Foxconn Accused of Taking Bribes 51
judgecorp writes "Device manufacturer Foxconn has been accused of taking bribes from local suppliers. The issue has been reported in Taiwan's Next magazine, and picked up by the China Post — and is being investigated by the Chinese authorities."
wha? (Score:1)
The real story is who did they piss off enough in the Chinese government that the law is actually going enforced.
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No, it just means someone didn't pay enough to the Chinese officials.
Bribery is kind of how business is done in China I have heard. There have been congressional hearings where people doing business in China have testified precisely that and being restricted from participating in their "business culture" reduces their ability to compete.
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how business is done in China
Whatever. Just keep my iStuff cheap and my Walmart prices low low and all that industry far away from me!
kthxbye
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Here in the states, we call them kickbacks or incentives. For crying out loud, I have vendors offer me American Express gift cards every x number of toners I buy. What do you think that is?
There's a big difference:
Incentive: 'You give us $100, we'll give you $1 back'
Bribe: 'You give us $100, we'll give you (a contract equivalent to) $1000 back, even if you're shit'
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No, it just means someone didn't pay enough to the Chinese officials.
More like the wife of Foxconn's CEO made a slight at the Chinese officials mistress. Chinese official loses face and has to make up for it by grandstanding and making the CEO lose face.
I am Shocked! (Score:3)
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Captain Renault moved to China after the fall of Vichy France?
Rick: How can you close me up? On what grounds?
Captain Renault: I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!
[a croupier hands Renault a pile of money]
Croupier: Your winnings, sir.
Captain Renault: Oh, thank you very much.
Captain Renault: Everybody out at once!
Wooooo! (Score:1)
A company I worked for had that happen, their Chinese manufacturer used counterfeit components from a shady supplier. Among those components were power transistors and voltage regulators which started exploding in our customers' medical devices. Fortunately we were able to treat their repairs as upgrades rather than a recall.
We have to thank our squinty-eyed friends, they are giving us reasons to move our manufacturing back into the 'states, or at least closer to home.
-- Ethanol-fueled
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Among those components were power transistors and voltage regulators which started exploding in our customers' medical devices. Fortunately we were able to treat their repairs as upgrades rather than a recall.
For the sake of everyone involved, I hope this refers to the repair of the customer's devices, and not repairs of the customers themselves.
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You're kidding yourself if you think manufacturing done locally will somehow not cut corners and be more cost efficient when compared to possible litigation.
Duh? (Score:2)
From the Department of No Shit at our friends at Taiwan's Next magazine.
Anyone surprised?
Foxconn EMPLOYEE accused of taking brides (Score:5, Insightful)
Unless I am missing something, it looks like Foxconn was the victim here. One of their employees was accused of taking bribes from a supplier, in order to give the supplier a contract from Foxconn. So the employee get the money, and Foxconn loses money by paying to much.
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Yeah, I read this and was flummoxxed because bribing a corporation is not illegal. If a supplier wants to sweeten the pot by sending a gift to their customers, there's absolutely nothing illegal about that. It's called good business.
Bribing an employee to award a disadvantageous contract to a supplier isn't illegal, either, but it'll get you shitcanned.
That's why your company trains you for this (Score:1)
It's Foxconn Employees taking bribes from supplier (Score:5, Informative)
A few high level Foxconn employees have been accused of taking bribes, by Foxconn. Foxconn called in the law enforcement on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and is working with them to capture all the responsible parties. So rather than Foxconn taking bribes, it's Foxconn employees abusing their power, and embezzling against Foxconn by taking bribes from suppliers.
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This headline is really badly written. A few high level Foxconn employees have been accused of taking bribes, by Foxconn. Foxconn called in the law enforcement on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and is working with them to capture all the responsible parties. So rather than Foxconn taking bribes, it's Foxconn employees abusing their power, and embezzling against Foxconn by taking bribes from suppliers.
How are "High level employees" with business decision making powers, directorships, fiduciary responsibility and strategic control NOT considered foxconn? That's like saying "Oh no, that police officer acted on his own - the entire department isn't racist" when you find out that the chief, the deputy chief, the head of HR and all the duty sergeants are high ranking members of the KKK.
So, you're technically correct - foxconn, the corporation, did not engage in bribery - but in essence, the company DID, and
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How are "High level employees" with business decision making powers, directorships, fiduciary responsibility and strategic control NOT considered foxconn?
Maybe this will help explain:
A bank employee embezzles from his employer. Headline reads: Bank steals money.
See the problem now?
It's not demonizing Foxconn, but ... (Score:2)
How are "High level employees" with business decision making powers, directorships, fiduciary responsibility and strategic control NOT considered foxconn?
Maybe this will help explain: A bank employee embezzles from his employer. Headline reads: Bank steals money. See the problem now?
No, I don't. Because that's a false equivalency.
Anyone who is taking (or giving) bribes to generate business will also be (by default) in possession or use of money they don't deserve. Of course the officials engaged in bribery were also "embezzling". They were using (or receiving) money they didn't earn, that didn't go on the company books. It's an indirect result of the bribery. Yes, it's wrong, but it is (well, could be) incidental. I'm willing to admit I might be wrong about this, but embezzlement
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This headline is really badly written.
No, the headline offers a different perspective than you do. One that from the looks of it is more accurate than yours. A few high levels officials taking bribes, and the words "long established practice" more than add up to this being a systemic problem (and thus something part of Foxconn) rather than some isolated incidents. Neither article mentions anything about Foxconn calling the police about the bribes.
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Sorry, but I don't take press releases by companies accused of bribery very seriously. Why should I? Do you just automatically believe the guy that said "I didn't do it?". If the police announced the same thing that might be something worth considering as a real source of information.
My Goodness! (Score:2)
Foxconn taking bribes? I'm shocked! Shocked!
Uhmmm.... so? (Score:2)
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So where all these bribes for legal, ethical activity are being handed out? I want in on that action!
Even when bribes are being given to do your job (i.e. to get the police to actually investigate, to have your bid actually be considered, etc) it's pretty hard to make a case that it's ethical - after all if you were acting ethically you'd be doing your job regardless, and then what's the bribe for? Granted a bit of tit-for-tat happens pretty much everywhere to some degree as people prioritize their workloa
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Examples of completely ordinary, legal, and quite ethical bribes:
An employer offers an employee a hiring bonus if they sign on with them. That's nothing less than an outright bribe... and there's nothing shameful about offering it or receiving it.
Honorariums are basically bribery. You might get something in exchange for participating in a focus group, for instance.
Any sort of monetary reward for turning in evidence for a crime that the police have solicited public help on, which results in a convict
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That's a very broad definition of bribery - by that definition even wages could be easily considered a bribe, after all you're giving someone money to alter their behavior are you not? While it is perhaps technically correct according to the secondary definition, the word is rarely used that way outside of casual conversation about people acting as independent agents (bribing a child to behave, or a friend to help you with an unpleasant task)
various primary defintions from around the web:
* money or any oth
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There is absolutely nothing wrong, or even particularly shameful about accepting a bribe, unless you are accepting it in exchange for a favor that is illegal or otherwise considered unethical.
Huh? If party A (entrusted with a duty by party B) takes money from party C and then makes a decision on behalf of party B based on that money rather than what is best for B, then it is an conflict of interest and it is unethical.
If party C pays party A to encourage a decision by A acting as an agent of A only, then it is not a conflict of interest and is not unethical. It's also not called a bribe.
So, in order to make a bribe ethical it's got to not be a bribe.
authorities (Score:2)
They're probably upset they were cut out of the bribe deals
Believing anything positive from Foxconn? (Score:2)
Given how much Foxconn has done against its own and how far they've gone to hide it (and to attack the character of those who expose it), I am not surprised.