What can entrepreneurs do to minimize corruption in the regions where they operate?

I am forced to leave India because of the same, it's a curse, I think change should happen from an elementary level and this should be taught in school to kids as a sin, it is here to stay otherwise.

Simple Answer and I quote Mr.Hatim Tyabji: "Do what is right and damn the consequences." Read more on him: http://www.siliconindia.com/magazine/articledesc.php?articleid=XAY251970100

As Ebshir has strategic partnerships with private and public sectors in Jordan, we faced many situations where corruption was major obstacle.
We were very strict; we reached critical point where we had to shut the business down if we didn’t engage with such acts , But as Entrepreneurs, we always have the solution; we escalated these cases until it reached top executives in both sectors, and these issues were smoothly solved without paying single penny as a "bribe", investigations were opened and tough penalties were taken against involved employees.
Entrepreneurs should adopt this type of attitude as they are part of their country's bright future

In order to minimise corruption it is important to change the thinking paradigm of the people.
Corruption is a social disease infesting the entire society which needs to be controlled or minimised at all levels.
It is important to make necessary changes with strict measures at all levels of the heirarchy.
Strong regulatory substance and regulatory governance must be implemented.
Competition and privatisation also helps in minimising corruption.
Better incentives to be introduced to curb corporate corruption.
Equal opportunites with merit must be implemented and audited strongly.
Accountability should be increased.
Corruption, a social disease, if controlled will lead to a better social environment.

Any system is made up of people and it is corrupt only when the people in charge are corrupt.
Unfortunately some individuals exploit their positions to make quick bucks by slowing down the bureaucratic process of setting up a company until you promise them a cut from your profits or give them a down payment to speed up the process.
On the other hand, sometimes the proprietors of mass production companies will compromise on the quality of their products so that they can save money.
These can be seen in the Western as well as the Eastern world.
Most of us here in the Arab world are also well acquainted with the term 'Wasta'.
It comes down to studying corruption from social and cultural aspects and zeroing it down to the attitude and mindset of the people in any particular place.
Creating awareness is, perhaps, an answer to dealing with corruption.
The society in general should be made aware of the downside of corruption and how it diminishes their holistic progress.
The role of the Media can be highlighted here.
Internally, within organisations, I think the spotlight falls on the Human Resources Department to conduct workshops on professional ethics for its employees stressing on the establishment of a fair work place.

There are plenty of people, far clever than I, who have (and continue to) wage war against corruption.
As an entrepreneur, I tend to evaluate most concepts from a market need perspective.
I know it’s strange! To me, fighting corruption is no different.
We all agree there’s a dire need.
Why not treat it as a business opportunity (albeit not-for-profit)? The question is what and how.
How about a web-based repository that names and shames corrupt people and entities, and is contributed to by everyone: A ‘Wikipedia of corruption’? Akin to consumer reports on home appliances or cars, people will be able to search for ‘reviews’ on entities and/or officials in the private, public and financial sectors prior to transacting with them.
It can award black points to those who are corrupt, and gold points to those who are not.
By no means is this is a silver bullet yielding immediate results, but it would open a new, transparent, easily accessible and potentially viral front in the fight against institutionalized corruption that would require a lot more effort to squelch.
Any takers?

Dear Rabea,

 

Corruption is a complex phenomenon. Its roots lie deep in bureaucratic and political institutions, and its effect on development varies with country conditions.

 

But we have to understand that while costs may vary and systemic corruption may coexist with strong economic performance, experience suggests that corruption is one of the most severe impediments to development and growth in emerging and transition economies.

 

What I beleive in that in order to fight the corruption in the regions; we have to put a new strategy to fix and improve all the:

 

• Economic Reforms
• Strengthening Institutions.
• Reforming the Public Sector.
• Financial management.
• Civil service reform.
• Tax and revenue departments.
• Pblic procurement.
• Decentralization.
• Legal and Judicial Reform.
• Judicial reform.
• Special anti-corruption bodies.
• Civil Society.

 

Implementing effective and efficient reforms to improve governance and fight corruption is inherently difficult.

So we have to measure corruption!!!

 

Measuring corruption offers other benefits as well. It can help to establish priorities for reform by identifying activities and agencies where corruption is concentrated. It educates the public about the economic and social costs of corruption. And it establishes a baseline against which the successes and failures of reform can later be measured.

 

Regards,

Hany Sewilam AbdelHamid

Business Development Manager

Entrepreneurship Coach & Consultant

facebook.com /Orkanza

twitter.com /HanySewilam