| Course | FIN 336 Multinational Corporate Finance |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 8 |
| Paper type | undergraduate discussion post on ethics and corruption in international business |
| Length | About 340 words, 3 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Southern New Hampshire University |
| Program | BS Finance |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for FIN 336 Module 8
Module Eight Discussion
The Urgency Fee at the Port of Santos
Six weeks before our composite Sioux Falls company's Mato Grosso plant is due to open, a container of dryer control boards arrives at the port of Santos. The customs broker our Brazilian team hired calls with news: clearance will take three weeks unless we pay a R$15,000 "urgency fee" in cash, about $2,700, which he will pass to "the right people." Without the controls, the plant cannot ship dryers for the coming harvest.
The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act forbids payments to foreign officials to obtain or keep business, and our company is covered no matter where the payment happens. It has a narrow exception for facilitating payments for routine government action, but a cash fee routed through a broker to unnamed officials, to move our cargo ahead of others, would be hard to defend as routine. Brazil's Clean Company Act of 2013 is stricter: it holds companies strictly liable for bribes paid in their interest, even by an agent, and has no facilitating payment exception. The Odebrecht case, settled in 2016 with authorities in the United States, Brazil and Switzerland, showed how far coordinated enforcement now reaches (Pimenta & Venturini, 2021).
Paying once marks the company as willing to pay again, and every later shipment through Santos would carry the same quiet expectation. Fisman and Svensson (2007) found that Ugandan firms paying more in bribes grew much more slowly, and Cuervo-Cazurra (2006) found that investors from countries with anti-bribery laws invest less where corruption is high, a sign of how seriously they take the risk.
I would refuse, record the request in writing, report it to our compliance officer and replace the broker. Brazil's customs service runs a certified operator program with faster clearance, which the company should join, and for now air-freighting a small batch of boards would cost more than $2,700 but carry no legal risk.
Would your answer change if the broker said a delay would leave cooperatives without dryers at harvest, or if he asked for a smaller amount?
References
Cuervo-Cazurra, A. (2006). Who cares about corruption? Journal of International Business Studies, 37(6), 807-822. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400223
Fisman, R., & Svensson, J. (2007). Are corruption and taxation really harmful to growth? Firm level evidence. Journal of Development Economics, 83(1), 63-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2005.09.009
Pimenta, R. D. M., & Venturini, O. (2021). International cooperation and negotiated settlements for transnational bribery: A study of the Odebrecht case. Revista Direito GV, 17(2), e2131. https://doi.org/10.1590/2317-6172202131
What the FIN 336 Module 8 instructions ask for
The final FIN 336 discussion usually asks about ethical issues in international business, often corruption, bribery, cultural differences in business practices or the responsibilities of multinational firms. Prompts may ask what a manager should do when local customs conflict with home country law, how the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act applies, or whether ethical behavior costs firms money abroad. A strong post works through a concrete situation, names the laws that apply in both countries, uses evidence on the costs of corruption and recommends a course of action. A main post of 300 to 400 words with one or two credible sources, and replies that test classmates' answers with a harder version of the dilemma, will meet most directions.
How this FIN 336 Module 8 discussion example is built
The sample puts the company's new Brazilian team in a realistic bind: a broker at Santos says a shipment of dryer controls will sit for three weeks unless the team pays a cash "urgency fee," and the plant's opening date depends on those parts. The post explains that the U.S. law's narrow exception for routine facilitating payments would be risky to rely on and that Brazil's Clean Company Act contains no such exception at all. It cites research showing bribery slows firm growth and discourages investment, recalls the Odebrecht settlements in three countries and recommends refusing, documenting the request and paying for legal expedited clearance. Its closing question changes the stakes to see whether classmates would still refuse.
Where the FIN 336 Module 8 rubric puts the points
This discussion is usually graded on ethical reasoning, accurate understanding of the relevant laws, application to a specific situation, use of sources and quality of peer replies. The best posts reach a clear answer, explain it in terms of both law and value to the firm and acknowledge the real business pressure behind the dilemma. Posts lose points when they state that bribery is wrong without engaging with the situation, misstate the law, for example by treating facilitating payments as always legal, or ignore the host country's own rules. Replies score highest when they change one fact in a classmate's scenario and ask whether the answer changes.
FIN 336 Module 8 help: the mistakes that cost points
The trap in this final discussion is a short sermon against bribery that ignores why managers pay. Show the pressure first: a deadline, a customer or a plant opening. Then explain what the law says in both countries, since many students know only the U.S. side. Be careful with facilitating payments: the U.S. exception is narrow, many companies ban them anyway, and other countries' laws, including Brazil's and the UK's, do not allow them. Use one study on what corruption does to firms so the argument rests on evidence as well as rules. Give the company a practical alternative, such as a legal expedited service or an escalation path. In replies, change a fact, such as the amount or who asks, and see whether a classmate's answer holds.
Get FIN 336 Module 8 written to your instructions
Send the FIN 336 Module 8 discussion prompt. We apply the law and the research to one realistic request, give a clear answer on what the firm should do and add a question that invites peers to respond. Expect it in about two days, first post free. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Southern New Hampshire University document.
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FIN 336 Module 8 questions, answered
Where can I find a free FIN 336 Module 8 Discussion sample?
The full FIN 336 Module 8 post is on this page: a cash fee to speed customs in Brazil, weighed under U.S. and Brazilian law with a recommended response.
What is a facilitating payment?
A small payment to a foreign official to speed a routine, nondiscretionary action such as processing papers; U.S. law has a narrow exception for them, but many other countries' laws do not.
What does Brazil's Clean Company Act do?
Brazil's 2013 anti-corruption law makes companies strictly liable for bribery of public officials committed in their interest, with large fines, and allows leniency agreements for firms that cooperate.
Does corruption hurt company performance?
Research on firms in Uganda found that higher bribe payments were linked to much slower growth, and studies of investors show corruption discourages foreign investment.
What should a company do when asked for a bribe abroad?
Refuse, record the request, report it to compliance, look for a legal way to achieve the same result and, if safety is threatened, put people first and report the payment afterward.