Multinationals and Corruption (Chapter 11) - The Cambridge Companion to the History of Multinationals and Society

Multinationals and Corruption (Chapter 11) - The Cambridge Companion to the History of Multinationals and Society
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The Cambridge Companion to the History of Multinationals and Society
Multinationals and Corruption
The Cambridge Companion to the History of Multinationals and Society
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Book contents
The Cambridge Companion to the History of Multinationals and Society
Cambridge Companions to History
The Cambridge Companion to the History of Multinationals and Society
Copyright page
Contents
Figures and Tables
Contributors
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I
Fashioning Global Worlds
Part II
Governments and Institutions
Part III
Stakeholders
Multinationals and Labor
10
Multinationals and Gender
11
Multinationals and Corruption
Part IV
Geopolitics
Index
References
11 - Multinationals and Corruption
from
Part III - Stakeholders
Published online by Cambridge University Press:
21 February 2026
By
Geoffrey Jones
Edited by
Geoffrey Jones
and
Sabine Pitteloud
Show author details
Geoffrey Jones
Affiliation:
Harvard Business School
Sabine Pitteloud
Affiliation:
UniDistance Suisse
Chapter
Book contents
The Cambridge Companion to the History of Multinationals and Society
Cambridge Companions to History
The Cambridge Companion to the History of Multinationals and Society
Copyright page
Contents
Figures and Tables
Contributors
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I
Fashioning Global Worlds
Part II
Governments and Institutions
Part III
Stakeholders
Multinationals and Labor
10
Multinationals and Gender
11
Multinationals and Corruption
Part IV
Geopolitics
Index
References
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Summary
This chapter shows that the use of bribery and corruption was a well-established multinational strategy over a long period. A striking number of ostensibly respectable industry leaders have engaged in grand corruption. Armaments and commodity trading were particularly prone to corruption, and the practice appears to be particularly prevalent in Africa. Grand corruption arose especially when business involved large contracts with governments. Bribery was fueled by the pervasiveness of corruption in the host economies in which multinationals operated, but the multinationals were active agents in facilitating corruption. The practice of bribery and corruption by multinationals was often the result of miscreant corporate cultures rather than rogue individuals. Governments were often permissive of corrupt practices by their multinationals, especially in Europe where bribes were tax deductible until recent years.
Keywords
bribery
corruption
multinationals
corporate culture
Africa
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
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The Cambridge Companion to the History of Multinationals and Society
, pp. 266 - 290
DOI:
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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2026
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References
Further Reading
Berghoff
H.
“‘
Organized Irresponsibility’? The Siemens Corruption Scandal of the 1990s and 2000s
,”
Business History
60
2018
),
423
445
CrossRef
Google Scholar
Breemen
O. v.
Heineken in Africa: A MNE Unleashed
London
Hurst & Company
2018
Google Scholar
Cuervo-Cazurra
A.
Corruption in International Business
,”
Journal of World Business
51
2016
),
35
49
CrossRef
Google Scholar
Dela Rama
M.
and
Rowley
C.
(eds.)
The Changing Face of Corruption in the Asia Pacific: Current Perspectives and Future Challenges
Cambridge, MA
Elsevier
2017
CrossRef
Google Scholar
Rose-Ackerman
S.
Corruption and Government: Causes, Consequences, and Reform
Cambridge
Cambridge University Press
1999
CrossRef
Google Scholar
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Multinationals and Corruption
By
Geoffrey Jones
Edited by
Geoffrey Jones
Harvard Business School
Sabine Pitteloud
UniDistance Suisse
Book: The Cambridge Companion to the History of Multinationals and Society
Online publication:
21 February 2026
Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009679558.012
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Multinationals and Corruption
By
Geoffrey Jones
Edited by
Geoffrey Jones
Harvard Business School
Sabine Pitteloud
UniDistance Suisse
Book: The Cambridge Companion to the History of Multinationals and Society
Online publication:
21 February 2026
Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009679558.012
Save book to Google Drive
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Multinationals and Corruption
By
Geoffrey Jones
Edited by
Geoffrey Jones
Harvard Business School
Sabine Pitteloud
UniDistance Suisse
Book: The Cambridge Companion to the History of Multinationals and Society
Online publication:
21 February 2026
Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009679558.012
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