Walmart de Mexico NY Times Expose

hahahahahahaha

 

Matt that made me giggle- but seriously it makes me so mad that business here doesnt take place without backhanders.Its revolting !!!

 

He will be bribed also.:bash:

 

Opps, looks like we've slipped to 24th out of 182, not a very good result for a country whose citizens like to proclaim it to be the best country in the world.

The Walmart case may help us get some of our reputation back, if the U.S. Attorney goes at it full bore.

Corruption Perceptions Index: Transparency International

 

Devil's Advocate:
From the beggars on the corner to the taco stand in the colonia to hotels, marinas, restaurants and supermarkets... Does anyone here think that there is a single person o company in Mexico that does NOT pay bribes of one sort or another to do business here? And some here probably know that if you don't pay, you get nowhere. "When in Rome..."

Now name any other big foreign and Mexican companies and tell me they did NOT pay a bribe. Figuring percentages and prorating, the 100 pesos the beggar on the corner pays per week to keep his spot is probably about the same as the 24 million Wal Mart paid--so far. Mexico has to do something to keep its #3 position!! artyhorn:

 

I don't know whether that's the case, or not, Jim, but Mexican people certainly believe that's the case, and expect to pay- making it true for them, at least.

I don't expect to pay- and don't- but I've not done anything here other than to get immigration documents, an INAPAM card, and register for IMSS; buy a condo, get permission to work independently, get awarded a contract for personal services from IMSS, repeatedly deal with the tax office, and get a full time job working for the State of Quintana Roo.

I've never tried to open, and run, a business here: I don't know if my "pay no bribes" policy would work in that context without trying it. Other people's experiences are of limited value to me, in this context, because most people will pay bribes, when asked, rather than risk delay or the loss of a business opportunity. I'm patient, and am not interested in having a business founded on corrupt practices, which puts me in a different bargaining position, as I see it.

 

V: Self righteousness is always a good argument. "I am better than they are." Always makes me feel better too. I don't pay mordidas to cops or for trámites and normal things either like buying land and a house. But then I am not a business trying to get permits, etc.

Here is a good article. Bribe report puts focus on Mexico's 'gestores' Is it bribery or extortion? And as far as "paying intermediaries" or working through the good ole boy system for zoning changes, well, Florida comes to mind right off hand.

 

Sounds like an attack on the poster to me, Jim.

Self rightousness is not a virtue: whether going forward in life without paying bribes is one, I´ll leave to others to decide. It is, however, generally illegal to pay bribes, whether widely practiced, or not.

Walmart may be out to dry on this one: the news reports today say that they just appointed a FCPA compliance officer, something any big company doing business overseas should not be without. The fact they didn´t have one will look to the prosecutors like gross indifference to the requirements of the law in this area.

 

So why is everyone so surprised? This is normal in poorer countries. Wal Mart did what they had to do to get what they wanted. In a company their size, I am surprised that they paid so little compared to the cash they have on hand.

 

Gabesz: I agree.

V: Shall we add martyr complex or paranoia to the self-righteousness? (Or is that another ad hominem argument?) We'll let the others decide that too I guess. I was talking about self-righteousness and using both you and I as examples. And this really isn't about you.

The issue is about businesses doing business in Mexico. Not whether you and I pay mordidas or "tips" to people who help us with trámites. Wal Mart is a favorite target but should no more be one in this case than any other big business doing business in Mexico--or any other corrupt country for that matter.