Natural Resources and Violent Conflict - WaterWiki.net

308 john braymore likely to be the case if the competitors are not covered by the samelegislation, are not listed on the stock market (for example, if they arestate-owned companies), or are simply less scrupulous.Control Risks Group’s 1999 and 2002 surveys on business attitudesto corruption (which is one aspect of a wider set of integrity problemsthat are likely to affect companies in weak states and conflict zones)show that international executives are still concerned about unevenlevels of compliance between companies based in different countries.Respondents were asked to rate companies’ likely compliance with theForeign Corrupt Practices Act and similar anticorruption legislationaccording to the following four-point scale:1. Companies have strict compliance.2. Companies have generally high standards of compliance, butoccasional lapses.3. Companies prefer to comply but pay bribes if competitors aredoing so.4. Companies always pay bribes if it is customary to do so in thehost country.The results show a broad range of expectations (Control RisksGroup 2002, p. 64). Companies from the leading OECD countries areperceived to have relatively high levels of compliance with anticorruptionlegislation (table 7.3). However, they now face competition from“new multinationals” based in a number of emerging markets. Amongnon-OECD countries, Singapore and, to a lesser extent, Hong Kong(China) rate highly, but respondents believe that companies fromTable 7.3 Standards of Compliance among Companies fromTop-10 OECD Exporters, 1999 and 2002Country Average in 1999 Average in 2002Canada 1.6 1.81Germany 1.9 1.82Netherlands 1.8 1.86United Kingdom 1.7 1.95United States 1.8 2.03Belgium and Luxembourg 2.0 2.09Japan 2.3 2.26France 2.2 2.38Italy 2.7 2.96Korea, Rep. of 2.7 2.94Source: Control Risks Group (2002).