a lot of difficulties whilst dealing with the pressure groups which seem to emanate from every nook and corner of the country. There are some factions which are against the very presence of foreigners in their territory. Then there is a thinking mindset which goes against the British since they gained their freedom from them in the year 1947 and they, to date perceive all the British as their rulers by default. (Akcay, 2006) Thus the mindset in terms of this form of thinking needs to be changed in order to gain a solid ground as far as the Indian society and the relevant call center market is concerned. The aspects raised by the Transparency International in the wake of the Indian society are such that they speak highly of the culture of taking bribes for even the most legitimate of things which suggests that the culture is such that people do not perform their duties until and unless there is some cash on offer by the customer or the client which visits the offices. Similarly, the call center market within India is a booming industry and the working methodologies are very different from what is the normal working regime within the rest of India. (Leiken, 1996) The corporate culture and the way of doing things in a new environment backed by the corporate structure brought together in essence by the British companies comes as somewhat of a surprise to all and sundry and thus these companies face pressure from the traditionalists who think that these invaders of their respective economy will eventually eat up the whole revenue and share that is present within the market and this is undoubtedly the case in the present scheme of things. The reason for the same is that the people are fed up of the bribe culture and the corrupt practices which have literally made them hostage for even the easiest of chores in their day to day lives and this without a shadow of a doubt is a bane for them. (Megone, 2002) Transparency International has pointed at the accountability aspects that need to be invigorated within the Indian culture and thus has presented a number of options as to what the political leaders of the country can inculcate but this goes without much saying and advice on their part and the system fails to improve in all essence. There is a lot of shortcoming in the society and the Transparency International and other international regimes can do so much more only if there is someone to listen and actually implement what they have to say. The poor must not become easy preys for the system which is unfair by all measures and hence the whole culture has to change once and for all if good things have to make rounds within the Indian society and if it wants to have booming business within the lengths and breadths of the nation. (Ali, 2003) The political tenet is a significant one when an individual talks about the corrupt practices rampant within any society. The basis for this evil is indeed very potent. The effects of this corruption which is manifolds in direction are such that people are made to suffer who do not adhere to the prevalent system. They have to adopt the system and the methodology of the working regime otherwise their works come to a halt. (Kaufmann, 1997) Their usual business becomes a problem for their own selves as well as their dependents. The third world corruption is indeed a stark reality when one speaks of the bare facts related with the Indian society and its malpractices. There are schemes which are made to extort money out of the general public and the harsh reality lies in the fact that the innocent commoners do not even get to know that they have been made fool out of their own skins. They contribute in all forms towards these mass schemes which are nothing except sheer madness and insanity as one might put the same as. (Siegelbaum, 1997) The international concerns related with the corrupt practices in one way or the other have stood up and questioned the intentions of the Indian government every now and then as to what basis there is when corruption remains a significant key in the whole related context of things and then one must understand that these practices are so much out of control that they are very difficult to administer in the first place let alone take complete care of. (Quah, 1999) The role of the pressure groups could be sustained for a while but after this ‘high’ time these pressure groups leave, suggesting that they have done their bit and there is no hope whatsoever since the society is deeply involved in the malpractices which could hail from the small day to day dealings to major transactions happening on the national and international circuit. Equality is man’s most perilous metaphor whereby it has haunted and made a fool of him for a number of years now. Equality and indeed justice takes into account a number of differences amongst people, top of the list of which includes the racial ones that are either ancestral which may be hereditary or inborn as well as cultural, i.e., procured from society after one’s birth. This one can usually be changed or at times totally removed with the enforcement of changes that might be social in nature. These changes are in essence, autonomous of mans laws, rules, regulations and customs, except over a period of many eras. Justice within a particular society has a number of characteristics as it basically chalks down the conditions and necessities that are linked up with it. It is not all about being fair but also holds a great deal of importance on being just and timely. It is a true saying that justice delayed is justice denied; for this reason justice takes both these things when it is defined in the truest sense of the word. Corruption in the light of such a discussion becomes a foregone conclusion since justice is radically associated with the mighty men – the rulers and the ones who govern a particular area or a regiment of soldiers. Thus there is a basis of holding supreme importance for these brave men as they are the ones who lay the foundation for the society to be a part of the equal rights and hence the fairness fable in general. (Kaufmann, 1997) Poverty exists because there is a general feeling of helplessness within the society and more so, on those people who are at the helm of it. (Husted, 1999) This means that poverty exists due to a certain reason – helplessness caused by greed and selfishness in the form of corruption and corrupt practices of other individuals who can bring about a change within the society but prefer to keep themselves at ease and in the process earn more and more with each passing day. Thus corruption and selfishness within the elites is surely one problem that brings to light the issue of poverty in front of one and all. This lack of basic facilities can be minimized but not really finished since one catastrophe or the other on the face of the earth brings misery for the people under discussion and hence this leads to poverty which is basically fed upon them. However there are other reasons for poverty to exist within the society as well. (Cuervo-Cazurra, 2006) Government’s policies should be such that they should benefit the people who are at the top and thus help them reach new milestones and are at a loss to benefit any poor member of the society. The government does not pay heed to the common man rather drafts policies which are more suited to the needs and whims of the big fish and the result is in the form of corruption left, right and center. This enables them to run in a smooth manner as well as fill their own pockets from time to time. The common man becomes much poorer after these policies are set into execution. All said and done, it is the duty of the government to curb corrupt practices and activities and the common man and woman on the street also needs to realize his or her role within the proper contexts, whilst being a part of the society. (Klitgaard, 1998) Bibliography AKCAY, Selcuk. (2006). Corruption and Human Development. The Cato Journal, Vol. 26 ALI, Abdiweli M. (2003). Determinants of Economic Corruption: A Cross-Country Comparison. The Cato Journal, Vol. 22 BOX, Steven. (1989). Power, Crime, and Mystification. Routledge CUERVO-CAZURRA, Alvaro. (2006). Who Cares about Corruption? Journal of International Business Studies, Vol. 37 HUSTED, Bryan W. (1999). Wealth, Culture and Corruption. Journal of International Business Studies, Vol. 30 JOHNSON, Paul. (1981). Unions, Pensions, and Financial Responsibility: The British Experience. Journal of Labor Research, Vol. 2 KAUFMANN, Daniel. (1997). Corruption: The Facts. Foreign Policy KLITGAARD, Robert. (1998). Combating Corruption. UN Chronicle, Vol. 35 LEIKEN, Robert S. (1996). Controlling the Global Corruption Epidemic. Foreign Policy MEGONE, Chris. (2002). Case Histories in Business Ethics. Routledge NEVIN, Tom. (2000). Corruption. African Business QUAH, Jon. (1999). Corruption in Asian Countries: Can It Be Minimized. Public Administration Review, Vol. 59 ROSENAU, James. (2001). Transparency International and Corruption as an Issue of Global Governance. Global Governance, Vol. 7 SIEGELBAUM, Paul. (1997). Privatization and Corruption in Transition Economies. Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 50 WILENTZ, Sean. (2002). A Scandal for Our Time: Republicans Ruled; Ergo, Enron. The American Prospect, Vol. 13, 25 February Word Count: 2,094 Read More