The Dog Days of late summer, with vacations planned, offices half-empty, and general productivity ebbing through Labor Day, are a good time to reflect on why we in the antibribery compliance field do what we doand why its good for business.
By now, most compliance professionals and companies understand why antibribery compliance is important, even if they dont buy into moral arguments. Those who continue to brush it off are far behind, to say the least. But despite the obvious answers, convincing employees and third parties that antibribery compliance really, really matters is still a major challenge for many companies. Of course there are the keeping-individuals-out-of-jail and keeping-companies-out-of-headlines arguments that secure compliance budgets and justify the compliance department headcount, but more is needed to win over skeptics.
While avoiding or mitigating the risk of an enforcement action should be reason enough for creating, implementing, and running an antibribery compliance program, there are other compelling, pro-business arguments worth considering. A few will help persuade unconvinced employees and third parties, while others will speak to senior management and a wider audience.
1. Bribery is Expensive and Time-Consuming
Bribes generally secure bad deals that in the long run will cost more than theyre worth. They are expensive and introduce uncertainty. Companies that begin to pay bribes to foreign government officials label themselves as soft targetsand suddenly find that they face more and greater demands from officials hoping to expand the illicit relationship. Its easier to return to a company that has paid before than to try to develop new criminal contacts. In addition, each bribe has to be negotiated and, often, renegotiated. This can develop into a time-consuming second job for unwary employees.
