You are preparing a bid for a multimillion dollar contract in a foreign country and are introduced to a “consultant” who offers to help you in submitting the bid and negotiating with the customer company. You learn in conversing with the consultant that she is well connected in local government and business circles and knows key personnel in the customer company extremely well. The consultant quotes you a six-figure fee. Later, your local coworkers tell you that the use of such consultants is normal in this country – and that a large fraction of the fee will go directly to people working for the customer company. They further inform you that bidders who reject the help of such consultants have lost contracts to competitors who employed them. What would you do, assuming your company’s code of ethics expressly forbids the payments of bribes or kickbacks in any form?

This is a question that I have to answer for a business class and I was wondering if I could get some input on if it is considered going against the company rules if you use the consultant services. To my understanding, when doing business abroad, a company must tweak business practices in order to conform to those of the other country. Is it considered unethical to do this?

It is simple, giving fees is a normal way of conducting business in other countries.

When I was in Mexico, if you wanted to do business, you help support the chief of police, the mayor. If you wanted your electric fixed first and perhaps be more regular, you may be sure and take someone out to lunch with a small gift.

If you want your trucks to get though immigation ahead of a long line and not wait for hours someone gets 10 or 20 dollars at the border.

In the US if you take buyers out for lunch, maybe a dinner show.