One of the most important things to take away from Mr. Todd about doing business abroad was to "not be a dog trying to learn new tricks", but rather to keep a perspective on your own beliefs and to do what you know is right. Mr. Todd brings to light a potential issue when conducting business abroad: bribery.
The Department of Justice's Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, "prohibits corrupt payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business." But what do you do when the port authority will not let your goods on a ship to be transported? Do you bribe the port authority because it is considered "common practice" in China? Or do you become a whistle blower and report the corrupt activity? When the electric authorities offer to cut your firm's utility bill by 50% if you pay 25% of your bill to them directly: Do you do it allowing you to cut costs? These are just a few ethical dilemmas that Mr. Todd pointed out that he had to deal with when doing business in China. It is good to learn about these types of situations from a person that has had to deal with them first hand.
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