Corruption and the Multinational Enterprise

Although there is some literature on the general phenomenon of corruption, one is hard pressed to find any references—much less elaborations of it—in articles, books and programs in the area of international business administration. This paucity of treatment is difficult to comprehend. On the one hand, we are in an age when the public is increasingly emphasizing the need for corporations to exercise social responsibility. On the other, we have assertions by individuals that multinational enterprises are among the foremost practitioners of corruption, particularly in the less-developed nations where they operate. In view of these parallel developments, it would appear that there would be much more research and, thereafter, discussion of multinational corruption in the programs and literature of international business than presently exists. Some possible reasons for the lack of treatment given to this area may be (1) the difficulties in defining the phenomenon; (2) the delicacy of the research which characterizes the area; (3) the problems of obtaining data; and (4) the lack of agreement on the political, social, and economic effects of corruption.© 1973 JIBS. Journal of International Business Studies (1973) 4, 93–96