Can Ethics exist in Global Business?

If someone runs a legitimate business, then passing products through customs and/or acquiring licenses should not be issues. However, foreign countries use unfair policies and tactics to extort money from businesses and individuals alike. When starting a new company in a notoriously corrupt country, businessmen have to make a decision between using unethical methods like bribery or giving up on the new business. I had a friend of the family get arrested for crossing an “invisible” fence into someone else’s land in while hunting in Mexico. The Mexican Police demand $13,000 in cash and obtained his brand new $45,000 truck as payment for his release. If he had followed an ethical approach, he should have stood trial and pleaded his case. Since he knew that the Mexican courts would not give him a fair trial, he decided to pay off the police so that he would not go jail indefinitely. People make their own rules in their own country, so I do not see how the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act could have any jurisdiction over American owned international businesses. These businesses cannot beat foreign courts or policies because they want something in return for letting American companies into their backyard. Unfortunately, companies that get caught up in these scandals make international news and ruin relations with global communities, but the media cannot address the number of companies who do not get caught. Bribery violates every ethical code in business because most of the time it is associated with lying, extortion, and other “under the table” dealings. If companies start using these practices, foreign governments will receive a negative reputation with the rest of the world, harming future investments and possibly potential ventures with other neighboring countries that may not use unethical practices. Giving into these local practices does not mean respect for these cultures; instead, it allows these foreign governments to continue bullying investment businesses. A company’s decision to participate in these practices should be dependent on its need for the potential revenue and the CEO’s feelings on using unethical methods. As for business in the USA, the government should not allow these dealings as normal practices, and the people should hold American ethics to be higher than the rest of the world. Other than establishing business agreements and government treaties, very little can be done in order to prevent international companies from going to these extreme measures.