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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Avoiding corruption : how can Norwegian multinational companies avoid corruption in countries where this is a wide spread problem? -establishment of best practice

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Masteroppgave i økonomi og administrasjon - Universitetet i Agder 2011 This thesis combines the knowledge and practices of five Norwegian multinational companies doing business with, or within, relatively corrupt countries and the suggested guidelines and principles of leading international initiatives for establishing a best practice on how to avoid corruption. The author seeks to pinpoint some of the most relevant corruption-related aspects of international business today, and those whom Norwegian multinational companies frequently face abroad: 1. Cultural differences and practices, 2. Legislation and different jurisdictions, 3. Internal preventive measures such as corporate social responsibility programs, corporate codes of conduct, and towards employees and third parties. The findings show that cultural differences and practices are somewhat diluted compared to a few centuries ago, but still important to pay attention to, and more importantly to respect to achieve a mutually beneficial and safe long-term relationship. Legislation and continuous changes are difficult to comply with, even for Norwegian multinational companies. Failing to comply is not an option, and as a result of this, and increasing awareness on CSR issues in general, companies have developed highly sophisticated internal compliance groups and corporate codes of conduct in the battle against corruption