Written Expressions 3rd Year Classes
Collected by GUELLIL MABROUK (mgbay13.com)
Unit Two: Ill-gotten gains never prosper
Ethics in Business
Topic19:
Write a composition on the conception of corruption.
Typical Essay:
There is an old axiom often applied to those with political ambitions: Power corrupts; absolute power
corrupts absolutely. In this case, the term corruption means the abuse of a public office for personal gain or
other illegal or immoral benefit. Political corruption is a recognized criminal offense, along with HYPERLINK "http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-bribery.htm" bribery,
HYPERLINK "http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-extortion.htm" extortion, and HYPERLINK "http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-embezzling.htm" embezzlement - three illegal acts often associated with corruption in office. Some forms of
corruption may escape legal notice, such as the hiring of relatives for key positions, but they may not escape
the scrutiny of voters on Election Day.
Whenever a person accepts a political appointment or wins election to an office, he or she must take an
oath to uphold the public trust. While this may sound noble on paper, enforcement of this oath can prove
problematic. Very few political candidates successfully reach office without making a few promises along the
way. Many of these campaign promises are harmless, such as sponsoring a bill or lobbying for more funding
for schools. Other promises, however, may come closer to crossing an ethical line, such as hiring relatives or
awarding government contracts to influential contributors.
Political corruption has been a fact of life for thousands of years, beginning with the first attempts at a
democratic form of government in ancient Greece and Rome. Almost all of these countries' political
representatives were from the wealthier class, which inevitably led to a division between the influential haves
and the virtually powerless have-nots. The seeds of political corruption were planted as soon as the senators
and other political leaders realized that power and wealth could be equals. Political corruption often begins
with favoritism towards those with wealth and influence.
In the modern sense of the term, political corruption is a cancer on the integrity of a governmental body.
Very few public officials begin their careers with the intention of becoming corrupt, but some succumb to a
sinister form of peer pressure over time. Being placed in a position of significant political power can be
overwhelming, and the temptation to bend or break rules for a perceived 'greater good' is always present.
There are a few experienced politicians, however, for whom political corruption is a natural state of being.
History is filled with examples of corrupt public officials, such as New York City's HYPERLINK "http://www.wisegeek.com/who-is-boss-tweed.htm" Boss Tweed and his political
HYPERLINK "http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-cronies.htm" cronies at HYPERLINK "http://www.wisegeek.com/what-was-tammany-hall.htm" Tammany Hall during the late 19th century. Charges ranging from bribery and HYPERLINK "http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-graft.htm" graft to nepotism,
HYPERLINK "http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-racketeering.htm" racketeering and HYPERLINK "http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-fraud.htm" fraud were all leveled at Tweed's administration, but it was Tweed's skills in political
corruption that kept law enforcement at bay for years. A number of judges and law enforcement officers were
already on Boss Tweed's secret HYPERLINK "http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-payroll.htm" payroll. Political corruption may always remain a concern for democratic
governments, but there are a number of independent checks and balances that can root out corruption before
it affects the integrity of the political body as a whole.
Topic20:
Write a composition on embezzlement.
Typical Essay:
Embezzling is the act of taking money that has been placed in your trust but belongs to another person. For
instance, someone who works in a bank may secretly steal money that he or she has been entrusted to look
after. This money belongs to the bank's customers, and the employee's action can be considered
embezzling.
One of the major methods used in embezzling is to falsify records and documents. A recent British case
involved a bank HYPERLINK "http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-manager.htm" manager embezzling 23 million GB pounds (GBP). The bank manager set up many false
bank accounts and deposited millions from other bank accounts into them.
Another very successful method of falsifying records is the phantom employee. The manager may create a
job role and documents for an employee who does not actually exist. The phantom employee is then paid a
HYPERLINK "http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-salary.htm" salary.
Even charities are threatened by embezzlement. One of the most common methods used in this case is to
redirect large amounts of money for administrative purposes. Sadly, many worthwhile charities have been
shut down as a result of this type of embezzling.
Topic21:
Write a composition on bribery.
Typical Essay:
A bribe is a form of corruption which involves the promise of money or a favor to someone in a position of
power, with the hope of influencing that person's behavior. HYPERLINK "http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-bribery.htm" Bribery is viewed as a crime in many regions of
the world, and people who are caught offering or receiving bribes may face hefty penalties. In other regions,
the line between bribing and tipping is sometimes rather blurred, which can make it difficult to prosecute
people for bribery, or to understand when one has crossed the line.
There are several reasons why bribery is viewed as a crime. In the first place, accepting a bribe and acting
on it is a clear misuse of power, and a dereliction of duty. In egalitarian societies, the thought of greasing the
way with bribes is especially distasteful, because it highlights the differences between those who can buy
power or favors, and those who cannot. A bribe may also HYPERLINK "http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-compromise.htm" compromise the quality of a transaction. For
example, when a construction firm bribes a government official to get a contract, the government official may
overlook a company which provides superior or cheaper work, thereby essentially cheating the government.
Bribes can take any number of forms. Historically, bribes to public officials have been extremely common,
and in some regions, this continues to be the case. Bribes also play a role in the financial industry, and even
in occupations like medicine, where doctors may be bribed by drug companies to prescribe their products.
Politics is also rife with bribery in many region, with people bribing politicians to achieve desired ends, and
politicians in turn offering bribes to others in the hopes of attaining specific goals, like winning an election.
Drawing the line with bribes is very challenging. For example, many politicians receive healthy campaign
contributions from an assortment of companies and industries. These payments could be viewed as bribes in
the eyes of some critics, especially when the politicians vote and act in the interests of their biggest
contributors. However, it could also be argued that these companies are certainly entitled to support
candidates they like, especially when those candidates have political beliefs which align with the interests of
the company.
Likewise, the practice of offering a bribe to ministry officials in some countries is so widespread that bribes
are viewed almost like set fees. People who attempt to act with integrity may find that the ministry in question
never approves a request or a document, thus forcing them to bribe an official to get the job done. In some
cases, such bribes are even tax-HYPERLINK "http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-deductible.htm" deductible, with tax agencies recognizing them as a legitimate business
expense.
Topic22:
Write a composition on money laundering.
Typical Essay:
Money laundering refers to the process of concealing financial transactions. Various laundering techniques
can be employed by individuals, groups, officials and HYPERLINK "http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-corporation.htm" corporations. The goal of a money laundering operation
is usually to hide either the source or the destination of money.
Perhaps the best way to understand the concept is to take a look at some common examples. Suppose, for
example, that an employee was stealing large sums of cash from her employer without getting caught. If she
was to make large deposits into her bank account, some regulator (or HYPERLINK "http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-computer.htm" computer program) might notice the
unusually large deposits, thereby increasing the chances of getting caught. To launder the money, the criminal
might simply use the cash to make purchases and then resell the items in a legitimate market. The revenue
gained from these sales is 'cleaner' and the criminal is drawing less attention to herself.
The example provided above is a particularly simple example that involves a non-cash step; actual money
laundering operations are often complex assortments of various transactions. The term 'money laundering' is
typically used to refer to any financial transaction that is not kept transparent. Needless to say, the practice is
illegal and large penalties, fines or imprisonment may ensue.
Topic23:
Write a composition on tax evasion.
Typical Essay:
Tax evasion is usually understood to be an act in which an individual intentionally chooses to not pay HYPERLINK "http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-income-tax.htm" income
taxes due. This act of not paying taxes may be conducted by simply chooses to not file an income HYPERLINK "http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-tax-return.htm" tax return,
or choosing to not include information about HYPERLINK "http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-taxable-income.htm" taxable income on the filed return. In all instances, tax evasion
can be considered to be HYPERLINK "http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-fraud.htm" fraud, and usually carries stiff penalties.
While there are some that consider any type of omission from the tax return to constitute tax evasion, it is
important to remember that it is possible to omit an item simply because the data was overlooked when filing
the return. Thus, the intent of the individual plays a key role in determining if tax evasion has taken place.
However, when it can be demonstrated that the individual willfully attempted to hide information about
income that was subject to withholding, the tax agency may choose to impose more than a simple interest
fine on the amount omitted. The filer may be subject to stiff fines associated with the deliberate failure to file
an accurate tax return, or even possibly face prosecution and some time spent in jail for the intentional
negligence.
Tax evasion is considered a crime, and is often classified as fraud. All citizens suffer from tax evasion, as
the act prevents the government from collecting funds to use for the operation of essential services to the
population. When these funds are not collected, services have to be curtailed and thus result in a lower quality
of life for all citizens.
Persons who become aware of an error on calculating taxes on reported income or notice that income was
inadvertently left off the tax return for a given period should contact the tax agency and make arrangements to
file an amended return as soon as possible. This will help to minimize the chances of being suspected of tax
evasion, and allow the matter to be settled before interest charges become significant.
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