You are a business development manager at a mid sized automobile manufacturing company. Recently, you’ve been given a project to evaluate the possibility of manufacturing light duty trucks in a Southeastern Asian country. To develop a cost estimate, you visit the country with a team of experts to analyze local resources such as power, labor, and real estate. After the visit, you discuss the findings with an automobile manufacturing consultant. The consultant notes that the local laws and government bureaucracy typically means foreign investors spend more over a year obtaining all required permits. To avoid these delays, the consultant advises exchanging a small amount of company stock to the son of the country’s president. In return for the stock, the president’s son will personally handle and expedite the issuing of all permits required. What should you do?
A. Add the opportunity costs associated with the year delay in getting permitted without local assistance.
B. Notify your company a that a bribe is necessary to avoid lengthy delays in permitting.
C. Facilitate a meeting with the president’s son and your managing director to finalize the details of the stock for services arrangement.
D. Determine the legality of the proposed exchange of stock for permitting assistance.