In 1997, 35 countries signed the convention of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to make it a crime to bribe foreign officials. In May 1999, the OECD issued a series of six principles (updated in 2004) that have since become the basis of the corporate governance position of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, in 2015 alone:

• In February 2015, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. agreed to pay $16.2 million to settle charges from the SEC under FCPA for the payment of bribes in Kenya and Angola to increase tire sales. Goodyear subsidiaries were accused of paying more than $3.2 million in bribes to employees of state-owned and private companies between 2007 and 2011.

• In May 2015, BHP Billiton paid $25 million to settle SEC charges in relation to FCPA offenses. BHP had been accused of improperly sponsoring foreign government officials as guests at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. The case was settled through an internal administrative order without going to court.

• In July 2015, New Jersey-based construction management company Louis Berger International paid $17.1 million to resolve FCPA criminal offenses. In the resolution, the company admitted paying bribes to foreign officials in India, Indonesia, Kuwait, and Vietnam in order to win contracts. The settlement included a deferred prosecution agreement that will require a compliance monitor for at least three years.

• In September 2015, Hitachi Ltd. paid $19 million to resolve SEC charges. The case was brought in relation to payments made to South Africa’s ruling page 123political party in connection with contracts to build two multimillion-dollar power plants.

American companies operating under increasing federal and regulatory scrutiny face real consequences from trying to do business in a global business environment in which foreign business seems to function on the basis of “gifts” at every stage of the transaction.

• In December 2012, the SEC charged Eli Lilly and Co. with violations of the FCPA for improper payments made by subsidiaries to foreign government officials in Russia, Brazil, China, and Poland; and accepted a settlement in the amount of $29 million for offenses including the following:

  The SEC alleged that the Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical company’s subsidiary in Russia used offshore ‘marketing agreements’ to pay millions of dollars to third parties chosen by government customers or distributors, despite knowing little or nothing about the third parties beyond their offshore address and bank account information.

  Employees at Lilly’s subsidiary in China falsified expense reports in order to provide spa treatments, jewelry, and other improper gifts and cash payments to government-employed physicians.

  Lilly’s subsidiary in Poland made eight improper payments totaling $39,000 to a small charitable foundation that was founded and administered by the head of one of the regional government health authorities in exchange for the official’s support for placing Lilly drugs on the government reimbursement list.

  In November 2012, the Department of Justice issued a 120-page “Resource Guide” to the FCPA, including numerous case studies designed to clarify what actions would and would not be considered to be violations of the law. The guide was written as a resource for DOJ attorneys, but attorneys in private practice are encouraging their clients to become familiar with it.

QUESTIONS

1. Is it ethical for U.S. regulations to put U.S. companies at an apparent disadvantage to their foreign competitors? Explain why or why not.
2. If foreign companies pay bribes, does that make it OK for U.S. companies to do the same? Explain why or why not.
3. If you could prove that new jobs, new construction, and valuable tax revenue would come to the United States if the bribe were paid, would that change your position? Explain your answer.

Answer in your own words

Your essay must be written concisely and not exceed 700 words. Indicate your choice clearly

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Consumer buying behavior is playing a vital role on consumer decision making process What do we mean by this concept and how it affects the consumer decision and what are those decisions that the marketer desire to achieve? Identify also types of risk consumers might perceive in the context of purchasing a car?

how does providing organization-wide training be effective in eliminating workplace bullying?

Suppose a community faces a pollution problem because of emissions from a polluter with MAC=36- 2E. The information on pollution damages is given by MD=E .
(a) If there is a tax rate on emissions of $ 9/unit, then what is the emission level choosen by the polluter in equilibrium? What is the amount of its compliance costs?
(b) What is the socially efficient tax rate in the given situaton?
(c) Now imagine a situation where the polluter bargains with the community ( let's say, with the community government) and offers to pay $6 for each unit of emission ( i.e. $6/unit) it is allowed to produce. What level of emissions is the community likely to allow? What is the likely net gain to the community from allowing those units of emissions?

1. Identify and discuss the key macro and micro environmental factors affecting TOYS R US Company. How has the company responded to these challenges?

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                In a totally free-market economy, the quantities of each type of good that are bought and sold, and the amounts of factors of production (labour, land and capital) that are used, are determined by the decisions of individual households and firms through the interaction of demand and supply.

                In goods markets, households are demanders and firms are suppliers. In labour markets, households are suppliers and firms are demanders.

                Demand and supply are brought into balance by the effects of changes in price. If supply exceeds demand in any market (a surplus), the price will fall. This will lead to a rise in the quantity demanded but a fall in the quantity supplied. If, however, demand exceeds supply in any market (a shortage), the price will rise. This will lead to a fall in the quantity demanded and a rise in the quantity supplied. In either case, the adjustment of price will ensure that demand and supply are brought into equilibrium, with any shortage or surplus being eliminated.

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Use Excel to answer the following question:

The capital fund for research project investment at a corporation is limited to $100,000 for next year. The company uses an MARR of 15% per year. There are three independent project proposals (i.e., none, one or more can be selected) with pertinent information given in the below table.

(a) Formulate the mutually-exclusive alternatives (i.e., bundles) without calculating any worth. Which of the mutually-exclusive alternatives are feasible? Comment.
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