Assignment task: Bribery or the Cost of Doing Business?
You are a U.S. citizen recently assigned as the manager of distribution in a European country where bribery is relatively accepted. Your job description includes responsibility for receiving shipments as they enter the local port authority. On your first trip down to the docks to sign for a shipment, the customs agent in charge asked for a "tip" to clear the goods for pickup. The value of the incoming shipment is around $150,000. Knowing that the government has recently launched an initiative to reduce corruption, how will you react? If additional information would be helpful to you, what would it be? How would you proceed and why?