India's 80% senior executives believe corruption, bribery "happen widely in business", up from 70% last year

In a new report, one of the world’s most reputed consultants, Ernst and Young (E&Y), have said that nearly 80 per cent of the senior business executives in India think bribery/ corrupt practices “happen widely in business in the country”. Compared to last year, this is up by 10 percentage points. In all, E&Y surveyed 3,800 senior management personnel across 38 countries. The report comes close on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrating one year's "corruption-free" Government of India.

The E&Y report further says, 52 per cent of the respondents said, “offering gifts to win business is justifiable to help a business survive”, 27 per cent said “cash payments to win business are justifiable to help a business survive”, and 59 per cent said, “companies often report financial performance better than it.”

As against such high degree of perception of corruption/bribery in India (80 per cent), the average for the 38 countries analyzed is 51 per cent, with only five countries ranking worse than India – Croatia (92 per cent), Kenya (90 per cent), Slovenia (87 per cent), Serbia (84 per cent), and Portugal (82 per cent).
While comparative figures for last year are not available for other countries, in 2014, a similar report by E&Y had found that 70 per cent of Indian respondents said that “bribery and corruption are widespread in the country”, and 72 per cent believed that the management was “likely to cut corners to meet targets.”
Based on this, the 2014 report had, “These findings are consistent with the decline in the ranking of India on the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (down from 3.5 to 3.1 and from 72nd to 95th place in the rankings between 2007 and 2011).”

The E&Y’s report, titled “Fraud Survey 2015”, says that in Russia 60 per cent of senior executives responded by saying bribery/corrupt practices happen widely in business, in France percentage is 29 per cent, in UK it is 27 per cent, and in Sweden it is 10 per cent. The survey confines its analysis to Europe, Middle East, Africa and India. It does not say why it avoids the Americas or other Asian countries, including countries of the Far-East, China and Pakistan.
Significantly, there is virtually no change in the perception of the executives towards getting things done in order to enhance business. The 2014 report had said, “Worryingly, 28 per cent of Indian respondents are willing to make cash payments to win or retain business”, adding, 16 per cent are prepared to misstate financial performance in order to help their business survive.”
“Significantly, businesses need to understand these nuances in order to implement effective integrity and compliance programmes”, the E&Y’s 2015 report says, adding, India’s “increased regulation may not dampen growth.”
Suggesting these most of the “regulations” have happened for good in 2013-14, the report says, the “regulatory changes” include the Companies Act 2013, aimed at creating a better business environment with robust corporate governance standards, and the Lokpal Act, which became effective in January 2014, creating an independent entity to investigate allegations of corruption among government officials.

Comments

Breaking news? Top Hindu builder ties up with Muslim investor for a huge minority housing society in Ahmedabad

There is a flutter in Ahmedabad's Vejalpur area, derogatorily referred to as the "border" because, on its eastern side, there is a sprawling minority area called Juhapura, where around five lakh Muslims live. The segregation is so stark that virtually no Muslim lives in Vejalpur, populated by around four lakh Hindus, and no Hindu lives in Juhapura.

60 crore in Mahakumbh? It's all hype with an eye on UP polls, asserts keen BJP supporter in Amit Shah's constituency

As the Mahakumbh drew to a close, during my daily walk, I met a veteran BJP supporter—a neighbor with whom we would often share dinner in a group. An amicable person, the first thing he asked me, as he was about to take the lift to his flat, was, "How many people do you think must have participated in the holy dip?" He then stopped by to talk—which we did for a full half-hour, cutting into my walk time.

An untold story? Still elusive: Gujarati language studies on social history of Gujarat's caste and class evolution

This is a follow-up to my earlier blog , where I mentioned that veteran scholar Prof. Ghanshyam Shah has just completed a book for publication on a topic no academic seems to have dealt with—caste and class relations in Gujarat’s social history. He forwarded me a chapter of the book, published as an "Economic & Political Weekly" article last year, which deals with the 2015 Patidar agitation in the context of how this now-powerful caste originated in the Middle Ages and how it has evolved in the post-independence era.

A conman, a demolition man: How 'prominent' scribes are defending Pritish Nandy

How to defend Pritish Nandy? That’s the big question some of his so-called fans seem to ponder, especially amidst sharp criticism of his alleged insensitivity during his journalistic career. One such incident involved the theft and publication of the birth certificate of Masaba Gupta, daughter of actor Neena Gupta, in the Illustrated Weekly of India, which Nandy was editing at the time. He reportedly did this to uncover the identity of Masaba’s father.

Caste, class, and Patidar agitation: Veteran academic 'unearths' Gujarat’s social history

Recently, I was talking with a veteran Gujarat-based academic who is the author of several books, including "Social Movements in India: A Review of Literature", "Untouchability in Rural India", "Public Health and Urban Development: The Study of Surat Plague", and "Dalit Identity and Politics", apart from many erudite articles and papers in research and popular journals.

New York-based digital company traces Modi's meteoric rise to global Hindutva ecosystem over several decades

A recent document, released by the Polis Project Inc.—a New York-based digital magazine and hybrid research and journalism organization—even as seeking to highlight the alleged rise of authoritarianism in India, has sought to trace Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meteoric rise since 2014 to the ever-expanding global Hindutva ecosystem over the last several decades.

Behind the scene? Ex-IAS, now Modi man in Yogi Cabinet, who lined up Mahakumbh VVIP comforts for Gujarat colleagues

The other day, I was talking to a senior IAS official about whether he or his colleagues had traveled to the recently concluded Mahakumbh in Allahabad, which was renamed Prayagraj by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as part of his intense Hindutva drive. He refused to reveal any names but said he had not gone there "despite arrangements for Gujarat cadre IAS officials" at the Mahakumbh VVIP site. "The water is too dirty—why take the risk?" he asked.

Justifying social divisions? 'Dogs too have caste system like we humans, it's natural'

I have never had any pets, nor am I very comfortable with them. Frankly, I don't know how to play with a pet dog. I just sit quietly whenever I visit someone and see their pet dog trying to lick my feet. While I am told not to worry, I still choose to be a little careful, avoiding touching the pet.

Socialist utopia challenging feudal and Brahminical systems: Kanwal Bharti on Sant Raidas’ vision of Begumpura

In a controversial claim, well-known Dalit writer and columnist Kanwal Bharti has asserted that a clever Brahminical move appears to be behind the Guru Granth Sahib changing the name of the 15th-16th century mystic poet-saint of the Bhakti movement, Sant Raidas, to Sant Ravidas.

Search This Blog