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Morality of Bribes

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Bribes and Morality
Machiavelli (1882), in writing of cruelty and clemency asks the question of whether it is better to be loved or feared and asserts that both are best. Machiavelli (1882) justifies this conclusion by saying that people are fickle. They will pledge their lives when danger is distant and benefits are high, but desert those to whom they pledge their lives when danger is imminent. The person who places love above all else is in danger during times of crisis. Conversely, men are careful not to offend those they fear, because they fear the punishment and are more likely to remain true to their pledge. There is a caution in this assertion to know the difference between fear and hatred and the recommendation is to be feared, but not hated.
Man should strive to be in control of that which is can and not rely on the uncontrollable. Since love is dependent the perception of others and fear is dependent upon actions, man should build on the actions he can control but to do so in such a way as to escape hatred.
Pastin and Hooker (1980) state that the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) is legislation designed to prevent bribery of foreign officials and other payments for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. The legislation is an attempt to address the problem of corruption, but rather than address bribery from a moral perspective, Pastin and Hooker (1980) raise the issue of whether the legislation itself is moral. They offer two tests to assess the morality of the legislation: the End-Point Assessment and the Rule Assessment tests.
End-Point rule tests whether the legislation is of benefit to the well-being of society and is sound if the law promotes the well-being of society. Rule Assessment tests whether the rule is categorical or prima facie. Categorical means the rule is unbendable and the prima facie subjective and open to

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