Look realistically at corruption, particularly in the emerging markets (EM) as these developmental markets are where the greatest business opportunities are abounding. Nigeria, for example, has been reported for many years to be one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Transparency International measures these https://www.transparency.org/news/feature/corruption_perceptions_index_2017 Even with the reformation of its financial institutions after the banking scandal approximately a decade ago, problems remain institutionalized in its government and systems. It isn’t the desire of the people nor their cultural way, and yet systemic in the society. This is true of many EM’s.

This brings us to the global leader who is outside this culture now doing business in this culture. Should the office abroad take a polycentric or geocentric approach to management?
Some of the perspective-building pertains to definitions. For example, bribery might be seen as a gift that is intended to generate an outcome that otherwise wouldn’t happen without it; this is true but narrow and simplistic definition. Perhaps the difference between bribes and gifts is the intent to manipulate the people and the final accomplishment. For bribes can be given not just to generate an immediate action or outcome. They can be given to build loyalty, reciprocity (there is an old saying “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours”), and generally condition the person for future behaviors too.
Therefore what type of approach an organization, and its leaders, should take to such situations?

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