Corruption in International Business Transactions

This report presents a study of corruption in international markets by exploring the perspectives of Norwegian firms, their challenges, their experiences and their preferred strategies. The study consists of three parts, (i) interviews at executive level in seven large firms, (ii) a business-survey, where 82 firms with a headquarter in Norway responded to a questionnaire, and (iii) a survey of Norwegian embassies outside the OECD-region. Six issues have motivated the study: (1) The choices firms make when experiencing a business climate that is worse than expected prior to entry; (2) the reluctance to speak out on corruption; (3) the link between corruption and market power; (4) the impact of improved procurement procedures; (5) the grey zones of facilitation payments, marketing strategies and political pressure; and (6) business strategies versus their expressed attitudes and codes of conduct. The study is conducted in collaboration with NHO, The Confederation of Norwegian Business and Industry.