Ethical Consciousness in Business (I)
Written by Alfonso Elizondo
In a survey conducted by the World Economic Forum, businessmen were asked to rate the level of transparency of their companies in different countries. The ten countries with the most ethical businessmen were:
1.- New Zealand
2.- Finland
3.- Singapore
4.- Denmark
5.- Switzerland
6.- Norway
7.- Japan
8.- Luxembourg
9.- Qatar
10.- Holland
The 10 countries with the worst ethical behavior are:
Angola 144
Mauritania 143
Paraguay 142
Lebanon 141
Bangladesh 140
Venezuela 139
Argentina 138
Guinea 137
Haiti 136
Burundi 135
For their part, in terms of ethical behavior, businessmen in Latin America and the Caribbean rank as follows:
Chile 26
Uruguay 31
Costa Rica 41
Panama 70
Jamaica 74
Guatemala 79
Bolivia 80
El Salvador 85
Honduras 86
Mexico 102
Guyana 104
Brazil 107
Suriname 108
Colombia 110
Peru 115
Nicaragua 118
Dominican Republic 124
Haiti 136
Argentina 138
Venezuela 139
Paraguay 142
According to the Global Competitiveness Report 2014 – 2015 prepared by the World Economic Forum, Angola is the country with the most corrupt businessmen in the world, averaging 2.6 points out of a possible 7, Mauritania 2.7 and Paraguay 2.9. Then comes Lebanon with 2.9, Bangladesh with 2.9, Venezuela 2.9, Argentina 3, Guinea 3.1 and Burundi 3.1. So there are four African countries, four Latin American countries and two Asian countries in this group.
Meanwhile, the country with the best ethical performance is New Zealand with a score of 6.5 out of a possible 7, followed by Finland with 6.4 and Singapore with 6.2. The strange thing is that the 3 best countries are from different regions on the planet and have very different cultures. Their only similarity is that they are integrated societies with highly developed institutions and with respect for the rules. Then there is Denmark with 6.2, Qatar with 5.9 and Holland with 5.9.
This study proves that corruption is a problem that affects all societies when their institutions are weak and when the citizen seeks his own benefit and has no regard for any kind of rule.
Finally, the 10 countries which have businessmen with the worst ethical behavior are Angola at 144, Mauritania at 143, Paraguay at 142, Lebanon at 141, Bangladesh at 140, Venezuela at 139, Argentina at 138, Guinea at 137, Haiti 136 and Burundi 135.