What is Considered Bribery - Type of Corruption

We've all heard of the word bribery and it is a popular term used to describe a corrupted politician as well as the person giving the bribe in the first place. The bribe scandal also happens in one of Southeast Asia's biggest airline companies, AirAsia which resulted in their shares taking a downturn.


Bribery can bring a huge impact on a country's economy and it must be overcome quickly. The book  How To Bribe: A Typology Of Bribe Paying and How To Stop It, it has clearly explained with regards to bribery and the forms of bribery that usually occur.

Bribery can be defined as:

The offering, promising, giving, accepting or soliciting of an advantage as an inducement for an action which is illegal or a breach of trust.

You can see the overview of how bribe actually works and it is classified into different categories in the picture above. With that being said, there are about 8 types of common briberies explained in the book How To Bribe: A Typology Of Bribe Paying and How To Stop It

1. Bribes in Cash

This will probably be the most common type of bribery that occurs worldwide simply because who doesn't love money right?!

It is also easy to be kept and spent almost immediately aside from you being able to use cash to buy whatever you want.

2. Too generous and hospitality

You all must have experienced this in your life in which you want someone to do something for you and in return you give them what they want. But sometimes there are people out there who are just too generous and it does smell fishy.

This can include taking you to a posh restaurant, an expensive spa, and even to a private golf club. You can always tell if a person is simply being too nice.

3. Gifts

We've all got presents in our lives, especially during Christmas but in this matter its more towards bad intentions. They can give you anything from Rolex watches, Gucci bags, and in the worst-case scenario even prostitutes.

4. You scratch my back and I scratch yours

This is a popular English idiom in which you do something for someone and get something back in return. One popular example will be when you are trying to bribe a cop so that you don't have to pay a fine or a speeding ticket.

This has happened a lot from time to time and we know that its never going to stop

5. Business facilitation

This might not sound like bribery but when it comes to work being finished much quicker than it should have then we all know something is not right. Let us just say that a contractor wants to get the apartment finished in less than 2 months when it is supposed to be much longer than that.

Then, the contractor negotiated with the architect to get it done much quicker but we never know about the safety of the building and whether it was built with the required specifications. It's better to be safe than sorry.

6. Charity work

There are also companies out there that are trying to hide the business that they are truly doing by hiding behind the charity work business. I mean who doesn't love someone who does good deeds for the sake of the community but sometimes in real life it is always too good to be true.

We never know if they are covering their dirty work by making other people perceive the opposite. They always have a hidden agenda.

7. Lobbying

And no I am not talking about the hotel lobby. The corrupted politician always adores those that can actually support their campaign and even their lavish lifestyle. What better way to do this than to give permission to businessmen to run their dirty work in return for a political endorsement.

It's happening in many corrupted countries leading to the suffering of the people.

8. Commissions

This is also one of the common tactics for people to actually get more money especially when they want to make a claim after making a purchase. One example would be when a person wants to buy machinery for his work and the price is supposed to be $50,000. But instead, the invoice for the purchase was $20,000 more than the original price.

Sometimes it is never wrong to get some commissions but unfortunately, when greeds take over your life, the commissions are simply way overbound.

These are some example of what bribery are and the forms of bribery that existed everywhere around the world. Bribery will not just cause the government money but it may also cause harm to other people as well. Therefore it is always wise for you to watch your back and be extra careful when dealing with these sorts of things so that you also don't fall for this trap

Also read: Car or House First? - Income Producing Asset

Source: Majalah Labur